I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I hope

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Neal_in_NM
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Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2003 11:25 am
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM.

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by Neal_in_NM »

Don't remember where I found this. Hope this is appropriate.
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wsippola
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Location: Trenton, On

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by wsippola »

I'm quite sure that once I'm dead, I really won't care how much money came from the sale of my tools. My wife used to fret about what to do with the shop full of tools - I told her to keep it easy, call an auctioneer. They'll advertise, sell it and have it gone - mostly on the day of the sale. The time and grief involved in getting top dollar out of each item is just not worth it. I have a nice amount of tools, but I really didn't pay a lot for them. I always appreciated a good deal at an auction - I'll just be passing that joy on to someone else.
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by steamin10 »

This is a sorry subject for me. With my second wife, her father began the road to the dirt nap, and sold some property to distribute to his kids. The long paid for acre in a small town in Michigan went for a fair price to a lot neighbor. but the money was considered regular income, so he lost 50% in taxes leaving very little when divided by 3. His home tools including a table saw was taken by one son who had room, only to sell most at a yard sale in the same town. Many tools from older days that belonged to Grandpa, and while out of style, still functions like new ones, with quality hand planes and chisels that were of quality, and not newer China junk.

I have raided many an Estate for pennies on the dollar for shoe boxes full of 'things' that would cost hundreds new. I have seen no interest in table saws, and the like, to be sold for $15 to the scrap guy. It makes me ill, as I have had to scrape for my tools all my life. My #2 daughter, is likely to administer a Craigs file, or Ebay store, and collect the best over time. A coupla large items are going to a young friend that has a 40 acre Ohio farm. A trailer, and a JD 40's tractor.. He helped me when I asked, and I have not been able to repay him in kind. I hope to deliver this 'gift' this spring as I have other things to defend.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
piedmontg
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Location: Hills of Illinois

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by piedmontg »

This subject came up just after we retired many years ago. My wife has an extensive quilt hobby. To put it our terms a number of machines, lots of raw materials, and lots of tooling. I have both a well-equipped machine shop and a well-equipped woodshop, lots of tooling, raw stock and currently installing a 5HP cyclone dust collector. I have several machines I would like to fix up. I like building models and a bit of woodworking on the side. Our two children (late 40’s) have no interest at all. About the only interest is the two granddaughters, they have been learning both machining since they were 8 and 10 – on their fourth model, and sewing/quilting since they were about 5. Depending on where they are in their lives (one is in college the other a junior in HS) when we give up the ghost or cannot enjoy our hobbies they are more than welcome to all of it.

All that being said we decided at the time we retired one of our goals was to enjoy our hobbies and all the folks we get to meet doing them. Therefore, it is irrelevant what happens to any of the stuff we enjoy once we bite the dust. Our mutual agreement was the stuff was not going to just sit, it was to be disposed of quickly. The stuff is for our enjoyment no different than an avid golfer has clubs, fees, etc to support their hobby. The children know where the auctioneer card is on the shop wall.

Now back to getting that dust collector installed.
spro
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Post by spro »

outside of the topic
Last edited by spro on Wed Feb 24, 2016 1:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SteveR
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Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by SteveR »

It's a problem, just like a hard setup. There is a solution - even though it may take some thought and effort to find it.

I was thinking that there are a lot of people out there (Makers), who don't have the resources to have their own shop. And Lord knows, my lathe sits idle when I'm on the BP and vice-versa. Before I had tools, I wished I could have found a shop to use part time. Set up a foundation and buy a building and start a club. We do this now with tracks. Make it self supporting through memberships.

We have the resources. Find a boy scout troop - Welding, Metal working, Wood working, Modeling merit badges all need advisors. Find a high school shop that needs tools. Pass it on to those in the next generation that cannot find mentors. They are out there.

My 2cents.

SteveR
12x36 Enco Lathe, 9x42 Bridgeport, SMAW, O/A, Miller MIG w/gas, plasma
Not enough measuring tools...
1.5" Allen Models Consolidation on air.
1" FEF in progress
1" & 3/4" LE Projects
Measure twice, cut once, wait - it was supposed to be brass! :)
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dgoddard
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Location: Lebanon MO

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by dgoddard »

SteveR wrote:.....Find a high school shop that needs tools.
I hate to be pessimistic but from what I have seen I am not so sure those even exist anymore:.
--Too much liability,
-- Too few idiot proof safety devices on the tooling those of us have to leave (we were raised to recognize hazards and act accordingly).
-- Too few school kids who can be sufficiently responsible around such machinery.
-- Too many lawayers looking for a quick kill.
SteveR wrote: My 2cents.
A very good 2 cents and very much more valuable than just that, but to make that work, well the devil is in the details. To make that work would be just about the hardest "SHOP PROJECT" I can think of. Praise to whoever can pull it off.

