I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As usual,
she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not being
unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard behind
the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the husband
of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the bushfires
burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so it
goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she was
talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she was
saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking ..."
Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband had
died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays, Margaret had
my undivided attention.
We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of a
lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside it.
Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes had gone
to a relative already, so no luck there.
Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some neatsfoot
oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a bevel
gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita 3601B
1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
condition).
In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son home
and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised the
subject killed that idea.
Oh, price? US$30.
Greg
I don't understand.
Are you actually bragging about ripping off an old widow woman?
Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
"Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As usual,
> she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not being
> unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
>
> Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
>
> Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard behind
> the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the
husband
> of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the bushfires
> burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
> lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so
it
> goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
>
> Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she was
> talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she was
> saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
> deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking ..."
>
> Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband had
> died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
> serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
> what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays, Margaret
had
> my undivided attention.
>
> We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of a
> lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside it.
> Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes had
gone
> to a relative already, so no luck there.
>
> Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
> take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
> purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
> professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some neatsfoot
> oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a bevel
> gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita 3601B
> 1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
> condition).
>
> In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son home
> and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised
the
> subject killed that idea.
>
> Oh, price? US$30.
>
> Greg
>
>
"Unisaw A100" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
> 1) Explain Dyco table saw. Aussie brand obviously but
> of what particular flavor, cabinet saw, contractor's saw
> or bench top?
Kind of a hybrid, solid top on a contractor style base. It includes a 4"
jointer. See one at
http://www.mik.com.au/layout/productDetail.asp?productID=2495
> By the way, the Makita, if memory serves me that was
> the first readily available plunge router on the market. I
> lusted for one way back a long time ago, pre-Norm days.
> Anyways, cool little router.
It's a D handle screw type:
http://www.makita.com/res_tools/pdf/noncurrent_owners/3601.pdf
Greg
Groggy writes:
>Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
>take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
>purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
>professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some neatsfoot
>oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a bevel
>gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita 3601B
>1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
>condition).
>
>In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son home
>and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised the
>subject killed that idea.
>
>Oh, price? US$3
Maybe your wife would have gone for it if you'd bought her a ticket, too.
It would have been worth a try!
Charlie Self
"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house." Zsa
Zsa Gabor
http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/myhomepage/business.html
"ahood" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
>
> Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
Yes, see reply to Lawrence L'Hote above.
Greg
Groggy wrote:
>I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's.
>
This is not a gloat. In fact you should start out minus 1 for this.
> As usual,
>she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out.
>
Okay, plus 1. Back to level groun. But if you described and told me how
you tune her out you could have gone up.
>No, I am not being
>unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
>
Okay now plus 1. Rest snipped.
>
>
>Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
>take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
>purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
>professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some neatsfoot
>oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a bevel
>gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita 3601B
>1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
>condition).
>
>
>Oh, price? US$30.
>
>
>
Okay gloat away. You are entitled.
John
ahood wrote:
>I don't understand.
>
>Are you actually bragging about ripping off an old widow woman?
>
>Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
>
>
For used stuff. That is okay. I'm not even dead and I give the stuff
away at those prices for the convenience of a fast sale. Usually, all I
get is some token amount just to make me feel like the person is going
to properly use what he has. If I want to chew people, there is always
ebay. A couple of exceptions in my past include a Ryobi BT3000 table
accident. A friend of mine found a buyer at HD and said hey, would you
like a mint one, preowned cheaper. I only lost 30 percent on that deal
and all the thanks goes to Blair. I still feel guilty and wonder how the
guy is doing with it. Now I'm into a Unisaw, thank you Blair.
Hey, used stuff needs to move. Not gather dust. He did nothing wrong.
However I commend you for going over and helping out said widow sell her
stuff. Thought so.
Go try and run over squirrels or something.
John
You didn't do anything wrong. People buying this stuff really don't want
it in the first place. A used router. I need another router like a hole
in the head. And someone else's tool might just provide it. Somebody
somewhere might need a little router and can't afford to buy new and all
the pawn shops and such are bare. So he will pay 30 dollars instead of
100 for new. I don't need it so the most I will pay is five dollars.
