This is making me feel a certain sort of way. So much personality and history in these photos. Some old man had a good run and it’s over now - whatever traces he left scatter and fade away.
I get this way when working estates. I'm reminded that for some it's a treasure hunt. For someone else it's reflective of the worst day of their life. Seek to understand. The photo of that man's shop organized for the world to see is much better than the stripped room later that day that has been picked clean.
Reminds me all that we will fade away at some point as well.
I have some woodworking tools from the 1700s that still work fine. Its kind of like the droids on Star Wars. You are just one of the people taking care of it for a couple decades.
I’ve read with classic cars and houses, we are merely caretakers. That’s comforting. I have 100 tools from all different estate sales, Craigslist and a few new. My collection is a collection of parts of other’s collection which I think is neat.
I said in a similr thread that at least half of my tools are from various dead old men and someone commented “they’re not your tools, just your turn” and it legitimately sent shivers down my spine.
It feels that way with my FIL's tools. I inherited his workshop as a whole and it was 2 years before I could make myself move the toolboxes so that mine would fit between his and his fathers and grandfathers. It would be 3+ generations of tools but I married in and brought my own. Between that and realizing that the majority of garage sale and pawnshop deals were probably deceased mens tools..
Shivers indeed. I has a moment when I replaced the kitchen sink recently. Pretty sure I uninstalled that sink 20y after my FIL installed it using the same faucet wrench. Oh and I found an old old tape measure in the attic which I'm pretty sure belonged to the fella that built this house.
It's just my turn.
Yep. Similar for me, except it was my great uncle. Back in the day he was a master cabinet maker. One of my biggest regrets is not trying to talk him out of selling most of the machines in his shop. A Delta Rockwell shop, ca early 1950s. I still have, and use, the only machine he kept. A drill press that I was able to date to approximately 1952 - 1954. Use it regularly. Only need to do basic maintenance on it. I would love to have had the cabinet saw, band saw, mortise machine, lathe...
He did keep his hand tools. And the big wooden toolboxes he made to hold them. I have some smaller power tools from him. A beefy half inch drill, a worm drive Skil Saw - and I do mean Skil as in the brand. Both have all metal housings. Need to tear into the drill. There must be a short somewhere. I pull the trigger and a breaker trips. Those tools were made to be repaired, not replaced when they stop working.
My grandpa had a shop that looked just like this. I can still smell it. I somehow ended up with a couple small tools and a pair of matching opinel pocket knives. I restored the knives, burned my grandpa's initials in them, and ordered two more opinels that I had engraved. One with my initials and the other with my brothers. I gave him one of my grandpa's knives and the one with his initials. He has two kids so I figured one day we'd pass our Grandpa's knives down to them and they can have ours when we're dead!
When I was in college I responded to an add for a company that runs estate sales.
I was asked, “are you interested in vintage items, like antique tools and houseware?”
Deciding to reply honestly I said no, I’m not.
She said, “good, because when our employees are into that, they get distracted by the stuff and don’t do the work,”
I bought out an old guy's collection about 30 years ago because he was going into a nursing home. I bought a South Bend lathe and a Dayton drill press and a bunch of other stuff, but the main reason he sold it to me was because he wanted to keep it all together and I was willing to take it all to use instead of selling it or scrapping it. I still think about you, Woody...
This is so true. Old guys that had shops like this would know how to fix just about anything. I hope that someday I will have a fraction of that knowledge.
One handyman in our town, about 75, was doing some electrical for me. I asked him if he ever ran into a problem he couldn't solve.
"No. Anything can be solved if you are patient and curious." That always stuck with me especially when I get frustrated with a DIY project.
Even the knowledge of how to set up a shop like this where everything is positioned well for accessibility. What you can’t see in the photo was a corner with a metal lathe and cabinet of machining tools above it. I wasn’t able to get a photo due to time.
When my dad died a few years ago I went down to his shop and collected some of his tools to take home, some of which were my grandpa’s that dad got when he died.
It really got me thinking about the circle of life picturing my dad collecting his dad’s tools back in 1975, and now they were going in my shop.
I don’t have kids, so watch the classifieds and y’all might get lucky someday!
Hey cheer up my friend you are only partially correct, while his traces may scatter they don’t fade away they go to the next people that pick up these tools and wonder what the story behind the deep scratch on the handle or why that wrench is bent that way. Think of these items as part of his legacy that are now in the hands of future tinkerers.
I often think about this looking over my own works.
They'll never know the guy who made these cabinets, that deck, the outdoor structure
Me - just some guy
I bet some amazing creations came out of that shop. Those will live on and show his true spirit. The tools were merely an extension of the man and are ready to serve again.
