Plane sailing?

[AJB Temple]

A friend from the US is here on business and is aware that I consider myself to be excessively tooled up. He's offered to buy as a job lot:

Lie Nielson bronze smoother (which I only just got back, but it is boxed and pristine limited edition)
Old Stanley chisel plane
Both of my spare Record 41/2s
Both old Stanley block planes
One of my Cliftons (the one I hardly ever used)
Record No 7 with the grooved base (I will keep a smooth based one - not Record)
Record No 5 (one of two)
All of my Sorby chisels (two boxes)
All of my old M&W imperial measuring tools and sticks
Big framing slick (too big to be useful)
Spare set of framing centres
Various sundries
All of my old hand saws (Paxton, Diston etc)
Couple of Record vices
Blacksmiths leg vice (I bought to refurb but never have)

He used to be into Japanese knives, now he is into woodworking tools. Not sure if I should bite the bullet here and just offload everything.

Quite a lot of electrical gear will be hitting eBay soon - not suitable for US unfortunately. Time for me to downsize. Fed up with the clutter and not being able to find things.

 

[TrimTheKing]

If you don’t need them then free up the space and release some cash for other things...

 

[Argus]

You probably know this already, but, may I suggest that you remove anything that is Rosewood (or even looks like Rosewood) from handles and the like.

It's the latest thing for customs on both sides to home-in on.

Similarly, old or antique measuring implements that have 'bone' or anything that is bone and looks like Ivory..... or even Ivory.....

There is an age derogation for these materials in the new regulations, but proving a particular provenance is often difficult.

Good luck. I'll be doing something similar soon..... bloody arthritis.
Anyone fancy a trip to some of the nicer bits or Wales?

 

[AJB Temple]

My thoughts too Mark. I realised that to all intents and purposes I have ended up with a double set of tools and in some cases many more. I never throw tools away so stuff that has long since been superseded as a favourite is now residing in drawers full of stuff.

Thanks Argus. Any issues with Rosewood etc will not be my problem. I will be selling in the UK and the buyer (who is no fool) will deal with all shipping. I know some of it will end up in display cabinets in his absolutely huge workshop (Americans always make rooms huge if they have the money).

I think for the rest of the stuff I will have to learn how to use the bay again. It must be over a decade since I sold anything on-line.

 

[Lurker]

You COULD sell it here, Adrian.
Apparently the bay of e take a bigger bite than ever.

Does anyone use them?
Say that someone bid and won something for £100, how much actually ends up in the seller’s bank?,

 

[AJB Temple]

I could indeed sell things here. But....I know quite a few people here and although I would not sell anything I was not confident about, I think, especially with electrical things, I would rather sell to anonymous people I will never see again.

The sale avenues are FB marketplace, Gumtree (owned by the bay crowd) and eBay. Or possibly one of the local auctions where they sell farm machinery, wood and all kinds of random stuff twice a year in a field at the end of our lane.

 

[Cabinetman]

Well as he is a friend (and it will help our balance of payments lol) I would, if you can get a decent price for it sell it all to him as a job lot, save a lot of faffing about and postage, a little galling that it will end up in a display case, but possibly better that than stuck in a box in your workshop somewhere. Ian

 

[Trevanion]

Does anyone use them?
Say that someone bid and won something for £100, how much actually ends up in the seller’s bank?,

On £100 your eBay fees would be about £15. Unless you can list more obscure items (stuff that won't sell well locally) during their "£3 listing" offers that they give out occasionally I personally wouldn't bother.

Sold a gas fire on Facebook Marketplace the other day for £350, it was sold and taken within a couple of hours of putting it up and I still had inquiries until I took it off an hour after the fellow had taken it. No fees whatsoever, eBay would've taken £50 off me for that sale!

 

[RogerS]

...
I think for the rest of the stuff I will have to learn how to use the bay again. It must be over a decade since I sold anything on-line.

That's easily sorted, Adrian. I'll buy the lot off you for a fiver ...I reckon I'll be doing you a favour

 

[Lons]

I could indeed sell things here. But....I know quite a few people here and although I would not sell anything I was not confident about, I think, especially with electrical things, I would rather sell to anonymous people I will never see again.

I doubt any of the members here would be naive enough to think nothing goes wrong with electrical items and they would be bought with that in mind knowing the risk. I fully understand how you feel but as a buyer I wouldn't hesitate to buy from a fellow TWH2 member where I'd always think twice on Ebay.