The value of used tools is not an absolute. It varies with who is
buying. And who is selling. If the seller is willing to sit on it for
awhile and advertise lots, maybe Grannie gets a bit more. But Grannie
has to advertise and put up with all kinds of weirdos (well look at us)
coming over and scoping things out. And you have to worry who you get
over these days.
If yo feel so strongly about it. Sell off all your big ticketed items
now. And rent large tools that would be hard for you widow to sell. That
way when you stroke out because somebody left a lightbuld on, she
doesn't have to sell. When the rent payment is stopped, people come and
take away the cabinet saw for free!
Al lot of that stuff is just junk to me and will only buy it to help out
move it. Nice to have extras of some stuff or nice to simply have, but
nobody needs to pay big money for something that they are not desperate
for. (well okay, I know of two! HAhahaha) And if Grannie doesn't want it
moved fast she knows what to do. But guess what.
If you guys are justifying your tool hording and expenses thinking that
one day your widow can sell them for 80 percent of what you paid for
them think again. When we go a lot of stuff is a painful mountain of
junk. And it is not easy to sell. So dream on. Make a list of your tools
and what they should sell for when you die. I wouldn't want t saddle a
loved one with that sort of difficult burden. And if the money is really
badly needed than Grannie can sell off slowly and run a used tool store
out of the shop for the next 8 years. But if you widow is going to be
in that situation where you frittered needed money away on a hobby then
grow up and do something to fix it now. (like work) Rather than thinking
she can sell off to afford her survival. What a plan...........
There are no absolutes. To think otherwise is just pure arrogance. Life
itself; is an excerise in exceptions.
John
Groggy wrote:
>Guys,
>
>I didn't mean to foment any ill-will here. With hindsight, I can see why I
>got some of the responses I did, and fair enough too. I should have provided
>a bit more info up-front to avoid it.
>
>
>
In article <cMZJb.283105$_M.1410902@attbi_s54>,
Larry C in Auburn, WA <[email protected]> wrote:
>Nope, sounds like you got it right. Old widow, no idea what the tools are
>worth, buyer comes in and tells her they ain't worth anything and walks away
>with everything he can carry. Sounds like a typical gloat to me. Of course
>it's not the buyer's responsibility to set the price, it takes two to make a
>deal. If the widow wasn't happy with $30 she didn't have to sell the stuff.
>Still, gloats to me tend to be a little distasteful as they usually involve
>getting a great deal at another person's expense. Just my opinion.
Congrats, Larry. You just made a *real* ass of yourself.
In addition to the money, he spent FIVE HOURS doing things like cleaning,
organizing (manuals _with_ the corresponding tool, etc.), inventorying,
estimating *prices* (for stuff he had _no_intentention_ of buying, himself),
etc. All to help her sell the stuff for a _fair_ price.
After all that, his inital _offer_ for what he did take was significantly
*HIGHER* than the final price. The seller _wouldn't_take_ the higher price.
>--
>Larry C in Auburn, WA
>
>"ahood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I don't understand.
>>
>> Are you actually bragging about ripping off an old widow woman?
>>
>> Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
>>
>> "Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As
>usual,
>> > she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not
>being
>> > unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
>> >
>> > Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
>> >
>> > Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard
>behind
>> > the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the
>> husband
>> > of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the
>bushfires
>> > burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
>> > lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so
>> it
>> > goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
>> >
>> > Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she was
>> > talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she
>was
>> > saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
>> > deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking ..."
>> >
>> > Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband
>had
>> > died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
>> > serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
>> > what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays, Margaret
>> had
>> > my undivided attention.
>> >
>> > We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of a
>> > lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside it.
>> > Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes had
>> gone
>> > to a relative already, so no luck there.
>> >
>> > Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
>> > take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
>> > purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
>> > professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some
>neatsfoot
>> > oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a
>bevel
>> > gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita
>3601B
>> > 1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
>> > condition).
>> >
>> > In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son
>home
>> > and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised
>> the
>> > subject killed that idea.
>> >
>> > Oh, price? US$30.
>> >
>> > Greg
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
Guys,
I didn't mean to foment any ill-will here. With hindsight, I can see why I
got some of the responses I did, and fair enough too. I should have provided
a bit more info up-front to avoid it.
cheers,
Greg
"Larry C in Auburn, WA" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:KZmKb.753575$Tr4.2096020@attbi_s03...