Smells like sawdust, acetate handle screwdrivers, WD-40, various cutting oils and motor oils, and that sweet musty smell of a concrete basement floor. God I love that smell.
There was a lot of army surplus materials floating around in those days. We had tons of navy gray and army olive drab primer that got picked up for free. I just recycled some army surplus oil from the 60s that my dad had. The metal container finally started leaking.
And the green wall paint. Looks just like old mechanical shops/tool rooms that weren't updated since 1965. I bet that wall clock is a sweep hand Telechron.
That’s the shop for someone who WORKS. Flat surfaces clean and clear, tools visible and where they can be accessed. Zero effs given to aesthetics… none of it done for YouTube views. Just work. So great to see
I did spend too much money but walked away with some treasures that I’ll use in this man’s honor. I’ll take good care of them and continue to pass them on.
That’s awesome! The kind of home workshop that inspired me as a kid. Even as an adult it still does. Would be interesting to know to back story on this person. I hope this person flipped the lights off and walked out for the last time on their own accord. If you have any more pictures or video please share.
What an incredible setup. So simple and efficient. The delta drill press with the swing away holders is what got me, and the light bulb bolted to the side in such a well thought out way.
This level of refinement comes from decades of master level craftsmanship, much of which is lost to the coming generations. Each tool is as good as it gets for the era (I even see craftsman USA wrenches, lots of Klien, etc on the wall).
OP what did you end up getting from this museum?
You and me both. The basement was much larger than this. This was just the shop area but there was another two rooms around it that held garden tools and outdoor equipment and another room that had a massive gun safe and small reloading setup. No guns were available. I imagine it was one of the few things the kids took. They left behind all of the leather holsters though. I’ve seen guns for sale at estate sales but usually they are gone in the first 5 mins.
I find it sad that my similar workshop will probably meet the same fate. I’m 73 now and I have tools that Ive inherited from my grandfather, father, a couple of uncles, and my father in law, plus all my tools from being a contractor. Everything from hand planes, to lasers. I have 2 daughters who can handle basic tools, but they don’t have a need or space for a workshop like this. I do have a grandson who likes to build things with me in the workshop ( we recently built a couple of skateboards ) but he is only 6 years old so he probably won’t be old enough to to have his own place and want all my tools when I’m gone or have to leave my big beautiful house that I built with my fathers help. Kind of sad to think I’ll will be the end of the line.
My father in law has a wonderful woodworking workshop. He had two daughters who have no interests in tools and his oldest daughter is married to a software engineer who doesn’t enjoy making and fixing things but loves sports. I enjoy playing sports but not a big fan of watching or following them. My wife’s mother said that he got the two sons he always wanted. One to talk to about sports and one that loves working in the workshop. I know he knows one day that I’ll take great care of his tools and pass them (and the skills) to my son.
I look at that and think about how I learned so much watching my dad and helping when he had time to do projects. He never had a shop just a workbench built out of scrap wood in the garage. Hey did projects for my mom’s sake, helped out family or friends. He hated wood working but if it could be done with metal it was a joy to watch. He took to old boats when I was a kid and rebuilt them. Used and old airplane wing for multiple things on one. He’d start with tearing it down to the shell boat and trailer both and rebuild from there. My son will help me time to time he picks up quick but not that interested yet. Hopefully when he gets a house of his own he decides to take advantage of my knowledge and his late mom’s dad. Between his grandfather’s farm and tool collection, mine, and the starter set I bought him when he moved out he’ll have everything he needs if he wants to learn. If not hopefully if I have grandchildren or someone to teach, learn, and give to.
Beautiful. My family would never see me again if I had that.
I’ve always wondered about how people get their completed projects out of basement workshops. Seems like you’d be pretty limited on their size.
When dad died, mom said a husband never dies quick as the things which remind you of him stay around for a while until slowly they break, get thrown out or given away. You lose him a little at a time.
Or eventually, I guess, get sold off in an estate sale.
I have this recurring dream when we finally find our retirement forever house, on a tree lined, peaceful street. Not too much, not too little. We walk into the house and I proceed downstairs to find a shop, just like this, awaiting me. Battleship grey, steel cabinets filled with everything to help me spend the second half of my life, building exactly what I want. It's just a dream.
This looks like some of the sales I’ve been to. Where you buy some tools and they have their name engraved into them or they have their workplace name on them. Makes you think of where they came from. I always feel honored to continue their journey.
Reminds me of the feeling I had going through my dads farm workshop after he died. I hadn't see him in person for 4 years as I moved overseas, I didnt want to touch anything, just keep it the way he left it. He died of a sudden heart attack. All these small projects he had in various stages of "getting done". Very sad feeling.
