2026 Garage Sale Thread (15th Annual)

[Provincial]

More pics

Another **** for BD55!

 

[jeffmoss26]

Made another restore stop

 

[BD55]

First of all, you ****.

Work kept me away from that one, but I’m headed up there in the morning for the last day. I grew up four blocks from that sale, you from that town?

@Itinerant I’ll probably see you there! I live a few miles south of there.

 

[knock knock]

Stopped at a couple of thrift stores this morning, no sales today. Got some snap on, Mac,Matco and misc for 11.78 out the door. Another store had the knife for 5. I have never seen one like it. I didn’t notice the safety or the button when I picked it up and was unable to open it for a minute and almost gave up on it.

 

[Beerhippie]

Stopped at a couple of thrift stores this morning, no sales today. Got some snap on, Mac,Matco and misc for 11.78 out the door. Another store had the knife for 5. I have never seen one like it. I didn’t notice the safety or the button when I picked it up and was unable to open it for a minute and almost gave up on it.

Camilus! Nice.

 

[gearhead1960]

Another store had the knife for 5. I have never seen one like it. I didn’t notice the safety or the button when I picked it up and was unable to open it for a minute and almost gave up on it.

That's a nice find. It's a MC-1 Paratrooper's Knife. The hook is to cut parachute cord.... Made by several different knife makers to government specs.

 

[Rickster]

Facebook Mkt Plc advertised Estate sale yesterday morning. Opens at 9 and I get there at 830 standing around with three other old-timers BSing. Lady comes to the door and puts out the sign. I ask if she's ready to open and she says her helpers still aren't here but if I promise not to bother her we can head in. Told her I don't know about these guys but I promise! Garage had a beautiful old Buick Rivera but no tools which seemed odd. Asked her if there were any tools and she points to the detached garage way in the back of the yard which I made a bee-line for. Went in the side door and shut it behind me. Guy had two really old toolboxes. Had the place to myself for like 20 mins and managed to load up most of everything worthwhile. Dewalt impact with battery, extra large vice grip, Mac ratchet. Set of Mac and matco semi-deep sockets and a craftsman USA metric set all 3/8 drive. Two sets of craftsman USA metric wrench sets, and several pieces of mac, matco & Snapon sockets.

 

[knock knock]

FBM find for $200. Was the guys in-laws from a leaking garage. Hopefully have some bits to fill in holes in my sets. Seen the four way wrench was really hoping to find a set of them in the mess.

 

[bmwrd0]

So I saw something interesting in a sale listing, went and checked it out yesterday but thought it was too expensive. Did buy something though. Went back today, were they said "no, not half off, but make an offer." I did, they accepted, and I dragged it home

what I bought the first day was the Millers Falls carving set, what I saw but took a risk on was the iron pot, and eye shields, which were taken off of this for safe transport

a 1930s Walker Turner 1/2hp grinder. So, I spotted this in the ad about a week ago, and seeing as I need a left side cover for the one I already have, and that it had the rare cooling pot with it, but not in as good a condition as the one already in my basement. I figured that if the price was right, I would pick it up for the parts I need, and sell it on later. But the price was twice what I wanted to pay, so I gambled that no one would pick it up in the meantime. So, I showed up this AM, it was still there, but they weren't immediately discounting to the price I wanted. So, some slick talk and bargaining, and it was loaded into the back of my truck.

I stopped at one other sale after that, and picked up the early 20th century copy of Grimms Tails. A bit beaten up, but in my ball park, so it came home with me.

 

[INSP380]

Very local estate sale grab, about an hour before it closed. This grab included wooden handled Mac, Stanly Defiance, Armstrong T bar, “possibly” Millers Falls coping saw, Craftsman crown drill bit set, set of driver bits (red case) Plumb hammer, Lennox blades, Dill pressure gauge case, Craftsman glue gun & glue sticks, NTK Japan 14 mm, BoB shears, two packs Arrow staples, Radio Shack Coaxial T handle tool, masonry hammer, USA rubber mallet and a few carpenters pencils… whopping $10

 

[Outlawmws]

had a great day after a not so great start. CL ad said 7:00AM start signs were all 8:00 start, and I wanted to hit it at least 5 min before the start, so I went, I went back home, (8 min away) and then came back...



