Woodworking Legacy - What's yours? (Long)

[cputnam]

Hank, I think you have a good plan. Mine is similar. I have two sons-in-law who are both local and one son who lives in Florida. One SIL is a pretty good, jackstraw, DIY type - more at home with drywall, electrical and plumbing. The other SIL's interests lie elsewhere. My son may yet "get into" woodworking (he's built a few projects.) The grandkids do not yet look like good candidates. So my son will get 90 days to grab whatever tools he wishes after which the family can grab what they want. My wife has asked for exactly the kind of index that you are planning to build so that she can extract maximum value from the stuff that is left. There are still two grandkids under the age of 5 who could tilt things were they to show an interest. We'll see if they get there before I depart this mortal coil.

[Steve N]

Sadly I've seen what you are contemplating many more than 1 time. Over the years I amassed friends, and past contractors that subbed for me in my day, and most of them were 10 to 20 years my Senior. All of them had an interest in woodworking, which bonded us together. At 62 myself that means many of them have left this world. Most of the time it was an auction where everything went for pennies, and as you say, fine tools were made to open paint cans. A few had family coming up that inherited Grandpa/Great Grandpa's shop, Sadly a few of them also sold it all off for pennies. But some are still using Gramp's tools, and I see mention of guys like that here occasionally. That leaves my old friend Jack, he was a painter by trade, but Jack liked making things with wood more than anything else. He was a carpenter/woodworker/artist kinda rolled into one. He was extremely gifted, and when he retired he started teaching classes (holding an open shop) in everything he knew. As he taught he kept the promising ones close, and as they needed tools to go further, he supplied them free of charge. I know where a lot of these tools are, and they are still being used daily by their original second owners. Of the possibilities I am amassing students, let me tell you, good one's are hard to find. Hopefully when I get to retire I'll have more time to look for them.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

These are interesting points to ponder. I have a workshop full of tools acquired from a variety of sources--some are new but most are old like me. Alas, most of the vintage tools lack provenance and their stories are lost to time. So by all means, document everything you can if you have the time. It will be a worthwhile exercise and will probably be fun. I have a few family tools that I should document for my family. I am sure they would appreciate the stories.

I grew up around tools. My dad had a woodshop that he started before I was even born. I was able to use the handtools but power tools were off limits. "They will all be yours someday." Well, my dad hung on to tools that he never used and when the day came to liquidate his shop, I was unable to help and it all went out the door in a big auction. No big deal because I already had my own shop. I am sure the tools went to others who would use and appreciate them. His legacy to me was a passion for the craft of woodworking, along with a nice Ulmia workbench that I managed to talk him out of during one of his weaker moments.

I too dreamed of teaching my kids and grandkids about tools and woodworking. Some of that has happened but it is not reasonable to expect that our heirs will have the same passions that we have. Most people have other interests and woodworking is a very specialized craft. I would hate to see some of my family taking up woodcraft only out of guilt.

So I have also reached the same crossroad where you find yourself. As I ponder the future of my tool stash, here are the thoughts on my mind. I am continuing to encourage others, both friends and family, to learn about woodworking. I can provide shop tours and tutoring on a limited basis. I can provide interested others with tools that they need to continue pursuit of their crafting skills. I am still acquiring some tools but I am liquidating more than I acquire. I have realized that at 67, my interests and abilities will continue to impose limitations on my projects. Rainy day tools and rainy day projects are under close scrutiny as I jettison those that no longer interest me. Tools that are "too good to use" need me to find them a good home. If I am lucky I will have another ten good years in the shop and I intend to enjoy those years to the fullest. If things work according to plan, someday I shut down the shop and enter the home with a 3/8" butt chisel, a coping saw, and a pocket knife. Maybe I will also have a cigar box with a LN plane and a Preston spokeshave that I can look at and handle before naptime.

So that would be my recommendation to you and other woodworkers--finish what you started. Sure, any of us can drop over at any minute, but that is rare. If that happens, our survivors will have to deal with the mess. Most of us, however, will just find our capacities and interests diminish over time. I encourage other woodworkers to consider cleaning up their own messes. Just as we all ramped up this woodworking obsession of ours, we should also take the lead in winding it down. Rather than a shop full of rusting tools, we can leave our heirs great memories. It is a fitting legacy.

