2026 Garage Sale Thread (15th Annual)

[four.cycle]

^ You just answered the big question. thanks. most of these are going straight into the scrap metal pile. not really sure I want to waste time with them - those aren't really something I use anyway! I use those "paddle" bits to build birdhouses.... only time I need to drill big holes.

 

[RTM]

a mess of auger bits with number sizes stamped on them. Is there some sort of "cross reference" for these numbers to a fractional equivalent?

Be gentle with those. From this distance those might be doweling bits, they look shorter than average. As WisJim noted, sizes in 16ths of an inch. If doweling, the sizes are supposed to be closer to the rated size, vs most are oversized to be clearance bits.
Sharpening a slightly dull built is easy, dull as a stone, not so much, an auger bit file has two safe faces on each end, so either flats or sides are safe, depending on which end you are using.

Auger Bit File

Until they were discontinued we stocked Nicholson auger bit files. Then when we looked around all we could find were Chinese and Indian replacements that were

toolsforworkingwood.com

 

[d42jeep]

The rain was finally over today and after a visit to the clinic for my wife, we headed out to Walnut Creek to a likely looking estate sale. I tried to not go overboard but ended up finding several interesting pairs of pliers and some other tools.
The first Red Devil pliers I’ve run across in a long time. I may have to replace the pivot bolt.



Three pairs of Crescent made pliers. The Cee Tee pliers are common but the Chrome ones are very unusual.
Check out the handle pattern.
Plomb water pump pliers.
1933 patent Channellocks
Snap-on 3/4” combo.
Wards wrench made by Barcalo.
Finally found some smaller 1942 patent vise grips.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

A few more finds
S-K 105 hex drive ratchet.
Large Lectrolite DBE wrench.
A couple of Craftsman ratchet wrenches.
An Upson Bros Phillips screw starter.




A box of snap ring plier tips.
A Bonney 1/4” drive spinner.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

BK,
My recent auger bit file find.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

Three pairs of Crescent made pliers. The Cee Tee pliers are common but the Chrome ones are very unusual.
Check out the handle pattern.
-Don

Never have I ever! I wonder what the extra-stylized geometric “SH” in the center of the grip pattern represents? Did you post those on the too many pliers thread?

 

[RTM]

wonder what the extra-stylized geometric “SH” in the center of the grip pattern represents?

Isn’t that Smith & Hemenway (probably misspelled) the origins of Red Devil?

Red Devil Hand Tools

I have a Smith & Hemenway Red Devil pocket catalog, showing wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, chain drill (my particular interest), glass cutters, and more. 23 pages and from 1923.

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Raineman]

A few more finds
A Bonney 1/4” drive spinner.
-Don

Oh my!

 

[four.cycle]

Found a care package from Don at the post office - some snazzy new handles for three handle-less heads I have here, some hardware that will hopefully fit that Union hacksaw, and some Indestro wrenches.
I had a little "donation" for the thrift store, but came away with this very cool Mickey Mouse Lane cedar box.

(Missing the key, of course, but at least the lock hasn't been ripped out with a screwdriver.)

 

[LesserSon]

Isn’t that Smith & Hemenway (probably misspelled) the origins of Red Devil?

Red Devil Hand Tools

I have a Smith & Hemenway Red Devil pocket catalog, showing wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, chain drill (my particular interest), glass cutters, and more. 23 pages and from 1923.

www.garagejournal.com

Yes, that makes sense. The broad, swelling handles of @d42jeep ’s Crescent slipjoints make me think 1920s, so maybe nickel, not chrome plated.

 

[bmwrd0]

A whirlwind few days, here at the schloss. When I have errands to run during the week, I try to tie them in with a trip to either a Restore or an estate sale, and this week that worked out rather well.

All of this was found during my normal routine on Thursday and Frida. Chrome Vanadium (Wards) breaker bar, P&C push drill, Goodell Pratt pushdrill, unmarked band ratchet, sockets (P&C [very early-no part number], OTC, Herbrand, Cornwell), long 3/8" drill bit (love this length), Stanley line level (in packing tube), Eagle oiler, Spintite, unmarked woodie, Opinel #10, Brownbilt t-wrench. I only pick up push drills when there is something interesting, and finding a P&C marked one qualifies, and the G-P has most of the cruciform bits, so it was a must grab also. All of that was less than $20.

 

[Caleb T]

Hey everyone! Here is my take from my first sale of 2026 (a small-ish estate sale). Based on the advertising and some of the contents, the was an old timer that had run a gas station service station "back in the day"! I was injuook.oine and sinker... I get an hour lunch, and it was 9 minutes from work!

I was on a bit of a time crunch, and was setting out to "be reasonable" with what I would consider buying...

