stolen

That Sucks!

Scott Burr Ben Lomond,CA

>May the thief get the guilts and return it.

I always believed woodworkers are trustworthy; this is yet another instance where my belief is now crumbling...

Please post it in every forum

HC Sakman

>If 2 people are involved in it, chances are that the plane is going up for sale somewhere....

Chico...

Re: Please post it in every forum

Wayne Anderson

>Chico,

I plan to spread the word, and will be posting it on the Old Tools list as soon as I have a place to host the picture. I only know of these two online lists. The whole affair makes me ill, and I just want everyone to know that this stuff can't go on without a WHOLE LOT of people finding out. Thank you for your concern.

Wayne

Re: Please post it in every forum

joel

>wayne - if you want I will be happy to host the picture - I can copy it off WC tonight if you want me to host

Re: Please post it in every forum

Wayne Anderson

>Thank you Joel. I believe I will take you up on that offer. I have sent the image directly to you. Wayne

Re: Please post it in every forum

joel

>just emailed you the url

Damn Thieves

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in Florida Exile:~(

>Sorry to hear of this sad event. I can only imagine Chris's pain and disappointment as more than likely it was a Woodworker, or a tool collector that done this, and I suppose, like most I think that we are a honest group of folk.

Went I went to a end of The Pond gathering down in Tampa a few years back I also went to the woodworking show. while standing at the LN booth oogling and ogaling all the tools, and trying to decide which one I was going to purchase Denab realized that one of the planes was missing and asked if anybody knew where it was. I do believe that I saw the fella that took it, but can't swear to it. I was holding a plane, and a hand reached over my left shoulder, and the right shoulder of the guy beside me and picked up a plane. I thought nothing of it and continued looking at the one I had in my hands. Not 30 seconds later Denab asked where that plane was, and nobody standing at the booth had it, so it must of been that guy who reached over my shoulder. Pretty damn bold eh.

Chris, I sure hope your plane is recovered.

Todd O.

Re: Damn Thieves

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in Florida Exile:~(

>forgot to ask this:

Where is and what is the markers mark on this plane, and if there is any more identifing marks that perhaps Chris has added to it,such as damage.etc, etc.

I ask this because it is a hard thing to do to cry thief unless you are ABSOLUTLY 100% SURE otherwise you could be looking at a false charge lawsuit.

Todd O.

Re: Damn Thieves

Wayne Anderson

>Todd,

The plane has my signature on the lower left side of the body, with the date 2004. It can be barely seen in the photo. As I said before, it is only one of two like this I have made, and the other is in a large tool collection in Michigan.

Wayne Anderson

Wayne, a little bit of larceny ...

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>runs through all of us when we see your planes. It certainly requires all the self-control one can muster to avoid a grab-and-run. I don't mean to make light of Chris' misfortune, quite the reverse. I'm sure that others share my tendency to enjoy your planes vicariously, since this is the closest we will get to them. So we share the outrage and loss as if it were our own.

I hope there is happy end to this story.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Close to Home

Doug Evans

>Hi Wayne:

That is just terrible news. A very similar thing happened to us at The Long Island Woodworkers Show earlier this year. We lost two planes: a chariot and a steel 1/2" shoulder (the only one we ever made).

If you can, pass along the link and I will have it posted on our site, as well. We took 240,000 hits last month and if we could help bring one of these guys to justice it would be oh so sweet.

I saw that plane - it was stunning. Our condolences Chris.

Doug

Re: stolen

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>That is such a bummer, what a beautiful plane, we'll probably never see it again.

However, I have to ask what it was doing at the show? On the counter? When I used to exhibit at computer shows, half our time was demonstrating our software, the other half holding on to our hardware and what software product we took. This is just not news; and I'm sure this type theft is very common at woodworking shows.

Pam

Something about the shows bring the worse out.

Victor Parisian - Houston

>I've been involved in many shows (non woodworking) over the last ten years, and otherwise honest people just seem to loose their inhabitions and grab things of little and/or of great value. It seems to be the 'screw the "rich" vendor' mentality.

Seems that the show sponsers could do more to check bags of all coming and going.

Sorry to hear of the loss of this true work of art. Hopefully you will see it turn up in a few months/years once the thief thinks it has cooled off.

Bull

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in Florida Exile:~(

>I've been involved in many shows (non woodworking) over the last ten years, and otherwise honest people just seem to loose their inhabitions and grab things of little and/or of great value. It seems to be the 'screw the "rich" vendor' mentality.

Victor,

I ain't buying it. anybody over the age of 5 knows what stealing is and that it is wrong. there is NO EXCUSE for this behavior. sure, I imagine that many of us have seen stuff and for a fleeting second thought to ourselves about swiping it. that I believe is human Nature, but actually DOING it is INEXCUSABLE, so don't even try to make an excuse for them.

Mind you, I'm not jumping on you Victor, I'm merely saying that there is no excuse for this. Boy, would I'd like to catch one, just once, and y the time the story got out I'll guarentee that theft a WW shows would cease as folks you be a'fearnin that I'd catch them. Man, how I hate theives!

