What to do with old tools with no value??

[Bobf]

Put some of the worn hand tools in the "loaner" tool box with the pot metal sockets etc. I still have a shiny red sheet metal tool box in the corner for the neighbors to borrow.

 

[mrtoolfool]

I pick up boxes and buckets of old junk tools for a dollar or 2 and then weld them into junque yard art and stuff. My 11 year old grand daughter has a blast pawing thru junk and "designing" stuff. She's pretty good with a cutting torch and grinder and getting better with her welding. We made a dinosaur out of some old wrenches and tools and a turtle and a crab with 2 old metal outlet boxes and some pliers.

Pictures of your creations would be great !

 

[m.b.0331]

Whatever you do, do not take those planes to the scrap yard!

I'd bet if you busted the rust off them you could sell them for a decent price on Ebay. You could even restore them to usable condition and sell them for more.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

PM sent.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Yep, that bucket full of hand planes... those are keepers. Vintage hand planes are desirable for wood working.

 

[nicksnothereman]

Hi Everyone,

I spent last weekend helping my GF's Father clean out his parents house. He let me take whatever tools he didn't want....which was most of them. I filled up my full size pickup with boxes of stuff!

So now that I am going thru these boxes, I am finding both treasures to add to my collection, and old obsolete tools.

Old hand-crank drills, files that are dull, beat up screwdrivers/pliers/cutters ect....none of it has collector value according to ebay.

So what do you guys do with all this type of stuff that you aquire? Scrap pile? Something about throwing away another mans tools.....even if they aren't usefull....bothers me!

Thanks
Jim

I still use a yankee drill. They have definite utility value.

You should just sell it all as a lot for like 50% over the cost of shipping. (If it costs 20 bucks to ship charge 30-40 bucks for the whole lot including shipping). If it's worth your time. If it's not, then maybe just donate it.

So...you got pictures of those yankees/are they in working order?

 

[nicksnothereman]

Those old hand crank drills (eggbeater style, not bit and brace style), are very very useful if you are doing a woodworking project and need to countersink some screws. You can either change bits all the time, or chuck a countersink into your eggbeater and have it dedicated to the few twists you need to set the screw beneath the surface. Same with drilling a couple different sized holes. Eggbeater gets the drill bit for the least number, while the corded or cordless gets the bulk of the work.
Jim

Good for tight angles and 3am drilling.

The only problem is that they aren't worth that much. But very useful to have for wood drilling.

 

[upndown]

those Meat Cleavers would be cleaned up and in my kitchen in a Heartbeat

 

[spotco2]

Yeah, I'm diggin those cleavers and planes also.

There's some good stuff in there! Post 'em up in the classified section and you won't have much of that stuff for long.

 

[Bigplum]

there are some nice long cold chisels in the pictures , they would clean up a treat , some of the modern steel is rubbish compared to the old .

my stepson needed a coping saw , he bought a chinese POS , broke first time , he's now got two old Eclipse saws , probably 30 years old and still going strong

 

[Danglerb]

I have a whole bunch of older (likely made in the USA) odd ball Craftsman sockets, extension, etc. Mostly 1/4" and 3/8" drive. Some SAE and some metric. No complete sets. Someday I will inventory the stuff. I would put the up on eBay, but I don't think they are worth the postage.

Put them in strong, like tyvek, bag, tape it good, stuff it in a flat rate priority mail box. First post some picts to see who wants what.

 

[Danglerb]

And a few more....

I don't see ANY junk, 90% that stuff will find a home easily.

 

[whyNick?]

"old tools with no value"- no such thing

Put the stuff you don't want in buckets and have a garage sale. Post a link to your sale ad on GJ. You'll sell all of it.

 

[ndoran]

Whatever you do, do not take those planes to the scrap yard!

I'd bet if you busted the rust off them you could sell them for a decent price on Ebay. You could even restore them to usable condition and sell them for more.

the tri-planes look to be in good shape a few hours of work will have them back in use.

 

[Mavawreck]

Pretty sure one of those braces is a yankee 2100 series. Quick 80 bucks right there on ebay....

 

[Mavawreck]

If those planes are at the bottom of that bucket and still hanging out, they are either number 7 or number 8 Stanleys.

Can I have one as an identifiers fee?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Businesses buy that stuff for wall decoration. Cracker Barrel comes to mind.

Charles

 

[jeffmoss26]

Some awesome stuff. I like the Western Electric box in the last pic!!

 

[dodge610]

The work light I would be interested in.

 

[tinkergeek]

I know others have mentioned charities, but most of those chartities resell donations. (not a bad thing in and of itself)

Another option includes affordable housing groups and community tool shares. For example Beyond Housing in St Louis MO. Some libraries now offer tools for checkout to encourage community DIY, have maker nights to fix things, etc. A neat trend particularly in urban areas where residents may not have any exposure to DIY.

Back to the donation, the difference in housing and community groups is the tools go directly to clients that could not afford and may not have any experience with DIY. Not only the clients been vetted as willing and able, to receive access to reasonable housing but they also receive training regarding budget management, nutrition, upkeep, etc.

Think of a small tool bag for a new apt. resident, house renter, or first time homeowner. Things like hammer, screwdrivers, pliers take care of many around the house projects for folks that have never DIY before. A few fasteners, flashlight, duct tape (what kit can go without it?) and voila a long term chance to learn all sorts of useful things and save a few dollars.

The groups generally don't require kits, etc. They also provide tools for group projects. So a bucket of miscellaneous tools would probably be very useful. If you itemize on tax returns, you can take a deduction for the value of the donation. Pretty good deal all around for any community.

If there are any bits left over after the eagle eye GJ crowd swoops down, the simple basic tools would probably be welcomed.

This is straying from the OPs original question a bit came to mind as I read the post. The fixit movement would be a really neat way to hand down all the GJ experience and skills. That would be a great gift to all.

Examples:

• A fixit group
  
  [*]Tool lending libraries [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tool-lending_libraries
  
• Libraries of the future? http://makezine.com/2011/03/10/is-it-time-to-rebuild-retool-public-libraries-and-make-techshops/
  
• Fix-it Clinics http://hennepin.us/fixitclinic
  Minn
  
• Texas http://library.austintexas.gov/blog-entry/fix-it

 

[JSGAuto]

Thank you!

I'll post up more pictures as I go thru this stuff and decide what I want to keep/offload.

I'll make sure nothing goes in that trash....that's why I saved it!

 

[toytech40]

Lots of good restoreable and useable items in those pics. If I was offered that pile out of a garage that was beig cleaned and they were trowing it away, I would be loading it as fast as possible. Take a little time and research and there is probably some takers for these items with a little money to be made for you.