Annoying as it was, they were pleasant and I scored.


I saw this ratchet and I was mostly sure it was was exactly what ti turned out to be!


Looks like any Proto ratchet: it's not; it is made by Proto, but for Vogel Tool Co; and it's a dual drive 1/2" + 3/8" in a long handled 3/8 head:





I've had one for 40 odd years but it has one tooth on the main gear busted off so it slips occasionally. yes you can easily get duel head MIC ratchets today, but these Proto originals are rare and expensive!







But there was more:


Drive tools included a hard to find Pat. Pending SK 1/2", what I'm assuming are the original sockets with it, and other drive tools (the Sliding Tee is Hinsdale)






Plus some randoms: Wire and drill gauges, another scraper, an ice pick, Enders reversible driver (Phillips and blade),






But the nice parts are the 2 Huot drill indexes for #61-80 - one is full and one is missing 2 bits the rusty cover came clean to the black oxide with a fine wire wheel, and a "polishing" approach:









And the cast iron grip Ice pick and local provenance.:









for $20 I'd have happily given 20 for the Vogel ratchet!



Other yard sales:

$3 for a Fulton Angle Flashlight (All the spare and colored lenses are there) and 2 can openers.




$1 for an old photo of Ebbits Field. (SWMBO wasn't happy it was a dodgers ball park)



$1 for stump removal chemical:



$1 for an Apex hex drive socket:





Then off to the Col Flea market:


$3 for a sleeve ironing board.




$5 brass hose Rt angle, SK 1/4: box, Whitney Jr, #5 box and stop bar:







$1 for a clamping seat bolt - this was almost funny because the seller started at $5 I said no. He asked what I would give and I said a buck. He tried for 2 or 3, and I started to go and he said OK, gimmie one... Then he asked about the Ironing board and what I paid and he said "Good deal!" I told him it was for my daughter but I would be able to borrow it and he laughed.





the last stop was one I'd been to before the last year or two but they had new stuff and I wanted to look at a box they had.

It's not the box I hoped for (all oak) but it also wasn't all metal, it was leatherette covered wood case and metal drawers - it turned out to be an old Long C Craftsman machinist's box with the Long C logo intact. Good enough! The ask was thirty, I offered $20 and he took it:

It is old enough that it has no slides at all! but the leatherette, and felt are in great shape for a box that is 80 odd years old:











Really happy overall, and with the Proto/Vogel ratchet, the Huot indexes, Ice pick, and the long C box, a great day!

 

[zachgeo]

I keep getting to garage and estate sales just a bit too late to get the best DIYer stuff (what's up with everyone starting these things on Fridays? I have to work on Fridays!). Today's sale, once again, had some great specialized tools for things way beyond my skill level, but I still found a couple of good US made old hand tools. The tin snips are Wiss, marked "solid steel a-12 8 in" and the needle nose are Utica Tools, marked "R-2291 Weco." I already gave both of these a light going over with steel wool and WD-40 to get rid of some surface ust, and I gave the snips a rough sharpening with a pocket stone, and they seem good to go (they cut paper nicely, but I need to find some tin to snip). The handles on the snips appear to have been painted gray or black originially, so I might give them a coating of some black rustoleum I have lying around just for the hell of it...

 

[Patrickm82]

Nice score on that box @Outlawmws! Very nice

 

[bmwrd0]

I keep getting to garage and estate sales just a bit too late to get the best DIYer stuff (what's up with everyone starting these things on Fridays? I have to work on Fridays!). Today's sale, once again, had some great specialized tools for things way beyond my skill level, but I still found a couple of good US made old hand tools. The tin snips are Wiss, marked "solid steel a-12 8 in" and the needle nose are Utica Tools, marked "R-2291 Weco." I already gave both of these a light going over with steel wool and WD-40 to get rid of some surface ust, and I gave the snips a rough sharpening with a pocket stone, and they seem good to go (they cut paper nicely, but I need to find some tin to snip). The handles on the snips appear to have been painted gray or black originially, so I might give them a coating of some black rustoleum I have lying around just for the hell of it...

