Lessons learned buying vintage tools on ebay...

[Luke Dupont]

What have you learned?

Not the most interesting perhaps, but I'll start off:



I ordered yet another set of auger bits, attempting to get a complete set of Irwin bits.

And, as always, no matter how good the pictures look, unless they state otherwise, there are going to be a number of unusable bits. And murphy's law dictates that those unusable bits will be the sizes that you still lack.

And so you will buy many, many batches of auger bits, until you could have just purchased a full set in perfect, nearly mint condition.

I got a nice set this time. It seems that the screw leads were in decent shape, and the owner knew how to sharpen them properly -- this I could tell by the pictures.

What I couldn't tell by the pictures, however, is that someone quite creative got ahold of the 1" bit, probably long after the original owner passed away, and... I can't imagine what they were trying to do, but the spurrs are bent, ground, and mangled in the most horrific manner that I have ever seen. I can only imagine they were trying to drill through mild steel or something, though how they could manage to generate the torque required for such abuse is beyond my comprehension. It's surprising that I couldn't tell this from the photos... something I suspect might have been intentional. Oh well.

So the hunt continues for a 1" bit... The goal close, and yet, never quite within reach.

Better be ready to shell out another $25 for global shipping on top of whatever I find!



On a more positive note, I also learned how great it is to buy from obviously knowledgeable and honest sellers, especially if they're also woodworkers and users of the tools that they sell.

I bought one more backsaw, this one fully restored and tuned by someone who was obviously a woodworker and new what he was doing. This money was very well spent.

Up until now I've always bought rusted junk to restore myself, mostly with good results, but saws can be really tricky to get right even if you're experienced sharpening and setting them. And, honestly, having the work already done for you by someone very skilled is... quite nice, and worth the price.

[chris carter]

When I bought my auger bits the seller had a lot of really good photos. But there were one or two that I couldn't clearly make out the tips and spurs so I asked if he/she could take a close up of the bit(s) in question. They promptly did, all was good, and I promptly purchased.

[Jim Koepke]

And so you will buy many, many batches of auger bits, until you could have just purchased a full set in perfect, nearly mint condition.

I got a nice set this time. It seems that the screw leads were in decent shape, and the owner knew how to sharpen them properly -- this I could tell by the pictures.

What I couldn't tell by the pictures, however, is that someone quite creative got ahold of the 1" bit, probably long after the original owner passed away, and... I can't imagine what they were trying to do, but the spurrs are bent, ground, and mangled in the most horrific manner that I have ever seen. I can only imagine they were trying to drill through mild steel or something, though how they could manage to generate the torque required for such abuse is beyond my comprehension. It's surprising that I couldn't tell this from the photos... something I suspect might have been intentional. Oh well.

When I bought my auger bits the seller had a lot of really good photos. But there were one or two that I couldn't clearly make out the tips and spurs so I asked if he/she could take a close up of the bit(s) in question. They promptly did, all was good, and I promptly purchased.

Like Chris says, ask for more photos before committing to buy. Sadly there are too many sellers on ebay who will try to hide damage or other problems.

I used to purchase large lots of auger bits just to have spares.

There is always some "know it all" who thinks a sharp bit for wood should be able to cut through metal. That is why I have a lot of beater bits. Some of them became beaters by hitting nails or screws. They may not bore a nice hole like a proper bit but they are fine for rough work.

My last purchase was of a Russell Jennings set of bits. The 1/4" was mangled. I let that be known in the feedback and then bought a pair of NOS RJ bits from another seller.

It may be time for me to start looking for another set of spares. My last spare full set, + a #20, was given to my grandson on his last visit along with one each of an 8, 10 & 12" brace.

jtk

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I posted this in a similarly themed thread on June 12. Even though you’re in Japan (or even more so) it bears repeating.

My experiences on eBay have, for the most part, been good. Lots of reasons for that. Fuzzy photos - pass. Limited descriptions - pass. Excessive shipping cost - pass. More than one negative rating - probably pass. Impulse buying or bidding frenzy - never; I always preestablish a limit on what I’m willing to pay for something - no exceptions. I prefer in-person (Craigslist, estate sales, etc.) transactions or buying used stuff from fellow Creekers. But oftentimes the only option is eBay. With eBay’s buyer protection plan, you have some recourse if you get burned, as long as you can show that the seller misrepresented the item.

[anne watson]

another positive statement about ebay sellers. I bought something -long ago- suppose to
be 2 parts carefully wrapped. It looked like I only got 1part, so naturally I complained.



inutes later I got an email from the seller asking me if I had completely opened the package, guess what I found in the trash container. The other part, carefully
wrapped in its own container .

that is my good ebay statement...There are more good people in this world than bad.
When and if bad people dominate, we will all be dead so we won't know or even care.
Anne in Arizona, were I don't even know how to shovel snow

[William Fretwell]

I got lucky with my set of Russel Jennings auger bits, just some sharpening required. I have found if you ask intelligent questions that show you are a serious wood worker, often the seller will say “I have an even better set I would like to go to someone who will appreciate and use them”.
My local Re-Store has no postage, $3 for a great saw and $3 for a top of the line auger drill. I’m currently restoring both as gifts for my son in-law.

