Used tool demmand declining?

[Admiral]

I digress as usual. After the noise, tripping over electrical cords, and running to Ace, Lowes, and HD every few minutes, I finally get to shape a beautiful piece of Alaska Cedar hand rail. With a gut powered handplane. But don't you know it!? The blade is dull. So why am I looking in Lee Valley for plane blades?

Any vintage plane iron from Stanley, MF, Union, Sargent etc. can be made very sharp.  Sharp enough for even fairly exacting work.  Think stones and leather.....

[bandit571]

....and maybe just a tad of plain, old Elbow Grease..

[hbmcc]

Any vintage plane iron from Stanley, MF, Union, Sargent etc. can be made very sharp.  Sharp enough for even fairly exacting work.  Think stones and leather.....

  I should use emoticons more often. I am talking buy, buy, buy new when the discussion topic is old, old, old second-hand. The inference is, despite all my efforts at thrift, I/we are programmed (brainwashed) to replace everything with new. 

I only have one plane with a blade so badly handled that it needs a replacement, including the chip breaker. I think it was cleaned up to look pretty in photos--and not showing the blade-- that I can consider it deceptive advertising. It's little irritations like those that turn me off to buying used remotely. 

Someone mentioned old garage sale shoppers being really picky (stingy). Some people read the news and understand their near position under the present administration. Those stingy people can't afford their hobby any more. Go to a Value Village, or Deseret, a charity store and watch the people offloading from the 'manor home' buses to shop for a few hours. They fill up a cart and then empty it, perhaps leaving with a couple dollars spent when the bus returns. Those same people are looking at a stolen shopping cart holding their worldly possessions at any time.

[Skip J.]

  I should use emoticons more often. I am talking buy, buy, buy new when the discussion topic is old, old, old second-hand. The inference is, despite all my efforts at thrift, I/we are programmed (brainwashed) to replace everything with new. 

I only have one plane with a blade so badly handled that it needs a replacement, including the chip breaker. I think it was cleaned up to look pretty in photos--and not showing the blade-- that I can consider it deceptive advertising. It's little irritations like those that turn me off to buying used remotely.

Hello Bruce;
I have at least 2 of most metal and wood bench planes and quite a few others.... I don't have one new plane of any kind.  The first coupla years of rehabbing planes and chisels was kinda busy, but that was a decade ago...
 
To the OP; haven't needed to buy any new or used ww'ing tools for a very long time.

[toolmiser]

Kind of related, but in our city, garage sales themselves have declined in great numbers. What will I do with my free time? They are cheap entertainment for me.

[cputnam]

The real estate markets are seeing fewer starter homes and there are fewer fixers on the market. Millenials as a group, are not trying to buy homes the same way the older among us did. They can't afford them anyway and many do not have either the skills or the desire to learn. I see a downward trend coming.

[Bob10]

Any vintage plane iron from Stanley, MF, Union, Sargent etc. can be made very sharp.  Sharp enough for even fairly exacting work.  Think stones and leather.....

Google and Facebook both encourage woodworking to help their people deal with life.  The local Woodcraft stocks the shops and if I am not mistaken provide classes

[toolmiser]

This Old House doesn't even seem to be that into DIY like when they started. I must say that there isn't much DIY in my neighborhood now. It does seem like everyone seems to think they are carpenters though.

[mvflaim]

Do you know any millennials that work with wood or who took shop class for that matter? The younger generation has very little interest in woodworking. I'm sure you'll find a few of them on instagram if you look, but the majority of them have no interest in the trades. They're too busy playing video games. Without the young blood, there's no one to take the place of an old guy who retired.

Mike

[Admiral]

Do you know any millennials that work with wood or who took shop class for that matter? The younger generation has very little interest in woodworking. I'm sure you'll find a few of them on instagram if you look, but the majority of them have no interest in the trades. They're too busy playing video games. Without the young blood, there's no one to take the place of an old guy who retired.

Mike

I see a lot of younger "makers" taking a 2" slab of whatever, sanding down the top, sloshing heavy coats of poly on it, and making legs out of black pipe and calling it woodworking.  Or, they surf Ana White's site (who has zero knowledge about proper joinery or technique), buy a circular saw, cordless drill, a Kreg jig and some screws, and make "furniture" out of 2x stock with total pocket screw joinery.  All I can saw is to each his own.  

On the positive side I guess its a start...... and when they figure out that all they've been making is just Ana's junk, but got bit by the woodworking bug and expand their horizons, they start to improve.