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Best way to purge old equipment, tools?

4K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  ToddJB 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Let me start first by apologizing for asking this here if it is not the right place. (please delete if need be - feelings won't be hurt, I'll make a copy) But with all the internet researching I have been trying to do, I get a lot of this site coming up and I thought I would give it a try. I will do my best to keep this as short as possible and hopefully not sound too incompetent in doing so. Ready or not…...Here goes…

The history:
Several years ago I inherited through family several old wood and/or metal working equipment and tools-belt/disc sanders, jointers, planer, shaper, bandsaws, drill presses, scrollsaws, bench grinders, electric motors, power tools, hand tools, vise grips, anvils, drill bits, files, taps & dies, logging and wood type hand saws, axes, axe heads, unused/new axe and saw type handles, old hand augers, log turners, chain saws etc. Also, if you were looking for an old nut, bolt, washer, screw or some strange looking little thingy, I probably have that too. But the archaeological dig into 5 gallon buckets and a multitude of jars may seem daunting to most, me included. Hopefully you get the idea of what I'm up against.

The history of these items I am not 100% on, other than about the original owner who they came from. This person was a machinist, who I do know recieved some type of patent credits? for things he made (got certificates an attaboy and about $25, but who he worked for actually holds the patents) He also had 2 adjoining home shops, one was for metal, the other for woodworking. He made a lot of things himself from wood, iron, steel, aluminum (homes, furniture, car/truck/tractor parts etc.) If they couldn't make or repair it easily, then they bought it. From what I remember about the shop setups when I saw them in the 70s through the 80s, I am pretty sure everything I received was mostly for the wood types of use, I remember a big metal lathe thing I use to see him working with metal on and I know I don't have that, I was told it was hauled off to a junkyard just to get rid of because noone there knew how to use it. I believe the home shops were originally set up in the 50s to early 60s.

The condition now is one of my main concerns. When they were in use I know these items were treated very well, I remember how the tools/equipment he used, when he was done, would be meticulously cleaned/oiled/sharpened etc. and put in it's own special place and noone was allowed to touch them after they were cleaned until the next use. I don't believe any of the remaining offspring/relatives ever had anything to do with it. My guess as to the last time he was capable of using these might be as late as the early 90s but if so not much by then. So they have sat uncared for before I received them, and since I've had them they have mostly been sitting in an old airy (no chinking) log home and it's root cellar because we didn't have anywhere else to put them to give them any type of shelter. So they have been collecting dirt, dust, rust etc. in the jars, boxes, buckets, and toolboxes that they were all apparently tossed in when they were given to me.

The Question/s:
I was offered some money from someone that said they just wanted it all for scrap, but I passed since they weren't in the way at the time just sitting in there, and have noticed some mysterious disappearances since, one being the huge anvil that was being eyed. (a lock now added to door) And, not knowing any better at the time, quite a few saws that were 'just junk so just going to paint them' But I'm now in the slow process of purging these items because the building is going to be dismantled soon. (I also may have slight PackRat/Hoarder tendencies-please don't tell anyone, it's a secret) Anyway, I didn't know much of anything about this stuff so I began researching to find out what some are called and used for. (a very long process when you have absolutely no clue, but learning something new every day without knowing how long it will be retained) In doing so I have noticed not much interest/value in complete machines, but more often in parts from them. I'm guessing they already have them and are wanting some original parts for theirs. Being new to this, and to see if anyone might be interested, I just sold a few smaller items on ebay, (shaper cutters, collars, plumb bobs, starrett parallels, saw tooth setters, berylyco non-sparking tools etc.) I'm really not wanting to do the craigslist thing. (scarey stories) So the question is really mostly about the larger pieces I guess… if I would be better off just to sell them in pieces, part them out? (not sure of the terminology for doing that) Some of the brands are: Craftsman Delta Rockwell DeWalt Porter-Cable. (there are about 12 or more of them) The smaller things I was thinking ebay and/or maybe a yard sale. What do you think the best route to go would be?

Addional Note:
Not looking to make a fortune, but also don't want to get screwed, I've got a bucket of those. I would prefer these things being put to good use and I just don't believe that all this stuff is just "junk" as I was told, I think a lot is usable/salvagable or maybe even collectible to some. I don't plan on trying to clean them, other than maybe wiping/brushing off as best as I can because, I'm just guessing here, spraying them off with a hose or scrubbing them in the dishwater with a brillo won't be such a wise choice, apparently oil and grease are a good thing for some of them. I think the actual cleaning would be better left to someone that knows how to do it correctly.

So, I'm open to any opinions anyone may have for me on this. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!
 
