I don't get to spend much time playing this game, generally due to lack of time and a lack of space for all the devices I might accumulate but I've been itching for a good bench vise for about a year now and finally gave in and decided to devote the proper garage space. After this experience I can certainly understand the appeal of yard/estate sale hunting. But I can also see the danger in accumulating vast amounts of random things. Basically the whole operation is largely a transfer of random rusty objects from one hoarder's garage to another. Then someday when you realize you have a whole barn full of things you don't have time for, you become the rust hunting site and the process comes around full circle. Kind of like the circle of life...but with rusty tools.
Anyway, here's what I found:
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As for my main target, bench vises, I walked away with not one but two! The little guy is an old Wilton. It's got a decent amount of rust and the guide rods will likely lose a little bit of metal in rust removal thus loosening the tolerances. But I bet it'll still make a fine user for me and it was cheap.
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The next one is the more exciting one. It's a W.C. Toles 10" with a genius quick-release mechanism. The guy I bought it from said it was his grandfathers so it's only had two or three owners, and is in good condition except for a little surface rust and the fact that grandpa went nuts one day and decided to beat the brass bench dog down into its hole. I did a quick google search on the company and found very little, but I believe this vise may be from before the turn of the 20th century which is pretty cool. I have no idea when I'll have a beefy enough bench to put it on but I'll definitely be hanging onto this one.
Other tools: A full Forstner bit set for $20. No maker marks anywhere on it so it may be a cheap set but it's still better than the Forstner bit set I had before (I didn't have any before). Some could probably be sharpened but that isn't a big deal.
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A couple nice layout devices. The try square has some significant rust on the blade that will certainly leave pitting when I clean it up but whatever. The bevel gauge, on the other hand, is in great condition by my standards with only a little surface rust. Even the finish is mostly in good condition, and it has the Sweetheart mark on top of that. Next to that, not entirely in the picture is a Buck Bros 1/4" chisel in decent condition. Didn't need one but it was too cheap to pass up.
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Then this thing...I have no idea what it is but I wanted to find out. The teeth are cut like a float, I think, but I couldn't find anything by searching woodworking floats on the internet.
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Huot drill bit set with most of the bits. There have been enough times in which I've needed an obscure, tiny drill bit size so this oughtta fit the bill. Most of the bits are in good shape and decently sharp. The ones that are missing I probably won't even need.
Also in the main picture up top is an EC Atkins saw set with zero rust. I don't think it'll go down enough to a fine enough set for dovetail, carcass, or tenon saws but it'll work for my panel saws that have been needing to be sharpened for about the last year.
Hope other people had a good weekend treasure hunting as well!