I started zipping through tool boxes, tool chests, boxes, trays, etc... some very cool and vintage stuff, but it was all JUMBLED and mismatched... Ugh. I'm not convinced there was more than MAYBE 1 or 2 complete sets of anything, and probably not matching brands.

They allowed me to pick through the boxes and make my own box lot instead of buying their "premade" box lots.

So here it is:
•Craftsman 1/4 box that is filled with snap-on and MAC. Both the shallow and deep are complete sets!
•Snap-on, MAC, and SK screwdrivers, a scraper, and a rad pick.
•Snap-on prybar
•SK 3/4 sliding T breaker bar (to match my 3/4 ratchet!!)
•Snap-on long handle 3/8 ratchet and akem extensions, as well as a MAC extension.
•Snap-on swivel spark plug sockets
•Snap-on dust cap pliers
•Wright 1/2 long handled ratchet (My first Wright after keeping an eye out for YEARS! I'm excited..)
•Blue point ball pein and adjustable wrench
• Proto alignment (?) wrench
•Galvanized drain pain W/handles)
• PLVMB (I'll have to check date) Swivel socket. I have a couple of pieces that this matches in the galvanized type finish. It's in good condition and very cool (IMO)...

All in for $60! I'm pleased!

P.S. --- I went back today and scored a bunch more for 50% day, but that will have to wait until I can sort and gets pics... ---

 

[bmwrd0]

Today was also very good to me! There were two estate sales I was very interested in, but they were both around an hour away. In different directions. So, I went to the one that was less inspiring, as the one that looked really good was at a **** time (11 AM, who does that?), and every tool collector in the PNW would be there. My first rule of hunting old tools is don't go chasing an item! It will almost never be what you had built it up in your mind as, and someone will get there first if it is. Instead, judge things by the totality of the sale. If it looks like a fun sale, which should yield a lot of treasures, that is the one to go to, as you will find something that tickles your fancy.

So, off I went to the second best looking sale, which was made sweeter by a last minute farm sale being listed nearby.

It seems someone was selling off either the contents of a storage locker or a passed family member's tools. He knew them, but just wanted to get things gone, so I bought a tube of machinist stuff (Starrett, B&S shaper gauge, etc) Cornwell metric impact sockets, and what I thought were most of a set of Snap-on nutdrivers. Turns out that the reason he gave them to me free was they are knock-offs. Or, proof that Snap-on was going over seas for product back in the day (wink-wink). $20 for all of that.

Second stop was the farm sale

SK ratchet, t-handle screwdriver, Herbrand extension, 2 socket chisels, early SK breaker bar, Snap-on t-bar, Ford marked fixed socket speeder, Speedmaster (Wright) speeder. Again, $20

After that, and because I was in the (kind of) area, I stopped at my favorite thrift store, and a restore

From the Restore, a #8C that I am unsure of the maker but the price was good enough not to pass

And from the thrift store, a book on the history of bicycles and two vintage mysteries.

All of this was WAY over my budget, which is OK, as the Cornwell impacts will more than cover what I spent. So, a good day!

 

[DetailSeeker]

@Caleb T , you ****.

 

[Outlawmws]

Living vicariously through you guys!

28 days into the "drought"...

I don't count the book I got through Eprey -that ain't huntin' to me.


I did sell a small vise yesterday however so $60 coming in instead of out...

 

[four.cycle]

•Craftsman 1/4 box that is filled with snap-on and MAC. Both the shallow and deep are complete sets!

excellent!
pretty sure your Snap-on "rad hook" is a cotter pin tool

what is that odd crookedy-necked thing?

killer drain pan, btw.

( if it seeps: I fixed my big galvanized wash tub with JB Weld. )

 

[Outlawmws]

Living vicariously through you guys!

28 days into the "drought"...

I don't count the book I got through Eprey -that ain't huntin' to me.


I did sell a small vise yesterday however so $60 coming in instead of out...

FYI today was supposed to be the Col Flea market - the weren't there!

Later we found their website. the new 2026 schedule eliminates the months of Dec- Feb. (they were THERE last month...)

 

[bmwrd0]

Probably referring to Dec. 2026.

But, I am sure the flea at Oco is open... (that was one of my favorites when I was in the Bay.)

 

[Beerhippie]

Why are you guys so fond of fleas that you buy them? They're about my worst memory of living in the Willamette Valley.

 

[bmwrd0]

Where there are fleas, there are dogs.

We love dogs!

 

[Caleb T]

excellent!
pretty sure your Snap-on "rad hook" is a cotter pin tool

what is that odd crookedy-necked thing?

killer drain pan, btw.

( if it seeps: I fixed my big galvanized wash tub with JB Weld. )

Based on a Google search ( that led to an old GJ post), it's and alignment wrench. PROTO 6554!