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#2 ·
My suggestion, take five tools at a time, photograph them, post them here for an opinion on what you can get from them. Try to be able to answer some basic questions like "do they run?" I am assuming by the names you are giving of the manufacturer, these are power tools. If they don't run, I wouldn't do the parting out on your own. If a switch is bad or the motor is shot, folks would much prefer replacing these than putting it all together again.

As far as horror stories go, I personally do not feel craigslist is any more dangerous than posting an ad in the paper or having a garage sale. Interaction with people poses its own risk. More times than not, the worst you are going to encounter is some person who wants a better deal than you are willing to give them. As far as collectible goes, I wouldn't look to gain much because of "age." What most woodworkers are going to look for are old machines with cast iron for the tables and more solid construction. From the sounds of it, you have some tools that could be scrap in a yard or brought back to life by a woodworker. While the tool's fate may be better if put in the hands of a woodworker, I would not expect the gain in profit to be much different. If the tools are in bad shape, there will be a great deal of elbow grease that will need to be applied to make these tools useable again. If they are rough, they are not valuable as is.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
There are several options. Your time and effort could be the deciding factor, in how you proceed.

You could do the parting out of pieces parts, but it could take years or even decades to rid yourself of everything. (though this has the potential of being the most "profitable!")

You could offer groupings or "complete sets" of items, on CL or eBay.
ie; router, router table and all associated fixtures, jigs and router bits.
All hands tools: hand saws, planes, chisels and the like.
I think you get the point.

You could also find a local non-profit, that teaches, uses the items. I would say local school, but "Industrial Arts", seem to be discontinued in many schools.

Do you have a trusted friend or aquaintance, that could put some value to the items quickly, as you have many varied items. This would give you an idea as to which items to concentrate on prioritizing for selling at the proper value. Hence, saving you valuable time researching. A local wood working club could also provide some knowledge or help.

The best thing to do is send everything to me!!! It'll take all the pressure off of you. Lol.

Please, don't scrap that good "Ole American Iron" and that includes the smaller bit & pieces, that would be sacrilege. Much from the past is better made than today's counterparts!!! If only the tools/machines could speak of what they have been used to create, the story would be great!!!

You should include some pictures and your provide you genearal location.

Good luck in your decluttering adventure!!!
 
#4 ·
David's spot on here. Pictures on this site will get you honest and accurate appraisals. I think you should reconsider Craig's List, it's free, easy to use and folks wanting to buy the things you are selling constantly look there. I suggest you never post your address, phone number or email in an ad. Delete ads promptly when the item sells. Try not to lower your price until the buyer is in front of you with cash in hand . Ask folks to respond (via CL email) with their phone number. Delete email responses without a name or phone number. They are either spam or clueless and will waste your time or worse. Good luck. -Jack
 
#7 ·
daisyblue,

There are a lot of woodworkers here that love to find old tools to restore/refurbish and put back in service. (Power and hand tools). Trying to sell all this one piece at a time will take forever and you will still end up with a bunch of stuff left over. An auction may be a way to go, but that at best is also a crap shoot.

1. Since you don't know a lot about the equipment you have, do you have a friend or acquaintance that you could trust to help you out.

2. I see you are from Virginia. Is all this equipment somewhere that you could hold some sort of sale yourself and people could readily find?

3. Are you or do you know someone that is pretty good with the computer?

4. Have you ever considered holding a sale yourself? (maybe with the help from a friend or two).

5. Here's the reason for all the questions; If you picked a date this spring (when you could count on the weather being a little better) and advertised a "One day Sale Only!" Advertised this in as many places as possible (free) you may be surprised how much traffic you could generate and how much could be sold at a fair price for both sides. (buyer and seller).

A few years back, I decided to downsize and get rid of a lot of equipment and tools I no longer used or needed. There was a bunch of stuff that I had collected over the years that pertained to not only woodworking but also a lot of tools like tap and dies, drills, calipers, mics (machinist type things). My wife spend some time on the computer and had the sale listed in something like 11 different sites that promotes yard/garage sales and such. (I didn't even think of Lumber Jocks or other woodworking sites at the time), but it was unreal the number of people showed up.

I was exhausted after the first two hours, but sold almost everything by noon. The amount of money we made that morning, I didn't really worry about what was left over. I gave some away, and took the last remaining to the recycle center.

One day over and done with. Being in Virginia (depending exactly where), you have a large drawing area to pull from. You would be surprised to see how far people will travel to a sale, especially if advertised right!
BTW. we had "0" $ invested in the advertising.

