Re: Garage Sales are Worthless?

I once picked up a bandsaw, lathe, and jointer for about $300.

I couldn't see how to get the outfeed jointer bed to stay parallel to the rear (the previous owner ha it shimmed), so I sold it for what I paid for all three tools.

Nothing that great, but this month I've picked up an old Stanley 6" bevel gauge with most of the plating left for 25 cents, and a centering punch (sort of like a Vix bit) for a dime.

Last year I did find a Starrett protractor head for $1.

Lots more, but I'd have to go out to the shop to remember what - Oh yes, several push drills bought mostly for the drill points.

Had been used once (per owner) Spotless condition, not a scratch on it. Came with stand and a Freud blade in new condition. Asked what was best price. Reply $250. I bought it. How come I never win the lottery? Oh I know, I must buy a ticket. Advertised my OLD Wards 10 inch TS with stand. Fellow came by and offered $125. Felt bad accepting that. Warren

I always stop on saturday mornings at the local garage sales, have done so for years and years, its my personal sickness. Some weeks, nothing. But you never know. On Xmas eve, believe it or not, about 5 years ago, the only garage sale listed, I went to over the vociferous objections of my bride (who expressly questioned my sanity), more out of compulsion I guess. Nobody was there, just this guy who was in town for the weekend selling the contents of his deceased brother's house, as the closing of the house sale was a week away. Furniture, clothes, tv sets, normal stuff. I ask about tools, he says there is a shed full of garbage in the back that might have some tools in it, go look and $20 takes the contents of the shed. So I literally climb over boxes of old newspapers and magazines to a very small workbench piled high, again with all sorts of junk. But underneath old screens and shutters I find a Wilton wworking vise, 25 years old, but still new in its box;an old Starrett combo square; a nice rosewood Stanley bevel and awl;a set of dividers; trammel points; a drawknife; two spokeshaves; a Stanley 45, in pieces but with all the cutters and only missing the long arms; Stanley #4, #5, #6, #7, #79, #75, #80; a nice stanley brace and about 20 bits; about 4 Buck chisels from the 50's, all of the above having a coat of rust on them, some pitting but not fatal, with various degrees of wear, but all clearly "users"and not particularly collectible. I felt guilty, told the guy this stuff is worth more than $20 and he asked me if I would actually use the tools and not resell them, and I said that was my plan, and he said Merry Christmas. So, as the saying goes, you never know. My other huge score was a rusty Stanley #1, found in the bottom of a rusted tool box, the only rusted tool box at a sale full of baby clothes and toys, but I looked in it and there it was - at the time I was not sure it was the real thing, so I paid $1 and left. When I got home I almost pee'd my pants. Those two events occured in the same year, and since then nothing even close has happened to me, but as they say, hope springs eternal....I still am out there every saturday at 7am, just hoping!

If you didn't need that stuff, then why buy it? Yeah, those were good deals, but are they really deals if you basically threw away $20 on stuff you didn't even think of wanting until you saw it?

You never know when your anvil or vise might break and you will need a replacement, and it's nice to have a square at both ends of the shop. harrym

I find having three or four handy when laying out a job.

UA100

My feeling exactly. I think I now have three combination squares...the Starrett, a Stanley with someone's SSN on it and somewhere around here is one my father had...I can't seem to locate it right now. FWIW he used to say, "where is the last place you had it?"

Larry

On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 22:51:49 GMT, "Lawrence L'Hote" concurred with Keith:

Same here. The Starrett mostly for precision work & machine set-up, the two Satanleys for measuring and layout. And another fixed square just in case. Recently, I was installing handles on 28 windows. One square set at 8" (distance from the edge), the other at 1" (distance from the bottom). A couple of quick marks with each square, and bingo, all my screw holes exactly and identically positioned and very little change of making mistakes.

BTW, my father used to say the same thing, except in Italian. :-)

Luigi Replace "no" with "yk" twice in reply address for real email address

Ever so often someone comes along singing the praises of a double square. I find them cumbersome whenever I need a set up that puts the head somewheres about the middle of the blade. Can't keep track of which side I was working from.

Gimmie a combination any day.

All my Dad ever spoke was 'Murican.

UA100

Hello?................

I'll see your Hello? & raise you a Huh?? One simply can't have enough stuff.

Kiyu

How about this. On the 3rd day of a large garage sale when enough stuff had been sold, to get near the back of the 6 car garage, they were selling just about anything for $1. Thats one dollar. I saw a piece of angle iron sticking out and after digging, and digging, I came out with 2, yes 2 Biesemeyer fences, with rails, and paid $1. for both of them! Made my day! If you think garage sales are worthless, thats great. Just more for us garage sale people!

I have a no name 4 inch belt drive jointer that came with a half horse Craftsman capacitor start motor. Bought from a seventy year old man for $25. I got it for the motor which I could test. It only needed sharpening and a stand from 2 x 4's. It is the only jointer I own and it is going strong after six years. I make lots of small projects with pallet lumber. It cuts straight and level so I see no need to spend more money. Bill in WNC mountains

Not to change the subject from tools, but picked up a childs desk and chair for $15 dollars from a yard sale. Got it home and found out it was an Ethan Allen. Had a date stamped on the bottom of one of the drawers. 11/06/75. I've put about another $15 in stripper and stain in it. I'm hoping to get about $100 for it. It's cleaning up nice!

Kerry

Not me, Garage Sale Junkie I guess. It's like fishing in the river; you never know what your gonna get. Thanks, Tony D.

In article From an Antiques Roadshow junkie, you should probably not have cleaned

If I'm going to sell it, I leave it alone. If I'm going to use it, I clean it up.