I see a break barrel air gun, was that part of the score? Tell us more!

 

[JonahBrown]

So I saw something interesting in a sale listing, went and checked it out yesterday but thought it was too expensive. Did buy something though. Went back today, were they said "no, not half off, but make an offer." I did, they accepted, and I dragged it home

what I bought the first day was the Millers Falls carving set, what I saw but took a risk on was the iron pot, and eye shields, which were taken off of this for safe transport

a 1930s Walker Turner 1/2hp grinder. So, I spotted this in the ad about a week ago, and seeing as I need a left side cover for the one I already have, and that it had the rare cooling pot with it, but not in as good a condition as the one already in my basement. I figured that if the price was right, I would pick it up for the parts I need, and sell it on later. But the price was twice what I wanted to pay, so I gambled that no one would pick it up in the meantime. So, I showed up this AM, it was still there, but they weren't immediately discounting to the price I wanted. So, some slick talk and bargaining, and it was loaded into the back of my truck.

I stopped at one other sale after that, and picked up the early 20th century copy of Grimms Tails. A bit beaten up, but in my ball park, so it came home with me.

Love the Walker Turner grinder. Those old Kingston-Connely motors have copper rotors and are worth repairing.

 

[Rickster]

Fridays are old-timers day... love those Friday sale days!

 

[zachgeo]

I see a break barrel air gun, was that part of the score? Tell us more!

That's actually my current bench project. It's a Hy-Score 806, which is a rebadged Diana made in Germany. My dad used to use it to scare off jay birds and other critters that preyed on his beehives, and also just for plinking. It was like new when he bought it at a garage sale in the '90s and he kept it in good condition for a long time, but eventually just started leaving it outdoors by a patio door, propped up for easy access and critter scaring. It got rust pits on the barrel and chamber, and the finish completely wore off the stock. When I inherited the house I brought it into the garage and figured I'd get to it when I get to it, which is now. Been scrubbing the rust with a copper brush, and next step is probably oil and 000 steel wool, but I think the rust pits are permanent. I might have to do some cold bluing to make it look better, but it'll never be smooth. I sanded the stock and will put some light walnut finish on it (if I can get rid of some black areas that are probably mildew). When I test fired it empty before taking it apart, I noticed a dusty whiff of air coming out of the breech rather than the end of the barrel. There was a stuck pellet in there and I fished it out with a small wood screw. I thought that was all, but kept finding another and another, and I had to get creative with the wood screw, some stiff wire and a drill as I had to keep going deeper. It was a veritable clown car of pellets - ten in all! Before pic below.

 

[bmwrd0]

It probably needs to be resealed. You can pick one up here, and there is a ton of info online on how to do it. It isn't hard, but you do need to watch out for the spring when taking the end cap off.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

 

[Outlawmws]

I sanded the stock and will put some light walnut finish on it (if I can get rid of some black areas that are probably mildew

Look into bleach for the mildew. IIR you can get it out but may need to stain the stock after as well.

 

[zachgeo]