 

[Outlawmws]

Probably referring to Dec. 2026.

But, I am sure the flea at Oco is open... (that was one of my favorites when I was in the Bay.)

Yes, it was the 26 schedule And Edit on the closure Dec, Jan, Feb... ridiculous!

And that is the one I was going to. Its a shadow of what it once was. The school needed the parking lots on the bottom for construction staging for almost 10 years so it was shut down. That finally finished and they finally re-opened it March of 23 - but the old sellers are mostly gone. and new have replaced them; but not as many. -probably about 1/2 at the "new" peak

 

[Patrickm82]

Not much doing yesterday! I drove to one sale that ended up being a bust. Not one tool! Then hit a local vendor mart that was doing a customer appreciation weekend and grabbed these few things for $18

Snap on BF608 body hammer
2 snap on 3/8 drive, T-40 Torx and straight screwdriver that’s been ground down
Danco no. 1 missing the faces
Utica 506 pliers
Billings double box 5/8-3/4
Cincinnati no. 53 clamp

 

[Debcrow]

I'll see if somebody local can rework these.... sharpening stuff isn't really my part of my skill set.

I understand...
I'm not that sharp myself!
Auger bits are pretty common and seem to be cheap second hand for old quality ones. For the little use they get in my shop I would just find a better one than try to rework the bad ones.

 

[Debcrow]

Well, one of the local churches had their once a year rummage sale.
As expected, always a mixed bag of stuff vintage and newer tool wise. I spent too much again

Not a description of all of it, just some of the loose things I separated out:
Utica 91-12 Alloy Steel Adjustable wrench, Vlchek DOE wrench with just the Shield V emblem and the mold number 29 on it, Williams DOE #33 wrench with no size markings on it, Craftsman circle H 1/2 breaker bar in uncoated metal (Guessing 30's-40's), Plvmb WF-8 9/32 ratchet, Craftsman 1/4 ratchet with V selector, Craftsman long C DBE 3/8 x 7/16 wrench (looks to be cad plated), Blackhawk HEXO 15184 DBE 13/16 x 7/8 wrench, Stamped steel double end socket 21/32 x 27/32 (no other markings), NAPA NT3 3/4 socket USA, SK90430 5/8 deep well socket, Husky CBD2 620S spark plug socket, Stanley Professional 86-287 3/4 deep well socket, T45b Torx socket USA, P&C 6018 9/16 socket, Husky CT1224 3/4 socket USA, Plvmb 5344 11/16 Deep well socket, SnapOn TM1-10 5/16 socket, Cornwell T-2218 9/16 socket, Indestro 6011 4/32 socket, Toyota 206 Socket, Ford 3Z-2034 model T ratcheting band adjustment wrench, Unmarked bicycle wrench, Delta SBS-47 wrench, Williams 3/4 x 7/8 DOE wrench, unmarked pliers and much more.

A plastic dishpan full of misc. mostly cheap sockets and a few wrenches and extensions. NONE of them stamped "CHINA". Mostly Taiwan, Japan, Kmart automotive, Master Mechanic, etc.

A Craftsman crown top tool box full of Sears, Craftsman and a few Wards PowrKraft. Box is not beat up, but most of the paint gone and surface rust. Tools look pretty good.

Here are a few photos:

 

[Caleb T]

Ok folks, here is part 1/day 2 of the estate sale. (There will be a part 2 to this post, but probably not tonight!) Day 2 way 50% off, and I did some selective box lots, some picking, and a tool chest that will be part 2. There prices were all over the place, and of course I kick myself for things I realized I could have looked for afterwards.. oh well!!

Top to bottom: •Craftsman 6516 tool box - The biggest regret of the whole sale was not thinking to look for the original top tray to this box. I absolutely love this style of old box, and this one is in good user friendly condition...
•Proto 6546 pickle fork
•Proto 6545 pickle fork
•Ken-Tool B-39 pickle fork
•(left upper) Gold nugget Gn 45/35 tie rod wrenches
•(left side) Branick SCT-520 spring compressor
•Snap-on WA171B caster camber tool
•Proto 6553-A obstruction/alignment wrench
•2 unknown brand obstruction/alignment wrenches (one has a MAC 3/4 socket head welded on it, and it appears to be original to the tool. These aren't "home-made" im appearance and have playing on them, so that's very interesting to me.
•Snap-on 1650 lady foot pry bar
•Snap-on 1020 3/4 cold chisel
• Billings 1 1/4 x 1 1/16 DBE
•Proto 216 brake spring pliers
•(Right side bottom) 6551 and 6549L ball joint sockets
•Snap-on WA14A tie rod socket

I'm unsure what the 2 sliding hook pieces are on the left side, and the same with the hinged part... Assumably part of a spring tool or something that I didn't purchase. Most of this was crammed into the Craftsman box as a lot.

