OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

120659 "Joe West" <joewest64@m...> 2003‑08‑04 Bio
Hi All

I would like to introduce myself my name is Joe.  I live in the North East
and grew up in
 West Virginia.  I have a small workshop in my one car garage.  I took
woodworking in Jr
High but got away from it.  They don't teach woodworking in the schools
around here.  I
guess they are afraid someone will get hurt.  What a shame.  

I started making things of wood about 2 years ago.  I've made toys, boxes,
a footstool,
and a kitchen table.  I've taken classes in woodworking with hand tools at
Worcester
Center for Crafts.  My favorite tools are my planes.  I found it true that
if you collect
more than two planes they do multiply.  I have all the common Stanley's
(#3,4,5,7), a few
 Steve Knight woodies, and some Record planes (#6, 4 ½)

I started old tool-collecting about 4 years ago when my children were
small.  Going to
yard sales was one thing we could do together.  They looked for toys and I
for tools.  I
also go to Brimfield regularly.  I work near there so I go at 6am on the
first day.  I usually
find something.  My best find was a #605 Bedrock for $45.00.  It cleaned
up real nice.
It's getting harder to find good tools at yard sales.  The competition is
fierce around here.
If someone advertises that they have tools for sale in the paper there is
a big turnout and
they get there early.  A couple of times I've been the first one on the
first day of a yard
sale and there was nothing left.  It turns out that someone came to the
house the day
before the yard sale (the day the ad came out in the paper) and made an
offer the seller
couldn't refuse.  Also, I think Ebay has made it difficult to find cheap
rust.  If someone
has anything old, including tools, they put it up for sale on Ebay instead
of at a yard sale
 even if they don't know what it is or what it's worth.  They figure it
will seek it's own
value level once it's on Ebay. This improves the selection on Ebay but
makes it harder to
find tools at reasonable cost.  This does make it easier for people who
live in old tool
deserts to find tools if they are willing to pay the price.

I try to concentrate more on making furniture than collecting tools now. 
I find it much
 more rewarding.  My parents died about 2 years ago.  I had to clean out
they're house to
get it ready for sale.  I found that the things I kept and treasured where
the things my
mother made not the things my father collected.  Of course he didn't
collect too many
wood working tools.

It's nice to meet you all.



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