[Jim Koepke]

Anne in Arizona, were I don't even know how to shovel snow

Do you live in a part of Arizona that gets snow?

If you do, buy a snow shovel before you need it.

My first year up here we had a record snow fall. Couldn't find a snow shovel to save my life.

Even with 4 wheel drive our neighbor had to pull us over the mound at the end of the drive left by the snow plow.

When talking to him back in August he told me there was usually less than 2" of snow. When it was mentioned a neighbor had told me we only got at most 2", he said, "he lied."

Most years 2" is about it. The climate is changing but this part of the map is supposedly on the minimum end of the spectrum of change.

jtk

[Chuck Hill]

If you are on FaceBook, join this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanIHaveItToolAuctions
They have a weekly auction with good prices, lowest possible shipping, and reliable sellers. I joined a couple of week ago and my tool budget is way in the red. No more eBay for me.

[Jim Koepke]

One of my favorite sites for gaining an education on antique tools is actually a monthly tools for sell newsletter > http://www.supertool.com/forsale/list2021december.html

This month in the MS (miscellaneous) section is an amazing array of braces. It is amazing to see some variations of bit holding that are not seen on ebay or other sites.

Some of the molding planes listed are also a great education of various things one can sometimes find out in the wild.

jtk

-Disclaimer, I haven't purchased from Patrick Leach nor do I know or endorse his wares.

[Jason Buresh]

Luke,

Do you only need a 1" bit to complete your set?

[Ron Selzer]

Luke
can't help you with a 1" bit. However, I acquired Greenlee NOS bits in 17, 18 and 20 still wrapped in original box. Probably some discoloration as lots of water damaged items in this warehouse, just haven't looked them over closely the boxes look ok .
One each can be sent your way for cost of shipping, saves my kids from getting rid of them in 15 yrs. or so. Still leaves me more than I will use.
Ron

[Stew Denton]

Luke, Steven wrote much of what I have ended up coming to with Ebay and tools. I have not had much opportunity in the past for in person buying, so many tools have come by way of Ebay.

To add to the very good advise Steven has listed: 1. I usually ask the seller if all machine screws, etc. can be removed easily, or are some frozen up by being rusted in. 2. If clear photos do not show all sides of something like a saw or plane, I pass. 3. I don't buy anything needing parts, unless I already have "parts" tool, or found that the part is readily available for a low price. Several years ago, parts for planes were very reasonably priced. Now there is normally only one seller for most parts that is a large commercial seller, and his prices are astronomical in my view. He does a good job where I have bought parts from him, but his prices are quite high. My experience has been to buy a tool that needs no parts, as almost always it is cheaper to buy a tool that does not need parts. "Fixer Uppers" that need parts almost always have cost me more to buy the fixer upper and parts separately than to buy the complete item in the first place. That wasn't the case many years ago when I started buying from Ebay, as mentioned above, but it is the case now. 4. I look at the photos very carefully, and look for specific things such as are saws straight, are the teeth so bad that I will need to re-tooth, are plane irons corroded on the back so that I will need to spend a lot of time flattening them or grinding a lot of the end off the iron off, etc.

For example, one spot that is often rusted and needs to be ground back is the spot on a plane iron that the chip breaker contacts the iron. Thus I want to look at both sides of the iron and chip breaker. Unless they show that, I am not interested in the plane unless the rest of the plane is nearly spotless, and then I might take a chance if the price is OK.

When buying a tool I am not familiar with I look at sites like the Supertool, blood and gore Stanley planes location, to see what irons, etc., should come with the plane, and what are the places that such are often cracked, etc. Thus, like Jim, I like Supertool for good basic information.

I have also gotten to the point of not buying tools that need quite a bit of restoration, if possible. What I have found several times is that my restoration time saved $1 or so per hour of restoration time spent. When I was young and had very little money, but had time for such, I made that choice to be able to afford tools, trading time for money. However, now, my time is worth more to me than $1 per hour. Some, like Steven Newman, can do a restoration much faster than I can, so they seem to come out well doing restorations, but I can't, unless the restoration is not too time consuming. So it comes down to the individual as to the trade off.

Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

For example, one spot that is often rusted and needs to be ground back is the spot on a plane iron that the chip breaker contacts the iron.

There are a few reasons for this. The cap iron and the carbon steel of the blade are dissimilar metals. This can be a reactive situation. Another reason is if a plane is used and not cleaned before it is stored the wood dust collected in this area can hold moisture. Also if the plane is in an area with changing temps condensation can collect between the blade and chip breaker and migrate to where they meet.

jtk