Just an idea.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 
#9 ·
If you have as much and varied equipment and tools as it sound like get ahold of an auction service. If one of the buildings is going to be torn down soon. You need to move things in a hurry. An auction is the way to go and you will find the true worth of the items at auction. The auction serviced will inventory and know what the items are used for.
 
#10 ·
I would do my best not to scrap those. the old tools are sometimes better quality than many newer equivalent tools made today (today companies are trying to cheap out on materials and costs and it shows in many cases).

I would start by photographing all machines and groups of smaller hand tools and tool boxes (machinist toolboxes can generate some good numbers too). auction houses that will take the lot for you are a good alternative if you don't have the time/effort to see to the sales of all the individual items yourself. craigslist.org is a good place to post old tools at reasonable prices which might suit your situation fairly well and can keep the sales local (as opposed to online auction websites which might add packaging and shipping efforts).
 
#11 ·
Property Wood Motor vehicle Machine Collage


Musical instrument Tool Gas Set tool Ratchet


Wood Line Rectangle Musical instrument Bridge


Thanks for the responses!
Randy…HAHA on taking the pressure off, but I think this stuff may need lots of TLC to get them back to their glory days.
Stan and Joe…I've been given an auctioneers number, just haven't called yet. Wanted to see if I could do something myself first.
David and Jack….Here is a couple of grouped pictures I have. I'm not able to get to this stuff easily by myself, so I need to wait for when I have help to do other pics later. I'm not sure how these will show up since I had to reduce the resolution/pixels to make the file below 5MB to upload.

Thinking I might consider learning how to clean these things up, at least cosmetically, the right way.
 

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#12 ·
If you were in my area I'd love to have that Radial Arm Saw and Disc/Belt Sander. This stuff is gold for those wanting to restore older tools. In Denver on Craigslist I'd sell for these prices:

Bandsaw $175
Disc/Belt Sander $150
Big Scroll Saw $75-100
Jointer $90-110
RAS $150

If those papers are original manual's/warranties/receipts you can get substantially more for the machines… I might even suggest ebay or owwm.org for that stuff.
 
#14 ·
Todd… No it's not a manual, it's the envelope thing that I'm guessing that may have come in…haven't run across anything specific to that in paperwork I have found so far. If and when I do, I will let you know.
 
#16 ·
The easiest is to have the junker pick the stuff up for scrap and take his money. The most financially beneficial is parting out on ebay.

What I would do is I'd put the full machines up on craigslist, and just be clear in your posting (cash, no spam, no flakes, you load yourself), or send if off to an auction, but the auction will take a cut. Then sell all identifiable small parts and pieces on ebay and get a bunch of flat rate boxes and charge the exact shipping that the flat rate boxes costs.

This method would result in, I think, over a $1000 worth depending on what is all there.. it's still a little hard to tell from your pictures. Which to me is worth it.
 
#17 ·
Gas Auto part Automotive exterior Metal Trunk

Automotive tire Gas Bumper Auto part Automotive exterior

Gas Machine Nickel Metal Titanium

Font Circle Metal Auto part Rotor

Font Material property Paper Paper product Parallel

Font Technology Temperature Electronic component Electronics accessory

Tool Hand tool Cutlery Paint Kitchen utensil

Wood Metal Cross Titanium Religious item


Several smaller things I could access myself…. two pics, I'm not exactly sure what they are for, one I think is a guide for sharpening saws or something, the other, bits for one of the drill presses maybe? The aluminum power tools I just plugged in and they work, and quite heavy, scared the dog though. The sabre saw paperwork goes with the one in the metal craftsman case. The saw blades and small grinding wheels are just a few, there are boxes of those in one of the upper levels that are still in there original packaging. I know everyone said to post pictures, but I kinda feel bad doing it and making you have to scroll through them all. You're in luck though, my battery died. I'm sorry if this is too much at one time.

Huff… I'm in Madison VA, near Charlottesville. I'm going to do so some looking into that 'one day sale' idea and maybe even a two day weekend one. I'll have to start me a list of where all I can post about it. We were thinking of maybe doing something like that in slightly warmer/dryer weather. One of the farmers here offered us some space this spring when they do theirs and/or we could use the hay wagons and trailers to put everything on here so someone could back right up to it and load the larger items easier. Then only deal with whats left.

-DB
 

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#18 ·
All the machines that I can identify are decent, if not worth a ton. The Craftsman machines are from an era when Craftsman was a respected hobbyist brand. The bandsaw, jointer, and disc sander should sell on Craigslist fairly easily, depending on how you price it. Scroll saws are harder to sell, from what I've seen.

The DeWalt radial arm saw is one of the best small radial saws ever made. But radial arm saws are out of fashion, as a lot of people consider them dangerous, so the street price for it is somewhere between $100-150.

