YOUR GREATEST STEAL AT A YARD SALE, ESTATE SALE OR AUCTION

I bought a 1950’s craftsman belt disc sander for like 40 bucks. Works perfectly.

Is this a steal?

I have gotten several incredible deals on musical instruments. A guitar for $350 that is now worth 3-5k.

An amp for $600 that is worth three to four times that. A vox organ for $10.

It is very hard with ebay/ craigslist/ internet/ antiques roadshow/ to get the same deals as it was in the early 90’s.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

I agree.. Great deal! also, Ebay makes it hard to get a good deal since so many are bidding. I even see used items sell for more than a new one. I prefer to get lucky at hte occasional garage sale

-- making sawdust....

I only run across those deals when I don’t have any money in my pocket!

-- Paul, Texas

I LOVE AUCTIONS

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

Neither of these were from auctions. I just got a router for free from a fellow worker. Seems he bought it and only used it one time. I’m making him a small bookshelf in return, with wood I got for free. I just bought a Bostitch 18 gauge finish nailer yesterday for $40, factory reconditioned with everything including case.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

Now this is MY kind of topic… I’ll get some photos for you soon…

-- Dust collectors suck.

I think my best score was at an auction, I found a machinest built lathe that was well made and had a big box of extra face plates and tool rests and other junk. I really wanted the faceplates. This was a farm auction and I think most people where there for the tractors and large equipment so no one was bidding on the lathe. I won it for $30 and thought I made out great. When digging through the box of stuff that came with it I found this in the bottom…......

Stanley Millers patent #43 Plough plane
I went from happy to estatic

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

I bought a brand new (a few years old, but never used) craftsman lathe at an estate auction this fall for $75, including a copy cat and the turning tools. But, having said that, after discussing it with Odie, it may turn to fast for my needs. :(

But either way, if I need to resell it, I don’t think I will loose anything on it.

-- Teri, Kokomo, IN

Just today I purchased a craftsman 10” table saw with stand for 40.
Hopefully tommorrow I can pick up a craftsman router (table and stand) with a box of bits for 20. Just waiting for the lady to call back

-- Oscar in Missouri

A week ago I got a Delta Oscillating spindle sander for $60. It’s like new! I got a 16” RBI scrollsaw for FREE from a garage sale. The seller knew my mom so she just handed it over. I didn’t know what I had until I went through the paperwork. Also got my vintage Craftsman RAS at an auction for $40. It was froze-up my I restored it and it now works like butter.

-- Tony, Ohio

In May 2006, I went to my first auction. It was the bankruptcy closing of a huge woodshop called Suss Woodcraft. I was going there hoping to find a table saw and maybe a few clamps but ended up spending a whopping 5000$ for… 5 TRUCKLOADS of MATERIALS!!!!
Included in my purchases were:
-A HUGE Wadkins stroke sander for…175$! I was the only bidder! (Took a picture, put it on the net, sold it 1500$ the next day!)
-2 truckloads of beautiful exotic wood veneers (I bought about 20 pallets of veneers for about 3000$!...my best purchase by far! Sold 4000$ worth of macassar ebony veneer the next day! I made about 40 000$ in profit just on the veneers!!!)
-Bought a TRUCKLOAD of plexiglass of all colors and thicknesses(up to 2 inches thick!) for…300$ Sold it all at 40$ to 75$ per 4X8 sheet. Probably made 4000$ profit.
-Clamps, clamps, clamps. Tons of ‘em. All heavy duty Besseys. Sold many, kept what I needed for the shop.
-Bought 20 huge work tables for 5.00$ each. (Each table was equipped with a quick-release 10-inch Record vise). Kept one table, one vise, sold all the other vises 50$ each! They sold like hotcakes.
-I also bought enough screws and hardware to last me a lifetime, all for under 50$!
-Finally , I also bought aluminium and brass in 4X8 sheets, corian, decorative mesh metal sheets, tons of laminates, tempered glass tabletops, variety of small powertools, work stations on wheels,dollies,jiggers…etc…
That auction was obviously my best business move ever: investment of 5000$, approximately 50 000$ in profit!
I think this was a once in a lifetime opportunity because I’ve been to other auctions since but never could come close to deals like that. Glad I had the guts to go all in on that one ;-)

Well … kind of makes the $200 profit I hope to make on my lathe … uhmmmm … chicken feed.

-- Teri, Kokomo, IN

I bought my plow for 1 buck

steel roofing from a barn ….1 buck

gasoline powered drill…........1 buck

bought a photographic lab for 25 bucks, sold it the same day for 1,000

bought a piano for 50 bucks, sold it same day for 1,500

bought 750 bfm each of cherry, maple, basswood KD….......300 for the lot

auctions rule!!!!!

