How long to wait? (long)
MikeL in SoCal
>Disclaimer: the following is about hunting down tools in the wild. Those whose hearts don't go "pitter-patter" upon catching the scent of old tools need not read any further.
Howdy rust-loving bottom-feeders,
Last Saturday I was heading to my standard swap meet rust hunt when I passed a sign that read "Estate Sale." Around here, these things rarely even have a hammer and screwdriver, let alone fine woodworking tools, so I was reluctant to stop. Plus, I'd already passed the street so I didn't want to back track only to be disappointed. But I was a bit too early for the swap meet and had some time to kill so, against my better judgement, I turned around and followed the signs.
As I passed the driveway, I noticed some kind of motorized grinding set up and I decided it may be worth a quick stop. The grinder was an old 1/2hp, 1750rpm motor hooked up to an older double-ended arbor that had a felt wheel on one side. I bargained with the seller a bit, agreed on a price, and told him I'd look around a bit more before paying. A quick look showed nothing of interest so I paid up over some small talk with the seller.
As I was walking away I said something about trying to get past the point of collecting old tools and trying to become an actual user. A moment later, I was stopped dead in my tracks when he said "you collect tools? I may have some stuff for you." I turned around and hauled the grinding setup back toward him as he continued "but it's all in boxes so, if you're interested, you'll have to come back later."
His garage was literally packed floor to ceiling with boxes so I didn't doubt his word; but I was skeptical of what he might have so I tried to get more information. "A lot of those wooden plane type things" could be just about anything but at least it was a step in the right direction. Turns out he just moved down from the San Francisco area and used to frequent garage sales up there. He collected a lot of tools anticipating learning how to use them someday but, as time slips away, he has decided that those goals aren't going to happen and he's tired of storing all of that stuff. I understood in a way that I'm sure many of us do. We have an innate need to create things - to provide. Civilization has mucked this up horribly; to the point that 'providing' has simply become bringing home a paycheck. But, for many of us, that's not gonna cut it. We're still gonna have that need to create and working wood by hand is as good a way to scratch that itch as any other route.
A few garage salers showed up and he was becoming distracted so we quickly exchanged phone numbers. But then he said "oh, I have something over here that you may be interested in." I followed him into the garage to a modern roll-away where he started digging through drawers filled with rosewood-handled try squares and pulls out a roll of newer, but nice made-in-Eskilstuna chisels (not EA Bergs) and several Henry Taylor carving tools. About that time I noticed the rosewood pad of a nice bit brace sticking out of a shelf. I ask him how much he wanted for the chisels. He paused for a moment and said, "why don't we wait until I get all of the tools together and we can talk about prices then." So I put his contact info in my pocket, grab the grinder, and go on my way.
I know this ain't much of a story yet but the anticipation is killing me and I just had to relate it to people who might understand. When I started writing this, I was gonna ask for advice on how long to wait before calling him but I can't hold out any longer. I'll call tonight.
Cheers,
Mike