Todd O.

Re: stolen

steve knight

>that really sucks. well unless someone brings it to my shop I dought I will see it though (G)

I have had a few planes stolen myself so I know how it feels. the last one was a plane sent to this large door company and they never paid the invoice.

On the rise?

Scott Burr Ben Lomond,CA

>Steve do see more of this now. Or is it a passing thing?

Re: Something about the shows bring the worse out.

Todd Hughes

>I really don't see how the sponsers of the show could have done much to prevent this.Seaching bags as you leave would be unworkable I would think because how would you know who bought what as with most purchasers there are no reciepts and lots of people that attend bring tools in with them so what would you do about that.Just to many people to check , I was at this show and it was shoulder to shoulder at times.While this certainly doesn't explain away this behaviour I am always amazed at some venders that will just leave thier booth with the stuff setting out there. Many times I had wanted to buy somthing and there would be no one there and expensive items just setting there with no one watching them.Frankly I am surprised that more thefts like this don't happen.

When we used to do shows it was pretty rare for me to have tools stolen though my wife's stuff she sold often got hit pretty hard.Once a bunch of professional Gypsys got into a show case and took her best stuff while one distracted her.I did once have a 6 ft. hoe stole at a indoor antique show right as we were setting up.Worth about $10 and the thief actually moved a $1,500 shotgun to get it! A vender down from me saw the people walk off with it and I ran to the front door to tell the people there about it but never was seen again.Not to pass sterotypes but in lots of cases it was old people that did the stealing and was the case with this hoe. Kind of sad....On the other hand we used to do this show next to a college and I had 3 small antique pipes stolen no doubt by students to smoke reefer in so when we came back I took a pipe and packed the stem with rat arsnic and put it out with a big price on it so it wouldn't sell but might get stolen and would take care of the thief....No one ever rose to the bait !.....Todd

Re: Something about the shows bring the worse out.

Mike Jurnigan in Suffolk, VA

>I have to disagree, 99.99% of the people that attend wood working shows are honest. I have done numerous woodworking shows and home and garden shows. Never had a thing stolen at the woodworking shows. I put my tools out on a table when I am demonstrating for people to see and pick up. I keep an eye on the tools, but I am not over zealous on watching them either. At a home and garden show in Greenville, South Carolina I had some pens stolen one time, but I believe they were by some Jr. High kids. I just considered the source there.

Thanks and a couple notes

Christopher Schwarz

>Thanks to all those who will be keeping their eyes open, though I'm certain the tool is gone for good.

And if I could please add a couple details to the tale to set the record straight (a bad habit of my profession):

I never left the booth when this occurred. I stepped away from my bench -- two steps to the left to our second table. I could see the plane the whole time (it had just been in my hands). I looked someone in the eye to answer a question ("Are these magazines free?" or something). When I looked back, the tool was gone.

The plane was on display to help promote Wayne and a piece I wrote about him that was just published in the Fine Tool Journal. And we were promoting a forthcoming article on miter planes.

All in all, my loss is pretty minor compared to some of the vendors at this show in past years. Someone was clearly "working" the show. The Lee Valley booth lost a bullnose from right under their noses on the same day...

Chris

Re: Thanks and a couple notes

John Stegall

>Chris statement makes this sound like professional thieves and not just some misguided woodworker(s).

Re: Thanks and a couple notes

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>More than likely that is probably the case. I had forgotten about the possibility of that. I guess I am just an idiot about such things as profesional theives, liars and cheats. I'll bet that is exactly the case, as I just can't imagine a fellow woodworker or tool fool doing this.

Todd O., who once bought 3 magic beans from a fellow, but only got a weed.

Todd O.

Re: On the rise?

steve knight

>I see very little of it really. the few times it had happened I had goofed and sent a extra plane to someone when I goofed with addresses. most people tell me but a few kept the planes. it's pretty silly this big door manufacture not paying the bill. but since I usualy get payment up front it's not a real issue.

but actualy I think wooodworking seem to be pretty honest. I have shipped planes befroe payment so they can get them in time with no problems.

Hey Chris, did you file a report?

John Clifford

>I didn't see any mention of involving the police, i.e. geting an official police report. I say this b/c I'm a police officer and you'd be surprised at how many people don't bother b/c they think nothing will come of it. It's important to do if only for insurance purposes, but it's a really important step in catching the bad guys. First, it documents the crime. Second it describes the stolen goods which may turn up at a pawn shop and believe it or not

the police have investigators who check pawn shop's inventory against reports on file for stolen goods. And lastly the report is needed if and when these thieves are caught for prosecution purposes. You should also know that the plane in question I'm sure is worth enough to make the theft a felony. At least it would be here in Chicago. Just something to think about.

Re: Thanks and a couple notes

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Odd coincidence - I had just looked at a picture of it in your great article about an Arts & Crafts tool cabinet in the latest issue of Pop Woodworking.

I wonder what will happen to the plane.