Hit a hugely under advertised estate sale today, only a few pix, and none
really showed the magnitude of tools available, just text saying lots.
This was a hoarder's garage and shed.  When I arrived at the opening time,
there was already a couple of people quarrelling in the garage, profanity
clearly heard from outside the front of the house.  Entrance was through
the side gate, into the backyard, where there was a shed, and two spreads
of tools in the yard, plus the packed to the gills garage.  Right next to
the cashier was a pile of stuff, including a couple of OLD vises, the
single attachment swivel type.  Turns out that was someone's pile. Argh. A
skinny walkway into the garage, past the Craftsman stack seen in the ad,
piled with extra stuff, boxes and piles of stuff everywhere.  The stuff in
the yard was only slightly interesting, the shed had three people in it, so
I tried to get into the garage.  Guy I knew was coming out, probably one of
the sources of profanity.  Next guy was rolling out an anvil (~30#) on a
small cart.  Helped him out, then worked my way in.  First cross "aisle"
had a large vise sitting on the edge of the piles on either side.  While
protecting that, I managed to look into various boxes and piles and
cupboards, looking for more.  Off at the end of the pile was a greasy box
with what looked like a plane peaking out.  Grabbed two planes, and decided
it was time to commit, so I relayed my heavy vise, and other goodies to a
pile near the cashier.  I had no idea what they were going to ask for any
of this, and didn't dare ask.  I went back in and grabbed a lot more stuff,
then went into the shed, found some exotic wood stuffed into the rafters,
then circled the yard piles again.  Grabbed more goodies, then went to
check out.


Got a good price on the lot, much less than I expected to pay just for the
vise.  I loaded all my junk into the truck, and went back in for another
pass through everything.


Was fun once the early birds all left, guys helping each other extract
heavy as hell tool boxes from a cabinet, with 4' wide piles of crap in
front of the cabinet, joking about how this was probably "the guy" to fix
stuff in the hood.  As we unearthed stuff, found a Clausing vertical mill,
Craftsman DP and metal lathe, and a 14" vintage grinder.  Lots of survey
rods, guys carrying them that had no idea what they were, lotsa clocks and
old radio equipment in various stages of disrepair.  Heard someone fire up
a circ saw to try to shorten some 2x10s, and when that failed, he tried a
hacksaw, ignoring all the 30 handsaws laying about.  By this point I was
hot and sweaty, my glasses would no longer stay up, so I gave up.  My
second batch cost almost as much as the first, probably due to the nice
Proto puller, with all 4 pairs of jaws.


The seller's goal was to empty the house, and get stuff to people who would
use it.  Two or three of the buyers seemed to be flippers, most others
seemed to know how to use what they were buying.


Anyways, here are some images of the haul, too much for clear pix in one
pass.  Many things will be posted in other smugmug folders if interested.
A few items may get flipped, or I may upgrade my stuff with this stuff.


https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Woodworking-Tools/i-xXpjWHD


Part of the first pass L-R, bigger brace, 4.5C and 8C Stanley planes, Chas
Parker 206-1/2 vise (128# of goodness), 3 skewed rabbet planes, matched T&G
planes, 2x Stanley 65 spokeshaves, Thorsen box in nice shape, 2x auger
depth stops, IOB, Starrett 99 12" Level, rough IOB, Starrett dial indicator
in a different brand box, tapered pin reamers in a Snap-on socket box,
Machinery handbook 13th edition from 1940's, and an Alford hand vise, no
other accessories.


https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Woodworking-Tools/i-hh8VHzP


5x Disston & Sons saws (1 panel, 1 thumbhole rip), and a Keen Kutter too.


[image: PXL_20220507_191827488-X2.jpg]


Exotic Wood, I think the two on the left are purpleheart, the one in the
center may be ebony, one looks like walnut, no idea on the other.


https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Woodworking-Tools/i-sPMD59L


The second pass through, L-R, Japanese sharpening stone, drills, sockets,
rethreading dies, Jacobs chucks, sockets, parallel clamps, 6" pip wrench,
Thor copper face hammer, 1.75#, small files, gouges, 2x auger bit sets in
rolls, Proto puller with 4 jaws, Estwing hatchet and a bunch of NOS handles.


The wife is encouraging me to return tomorrow, see what else has been
unearthed, but I'm running out of places to ditch stuff right now, I need a
major cleanup prior to bringing more in.


Not quite Alladin's cave, or the Menlo Haul, but a nice haul, especially in
light of all the other people there.

-- 
Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA, hiding out from the howling wind.


-- 
Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA