Prices Have Gone Crazy

[Jake Hillestad]

I just can't spend the mental bandwidth worrying about price increases on tools anymore. They've never been 'cheap' unless you were junk shop prowling two decades ago or better. Either I can afford it and I want it bad enough to pay, or I can't. About that simple anymore.

Personally in a world where McDonalds is paying anyone with a pulse $18+ an hour to make you a $1.29 cheeseburger I'm not sure how Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen (any tool maker) can afford to sell for what they do now....

[Bob Jones 5443]

mjd gets around. He buys vintage tools from a wide catchment area. His descriptions of wear and age are truthful and his prices have always been on the high side, although not outrageous. I got my Bailey Type 15 No. 5-1/2 from him and it’s a reliably excellent tool. The price was maybe a few dollars more than some others asked on eBay at the time (2019), but fair. He’s savvy enough to price to the market, so somebody is bound to buy those cutters at that price.

In the bigger picture, everything hobby-related went up in the past two years. I’m on an acoustic guitar forum and some of those price hikes are breathtaking. But as someone here pointed out, the shut-in enthusiasts are emerging from the house and discovering their zeal for the hobby is waning, and recently there is a surge of newish, used high-end guitars for sale. I’m expecting that to happen with quality tools as well.

I’d be interested to hear what Tom L-N or Rob Lee think about this.

[Jim Koepke]

mjd gets around. He buys vintage tools from a wide catchment area. His descriptions of wear and age are truthful and his prices have always been on the high side, although not outrageous. I got my Bailey Type 15 No. 5-1/2 from him and it’s a reliably excellent tool. The price was maybe a few dollars more than some others asked on eBay at the time (2019), but fair. He’s savvy enough to price to the market, so somebody is bound to buy those cutters at that price.

Maybe I was the exception. Purchased a blade for a Stanley #46 a couple of years ago. Listed as ready to go. It was pitted and needed a lot of work.

My email never received a reply.

It seems a lot of the listings are related to all the parts of the same plane.

Years ago it was clear to me the rosewood tote & knob from most Stanley planes would sell for more than a complete plane. Blades & chip breakers also entered that realm at times. I used to look for broken planes for the parts.

A few of the wrecks were just sellers with bad camera or listing skills.

Maybe if the "shut-in enthusiasts" all decide to sell at the same time prices will come back down.

jtk

[Bob Jones 5443]

Wow. Sorry to hear about that, Jim. I got lucky, I guess. Yes, come to think of it, you do see a lot of very expensive parts. Going after restorers looking for a special part, maybe?

[Stew Denton]

Jim,

I hope you are right and the prices will come down. I have a plane or two that need parts, and tried to buy a parts plane with a cracked part or two, and most of the back half of the plane was broken off and missing. When the bidding came to more than the cost of a complete plane of the same type, and you could buy a complete plane in better condition I quit bidding.

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
I have a plane or two that need parts, and tried to buy a parts plane with a cracked part or two, and most of the back half of the plane was broken off and missing.

Stew, what parts do you need?

You might consider asking here. Many here have spare parts they might be willing to let go reasonably. A WTB ad in the SMC Classifieds might also find what you need.

jtk

[Stew Denton]

Jim,

Thanks for the idea, as I had not thought about that. I may do just that at a later date.

I do know, however, that I am looking for the body and knob for a Stanley 608 flat side. I have no intention to pay the almost $260 or so that the MJD folks wanted for those two parts. (The body may be already sold, I am not sure...at those prices no point in following it on the auction site.)

Currently I know some other parts, but almost all of the planes are still boxed up from our move, and under a ton of other boxes, so I am not sure exactly what else I need. I do have a Stanley 608 round side body, and some of it's other parts, that I either want to find most of the other parts for, or to trade toward a 608 Flat side body. Unfortunately both planes parts are boxed up somewhere in the back room under boxes of kitchen stuff and boxes of my tools.

The remodel has been a disaster, and is now at least 3 to 4 months behind schedule do to 6 to 8 week delivery times for cabinets, counter tops, windows, etc., and repeated foul ups by suppliers.

Hope things are going better for you.

Thanks and regards,

Stew