| Blog series by Tomcat1066 | updated 13 days ago | 11 parts | 2274 reads | 84 comments total |
Part 1: The Great Beginning
OK, so I just found out that I can actually do blog series on LJ, and that’s just the coolest thing ever. I thought I would document a bit about my tool gathering. It might just help out some other poor soul who’s just starting out, and discussion about it could be a good thing for myself and others as well. First, let me state for the record that my initial intent was to gather heirloom quality hand tools that could be within my family for the next 100+ years. Perhaps build...
Part 2: Disston enter's the mix
After an unsuccessful try at a #71 router plane, I just had to snag something off of Ebay. It was personal. This time, it was a couple of saws. A Disston D8 and another saw with simply “Warrented Superior” and a patten date of Dec 17, 1887. Why did I get these? Part of it was the fact that I didn’t get the router plane. Sure, one of the saws is a crosscut saw, which is something I need. That was part of it. I had been looking at Japanese crosscut saws, and I decide...
Part 3: I See No End in Sight!
It’s true, the end is nowhere in sight. I may be gathering tools for my entire adult life. My #80 cabinet scraper got hear yesterday, and the last two of my Japanese chisels got here today. I have a D8 rip saw en route shortly, accompanied by a Warranted Superior saw that looks like a cross cut. I already have a dovetail saw, though I’d like to get a western style to play with. Everywhere I look, there’s more and more tools that I can easily foresee me needing. Lucki...
Part 4: Come Together...Right Now...Over me!
Sorry, but Aerosmith’s version was on the radio earlier and it just got stuck in my head, hence the title. It’s been an interesting week with tool gathering for me. Yesterday, for example, I was trying to decide if I wanted to fork out the money for a new router plane, or plow plane. I was looking at the Veritas version of both, since I really liked all that I read about these planes. Just for fun, I searched eBay for planes, and low and behold…a #45 combination plane!...
Part 5: Show off time!
The Thursday after payday is like Christmas for me. Why? Easy. That’s when the tools I bought the previous payday typically arrive! Today was a pretty big haul for me, and since I’ve mentioned these tools before, I have to make sure they actually exist by posting them. So, without further ado, here we go! First is this 12” Tenon saw. It’s marked WARRANTED SUPERIOR in a manner that reminds me of Disston saws. The metal is darkened from either age or some treat...
Part 6: Oddities of Gatherings
So, here I sit. I’ve got my Stanley #4 sitting in a nice warm bath of citric acid, getting rid of all the rust. This is the one that I purchased with a Stanley #919 10” bit brace for a whopping $1.25. I wanted the brace, for a stupid reason really (The H.O. Studley tool chest had one…how’s that for stupid reasons?). However, when I purchased these two, I saw the diamonds in the rough. No one else on eBay really cared about the brace, and the plane looked horrible....
Part 7: A Setback
One of my proudest purchases was a #4 Stanley plane and a #919 Brace off of eBay for $1.25. I thought I had made a hell of a deal, and I really did. The brace alone is well worth that price. However, the plane is a bit of a disappointment. First, and I knew this from the pics on eBay, the knob was missing. Second, the tote is slightly cracked, though it still looks like it could be serviceable. These are no big deal really. I checked the sole when it got here and it looked flat. Bes...
Part 8: I'm cleaning up!
So. As of last night, I’m the proud owner of a #60 1/2 type block plane. I say type because instead of it saying Stanley, it says Norvell Shapleigh & Co. that dates it to around 1912 or so. But the pride of the weekend is my back saw. You remember this ugly and beat up thing, right? Well, it wasn’t pretty. I honestly have no idea what possessed me to even by that ugly thing. It’s really pretty scary, isn’t it. Well, I spent some quality time last wee...
Part 9: Yet Another Plane
Upon returning home, I was surprised to find a package waiting for me on the bed. Since I’m only waiting for one tool, I knew what it had to be…my Norvell Shapleigh’s 60 1/2 type block plane. For those who don’t know what a 60 1/2 block plane is, it’s a low angle, adjustable throat block plane. Now that we’ve got that covered, on to the details. This is yet another eBay find, and I was thrilled to find it. I’m fascinated with the Diamond Edge s...
Part 10: Been a While...but worth the wait
It’s been a little while since I posted in this series, but it’s oh-so-worth the wait in my humble opinion. I have goodies aplenty to share with one and all. First, the obligatory Norvell Shapleigh tool. This one is a smoother hand plane. I can’t really call it a #4 or a #4 1/2 either. It’s length is halfway between the two, so I call it a #4 1/4 instead. Actually, it’s a #4 1/4C since the sole is corrugated. Sorry in advance for the crumby picture. Hopef...
Part 11: Where Was THIS When I Needed It?
Some time back, I was finally able to pick up a Disston dovetail saw. If I remember correctly, these are rare animals out in the wild to some extent, and I paid more than I really wanted to. Again, this was a while back so I may be remembering this wrong. I do remember it being a pain in the butt trying to snag one off eBay. This difficulty of finding decent vintage saws at reasonable prices, coupled with the cost of new dovetail saws that are worth a flip, have been one of the driving ...
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