Last Yard Sales of the season..

[bandit571]

Were so skimpy that.....(fill in the blank)

One place had a Panel saw...I think.....by the time all the rust had been removed...it would have looked like Swiss Cheese....

Decided to stop by the local Restore place....one of the rare times it is actually open when I go by....

10 pack of hacksaw blades..= $5

Tube of Silicone caulk for the bathtub...~$3

And this fancy ($7!)  Screwdriver....

   
Logo says it is a Witherby Model 7344.....

   
And was Made in England.....

And that was about it.....may start going to the Antique Malls in the area, while waiting for next Spring...

[Bill_Houghton]

Was there a date on the silicone caulk?  Silicone caulk normally has a shelf life of about a year, after which it won't cure but stays "wet" forever; I've migrated away from it toward caulks with more shelf life.

That screwdriver handle - color and shape - look exactly like the Stanley tools.  I wonder if they made them for Witherby, or if Witherby was copying them?

[jstraw]

Haven’t seen a Witherby screwdriver. Nice find. Sad to see the end of the rust hunting season.

Last weekend was the rescheduled annual PATINA tool sale and auction in Damascus Maryland. Wasn’t planning on making the three hour trip, but our son is getting back into blacksmithing after 10 years and wanted to see what he could find.

The tailgate sellers were as numerous as the past, but COVID kept about a third of the normal vendors away in the vendor hall. Attendance by the public was about half of what I’ve seen in the past. The auction had some tempting items, but we were done with the vendors about three hours before the auction and my son was ready to go.

PATINA historically is one of the best mid Atlantic tool sales and I remember each one for a hard to find tool I see a large quantity of in one place. The last one I went to 7 years ago was memorable for the dozen plus Stanley #1 planes I spotted. This year I only saw 2 of them. This year was the year of the Emmert pattern maker’s vise. I spotted 8 of them.

My son ended up finding a blacksmithing hammers, multiple tongs, and an unusual anvil/vise combo.

I behaved mostly. Scored for myself, a half dozen 3’ aluminum bar clamps for $5ea, a Belknap Bluegrass toolbox that my son already claimed for $10, nice set of Starrett feeler gauge for $5, and an unusual set of Starrett trammel points with 9” points for $20. They’re big enough that I can easily replace one with a standard pencil for marking large curves. Also found a few gifts for my Dad, a vintage tape measure and an unusual folding ruler that actually opens and closes by sliding mechanisms instead of folding.

The one I walked away from, but was very tempted, was a set of 14 hollows and rounds molding planes, all matching from the original London manufacturer and first owner’s etchings. He came down to within $25 of my max, but once I saw how rusted some of the blades were, I talked myself out of a bunch of work. Still holding out for a rare complete matching set of all 18 planes, instead of this partial set.

This weekend estate sale was a bust on hand tools, but did find a decent Porter Cable 352vs belt sander for $15 that will come in handy for the porch floor repaint.

[Bill_Houghton]

...an unusual set of Starrett trammel points with 9” points for $20.  They’re big enough that I can easily replace one with a standard pencil for marking large curves.

Did they look like this?
[attachment=38355]
If so, they're not all that unusual, but they are, in my opinion, some of the best woodworking trammel points around.  You can put any random stick 3/4" - 1-1/2" wide in the clamps, and, as delivered, the points are eccentric, with the point being offset from the shaft a bit for fine adjustment.  They're a fine enough design that lots of manufacturers have copied them.  I have a no-name clone set that I picked up after giving my son a General Tools set and realizing I shouldn't have been so generous.

Other trammel point designs often require specific dimensions for the beam, requiring you to remember that the 3/8" by 3/4" (f'rinstance) piece of wood or metal in the corner of the shop is for the trammel points; and their pencil attachments, if offered, are often a touch funky.

The various models of classic trammel points by Stanley and others don't offer fine adjustment; so, if you're laying out a specific arc/circle, you often have to fuss about with the location of the trammel head to get it spot on.

[Tony Z]

It is 6 or 7 years since I've been to the Damascus tool sale and auction. I was tempted this year but covid kept me home. Maybe the spring show I can make!

[jstraw]

Didn’t word that well. The Starrett trammels are not unusual, but it was the first time I came across, in the wild, the 9” long points.

I’ve decided the next time I go to Damascus, I need to sell instead of buy tools.