This as well as the soon to come tool chest and other loose tools were $99. I gave him my stashed $100 bill I had for the sale and called it even.

 

[RTM]

I'm unsure what the 2 sliding hook pieces are on the left side, and the same with the hinged part...

The sliding hooks like part of a coil spring compressor, but kinda light weight from 1000 miles away.

Hinged part looks like a fun Whatzit, no clue currently.

 

[Outlawmws]

The sliding hooks like part of a coil spring compressor, but kinda light weight from 1000 miles away.

Hinged part looks like a fun Whatzit, no clue currently.

Yep, spring compressors.

 

[Caleb T]

Here is the last post of my goodies from Saturday! I asked about keys for the tool chests, and was told they were all "as-found". The Rem-Line too chest was already gone when I got there at 9, and someone else had done some some picking after me from the beat-to-thunder Rem-Line bottom chest. At $124 each full price, $62 was an "OK" deal for the top chest with the contents it had when I left Friday. $62 for the bottom chest would be if the contents were worth it to you. Better than nothing, but very rough condition.

In the basement was the mid chest that was also $124 full price. $62 was decent at a glance with the included contents, but no keys and nothing I "needed" per-say... I dig through it a little more, and decided that if I could get or foe $50 it would be worth it to me. ( I already have one I use on one of my work benches that has a key, and I could take that one to work and swap that for the keyless at home...) I picked through the rest of the sale and made my own box lot as was mostly posted previously. I was looking through the cluttered piles and box lots in the basement shop area, and found a pile of keys in a box.. The turned on! I looked at the lock number on the tool chest, and quickly found the keychain with the matching key amidst 10 or so others!!

As stated previously, the last post and this one combined were $100. I'm still sorting through the box, but here are some of my favorites...

 

[Caleb T]

And the remaining pictures...

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice find on the SO? Nut splitter Calib. I've had one for most of 50 years and its saved me a ton of work many many times! (almost every nut on the underside of my 47 ford PU in my twenties to start...)

 

[Caleb T]

Nice find on the SO? Nut splitter Calib. I've had one for most of 50 years and its saved me a ton of work many many times! (almost every nut on the underside of my 47 ford PU in my twenties to start...)

Yes, it's a SO! I have an El-cheapo version that has saved my **** a few times! I'm excited for the upgrade.

 

[seber]

Caleb you ****. That is one hell of a load for $1oo.

 

[four.cycle]

@Caleb T -
any markings on this odd little set of sockets?

 

[Caleb T]

@Caleb T -
any markings on this odd little set of sockets?

I'll have to check again. They are SAE 1/2 impacts. I know at least a couple are New Britain, but can't remember the remaining brands.

 

[LesserSon]

A work friend who is clearing out her sold house gave me these. Trojan Chicago putty knife w rosewood handle, and a Fuller Tool Co France steel wire brush.
EDIT - cleaned the paint & rust from the putty knife.

I also got a load of ten 3/4x11x83” (plus shorter lengths) white pine planks I disassembled from five shelving units.

 

[Outlawmws]

got a load of ten 3/4x11x83” (plus shorter lengths) white pine planks I disassembled from five shelving units.

LS if you have a workmate, and bench mount tools, that shelf is a great size for storing those tools on mounting plates and having a minimal footprint for them when not in use - I do this for grinder, trim tool arbor press, and miter box setups:

 

[INSP380]

Tonights pick-up…. Found an obscure listing for tools and dug a bit to learn more. Everything was in one pic and no description. Craigslist said “Tools” $25… stopped afterwork tonight. What was found, 0-1 436 Starretts, 1-2 436 Starretts, 2-3 Vintage 226 Starretts, 277 Lufkin Radius gauges, a set of (3) Lufkin Telescoping Gauges, a mint Vintage 230 Starrett in the leather case, Vintage Starrett decimal chart, “Quality” chrome Mic ( smooth as butter ) , (3) 5/16 Cleveland Mo-Max, small transfer punch set, and two larger transfer punches. Seller questioned why I wanted these, my reply was preservation. I explained someone made a living with these tools, raised a family & put food on the table. That man was his father. Mr. Glime, your tools will live on…Sold them to me for $20. Here they are as found… BTW, this guy was about 80…and had them listed for 3 months…. Crickets.

Steve

 

[Caleb T]

@Caleb T -
any markings on this odd little set of sockets?

2 New Britain, 3 Chicago Pneumatic, and one Snap- On.

 

[four.cycle]

ahh okay... thanks... for some reason I was seeing something entirely different.