> Hey there Robert, check the times of the posts. When I posted my comment
> all the info that had been provided was that he ripped Gramma off. It was
> only after I already posted my comment that Groggy filled us in with the
> good part. Obviously after he told the rest of the story it's a whole
> different picture. Based on the info we now have, I completely agree with
> you that what he did was more than fair. But, just keep in mind you've
made
> your opinion after seeing two posts from Groggy and I only saw the first
> one. Just like you've made an opinion based on all the info you have, I
did
> the same. Hope you understand where I was coming from at the time and
don't
> think of me as an ass, if you do so be it.
> --
> Larry C in Auburn, WA
Hey there Robert, check the times of the posts. When I posted my comment
all the info that had been provided was that he ripped Gramma off. It was
only after I already posted my comment that Groggy filled us in with the
good part. Obviously after he told the rest of the story it's a whole
different picture. Based on the info we now have, I completely agree with
you that what he did was more than fair. But, just keep in mind you've made
your opinion after seeing two posts from Groggy and I only saw the first
one. Just like you've made an opinion based on all the info you have, I did
the same. Hope you understand where I was coming from at the time and don't
think of me as an ass, if you do so be it.
--
Larry C in Auburn, WA
"Robert Bonomi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <cMZJb.283105$_M.1410902@attbi_s54>,
> Larry C in Auburn, WA <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Nope, sounds like you got it right. Old widow, no idea what the tools
are
> >worth, buyer comes in and tells her they ain't worth anything and walks
away
> >with everything he can carry. Sounds like a typical gloat to me. Of
course
> >it's not the buyer's responsibility to set the price, it takes two to
make a
> >deal. If the widow wasn't happy with $30 she didn't have to sell the
stuff.
> >Still, gloats to me tend to be a little distasteful as they usually
involve
> >getting a great deal at another person's expense. Just my opinion.
>
>
> Congrats, Larry. You just made a *real* ass of yourself.
>
> In addition to the money, he spent FIVE HOURS doing things like cleaning,
> organizing (manuals _with_ the corresponding tool, etc.), inventorying,
> estimating *prices* (for stuff he had _no_intentention_ of buying,
himself),
> etc. All to help her sell the stuff for a _fair_ price.
>
>
> After all that, his inital _offer_ for what he did take was significantly
> *HIGHER* than the final price. The seller _wouldn't_take_ the higher
price.
> >--
> >Larry C in Auburn, WA
> >
> >"ahood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> I don't understand.
> >>
> >> Are you actually bragging about ripping off an old widow woman?
> >>
> >> Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
> >>
> >> "Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >> news:[email protected]...
> >> > I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As
> >usual,
> >> > she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not
> >being
> >> > unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
> >> >
> >> > Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
> >> >
> >> > Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard
> >behind
> >> > the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the
> >> husband
> >> > of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the
> >bushfires
> >> > burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the
Aitkens
> >> > lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and
so
> >> it
> >> > goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
> >> >
> >> > Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she
was
> >> > talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she
> >was
> >> > saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
> >> > deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking
..."
> >> >
> >> > Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's
husband
> >had
> >> > died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
> >> > serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no
idea
> >> > what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays,
Margaret
> >> had
> >> > my undivided attention.
> >> >
> >> > We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of
a
> >> > lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside
it.
> >> > Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes
had
> >> gone
> >> > to a relative already, so no luck there.
> >> >
> >> > Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I
could
> >> > take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
> >> > purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
> >> > professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some
> >neatsfoot
> >> > oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a
> >bevel
> >> > gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita
> >3601B
> >> > 1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good
working
> >> > condition).
> >> >
> >> > In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son
> >home
> >> > and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I
raised
> >> the
> >> > subject killed that idea.
> >> >
> >> > Oh, price? US$30.
> >> >
> >> > Greg
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>
"Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> I had spent 5 hours cleaning and sorting
> things out.
>
The gloat is secondary. Ya' did good, sir.