[Joel H.]

Thanks Jim, George, et al.  Well stated.

I am 67 and started this odyssey of woodworking at 54 - much later than most here.  I started because I knew I would need a useful hobby to keep me busy when I retired at 62.  I am still learning myself and will continue in woodworking until I'm unable to do it safely.  Hopefully it won't be like when my father stopped driving - with an accident that nearly took his life at 84 - and finally decided to listen to us and others that told him he was a menace to everyone on the road.  

None of my three kids have shown any interest in following me, but I never showed an interest until 54 either.  They all, along with their children, love the stuff I make for them and at least I'll leave something of me that will last more than their  lifetime.  I don't expect anything but an auction to take my tools, unless someone surprises me - which I would love.

I really have nothing of value to add to this post, but I did just buy a new router, so I'm still in the game.

Joel

[Hank Knight]

Thank you all for your thoughts. It appears that I tickled a nerve here and that many of us are thinking about this issue. I certainly am. At 73, I still have the interest and the passion, but my energy level and stamina are dwindling. I think Admiral has the proper attitude about this and I have worked hard to make it my own, but I have a strong sentimental streak that demands attention every time. I commend Arlin for his work to leave a legacy that has and will touch many more people than mine ever will. He has planted a seed in my mind that I may nourish in the time I have left. I will continue with my original plan; and, Jim Reed, I think you are right: it should be fun. If nothing else, it will give my family a chance to see the monetary value of my tools in black and white and realize a decent return if and when they go on the auction block. I'm not at the end yet, but it's whispering to me from just over the horizon. Time to get busy.
Thank you all for your thoughts. They have given me a lot to chew on and a broader context. I appreciate it.

Hank

[Bill Wilson]

Interesting topic and one I think about from time to time as well.  I'm 57 and I have 2 sons-in-law.  Both of them have done some DIY stuff and we've worked together remodeling and fixing up their homes, so they have some appreciation for some of my tools, but I don't see either one taking on woodworking as a hobby.  I also have 2 young grandsons and perhaps I can instill an interest in woodworking in them, someday.  However, and forgive me for stating the obvious, I believe the intangible legacy one leaves, the love for family, generosity, passion, humor, etc will be much more significant than the tangible ones. 

Of the tangible nature, the projects I've made, that get handed down from one generation to the next, are what I hope to leave behind.  I hope they are cared for and cherished for many years to come.  The stuff I've made is full of flaws and won't ever grace the pages of any woodworking magazine, but all were made, given and received with love.  My greatest hope is that many years after I'm gone, descendants who didn't know me can look at a piece of furniture or some scrollsawn project I made and hear the story of where it came from and how it has been cherished by each generation that possessed it.  I've made Christmas ornaments, to give to family and friends, every year, since 1993.  It has become quite a tradition and I'm humbled by how much they have come to mean to the recipients, over they years.  My biggest hope is that some family member will want to continue this tradition, after I'm no longer able to.  I consider that a contribution to my legacy.

My tools?  While I would love to hand them down to a family member, rather than have them auctioned off for pennies on the dollar or ending up in a landfill, ultimately I can't really care all that much.  They are, afterall, simply possessions.  Granted they took me decades to acquire and I developed some degree of fondness for many of them, but ultimately, they are no different than the dishes, furniture, jewelry or other possessions we accumulate over a lifetime.  They may mean a lot to us, but our kids will end up picking and choosing what means something to them and the rest will be scattered to the winds.  We have to accept that, even as we are eventually put in the same position of disposing of our parents' possessions. 

From a practical perspective, it makes sense to have some sort of documentation, listing the relative values of the tools we leave behind.  For me, the worst thing would be for something that has real monetary value to be discarded as just so much junk, simply because my family didn't realize the thing was worth some money.  If my family can benefit from the sale of my tools, I want them to do so and not lose out because they had no idea what their real value was.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, I don't really own anything of significant monetary or collectable value, so it's not like selling it off would finance my great grandchildren's college education.  I just don't like seeing stuff go to waste.