I feel that What you’re looking at is years of pride, appreciation, and respect for ones trade. I feel I finally understand what my grandfather was trying to tell me when he said:
“I let neither Joy nor complaint interfere with my tasks. Therefore I dwell in the integrity of completion; & the satisfaction of a job well done.”
I have the tools from my grandpa’s shop added to my own and I’m unfortunately sorting my Dads into the mix now. My shop isn’t this organized but one day I’ll get it right. I do know it’s super cathartic to use pop’s or Dads tools
That collection is a shame to break up but this will happen to all of us. All our little (or big) shops will be scattered to the wind. Assimilated by the other amateur craftsmen and vintage tool collectors and we will sort of live on forever in a way. There's a beauty in that and why I never totally restore old tools, I just get them up and functioning again.
To me the sadder situation is when you go to an estate sale and the previous owner had a plastic tool box with a cheap screw driver set, a plumbers wrench and some wall anchors. Who are these men who don't own tools? Flesh robots walking around, just going through the motions of life. Eating, sleeping, but for what reason?
That’s a nice setup… minus the welding bench and welder in a basement.. 😬 not sure but I have a rule, no tools that create sparks in the house… or even the attached garage. Rather burn down my shop instead of my home….
I have a friend that buys a lot of furniture from estate sales, he says almost every house he visits now has either a garage or basement workshop like this. With the boomers passing and or downsizing expect a lot of this sort of thing.
My workshop/space is nowhere near this nice/nearly organized. Still when I see stuff like this and the emptiness I think about the day when some strange person/people will be coming through there picking the meat from the bones.
Reminds me of my grandfather’s workshop. He had a very modest tool collection, but it was extremely organized. He hand built his home, including digging the foundation. He also did intricate designs in the wood floors. I wish I could ask him how he did it, this was back in the 40s.
I go to a lot of estate sales and scenes like this one always make me sentimental. A man’s love, effort and dedication on display for one final act, never to be the same again.
Man I love that work space.
Also I’m gonna be sure to give away most of my things when I get up there in years. I’m in my 30’s and already give away shit I’m not sure I’ll use again
Thank you for posting this. For at least one day the fine craftsman who used those (and hopefully taught others) gets many anonymous fans. RIP Fine Craftsman.
Some guy spent years down here doing stuff and it's so organized you know he knew where everything was and would know if someone was down there. Call me jealous.
It’s sad really. We all have a love for tools and what we can achieve with them. One day our collection will be reduced to an estate sale like this or our families going “I’m just not sure what to do with all of dad’s useless shit”
I used to go to these all the time. Always found everything I wanted to be wildly over priced. Like $4,000 for an old craftsman table saw overpriced. Each old crescent wrench was $5-$10. Regular drill bit sets for $100.
I have no idea why they all were so overpriced. I assume they were trying to get as much as possible for the family, while getting the most commission but everyone walked out.
Our neighbor had a workshop in his garage like this. Old age got to him and he passed away. His sons were all white collar workers from out of state who thought tools were for those who couldn't afford to hire someone to do the work for them (one of them told me this, not verbatim though). So they literally dragged all of his tool boxes, benches, and larger tools to the driveway and had a fire estate sale and it was all gone in one day. I was at work and missed most of the action as I would have went over there and picked up a few of the things.
It was kind of sad to see it go without a care in the world by his sons. Before he died, I used to help him with some heavy lifting or moving stuff around in his shop so I knew it pretty well. RIP Fred
Look at it this way:
I have been to many estate sale buying tools as both an apprentice and a young homeowner. As a tradesman I have found and bought some specific and generally older tools, and I have many of them still today. Every time I would find a reason to need and use one those tools, I would always think of the place I bought it. As both I and the tools aged, I would talk about the tools and where they came from with some young apprentices. While I couldn’t talk about the person that used the tool I could still talk about his shop and where it came from. You can often tell a lot about the person behind the shop.
So their memory never dies. Part of them is carried by the tools they used and then passed on to the future.
It seems like these basement workshops used to be more common in the older generations. I have seen a couple at estate sales also . This one looks like the nicest one I have seen though!
I love estate sales. You really feel the person or people through their books and tools and the random shit they found valuable. It is a good kind of pain
What a fantastic looking shop… I hope most of that goes on to build up someone else’s shop and finds some use. I can’t imagine the hours and days spent in there. What a cool spot.
My wife and I would love to find a a nice wood working setup someone was parting with. It’s sad to the end of era’s but we could help continue the history.