P.S. Dave_C could share some horror stories of trying to teach useful trade skills to students today, as well as schools who claim to offer useful education in those areas.
Last edited by dgoddard on Mon Feb 15, 2016 2:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I never met anybody that I couldn't learn something from.
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dgoddard
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Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by dgoddard »

Something that came up from my wife was the thought that If I give the machinery to just the one son that I have, that there are no personal possessions of like value to leave to the other children. I explained to her that I worked to acquire those things because of the good that they could do for the family and myself. I regard that I have no responsibility to reduce everything to a cash value and divvy it up equal to all the children. Rather, considering that through great effort and education I obtained it to do good. I feel that it is reasonable for me to place it among my heirs where it will continue to do the same amount of good and be similarly appreciated. The salvage value of the equipment is irrelevant! Where I can put it among my heirs that it will maximize its utilization is my prerogative and not subject to being questioned or attributed to evaluating how much I loved this descendent or that one. If I had no descendants who wanted it, I could just as easily give it to a neighbor or a friend. ( I am however not looking for a sign up list of potential heirs :wink: ). The only kin that I feel fully obligated to consider for cash conversion of my personal machinery would be my wife, and she gets it all if she needs it. That being said the major machines are of no particular value to any of my descendants and to that end, I have introduced my wife to the one auctioneer I know who could most equitably dispose of those for her. That auctioneer runs auctions simultaneously online (e-bay) and live. And have told here to consider making sure that the auction is known to those on this board. To the same end I have hung on to some specialiazed items I made to assist in moving the mill and lathe and would like to see the tooling properly advertised along with the machines that they serve.
I never met anybody that I couldn't learn something from.
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SteveR
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Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by SteveR »

Google "high school metal shop". I found these right off the bat.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014 ... hop-class/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJ75NrnjDw

http://whs.willowsunified.org/Departmen ... etal-Shop/

Or not. It just depends on what you want to do.

SteveR
12x36 Enco Lathe, 9x42 Bridgeport, SMAW, O/A, Miller MIG w/gas, plasma
Not enough measuring tools...
1.5" Allen Models Consolidation on air.
1" FEF in progress
1" & 3/4" LE Projects
Measure twice, cut once, wait - it was supposed to be brass! :)
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by steamin10 »

Other than supporting uncaring family members with sold scrap iron, I like passing the legacy of tools big and small, to your local club, be it Scale railroad, car club or other, but adding ability to young learners and members seems to me to enable the club to grow in interest and horizon. Passing on the history, and knowledge of manufacture, and lore of machines in general.

The guy that repaired my violin when I broke it, died a short time later, and donated his tools to the local college. While it sound noble, I never got an answer on what impact his donation was to the music department.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
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liveaboard
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Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by liveaboard »

The problem with giving tools [or anything] away is that you can never be sure that they'll be appreciated and used.
That's where capitalism raises it's ugly head; make someone pay and the odds are just much better.
Mr Ron
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Re: I am going to die...... Well Sometime ...... Not soon I

Post by Mr Ron »

Sorry to say, you are right about people not having respect for well cared, quality tools. I am 81 and have some very good American made machine tools. I keep them in good condition and don't abuse them. My only son lives next door to me and is much into machines and mechanics. He just finished restoring an Acme, model 2C horizontal edge sander that has sat in my shop for 10 years. I never got around to it, so he took it on as a project. He did a fine job on it. He appreciates the value of good American iron. I guess he inherited that from me. I have stipulated that all my tools will go to my son upon my demise. At 81, I am still in pretty good health and spend a lot of time working in my shop; (I build large scale train models) among other projects. My grandson at 16 is also into machine tools, so I feel confident that my tools will be well looked after. At 70, it sounds like you have a long way to go before you start thinking about the future. I too have a pond, stocked with bass on an 8 acre spread. My son lives next door on his 4 acre lot.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
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