[TomFromStLouis]

I do not have kids so I don't even consider the "perfect placement" option of having family pick up where I leave off, so I am more intrigued with some of the other answers above. There is a spectrum with perfect family placement at one end and the anonymous auction house (or maybe even lower dollars in some desperate take-it-all sale) at the other end. If the economic side of this dominates your thinking then you or someone else needs to take the time and effort required. If you do not see that person named in your will then it must be you or the money side will get traded for convenience. Surely you don't want to be remembered for leaving a huge burden, so make peace with this truth.

I know my wife and she will be more focused on quality placement. And as mentioned by others above you can help line up candidates starting now.

I think it helps to decide first if the guiding light for you is economics (for your heirs benefit) or quality placement (as in someone who will appreciate and use the tools) or what.

[CLETUS]

 I cringe at the thought of my handmade Chutaro Imai laminated white steel slicks being used to open paint cans, or my pristine set of Bedrock bench planes rusting away from neglect in some unheated garage somewhere, or my tools being sold at an estate auction for 10% of their true value to people who have little idea what they are. How do I pass on an appreciation of the historical, cultural and material value of these tools to my kids? The answer is that I probably can't, but I feel an obligation to try. So I have a plan.

......

 I think my kids need to know that that rock in my sharpening drawer is a very fine $500 natural Japanese Honyama finishing stone, and that my drill press is one of the first pieces of equipment sent to the Savannah River Nuclear Facility when it opened in 1951.

I have my grandfather's tools, half of them are stored in a trunk that bears the shipping label from when he came over from the old country in 1886. I've pulled out the planes and braces, most of the stuff isn't useful to me because of the size. He was a ship builder, then became a barn builder in the U.S. I keep them because I'm a woodworker, no one else in the family had any interest. In fact, if I didn't take them or the local historical society wasn't interested, I'm sure they would have gone in the dumpster. My son uses the braces, if he continues on, I'm sure they will have life for another generation, after that? Who knows.

I quoted the above because it stands out to me... The above matters to you. If someone else doesn't have those true feelings, nothing you do will change that. Unfortunately, if someone in the family doesn't take the tools as a memory of you, they are worth exactly what they bring at an estate sale. It is sad, but it is true.

[Arlin Eastman]

Hank


One other thing I started a year ago was attaching notes to some of my tools of what I did with it and what I thought of the tool when I first got it and try to find the age of the tool so in the future someone else can add to the note and keep I going for another hundred years or more.

After getting hurt history means a lot more to me and I sit and look at tools and wonder who used them, what they built and if the object is still around.
I guess I am more sentimental.

[MattP]

Hank


One other thing I started a year ago was attaching notes to some of my tools of what I did with it and what I thought of the tool when I first got it and try to find the age of the tool so in the future someone else can add to the note and keep I going for another hundred years or more.

After getting hurt history means a lot more to me and I sit and look at tools and wonder who used them, what they built and if the object is still around.
I guess I am more sentimental.

It's a long, boring story, but I got into woodworking because of my interest in history. So, like you, I sit and stare at my vintage tools and wonder abut their stories.

@Hank: I have an index like the one you plan. There's no sentiment attached to it; I just want my wife to get a fair price for the stuff when I die. I don't even have very much: a half dozen hand planes and a half dozen saws is the majority of my woodworking tools. To me, it was just another aspect of estate planning.

Speaking of which: IANAL(anymore) but, especially for those of you whose collections have significant monetary value, or which may have significant sentimental value to a particular family member or friend, you may want to mention it to an estate planning lawyer. Laws vary from state to state, so I'll just be very general and say, while you can't take it with you, to a fair extent, you CAN direct what happens to your tools when you're gone. If you have a will, there's no particular reason not to make whatever you think is the best disposition of the tools. If you don't have a will, you should get thee to a lawyer and find out if you ought to have one. That'd be the time to mention your tool collection.