Ed
"Lawrence L'Hote" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
> FWIW when my uncle Tres died(he was a master carpenter but drank too much)
> my aunt related how annoyed she was that people were calling her wanting
to
> buy her husbands tools at pennys on the dollar. She knew what they were
> worth and declined and waited until they could be sold at a fair price at
> auction. It's not unusual for vulnerable widows to be taken, expecially
if
> they are 'seasoned citizens' (like myself.)
All is not quite what it seems, the post was about the gloat, not the help I
gave her. But for the record, I appraised and tagged the tools for her and
notified several people I knew that they were for sale. All tools and their
manuals/accessories were placed together and I cleaned the dust out of the
shed plus pulled all the cobwebs out of the way. The bushes near the
entrance to the shed got a trim and the place was generally set in a
condition to facilitate the sale of the items.
The lady knew roughly what the value of the items were but has very limited
time to sell due to her health - she recently had a minor stroke and the
doctors told her to move into nursing care asap.
One of the people I notified will be arranging the sale of the remaining
items and will run the sale for her with my MIL.
There were a number of other small electric tools that I could have taken,
drills, planer, 3" sander etc but I had no use for them. Were I without
scruples, I would have taken them for on-selling later.
As to the price, I had offered her more than double what I paid, she
insisted on the final amount after I had spent 5 hours cleaning and sorting
things out.
Greg
Groggy wrote:
mucho snippage to save the bandwidths...
Grog,
Two things.
1) Explain Dyco table saw. Aussie brand obviously but
of what particular flavor, cabinet saw, contractor's saw
or bench top?
2) When did you marry my sister?
By the way, the Makita, if memory serves me that was
the first readily available plunge router on the market. I
lusted for one way back a long time ago, pre-Norm days.
Anyways, cool little router.
UA100
Nope, sounds like you got it right. Old widow, no idea what the tools are
worth, buyer comes in and tells her they ain't worth anything and walks away
with everything he can carry. Sounds like a typical gloat to me. Of course
it's not the buyer's responsibility to set the price, it takes two to make a
deal. If the widow wasn't happy with $30 she didn't have to sell the stuff.
Still, gloats to me tend to be a little distasteful as they usually involve
getting a great deal at another person's expense. Just my opinion.
--
Larry C in Auburn, WA
"ahood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't understand.
>
> Are you actually bragging about ripping off an old widow woman?
>
> Is there some other way to see this that I don't?
>
> "Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As
usual,
> > she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not
being
> > unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
> >
> > Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
> >
> > Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard
behind
> > the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the
> husband
> > of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the
bushfires
> > burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
> > lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so
> it
> > goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
> >
> > Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she was
> > talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she
was
> > saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
> > deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking ..."
> >
> > Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband
had
> > died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
> > serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
> > what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays, Margaret
> had
> > my undivided attention.
> >
> > We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of a
> > lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside it.
> > Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes had
> gone
> > to a relative already, so no luck there.
> >
> > Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
> > take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
> > purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
> > professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some
neatsfoot
> > oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a
bevel
> > gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita
3601B
> > 1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
> > condition).
> >
> > In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son
home
> > and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised
> the
> > subject killed that idea.
> >
> > Oh, price? US$30.
> >
> > Greg
> >
> >
>
>
"Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As usual,
> she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not being
> unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
....>>>>snip<<<<-------
> Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband had
> died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
> serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
> what to charge for them.
>>>>-----snip---<<<<<
> Oh, price? US$30.
FWIW when my uncle Tres died(he was a master carpenter but drank too much)
my aunt related how annoyed she was that people were calling her wanting to
buy her husbands tools at pennys on the dollar. She knew what they were
worth and declined and waited until they could be sold at a fair price at
auction. It's not unusual for vulnerable widows to be taken, expecially if
they are 'seasoned citizens' (like myself.)
Larry
On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 11:21:09 GMT, "Groggy" <[email protected]>
brought forth from the murky depths:
>I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As usual,
>she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not being
>unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
>
>Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
>
>Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard behind
>the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the husband
>of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the bushfires
>burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
>lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so it
>goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
Only if you LET her, sir. Condolences, nonetheless.
>In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son home
>and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised the
>subject killed that idea.
She probably wouldn't have gone for tying him on the roof in a
blanket with a couple ropes, either, huh?
>Oh, price? US$30.
Is that a typhoon I just saw starting up? Thou Sucketh, dude.
