Greensboro Estate Tool Sale

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Wondering how many made it out to Greensboro this weekend for the estate sale with so many of the high-end hand tools? There was a ton of Lie Nielson, Bridge City, Veritas, etc. Anyone get any great deals or cool stuff?

I bought a small Lie Nielson plane, a Veritas Chisel plane and a pretty cool Ulmia Quad Marking gauge (bought it just because I had never seen anything like it before).


Rick
 

Ed Fasano

Ed
Senior User
I went Friday and again on Sunday. I chatted with a guy on Friday who drove 10 hours for a chance at some beautiful tools. I bought a several things that were (to me) a good value. I passed on the Lie Nielson and Bridge City stuff. A lot of the BC tools were still there on Sunday. The last-day discount was 50%, but excepted BC and LN. Those were discounted 25%. The LN tools were largely gone by Sunday, suggesting that the sale attracted more users than collectors. The deceased certainly had good taste in hand tools and enjoyed acquiring them more than using them. My value of note was a can of Renaissance wax for $1. I also found several nice Grobet and Iridium rasps for $2 each.
 

mpholway

Board of Directors, Events Director
Matt
Staff member
Corporate Member
I went specifically hoping to get the LN #62 low angle jack plane. It was at the high end of what I was willing to pay but still in range so I bought it. There were basically two tool sections to the sale: The collector section, with all of the BC and LN tools and the workshop which was more like a traditional estate sale. After reserving the LN 62 and a pair of AMT spoke shaves in the collector room, I went into the workshop and spent just as much on other very useful things like a bunch of parallel clamps, flush cut saw, incra marking ruler, incra protractor, etc.

A big bonus was catching up with some old NCWW fiends and meeting some F2F for the first time.

My biggest regret was standing in line with people like Ed (see post above) and having him show me the $25 can of wax that he had found for $1...;)
 

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Ed Fasano

Ed
Senior User
Wondering how many made it out to Greensboro this weekend for the estate sale with so many of the high-end hand tools? There was a ton of Lie Nielson, Bridge City, Veritas, etc. Anyone get any great deals or cool stuff?

I bought a small Lie Nielson plane, a Veritas Chisel plane and a pretty cool Ulmia Quad Marking gauge (bought it just because I had never seen anything like it before).


Rick
A few other nice finds:
Lee Valley / Chestnut Tools 50-tpi veneer saw $10
Veritas Magnetic Jointer Fence $5
Veritas Straight Grinding Jig $6
(4) Record 4” C-Clamps $4 each (very stout)
(4) Veritas Cam Clamps $1

Regrets:
Didn’t snag a batch of nice boxwood tool handles
Missed the Saturday 25% discount on the Record 073 Shoulder Plane @ $112
Bought a batch of Edge Clamps for use on F-Clamps for $2 each. Now I know why I had never bought any of these before.

Like Matt, I also regret standing in line to pay and seeing what others found

Ed
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Yes it was nice to see so many NCWW folks. I went over for some of the St James Bay small planes and bought three of them - seemed to be a good price. I also bought a Wood River 100 1/2. I am not a Wood River fan, it looked good and the price was reasonable. I am getting ready to attempt a violin build
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
That's interesting. How did you find a link between the estate sale and the doctor who owned the tools? It's not in the article.

For those interested, here is an article I found on the doctor that was the owner of these tools. He is 93 and lives in a retirement home. Apparently, he never did build the work shop he had planned on.

 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
That's interesting. How did you find a link between the estate sale and the doctor who owned the tools? It's not in the article.

One of the tools I bought had his name on a warranty card from 1999 that he had completed but never sent in. I also spoke with the people that were running the sale and they were the ones that told me he had just turned 93 and was living in an assisted living home. For those that went to the sale, I also heard that the majority of the tools in the garage were most likely Dr Mabry's father and were past down to him.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Thanks Rick. His father liked high end tools too!