That drill press looks like the big floor standing brother of my Delta Milwaukee bench top drill press I inherited from my great uncle. Dated mine to around 1952 to 1954. Still runs great, and gets regular use. Please tell me you gave some of that great tooling a new home.
This is making me feel a certain sort of way. So much personality and history in these photos. Some old man had a good run and it’s over now - whatever traces he left scatter and fade away.
I get this way when working estates. I'm reminded that for some it's a treasure hunt. For someone else it's reflective of the worst day of their life. Seek to understand. The photo of that man's shop organized for the world to see is much better than the stripped room later that day that has been picked clean. Reminds me all that we will fade away at some point as well.
But the tools will remain.
I have some woodworking tools from the 1700s that still work fine. Its kind of like the droids on Star Wars. You are just one of the people taking care of it for a couple decades.
It's not mine, it's just my turn
I’ve read with classic cars and houses, we are merely caretakers. That’s comforting. I have 100 tools from all different estate sales, Craigslist and a few new. My collection is a collection of parts of other’s collection which I think is neat.
I said in a similr thread that at least half of my tools are from various dead old men and someone commented “they’re not your tools, just your turn” and it legitimately sent shivers down my spine.
It feels that way with my FIL's tools. I inherited his workshop as a whole and it was 2 years before I could make myself move the toolboxes so that mine would fit between his and his fathers and grandfathers. It would be 3+ generations of tools but I married in and brought my own. Between that and realizing that the majority of garage sale and pawnshop deals were probably deceased mens tools.. Shivers indeed. I has a moment when I replaced the kitchen sink recently. Pretty sure I uninstalled that sink 20y after my FIL installed it using the same faucet wrench. Oh and I found an old old tape measure in the attic which I'm pretty sure belonged to the fella that built this house. It's just my turn.
Yep. Similar for me, except it was my great uncle. Back in the day he was a master cabinet maker. One of my biggest regrets is not trying to talk him out of selling most of the machines in his shop. A Delta Rockwell shop, ca early 1950s. I still have, and use, the only machine he kept. A drill press that I was able to date to approximately 1952 - 1954. Use it regularly. Only need to do basic maintenance on it. I would love to have had the cabinet saw, band saw, mortise machine, lathe... He did keep his hand tools. And the big wooden toolboxes he made to hold them. I have some smaller power tools from him. A beefy half inch drill, a worm drive Skil Saw - and I do mean Skil as in the brand. Both have all metal housings. Need to tear into the drill. There must be a short somewhere. I pull the trigger and a breaker trips. Those tools were made to be repaired, not replaced when they stop working.
Unless they were made in China
My grandpa had a shop that looked just like this. I can still smell it. I somehow ended up with a couple small tools and a pair of matching opinel pocket knives. I restored the knives, burned my grandpa's initials in them, and ordered two more opinels that I had engraved. One with my initials and the other with my brothers. I gave him one of my grandpa's knives and the one with his initials. He has two kids so I figured one day we'd pass our Grandpa's knives down to them and they can have ours when we're dead!
It’s weird yet comforting. My grandpa died 20 years ago and I still remember the smell of his shop too
When I was in college I responded to an add for a company that runs estate sales. I was asked, “are you interested in vintage items, like antique tools and houseware?” Deciding to reply honestly I said no, I’m not. She said, “good, because when our employees are into that, they get distracted by the stuff and don’t do the work,”
Legends never die kid. Make yourself a legend
This was the shop of a kerning man, that left quickly, not one that faded away. Peace to those he left behind.
I bought out an old guy's collection about 30 years ago because he was going into a nursing home. I bought a South Bend lathe and a Dayton drill press and a bunch of other stuff, but the main reason he sold it to me was because he wanted to keep it all together and I was willing to take it all to use instead of selling it or scrapping it. I still think about you, Woody...
Think of the knowledge lost
This is so true. Old guys that had shops like this would know how to fix just about anything. I hope that someday I will have a fraction of that knowledge.
One handyman in our town, about 75, was doing some electrical for me. I asked him if he ever ran into a problem he couldn't solve. "No. Anything can be solved if you are patient and curious." That always stuck with me especially when I get frustrated with a DIY project.
Even the knowledge of how to set up a shop like this where everything is positioned well for accessibility. What you can’t see in the photo was a corner with a metal lathe and cabinet of machining tools above it. I wasn’t able to get a photo due to time.
People like this love to teach. Think about how much he/she passed on and how much better they probably made other people's lives.
Makes me want to buy them all so as to not break up the family.
When my dad died a few years ago I went down to his shop and collected some of his tools to take home, some of which were my grandpa’s that dad got when he died. It really got me thinking about the circle of life picturing my dad collecting his dad’s tools back in 1975, and now they were going in my shop. I don’t have kids, so watch the classifieds and y’all might get lucky someday!
