Shop Tools #7: Today's Finds - July 8 2007

Wayne -

Good luck on finding a No 2 Stanley for $180.00 (probably more like 2 to 3 times that in good cond). That was probably a fair price (from a collectors stand point) for the Fulton. It’s getting tougher and tougher to even snag an affordable No 3 nowadays.

Hopefully you can find someone (perhaps an old-timer) that can sharpen those saws by hand (the machines don’t do the best job unless it’s a rip saw set). I’ve accumulated the tool sharpening tools (vice, sets, files, jointer, etc) and it’s a steep learning curve (for me at least). And that was before I needed to start wearing glasses!

-- Paul, Texas

I know what you mean on the prices. I was looking at a later #2 in an antique shop a while back. It was a bit pitted. They were asking $360 for it. The fulton did not have very nice nobs and was not up to Stanley quality. From a collectors perspective, perhaps. But from a quality perspective, I would rather have the LN #2. For one it is based on the bedrock design and is well constructed.

I know a guy who may be able to do the sharpening. I’ll probably go slow with them and do some research before I do anything significant. Both of the back saws seem to cut fairly well.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I had an old Belsaw hand saw sharpening machine. I only set it up to see that it worked and disassembled it and when I moved to NJ. I trashed it. No time to try to sell it.

Good luck on your sharpening. Do you belong to “Hand plane Anonymous”

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Have you seen

this

this

or this?

and this?

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Thanks Dorje, I had not seen them yet. Great pointers

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

You bet – Sharpening saws is something that I’d like to learn to do one of these days too!

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Wayne -

I always enjoy your tool hunting adventures. Looks like some great additions to your growing collection. Looks like you will need to build a saw till and get cracking on the plane storage system!

Dorje – great links! Thanks.

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Wayne,

I was just about to say something about finewoodworking when I saw your “thanks Dorje” comment. I scrolled up before I started to write and wouldn’t you know it, he beat me to it. Must be that clean Seattle air…

-- Steffen - Kirkland, WA