 

[Chris101]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Payments/ ... p/31405538
See you later ebay... unless I was using it enough to set up a spare bank account...
Personally I'd always rather sell to a friend for a fair price if you are not using the tools anyway and they can come round for a bit of a gas as well. Buying and selling here and 'over there at ukw' I've also always had good luck and met/contacted really good types.
Chap came round last night to take p/t, all my extraction machinary, and ended up taking a sander and veritas straight edge as well. Really nice guy too. Sold at a fair price for both and though I'm not selling from choice, far easier that he's coming to collect in the next week or two and I don't have to deal with some random messer from ebay. Although it's no guarantee of character, being a long term member of this or the other forum gives a good chance of fairplay, at least in my personal experience. Met some really good forumites over the years. Proper people.

 

[AJB Temple]

Yes Chris, thank you, I've been looking into eBay sales and I think it is not for me. I always regarded PayPal as an unregulated bank and would only use it for small sums. But with that avenue withdrawn there is no prospect of me giving eBay my bank account details and various other personal data that would allow perpetration of fraud, and I see no ready means of disputing charges that they decide to make first. The cost of selling appears to be very high too.

I agree that selling to people here is fine as all the regulars seem pretty decent, but it is such a small audience. I also think that some things I want to sell I would not wish to foist on people who actually know what they are about. My temporary sliding table saw and my old farm saw both fall into that category.

 

[Trevanion]

I agree that selling to people here is fine as all the regulars seem pretty decent, but it is such a small audience. I also think that some things I want to sell I would not wish to foist on people who actually know what they are about. My temporary sliding table saw and my old farm saw both fall into that category.

I agree with that last bit to a point, I've got a cheapo bandsaw that I bought as part of a job lot that I need to put up for sale that falls into that category. I've personally never used the thing and it's sat in a container for 8 years or so as a "backup" machine. It's not an inherently terrible machine on paper, it'll rip 230mm tall, has a quick-release tension lever, half-decent fence and mitre gauge, ball-bearing guides similar to the Carter system... But when it's run it does vibrate a fair amount and the table fixing to the chassis of the machine isn't that solid and you can actually see the table vibrating about relative to the blade which isn't ideal, I think the vibration stems from the top wheel which seems to be badly machined from new as the tyre and blade run true on the rim but the outer rim of the wheel whips back and forth as though it isn't machined square relative to the bore of the wheel.

It isn't worth spending the time and effort to make it a straight machine as it is just cheap Chinese-made carp at the end of the day, but I wouldn't be that happy to sell this machine to someone who's actually looking for a decent machine. I do need to sell it, but I don't want to sell it so cheap that some unscrupulous scrot just buys it to sell on to some clueless individual and I'm made the fool. It's a dilemma of morals really.

 

[Custard]

Disposing of surplus tools has to be one of the quickest routes to becoming a better woodworker.

We all need to invest many, many hours with any individual tool to achieve proficiency, so spreading limited hobby time across too much kit is just a sure fire recipe for poorly fettled tools.

Good luck with the sale!

 

[AJB Temple]

Thank you Gary.

It took me a while - and my current project along with the chair construction of last Christmas - to realise the truth of what you say. A major cull is underway along with a drastic simplification. I expect to get rid of two thirds of what I have got. Consistency and quality of my work needs to improve.

I have also embarked on a wood stock sale to a trade buyer. I have more stock of oak - not in good sizes - than I can possibly use in my lifetime, and my brother will never use it either.

The next job is to sell all of his tools and stocks.

Adrian

 

[Andy Kev.]

The point about having fewer tools and mastering them has had me thinking for a couple of days. I've come to the conclusion the the only tools I regard myself as competent with are the combination of scrub plane (a repurposed No 5) and my Low Angle Jack. By competent I mean that I know that I can get bang on results with them as a matter of course.

There are many other tools where I know I'm liable to make mistakes e.g. twisting a chisel in a mortice, rip sawing with a view to deeping. Sawing seems to be the one that takes the most time to learn: I'm loads better than I used to be but am still not happy.

Then there are the bits of kit which you use relatively rarely, improve steadily during a project but seem to be back a few paces in the next project. The king of these is my Veritas skew rebate plane. It produces fantastic results when you use it properly but it does demand care and attention to detail. I'd love to be able to be as good with that as with the LAJ. I reckon the answer to less than perfect competence is to go slowly and carefully. Speeding up comes naturally as you get better.

