If you ever wondered why some tradesmen make things look so easy you are not alone but here are a 10 helpful tips to hopefully help you understand their approach when tackling projects. It's something that generally comes in time but when you grasp these pointers into your approach when undertaking projects they soon become second nature and … [Read more...]
Refurbishing old Planes just isn’t about polishing them
It's something I felt needed to be addressed after seeing some gleaming polished planes for use online that buyers are bidding extremely high prices for. This subject is by no means being raised because it has affected our sales but it's hard to see people being fooled by poor practices. Like anything in life there are always poor imitations … [Read more...]
Upgrading Your New Tool kit with Our Old Tools
When building up your tool kit it's perfectly normal to buy some new low quality tools just to get started but as your skills grow you will soon realise those so called bargains will eventually limit your capabilities. The Steel in most new tools are far inferior quality and the best makers today are expensive, not necessarily for what they are but … [Read more...]
A craftsman’s relationship with his tools
In this article I hope to explain the understanding of the deep relationship between craftsmen and the tools they use and have acquired during their lives. Those who aspire to be like them will also hopefully learn something in the process whilst others who are less familiar with using tools can at least appreciate what tools mean to them. A … [Read more...]
Vintage Woodworking Moulding Planes – Underrated and Under Valued
Warning, this article could take up a chunk of your evening and cause you serious enlightenment. In the new year we will be adding a more comprehensive selection of wooden planes to the website which often get overlooked by woodworkers but I wanted to show a collaboration of videos out there for a more in-depth look at what these old tools … [Read more...]
Apprentices, Apprenticeships and craftsmanship in general
Over the Christmas period I was reading Paul sellers blog which is always insightful and well worth reading from time to time. He covered over a series of blogs his views on craftsmanship and apprenticeships which does pose a question, will there over time be a real shortage of problem solving craftsmen when the 50+ year old guys retire. Now … [Read more...]
EBay Auctions for old Tools are they really worth a punt?
Given that we operate online its our business to know whats going on when it comes to vintage and antique tools. This also includes eBay where we also sell a few odds and ends by limiting what we list because of what happens there. All too often we see auction prices out strip what we would charge and more often than not the tools are inferior, it … [Read more...]
Thoroughly Refurbished Old Used Tools & why we do it
One of our main features in this website is that we thoroughly refurbish vintage tools to a high standard to ensure they are fit for purpose. We don't just do the obvious stuff of just cleaning them but allocate enough time with an experienced eye to eradicate defects that could be detrimental to the tools performance. The main reason for this is … [Read more...]
Hunting for Bargain Vintage Used Tools – But At What Cost?
We all love a bargain when buying old tools but genuinely it only happens on rare occasions when we are in the right place at the right time, more often than not people like to tell ourselves we bought well even if it wasn't the case. I buy tools every week from a range of sources and see first hand how far those tools are from working to their … [Read more...]
A typical day in the life of a Tool Dealer..
I woke up this morning at the usual time my body seems to ignite into life naturally after all those years being up at the crack of dawn when working on the tools. Breakfast generally consists of tea followed quickly by another before hollowing at the boys to 'get up you lazy sods' which usually works a treat. Never in my widest dreams did I ever … [Read more...]