One of the tools I bought had his name on a warranty card from 1999 that he had completed but never sent in. I also spoke with the people that were running the sale and they were the ones that told me he had just turned 93 and was living in an assisted living home. For those that went to the sale, I also heard that the majority of the tools in the garage were most likely Dr Mabry's father and were past down to him.
 

Ralrick

New User
Rick
Thanks Rick. His father liked high end tools too!

Hey Jeff - I think my comment above was a little misleading if you didn't attend the sale. The tools in the garage were older and much lower end tools including an old Shopsmith. These tools were of significantly different quality and condition as compared to the tools on display in the den of the home. Dr Mabry was the collector of the fine hand tools that were never used. It was his father that had originally owned the tools that were in the garage and were all well worn. Not that it is too important of a point but I did want to make that clear based on what I was told.
 

jlimey

Jeff
Corporate Member
I made it to this sale, and then made it again, and again!

Nice to see Matt, Phil, Danny and Rick.

I asked to look at the Bridge City Tool Works brace just to say I touched one! LOL If I win the lottery, I am getting one.

I picked up way too many tools - too many to keep, though I would love to. So I will be posting some in the classifieds over the next few weeks. I would like to give folks here a chance before they go for sale on that national site. Should be cheaper than that place, but I only bought crisp tools and they are so shiny (in other words, they are not inexpensive for a given type of tool)!
 

cyclopentadiene

Update your profile with your name
User
I went on Friday very quickly on my lunch hour hoping for a good deal on the Lie Nielsen Scrub plane and Dowel plate. The plane was priced above retail and the Dwpel plate was $50 whereas it is $55 new at Highland. I went back on Saturday and actually purchased several Veritas items at 50% off but he two LN items I had wanted were already sold. Most of the remaining LN planes were oddball ones like a butt mortise plane or very small violin planes not useful for the type work I do.
I did purchased a wood scrub plane that looks like an ECE but is marked with a sticker Rakovnik. The two tone color is there but the sides are wavy versus box joint and the ends are sawtooth pattern. The blade is marked with an R inside a circle. anyone have an idea about this brand?

I also purchased a Pax dovetail saw. The LN ones were already sold. This one seems nice quality but it has a thick kerf. Also purchased the LN dovetail and straight guides and a DMT lapping plate in the wooden box (new). Also purchased a Veritas 3/4 chisels ( I really did not need but at $12 could not avoid as it is always nice to have multiples so you can sharpen all,tools at one time.

The pricling was essentially retail before the markdown. 50% off for unused spur of the moment Veritas is fair. The LN at 25% off of unused (new) vintage was fair but if I am paying that much, I prefer to be the first owner in the event there are problems when used. LN stands behind their tools. The Bridge City tools are too xpensive to use.
 

Tgillis

Tonika
Corporate Member
I wished I would have seen parallel clamps in those pics, I would have gone for those... :(
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Just a note to those whom have special tools. Consider just giving them away to someone you think will use them and be as proud of them as you were. It should go without saying that the new owner should also do the same in due time. I have a few special tools of my own and they will be handed out - just not too soon I hope.
 
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Chris C

Chris
Senior User
Just a note to those whom have special tools. Consider just giving them away to someone you that will use them and be as proud of them as you were. It should go without saying that the new owner should also do the same in due time. I have a few special tools of my own and they will be handed out - just not too soon I hope.

+1... But I wouldn't limit it to special tools.

I give away (sometimes for a small donation to NCWW but not always ) quite a few planes.......more than you see posted here. They may not be special tools but I'm hoping they turn into something special.
 
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Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
+1... But I wouldn't limit it to special tools.

I give away (sometimes for a small donation to NCWW but not always ) quite a few planes.......more than you see posted here. They may not be special tools but I'm hoping they turn into something special.
I have given away more tools than I currently own. And my garage is full. Maybe time to give away some more. Almost every time I have a workshop I give someone a tool. I had thought my wife would sell my tools to help pay taxes or repair the roof someday, but she is beginning to carve small animal figures in wood. Who knows, maybe she will make real furniture someday with the tools I collected for her.
 

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