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

My best buys were both sewing machines. Years ago I went to a school surplus auction and bought a singer 144W305 for $16.75. this is a huge machine with 30 inches from the needle to the head. I swapped it off for $1000 worth of leather and saddle trees. But my best one involves a long story. I went to Enterprise, Oregon to look at a horse. On the way back I spotted what I though was a harness stitcher on the porch of a second hand store in Lostine. It was after 6 pm but I stopped and looked. It was a Pearson #6 very similar to the one in my shop. It even had the treadle base. The next morning I called and asked about the machine. I was told that it was a Civil War harness and shoe machine. I asked what it was worth and was told $250. I had given $2250 for the one in my shop. These machines were made in the 1920’s and ‘30’s. The guy also said that if someone didn’t buy it soon it was going to a museum. Well, that would be a shame. I gathered up all the old farm and ranch goodies I had laying around and headed back. I pulled up to the store and told the man that I had been cleaning up an old ranch and had some things to trade or sell. I went and looked at every thing he had and came back to the front. The owner told me the best he could do on what was in the truck was $100. I priced several things and again asked about the sewing machine. I got the same story. I said,”That would be $125 difference wouldn’t it?” He allowed as how it would. Carleen said,” I’d like it a lot more at $100.”. The man said,” Done.” We loaded it up while Carleen wrote the check. I made sure he didn’t have time to See “Thos. Angle Saddlery” on the check before we got away. It turned out the stitcher was in perfect shape and was 200 and some odd units newer than my old one. I wholesaled my old one for $1850 and still am using the stitcher almost 20 years later. I’ve turned down $3500 for it. I guess I’ll just keep it. Carleen had traded a diamond ring for the other stitcher but that is her story.I could tell you some cow and horse stories but I won’t.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

That is an awesome story lechevaldebois!!! I thought I made out on some auctions! That takes the cake. I hope I run into that someday.

-- Tony, Ohio

Alright lechevaldebois, you win. :) haha…

Best deal I got was a cheap Chinese made lathe with 14 turning tools for $50. I think I am in the same boat Teri is though, it is too fast to be safe for a rookie to learn on. I hope to sell it and get me a Jet mini or PSI Turncrafter.

It is a shame for the High School, But I got a really nice 8’ bench, a Stanley # 80 spokeshave/scraper, a Stanley # 5 Bailey handplane, and a really heavy duty Wilton Front vise which is now functional. All for FREE!!!!!
The school district seemed to think that it was more important that they give the Board Members a raise and axe the woodworking, metal shop and drafting programs. I almost felt bad about it, but in their haste to get rid of everything they thought it would cost too much to try to sell anything but large power tools.
They claimed that each day the classroom sat idle they were losing valuable taxpayer dollars or that these tax dollars weren’t being put to good use.
Later that year the Board complained they needed more money for after school programs to deter youths from gangs and other malicious activity. I think they got the funding for the after school program although none has been implemented as of yet and that was five years ago!
The Irony of it all… speaking of irony; I may have to buy many of my fathers tools I was told my whole life would be left behind to my brother and I, due to probate. Most of my fathers tools I feel belong to my brother and I due to what we were told by my Dad growing up. Much of my Fathers estate will go to his wife of seven months, and her sons, daughters and grandkids who wanderd around my Dad’s wake eating popscicles. And we’ve yet to be offered any of my fathers personal effects that really only contain sentimental value, including family photo’s, clothing or gifts we had given to our Dad over the years.
We live in a crazy world…

-- --Chuck

I found all this stuff at one sale for $40. An old Boley watch makers lathe, a Unimat mini mill and 3 old saws (2 misery whips and a 2 man bucking saw) I sold the lathe and mill on eBay for $500+, but kept the motor from the watch makers lathe, just sold the body and collets. I don’t know what I am going to do with the motor, but it is cool, 10,000 rpm forward and reverse on a rheostat foot switch.

Of course I kept the saws to hang in the sawmill shed.

-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

My wife and I often go to auctions. At one auction we found a very large inventory of tools, tools of all kinds. I immediately spied a Festool circular saw that I wanted. As the sale progressed a lot of Craftsman CC were sold. I was shocked at the price many were sold. In some cases you could have bought the saw from Sears at the same price. So I was not optimistic that I could get the Festool. Well, finally it was offered. There were no bids. So I raised my hand and bid $35.00. With no other bids the auctioneer said sold. The saw was practally brand new. It came with the systaner, three new blades and well as many other extras. I just couldn’t believe my luck. From discussions I had with others in the crowd, no one had every heard of Festool, but everyone knew Craftsman. The only down side was that this puchase started me down a slippery slope getting more Festool tools. chiefk

-- P Kennedy Crossville, TN