I went to an ES today, the one I thought was last weekend. Got there about 20 minutes after opening, lots of people leaving, a huge line to check out, and a packed garage, both tools and people. Quick look showed lots of Harbor Freight brands, other Chinese and Taiwan made stuff. There was lots of woodturning stuff, including lots of pen blanks, pen guts kits, turning tools, etc. lots of sharpening equipment, both manual and powered. A Craftsman two box stack, packed with China and HF stuff, but I was about third in line to dig thru it. Found a New Britain and Circle H Craftsman 1/4” drive sets, mostly complete, missing like 2 sockets each, but both had Tommy bars included. Couple of loose Sliding Tee handles turned up, one Plomb 4785, the other Craftsman =v=. Digging deeper, I found a little cardboard Plomb box, with 8 like new 3/16” cad plated sockets, and one looking slightly used. In all the HF stuff, it was quite a surprise. I grabbed a set of 4 hex shank drill chucks, probably HF. Lastly turned up a Makita drill/ countersink / drive set for 6,8,& 10 wood screws. Wandering around a bit, the pile of HF NIB calipers was revealed. I grabbed a dial caliper at $5, and used it several times sizing things for friends who asked. Then I set them down somewhere, and forgot them. Grabbed a high grit water stone, pocket sized high grit, passed on a pile of Diamond like sheets of various grits, not sure why. The pile of turning tools were now exposed, and I grabbed three with replaceable carbide bits, and a Robert Sorby parting tool. Next up I hit the pile of spare chucks, pen parts and completed pens. Friend of a friend was asking about the 4jaw chuck he had, would it fit his Atlas lathe. I looked for a few minute, could find no specs (only ok cell service). I then used the caliper to measure the chucks threads, said it looked like a 1”-8. He wasn’t convinced it would fit his, so I took it. It was sold by PSI, so figured it was decent. Then started talking Morse taper sizes with a different friend, did not know he turned, and figured that several of the centers and drive spurs would fit both our lathes. Grabbed a pen mandrel, couple of chunks of wood, and a bigger gouge sharpening jig. Somewhere on there is a hex bit holder for a 1/2” drive, wonder if it’s impact rated . I was pleased to get change from $40. May go back tomorrow on my way to a dog rescue event, see if I find the dial caliper still there, and grab more wood.

I think that's the sale I was at yesterday. So *you're* who they start these for on Fridays! I might go back again today.

 

[zachgeo]

It probably needs to be resealed. You can pick one up here, and there is a ton of info online on how to do it. It isn't hard, but you do need to watch out for the spring when taking the end cap off.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

Thanks for the link. It seems to have some pretty good pressure, but I do wonder what caused the first pellet to jam in there - not sure if that happens from lack of pressure or something else. I was hoping not to get too far into the gust of the thing, but it may be inevitable...

 

[Outlawmws]

Thanks for the link. It seems to have some pretty good pressure, but I do wonder what caused the first pellet to jam in there - not sure if that happens from lack of pressure or something else. I was hoping not to get too far into the gust of the thing, but it may be inevitable...

If nothing else get the kit now, as it will be inevitable

 

[zachgeo]

Look into bleach for the mildew. IIR you can get it out but may need to stain the stock after as well.

I may try that next. I wetted it down to raise the grain last night and gave it a pass with 220 this morning, the stains are getting slightly lighter, but not gone. I might have to use a darker stain than I had planned (I remember it originally having a really light walnut finish, and was going to try for the same, but a dark stain may hide more).

 

[Beerhippie]

I may try that next. I wetted it down to raise the grain last night and gave it a pass with 220 this morning, the stains are getting slightly lighter, but not gone. I might have to use a darker stain than I had planned (I remember it originally having a really light walnut finish, and was going to try for the same, but a dark stain may hide more).

Oxalic acid is what's used for wood bleach. Pretty cheap and easy to find online.

 

[Outlawmws]

Oxalic acid is what's used for wood bleach. Pretty cheap and easy to find online.

Thx Timm! That's what I was trying to remember.

 

[RTM]

Here is my haul from day two of the estate sale I attended yesterday. Not nearly as crowded, with people or tools. I did not find my dial calipers, but did pick up lots of other goodies, mostly shop organizing stuff. MLW came with me, and enabled some of my picking. She missed my suggestion to go into the house at first, so she headed downstairs when I was almost done, grabbed some more doggie goodies, leashes, bowls etc, some of which will go to the rescue.

The Craftsman two stack box was gone, and the contents dispersed into various plastic totes, or tossed on the workbench. I grabbed a bunch of vintage wrenches, some Plomb pebbles, Proto, Owatonna and a Plomb right angle screwdriver, a bunch of vinyl hex bit holders in red and blue, some screw in pen refills, box of glue applicators, boxes for my organizer wall, pieces of wood, more loose vintage sockets, couple of cord minders, made in Japan snap ring pliers, 3rd party angle head center finder for a Combe square rule, masonry bit, Western Electric awl type tool, box of Sq1 bits. Not as great a deal as yesterday, but on the average I’m still pleased.