Ultimately, how quickly you want to get rid of the machines will determine how much you will get for them. If you want them out of your life quickly, put an ad on Craigslist saying $300 takes everything (but stipulate that they have to take everything). You might get Todd's prices if you are patient, but in my experience it will take a while to sell, and you'll have to deal with Craigslist ditherers.

You might also consider placing an ad on owwm.com (you'll have to register to do this). It's a site for old wood and metal working machinery enthusiasts, so it's definitely the right audience. The only downside to it is that you'll likely not get maximum open-market value for some of the machines since the buyers tend to prefer more heavy-duty old iron.

Best of luck.
 
#19 ·
I see several people posting low prices for those scroll saws.
I am a scroll saw nut, and if I was caught when I had the cash, would gladly give a hundred a piece for with of the scoll saws you had pictured.
I'm sure someone in your area would too if you listed them on Craiglist.
Many people, myself included, check Craiglist regularly for tools.
In the tools section though, it's normally filled with mechanic tools here. If that's the case in your area, highlight in your posting title, woodworking tools, and people like me, for example, will be drawn to it like bees to honey.
Also, if you run an ad in any paper for any Saturday saying yard sale, plenty of TOOLS, and you'd be surprised how many people will show, how far they'll come from, and how early they'll show up.
If I see tools listed in a yard sale ad that says it starts at seven, I'm there by six thirty. I do that because tools often sell out before the listed start time of a lot of yard sales.
 
#20 ·
Wow a lot of differing opinions from scrap value to close to Harbor Freight new prices. All I know is if I saw a CL ad for a sale with that kind of stuff I would be there waiting in the car for the sale to start. People like older equipment. If you're in a hurry then by all means unload it. If you aren't in a massive hurry then spend some time on ebay checking out comparables.
 
#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
Looked a little more and found what looks to me like a nice old router (craftsman heavy duty) that the paperwork said cost $35 then, it's boxtop is missing a few flaps, a very large drill that says it's a Wizard by western auto supply that was $47.50. That is the first of those I've run across, are they any good? My husband told me it's a 1/2" arm breaker. I thought besides being heavy, that it was cute with that aluminum handle you could attach to it just to hang on to. A Weller soldering gun that was $6.95. And the cutest little Craftsman screwdriver that's cordless! That's one that thrills me, it's nothing like the ones now that are heavy and bulky with the battery packs etc. This one, even with the nerve damage in my hand, I can hold, nice pistol grip.
I also found a bunch more files, these are a lot smaller than the ones I have in the picture and with different names and shapes, the large ones in the pic were Grobet, Nicholson, Johnson. These are K&F, Simonds, Diamond Black, guessing those are the diamond shaped ones, they say stuff like nucut, slim taper, flat smooth. Is there a difference between what they are used for? I also know now that those orange file handles are Disston No1, names aren't worn off of these.

William….if you know anyone looking for a scroll saw send them my way.

Ron…I would gladly package things together, but I didn't receive this stuff together. An example being the things I think called mitre gauges for the tops of some of the equipment were mostly in boxes by themselves, so I don't know which ones they actually went with.

dhazelton & Ian…the time frame of dismantling the building is up to me, I want to try and salvage some of the wood and stone in it, not really the log section I don't think all the old logs are in that great of shape. But inside, I think the old bead board on the 3rd level is gorgeous, and all the long/wide rough cut boards that make the walls. Don't know what I would do with it, but I refuse to let my husband take the loader and push it over and bury it in a field! I want to put up a building between the two chimneys and keep the root cellar. I met an 88 year old man that came by after we bought this place years ago and gave us some history on the property and his grandparents that were the original owners/builders. Do you think there is any interest in old wood?
 
#23 ·
There definitely is an interest in old wood. You could post a pic and take offers with the intent being they dismantle and they carry their own insurance. I took down a small building myself as it was built right on the soil and collapsing. I saved what I could but could only store the beams on pallets covered with tarps - I fear the worst when I go check them out, so having good storage is important.

I would join the forums at the Vintage machinery forum and cruise the classifieds for prices and then post there. Or you could just take offers.

http://vintagemachinery.org/home.aspx

As far as anvils go look it over for markings. If it's a Peter Wright or other named one it could be worth a lot of money. Even if it's not it seems that a good anvil goes for anywhere from one to two dollars a pound and up. People still blacksmith and they are valuable. You'll have to google how to identify anvils and decode the weight numbers as they don't really mean what you would think. Have fun with this and don't stress over it. If you think someday you'd want a band saw then store it away and clean it up later. It won't be worth any less in the future.
 
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