Where to Find Vintage Hand Tools
I get a lot of questions about where to find old hand tools. Personally, I find a lot at flea markets and yard sales as well as the old tool shows that comes through town. I’m discovering through many of my Hand Tool School members who are spread all over the globe that this is a local perk. As much as I miss the mountains and trout streams of Colorado, I have grown to love living on the east coast for the history and the bounty of old tools available everywhere. So my stock answer, “look at your local flea market” just doesn’t fly for the average person who emails me looking for a hand saw or plane. Fortunately there are other sources out there besides eBay. You see the trouble with the renaissance of hand tool woodworking that we are living in is that every Joe with grandpa’s tools rusting in their basement is trying to cash in. This means that for every good tool you find on eBay, there will be 20 that are missing parts or so beat up that restoring them to working order isn’t worth it. On top of that, the prices have skyrocketed well above what I would pay for something that will take a lot of work to restore. Let’s be clear, there are some eBay sellers that have great stuff, but you have to dig. Once you find them establish a relationship with them outside of eBay and it will pay dividends when you are looking for a specific tool.
Of course if you are one of those people that enjoy restoring old tools and have the resources and tools to do it then this won’t be a problem for you. Thank goodness for people like this because it is these folks that make buying good quality tools even easier. When I buy a vintage tool, I expect to have to grind and hone the iron. But that’s about it. I’m not a fan of flattening plane soles (unless it is a wooden plane) or really doing any metal work. I want to get the tool to work quickly. So when the need arises, I turn to just a few tool dealers whom I trust for their encyclopedic knowledge of old tools and their knowledge of woodworking. These guys sell tools that can be put to work quickly and easily.
Hyperkitten.com is run by Josh Clark. He publishes a list of old tools on his website at least once a week with pictures and reasonable prices. The good stuff doesn’t last long so subscribing to his RSS feed or his email list is a good idea. Josh will send the tool right out to you along with an invoice so you get a chance to see the tool and work with it before you pay. I have yet to send anything back to him but I know it wouldn’t be a problem if the tool wasn’t what I was looking for. I have gotten nothing but tool in great condition and highly recommend Josh. Make sure to check out his site for a library of great old tool advertisements and some great research and sources for old tool information.
The Superior Works run by Patrick Leach is more like a cult classic than just a tool dealer. Patrick’s now famous site, Patrick’s Blood and Gore, is the go to site for information about Stanley planes. Patrick sells some new tools as well but the holy grail is his monthly email list of vintage tools for sale. Patrick has a knack for finding the odd balls in tool history as well as plenty of everyday users. Some of his tools will get very expensive due to rarity or a specific maker. These may fall under the guise of collectors but you will also find just as many great quality users. Definitely subscribe to Patrick’s email list right away or you are missing out on lots of beautiful tools
Ed Lebetkin and “The Tool Store Upstairs”. I have heard a lot of things about Ed’s store located above The Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, NC. Friends of mine have been there and have sung the praises. You cannot totally grasp the enormity of Ed’s stock of tools until you go there personally. Ed doesn’t have a web site, though he is mentioned on the Woodwright School page and you can contact him via email to inquire about something you are looking for and to order from him. What struck me when I visited the store was just how clean every tool is. Just about everything in the store is ready to go to work with some honing. Moreover, Ed has a staggering knowledge of old tools and can tell you just about anything you want to know. I think his biggest issue is not having enough space as when I was down there he told me he had a room at his house stuffed full of boxes of tools that he couldn’t even get to to inventory. As of this writing he took shipment of 26 more boxes of tools that he has yet to inventory and clean up. It is a fair bet that if you need something, Ed has it. Just drop him a line and he will be more than willing to help. Make sure he adds you to his email list too.
Check out this quick 360 degree video I took while visiting Ed’s store:
There are more out there, but these are the guys that I go to continuously and have no doubt that what I get will be quality and ready to work. Where do you find good vintage hand tools?
Happy tool hunting and a formal apology to all the spouses of those who just read this post.