I also went to a contractor’s warehouse clean out sale between my morning doggie exercise events. Found a Metabo HPT coil nailer, and stupidly turned down buying a pile of various loose coils, since I wasnt smart enough to look at the nailer’s capacity, nor did I have a caliper to measure the pile of coils. I may drop a note off tomorrow offering to buy the coils. I also got a vacuum mount Panavise knock off thrown in. Also found a kneeling pad, and got a solar charging power bank thrown in. One of my friends from yesterday showed up here as well. They were still shopping when I left.





Another stop was a TOO, another contractors warehouse clean out, led to nothing purchased, but they had a gigantic IR compressor (close to my 6’2” height on whatever it was sitting on), truck sized long floor jack, and TONS of stuff I did not have space for. Or want, like hotel remodel leftovers, of Hampton Bay quality, microwaves, mattresses, artwork….

 

[RTM]

I think that's the sale I was at yesterday. So *you're* who they start these for on Fridays! I might go back again today.

Pacifica, CA, up the hill? Only rarely can I sneak out on a Thu or Friday, but if it looks tasty enough…

Most Estate Sale people here try to start on Thu or Fri, that’s when the professional resellers, retail stores, flea market , etc, can come in, and buy tons. They have to sell in the weekends, so can’t come on Saturday. One of our neighbors had a friend who was a pro help her, and the neighbor could not get ready for the early sale start. Pro said she could have sold roughly 1/3 more $$ and volume had she opened early, and was quite pissed she wasted her time trying.

 

[WisJim]

Fridays are old-timers day... love those Friday sale days!

Years ago it seems that the sales started on Saturday, or Friday at 4 or 5pm, then you began seeing some start on Friday mornings, then Thursday.
I've seen some start on Wednesdays and sometimes Tuesdays in recent years. I would think that is counter-prodcutive, as you would get more buyers on the day with the most sales--or at least I am not eager to go out to sales 3 or 4 days of the week, to just one or two sales each day, and probably widely scattered as well. I like the neighborhood sales, where you can easily walk to a dozen or more sales on the same day.

 

[zachgeo]

Pacifica, CA, up the hill? Only rarely can I sneak out on a Thu or Friday, but if it looks tasty enough…

Most Estate Sale people here try to start on Thu or Fri, that’s when the professional resellers, retail stores, flea market , etc, can come in, and buy tons. They have to sell in the weekends, so can’t come on Saturday. One of our neighbors had a friend who was a pro help her, and the neighbor could not get ready for the early sale start. Pro said she could have sold roughly 1/3 more $$ and volume had she opened early, and was quite pissed she wasted her time trying.

Thats' the one! I didn't realize these sales were such big business. I kind of prefer the barely advertised garage sale, but they seem to be few and far between nowadays.

 

[BD55]

At the estate sale I went to Friday I saw there was a 50s era Unisaw buried on a trailer that I was sure someone would snag. I went back yesterday an hour and a half after opening time with low expectations that it was still around but they still hadn’t sold it. It was so buried I couldn’t even look at the bullet motor to see if it was single phase but I asked anyways what they’d take for it and for $75 I couldn’t say no. My son and I had to remove the motor, top, and about 50 lbs of sawdust from the cabinet (finding several throat plates, wrenches and a carbide rip blade buried at the bottom) in order to get it off the trailer and successfully navigate the treacherous path out of the Quonset. In the process of unburying the saw I found another couple carbide tipped blades, an older Delta miter (I think newer than this saw vintage) and a newer delta tenoning jig! One nice gentleman noticed I had gotten the saw and in his searches in another part of the house had found another miter which looked original to the saw and brought it to me! Thank you!

I already have a mid 60s Unisaw, but I think I’ll sell it and keep this one.



