what to do with your tools after...

[geologist]

My business gets placed in a trust. I've got a poison pill provision that prevents its break-up and looting by any potential gold diggers. Life insurance goes in another trust. Both benefit my disabled daughter. Should she precede me in death, the bulk of my estate goes to Kamp Dovetail (disabled childrens summer camp) and "A Kid Again" (a charity benefiting kids with disabilities. A small remainder has been set aside for a forestry and agri-science program. Should she fail to exhaust the trusts in her lifetime, the aforementioned charities benefit from the combined estate after our passing.

My Dad's hammer is coming with me to the grave, as is a shotgun given to me by a close uncle (both are deceased). I've left a penny to each of my half siblings. They can burn in hell as far as im concerned. My tools will hopefully keep my "Amazing Workshop" going for decades to come.

 

[lowbucktruck]

I have given this alot of thought lately, mainly due to the number of estate sales I've visited recently.
I'm working on a complete inventory with photos of any family heirlooms and instructions. This includes my tools which have family/sentimental value. I told my wife to sell all the rest and use the money to rent a bar for a day and throw one hell of a wake!

 

[rsanter]

I see too many people that fret over what happens to their stuff when they are gone. too may people think that their family orchildren have the responsibility to keep and love their stuff like they did. sorry guys this is not always going to happen.

I have already told my daughter that she has no obligation to keep or love my stuff. I have told her that if she wants to keep anything...great. if she wants to sell it off and use the money for whatever, thats great too.

to me if I was to the point that I could not use the stuff anymore I would start selling or giving it away to people that want and would use it. unfornatuly I see too many people demanding to keep it all untill the bitter end. sorry but if your health or condition is such that you cannot use or at least enjoy the stuff then its time for it to go.
give or sell the stuff so you can see other enjoy it before you exit

if however you die unexpecantly then dont worry about it, no longer your problem

bob

 

[zjrog]

Before my accident last August, I never gave much thought to my stuff. Since then, well... I need to plan other stuff as well. My son gets my tools, I know he will use them.

 

[JDS968]

Yeah, this has occurred to me before.

Not that I have so much stuff, but I've got a decent inventory and I obviously expect (hope) to have a collection to be proud of by the time I have to seriously worry about who could inherit it.

And I'm pretty definitely not going to have any kids. If I were, the kid(s) would be brainwashed from a very young age to appreciate and use tools, cars, and everything mechanical, so that would take care of itself. But I'm very clearly not a "kids" person, so I had another idea. At some point, I could have it put in writing that after I die, all of my tools and storage go to any local high school that wants them. All they have to do is sign an agreement that they will use the equipment to teach kids in an auto shop class, and that if they ever shut the auto shop program down, they have to pass them on to another school with the same written agreement.

 

[kwb]

The thing is if your kids would use them by the time you kick the bucket they will have bought for themselves. The big stuff (welders, drill presses, milling machines, lathes....) it is getting pretty rare to have people use these things at home or even work for that matter(whole other topic) and then having a place for them is another issue for many.

I know when we cleaned out my grandpas shop we ended up selling all sorts of stuff for pennies on the dollar just to be done with cleaning it out. This was after all the grandkids (and assorted spouses) and kids had taken anything they wanted.

For example - I got an O/A setup, bottles, cart ... whole ball of wax. The torch valves are sticky one of the pieces of glass is broken in the regulators, hoses are nasty from being used for years, tips are all beyond really being serviceable. I use O/A rarely but it is one of those things you have to have... I would be better off to have bought a new set and have it work well. As I said it rarely gets used so I deal with it because I am too cheap to replace something that works at about 60-70%

Also from what I have seen as people get older - stuff that is wearing out they don't notice it is really worn out so while we have an attachment to things.... that "new" compressor is now 30yrs old, taking a lot longer to build up pressure and is getting noiser than it used to be.

I was at my parents house a few weeks ago talking to my mom and she made a comment about the kitchen (that they redid before moving in) needing some work and I had to point out that the kitchen they had is now 25yrs old and still looks and functions pretty well but she should expect that it isn't going to be like new anymore.

 

[Duck72]

I really like the idea of absolving my heirs from loving my stuff like I do. I think that weighs heavily on some when it isn't said.

"Well this was dad's or grandad's and I must keep it in the family and pass it on" Sometimes that is followed by a stressful sigh. Other times it is stated with joy.

I want my family to have no regrets in selling off my stuff, giving it away or using it until it is broken and used up. But I also don't want it to be a chore of monumental proportions either. We are getting ready to move to a new house and I am relieved at the thought of a clean out (purge) of junk and stuff that should have never been kept.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My son knows he is going to get it all (SIL barely knows the right end of a screwdriver) which is probably why he has not been interested in growing his collection.

My Dad had a fair collection of tools, but as he got to the age where he could not use them he became the neighborhood loaner. After he passed, there was very little left. Some incomplete sets of sockets and a few odd screwdrivers.

And one set of Dunlop pliers that he had installed red plastic grips on (I did the same on my Craftsman pliers over 40 years ago). They had his driver license number engraved on them (probably why they never walked) I grabbed those and they are in my box today !

 

[PCO6]

Men die before women because they can

That is true. Women live longer but they also SLEEP a lot more. We actually get the better deal. In the end I think we're actually AWAKE more and at a younger age!

As for the original topic, I met a guy through a Kijiji ad who sells off tool collections for guys who are generally in their late 70's and 80's and are winding down their garage / shop activities. This fellow is in his early 60's and is retired. He handles the collections of about 3 or 4 older guys at a time. The garage at his house is always full of used tools all nicely laid out and categorized. If he knows you're looking for something he will give you a call. He enjoys this as a retirement "job" (I'm sure he gets a cut) and feels he is helping out a lot of older guys and their families while providing them with some extra cash. His prices are always reasonable and there's not a lot of negotiating because as he puts it ... "it's going to a good cause."

 

[moonpool145]

All of my tools are going to the Smithsonian for display in the Worlds Greatest Sober Plumber Collection. It was between me and some other sober plumber that they found in Nebraska living in a coal mine. He would have beaten me out for the honors but upon getting out of the coal mine he ran to the nearest town and got liquored up, blewd, screwd and tatood.

So now I am the only sober plumber in the World.

I get a trophy that looks like an *** crack.

Now thats funny Probably true as well given as it fits every plumber I have ever met, drywallers too but thats another story.

 

[LumpyMusic]

When I die they can do what they want with my tools; with any of my former physical posessions. I'll be, um, dead.


Lumpy

You were the "OPERATION" game voice?
Yes. Take out wrenched ankle.

www.LumpyMusic.com