========================================================
TANSTAAFL: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
http://diversify.com Gourmet Web Applications
==========================
You never did mention where old Mrs. Maine lives, and how much she wants for
the rest of the tools. You could be a mench and help her price and sell the
rest of the tools.
Montyhp
"Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was interstate over the Christmas break and was at the MIL's. As usual,
> she was constantly chattering and I had tuned her out. No, I am not being
> unkind, here's a sample of why I tune her out
>
> Me. "Margaret, where do you keep your glasses?"
>
> Her. "Glasses? You want a glass? I keep them in the bottom cupboard behind
> the red bowl that Norman gave me. You don't know Norman, he was the
husband
> of Mary that ran the old store down at Port Noarlunga before the bushfires
> burnt it down. That was a bad year for bush fires that year, the Aitkens
> lost all their sheep on their farm. That was their first farm ... and so
it
> goes on, ten minutes at least - guaranteed."
>
> Anyway, I am reading FWW and Margaret is chatting away. Whilst she was
> talking I found it very difficult to concentrate due to something she was
> saying "... old Mrs Maine ... bzzz ... tools ... bzzz ... husband ...
> deceased ... moving ... must sell ... serious hobby ... woodworking ..."
>
> Eventually I came to my senses and truly listened, Mrs Maine's husband had
> died last year and she had to move into a nursing home. He had been a
> serious woodworker and she was selling off his tools but she had no idea
> what to charge for them. For the first time over the holidays, Margaret
had
> my undivided attention.
>
> We went over to her place and I looked at the 'shed', it was full of a
> lifetime of working tools. A RAS sat in one corner with a DP beside it.
> Across from them were a Dyco TS and a large sander. All the planes had
gone
> to a relative already, so no luck there.
>
> Since it was a ten hour drive to get home I was limited to what I could
> take, so I got a box of drill bits (the box is big enough to make the
> purchase of a drill doctor cost effective), a sharpening stone, a
> professional barbers strop (which restored beautifully with some neatsfoot
> oil), 5 good quality handsaws, a calliper, 2 machinist's squares, a bevel
> gauge, saw set, 7 old chisels, a set of 3 Bahco chisels and a Makita 3601B
> 1-3/8 HP 1/2" Router (complete with all accessories and in good working
> condition).
>
> In case anyone was wondering, I calculated the cost of flying my son home
> and taking some machinery in the van. One look from SWMBO when I raised
the
> subject killed that idea.
>
> Oh, price? US$30.
>
> Greg
>
>
That seems fair to me, Grogs. I scored some real nice white and red oaks at
the home of some old folks after hurricane Isabel. I also spent 10 hours
cleaning up their property and cutting up the trees so they weren't a
hazard.
Montyhp
"Groggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Lawrence L'Hote" <[email protected]> wrote in message ...
> > FWIW when my uncle Tres died(he was a master carpenter but drank too
much)
> > my aunt related how annoyed she was that people were calling her wanting
> to
> > buy her husbands tools at pennys on the dollar. She knew what they were
> > worth and declined and waited until they could be sold at a fair price
at
> > auction. It's not unusual for vulnerable widows to be taken, expecially
> if
> > they are 'seasoned citizens' (like myself.)
>
> All is not quite what it seems, the post was about the gloat, not the help
I
> gave her. But for the record, I appraised and tagged the tools for her and
> notified several people I knew that they were for sale. All tools and
their
> manuals/accessories were placed together and I cleaned the dust out of the
> shed plus pulled all the cobwebs out of the way. The bushes near the
> entrance to the shed got a trim and the place was generally set in a
> condition to facilitate the sale of the items.
>
> The lady knew roughly what the value of the items were but has very
limited
> time to sell due to her health - she recently had a minor stroke and the
> doctors told her to move into nursing care asap.
>
> One of the people I notified will be arranging the sale of the remaining
> items and will run the sale for her with my MIL.
>
> There were a number of other small electric tools that I could have taken,
> drills, planer, 3" sander etc but I had no use for them. Were I without
> scruples, I would have taken them for on-selling later.
>
> As to the price, I had offered her more than double what I paid, she
> insisted on the final amount after I had spent 5 hours cleaning and
sorting
> things out.
>
> Greg
>
>