The first step is admitting you have a problem. "I'm thirsty, I could
really
use a beer." Oops that one is for the Beer Support Group, not this SFGH.
My name is Scott and I have been stalkin...er lurking here under the
porch
for almost a year now. I live in San Diego, CA (south of Paddy, Jeff).
I'm nearing 40, married with two GIT's, girl 4 and boy 1. My daughter
amazed
me the other day when she came into the shop, pointed up at an eggbeater
drill and said "What's does that do?". Everything stopped while we
drilled
some holes. I'm a mechanical engineer by trade and have had a career
that
has ranged from rockets to bicycle parts to my current employment making
air sampling equipment (everything we make sucks).

Let's see, old tools. My grandfather was the foreman at a small shipyard
and later a sign painter. Many memories of watching him make things. My
dad
was a fighter pilot and still is addicted to airplanes, cars and
engines.
My first good old WW tool came from a garage sale down the street from
my
bachelor pad shortly after moving to San Diego in 1989. I bought two
rusty
old planes from an old gentleman for a dollar. He said something like
"That bench plane is junk, but that little block plane is a nice plane."
Fast forward to the birth of my daughter. My father-in-law (who lives in
Old Tool Heaven, just outside Philly) asks for a project. We asked for a
garden bench. He finds the little plane and tunes it up a little and
uses
it. I decide to look it up on the internet. Turns out to be a #18 with
the
1913 patent date. And I didn't even feel the steep slope I stepped onto.
Since then I have developed the rust hunting affliction to the point
that
I sometimes will put off surfing until after hitting a couple of garage
sales.

Now for the two gloats, one minor and one not so minor. 

1) A couple weeks ago went to a garage sale and didn't
find anything. On the way out I noticed a cabinet leaning against the
fence.
It turned out to be 48" tall x 48" wide x 6" deep with shelves every 6"
and
had been used for storing nuts and bolts. Six dollars and a coat of
paint
and it is now an almost perfect cabinet for my collection of USER
planes.

2) Last weekend I needed to put off surfing in order to hit a garage
sale 
that advertised "Power tools, hand tools, hardwood..." I was the first
one
to the back of the garage when they opened the doors. It was dim and I
just
started grabbing stuff. I even handed some things to a newer (than
myself)
galoot that were duplicates of things I already had (like a pre 1902 #7C
and 
#5, both with repaired totes and the #7C had a chip out of the front 
corner). In the end I paid $60.00 for the following:
A. A lathe gouge stamped "Buck Bros Cast Steel" looks old with a new
handle
B. A lathe chisel marked "I Sorby", looks newer
C. one turned chisel mallet out of what looks like some kind of rosewood
made by the recently deceased Galoot (hope he RIP)
D. A #80 scraper with the 1914 patent dates on the bar, 70% japanning
and a
"Henry Disston and Sons" blade
E. A red Record A151 spokeshave in nice shape.
F. A Record 071 with everything except the blade (the previous owner was
most
of the way along the way to making a replacement from an Allen wrench)
G. A Starrett protractor head (I forget the number), it is the one that 
allows the rule to rotate 360 degrees
H. A large frame saw or bow saw (not sure of the difference yet)
I. Half a dozen auger bits, Craftsman and Irwin
J. And last, spotted on shelf in a box full of sawdust, an almost
complete 
set of #55 cutters in custom mahogany boxes. There are 51 cutters, two
are 
duplicates. According to Mr. Leach's SB&G I am only missing three of the

original cutters that came with the #55. Yes, I did look for the plane,
but 
could not find it. The cutters appear to be in good user shape with some

strange pitting half way up the sides, but no pitting near the good
cutting
edges. Most appear to still have the factory grind. As hard as it is to 
resist the urge to try to cruise the bay and find a 55 missing the
cutters, 
I think that I will clean them up and attempt to sell them or trade them
for 
something more useful. After all, I'm not a collector (I heard that,
wipe 
that smirk off your face).

Did I do good enough to be allowed to polish the spittoon?

Best regards,

Scott in San Diego, California