I’m not even including all the stuff the kids found. They had a blast looking for treasures (or trash as LOML sees most of it - poor woman) and I was proud they’ve picked up a pretty discerning eye for good stuff.

 

[Outlawmws]

I couldn’t even look at the bullet motor to see if it was single phase

My son and I had to remove the motor, top, and

So inquiring minds - was it?

Great score! for $75 suckworthy!

 

[RTM]

Thats' the one! I didn't realize these sales were such big business. I kind of prefer the barely advertised garage sale, but they seem to be few and far between nowadays.

Did someone tell you it was much better the day before? I chatted w a few people, was there like 1115-1140 or so

 

[BD55]

So inquiring minds - was it?

Great score! for $75 suckworthy!

It was! I knew it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it was 3 phase, but I didn’t really want to have to get a VFD and a big modern box on the side of a vintage saw.

 

[zachgeo]

Did someone tell you it was much better the day before? I chatted w a few people, was there like 1115-1140 or so

I didn't chat with too many people there - it does seem, in retrospect, that others searching through stuff were definitely there on more of a mission than I was! There was still a ton of stuff, including a beautiful chisel set, and some heavy duty power tools, so I would say it wasn't a bad time to go. I think mostly they were specialized tools beyond my skill set.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Got a couple smalls today at an estate sale

 

[Itinerant]

At the estate sale I went to Friday

I was there right after opening and gone about 20 min later. The quonset hut was really something (!!!?) but after twice being nearly impaled by people yanking on half buried sticks of angle and having them come free suddenly, I bailed out.

I spent $1.

 

[hudstr]

In case you didn't know, top row second item is for a craftsman die grinder. It is a holder which you can mount to a workbench or onto a lathe to use the die grinder as an improvised tool post grinder. It looks like it is missing the angled piece which is the part that actually gets bolted down but that shouldn't be too difficult for someone to make. It is for the all aluminum body grinders, not the black plastic body ones.

 

[Snaparxon]

Everything was on the free table except the tools($3). Stuff I would normally leave behind except the tools but the Hoppe's oil and the Lubriko grease can were just to cool looking to leave behind.

 

[GarageHobbyist]

Hit a sale Friday and Sunday, both were not professional estate sales and poorly advertised so they weren’t too busy.
I didn’t take separate photos, so I’ll give a rundown.

Fridays sale I ended up with a Diamond Adjustable, Snap-on 1/2” ratchet and Breaker Bar ratchet converter, a 1/2” Industro Ratchet, a NOS Master Lock #3 with green clothes, a Master #5, and a Master 410 LOTO w/o keys (Which I proceeded to rattle after I picked it open…oops)
Not pictured are a boatload of zip ties, a nice wooden crate, ammo can, and some other odds and ends. $40 OTD

The Sunday sale was wild. I don’t think I saw more than 1 solid sq ft of the garage floor. Literally climbing over piles of stuff.

I got two Wecheer carvers/engravers, Gerber and Kershaw knives, a tru-bolt lock, Older Nikon camera to do an experiment with, most of a bottle of Unicorn Spit, and a couple clamps.
I also found a Foredom CC in a case with two foot pedals and two hand pieces.

Not pictured are Culver duck glasses, some diecast cars and trucks, a box of assorted 1x30 sanding belts, more rotary tool bits, and some other odds and ends. $35 for this mess




Then I went back in and asked about this 40” bending brake. $50 for that and I was done.

 

[zanyad]

@BD55 *****!

Nice estate sale haul from Friday, @RTM. You ****!

@INSP380 *****!

@Outlawmws that Proto dual 3/8 & 1/2 ratchet looks neato. Nice find on the Craftsman box, too!

I keep getting to garage and estate sales just a bit too late to get the best DIYer stuff (what's up with everyone starting these things on Fridays? I have to work on Fridays!).

Amen!

50s era Unisaw ... for $75 I couldn’t say no

Nice! Even if the motor isn't single phase, that's a you **** from me!

@GarageHobbyist ***** for the Sunday sale!