 

[AJB Temple]

I agree with that Andy. In my case I have simply taken too much on and need to get back to finding woodwork enjoyable rather than a slog. It has been interesting that having moved a lot of tools into my temporary work areas close to the house, I still have a load of stuff in the workshop and often can't find things. This is partly caused by having far too many tools, boxes of fittings, engineering stuff from my father that I will never use, things that were starter tools and have been upgraded.....and so on.

Because I have done quite a bit of oak framing work, I have a lot of gear for that, but much of it is hardly ever used. I have for example 5 power planes. And the chain morticer needs to go.

 

[Lurker]

Surely if you folks sell here with a full and honest appraisal of the tool and it’s pros and cons you will get a decent price without any dilemma.
I bet that there is someone with the time and know how, who would like the challenge of that bandsaw.

Tools are in short supply at the moment so winners all round.

 

[Andy Kev.]

I agree with that Andy. In my case I have simply taken too much on and need to get back to finding woodwork enjoyable rather than a slog. It has been interesting that having moved a lot of tools into my temporary work areas close to the house, I still have a load of stuff in the workshop and often can't find things. This is partly caused by having far too many tools, boxes of fittings, engineering stuff from my father that I will never use, things that were starter tools and have been upgraded.....and so on.

Because I have done quite a bit of oak framing work, I have a lot of gear for that, but much of it is hardly ever used. I have for example 5 power planes. And the chain morticer needs to go.

Adrian,

I write from recent experience when I point out that there is only one sure cure: move house!

I've just done that and am in a temporary flat before moving to my new location. Just clearing out the old flat led to me taking at least a ton (perhaps nearer a ton and a half) of stuff to the local rubbish tip (or recycling centre as they insist on calling it). I sold my bandsaw and that hurt because it was so useful but circumstances dictated and I have given away some tools to a friend who is just starting up.

The bottom line is that it is a great relief to have stripped out and to own less. To suggest a house move is just a daft joke but it does have the advantage of imposing a kind of discipline. Once you develop the necessary ruthlessness, things go flying out at a rate of knots. BTW, I can't see for the life of me how anybody can end up with 5 power planes!!! Were you buying disposable models?

The problem is that I'm already thinking about my post-move new bandsaw ...

 

[greeno]

Facebook market place is now my go to to offload our surplus/ junk

I'd be happier buying second hand electrical on here than elsewhere as I'd expect everyone would give a fair and honest review of the history - even if it is unknown.

There's always "buyer beware". I bought my planner thicknesser off of Robert on here, I think it was fairly described and priced. However it was about 10 years old and has needed a little TLC lately. But that's second hand for you.

 

[Woodbloke]

I agree with that Andy. In my case I have simply taken too much on and need to get back to finding woodwork enjoyable rather than a slog. It has been interesting that having moved a lot of tools into my temporary work areas close to the house, I still have a load of stuff in the workshop and often can't find things. This is partly caused by having far too many tools, boxes of fittings, engineering stuff from my father that I will never use, things that were starter tools and have been upgraded.....and so on.

Because I have done quite a bit of oak framing work, I have a lot of gear for that, but much of it is hardly ever used. I have for example 5 power planes. And the chain morticer needs to go.

If you have far too many tools Adrian, then a de-clutter is in order and as you say, woodwork will then become something to look forward to as opposed to a grinding slog. It’s nice to have a surplus, but not too much of one For example, I have around 25 odd hand planes but only use a few of them on a regular basis, but when I do need the odd specialist plane, it then pays for it’s keep. Tools that were handed down and have sentimental value, should IMO never be sold. The trick I think is to organise those tools you use most of the time and have them directly in front of you. The pic below;



…shows the ‘Tool Wall’ just before coffee this morning, with all the hand tools I need directly in front of me; planes racked out under the bench. Worth remembering the ‘the Schwarz’ said in the ATC somewhere that you can make good furniture with around 50 well chosen hand tools. Add to that a section of power tools and machinery and I don’t think that’s too far off the mark - Rob

 

[AJB Temple]

I like the idea of having all of my tools on display like that - easy to see and find. I would prefer a glass display cabinet with sliding doors though as I hate having everything covered in dust (asthmatic).

My woodwork journey started out with making musical instruments many years ago. I think that making oak buildings and kitchens (endless drawers) and so on has worn me out and I need to get back to the proper skills of detailed. finer work that I think I've partially lost.

In reality I have far too much of all sorts of stuff.

 

[Just4fun]

The pic [...] shows the ‘Tool Wall’ just before coffee this morning ...

My workshop looks similar to your tool wall. Or at least it looks like what your toolwall would look like after a small-scale nuclear accident. I'm sure it is lovely to be that organised, but unfortunately I am not.