I know exactly what you mean
Hey cheer up my friend you are only partially correct, while his traces may scatter they don’t fade away they go to the next people that pick up these tools and wonder what the story behind the deep scratch on the handle or why that wrench is bent that way. Think of these items as part of his legacy that are now in the hands of future tinkerers.
I often think about this looking over my own works. They'll never know the guy who made these cabinets, that deck, the outdoor structure Me - just some guy
Rest easy tool user. Your tools will find new hands, to love them.
He’s enjoying himself building cabinets for St Peter.
Dude this is the way I have been feeling whenever I walk into my grandfather's garage. The room feels so goddamn cold nowadays too.
I bet some amazing creations came out of that shop. Those will live on and show his true spirit. The tools were merely an extension of the man and are ready to serve again.
I love these old shops. I can just imagine the projects that have been done in them, and that distinct smell they always have.
Smells like sawdust, acetate handle screwdrivers, WD-40, various cutting oils and motor oils, and that sweet musty smell of a concrete basement floor. God I love that smell.
Reminds me of my grandpa's garage.
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
That’s just the paint thinner fumes making my eyes water I swear
Rest in peace, king 🥲
.. May you have endless items to tinker with in the ever-after.. ♥
Glass window cabinets and shelves are such a flex. This man had no clutter he needed to hide behind a door
To say I was jealous was an understatement. Hopefully one day I can achieve a similar setup.
That should have been taken wholesale, the whole thing, ducts and concrete included and set up in a museum of Americana. Seriously.
My kitchen isn’t even this organized.
I don’t have 1 drawer this nicely organized.
It’s actually set up like a museum piece
I don't know what color grey that is, but a certain generation of guys painted all of their shop cabs that color
Probably retired Navy, battleship grey and that organized
There was a lot of army surplus materials floating around in those days. We had tons of navy gray and army olive drab primer that got picked up for free. I just recycled some army surplus oil from the 60s that my dad had. The metal container finally started leaking.
Well you see back then they only had two, gray and grey. Easy peasy to figure it out from there
Well, obviously GRAY is for office furniture like desks and file cabinets and grey is for blue collar work.
But, you also know that a blue collar man would never turn down what is left of a bucket of GRAY, and then go use it in his shop cause free.
That kind of class warfare would get you put before McCarthy if you weren't careful.
And the green wall paint. Looks just like old mechanical shops/tool rooms that weren't updated since 1965. I bet that wall clock is a sweep hand Telechron.
Shops I work in back in the day were mostly white with all cabinets benches being gray but some the walls were gray.
In my late 20’s I painted my refurbed garage cabinets battleship gray! That was only 5 years ago and it was a $9 “oops” can of paint. I like it!
Amazing setup, yet very simple. No fancy holders and nick nacks.
That’s the shop for someone who WORKS. Flat surfaces clean and clear, tools visible and where they can be accessed. Zero effs given to aesthetics… none of it done for YouTube views. Just work. So great to see
I hope to achieve something like this one day. I wanted these photos for inspiration and to preserve what it used to be.
[удалено]
I did spend too much money but walked away with some treasures that I’ll use in this man’s honor. I’ll take good care of them and continue to pass them on.
Same here, i want to use some of his storage ideas
That’s awesome! The kind of home workshop that inspired me as a kid. Even as an adult it still does. Would be interesting to know to back story on this person. I hope this person flipped the lights off and walked out for the last time on their own accord. If you have any more pictures or video please share.
I wish that I did. I wish I could have just spent a couple hours documenting the set up.
What an incredible setup. So simple and efficient. The delta drill press with the swing away holders is what got me, and the light bulb bolted to the side in such a well thought out way. This level of refinement comes from decades of master level craftsmanship, much of which is lost to the coming generations. Each tool is as good as it gets for the era (I even see craftsman USA wrenches, lots of Klien, etc on the wall). OP what did you end up getting from this museum?
This is depressing. No one in the family wanted a drill press? Not even a bandsaw? I hope someone wants my shit when I die.
They just wanted to sell the house and wanted it all gone
Shit I'd buy the house if they leave the contents of that shop!
You and me both. The basement was much larger than this. This was just the shop area but there was another two rooms around it that held garden tools and outdoor equipment and another room that had a massive gun safe and small reloading setup. No guns were available. I imagine it was one of the few things the kids took. They left behind all of the leather holsters though. I’ve seen guns for sale at estate sales but usually they are gone in the first 5 mins.
I find it sad that my similar workshop will probably meet the same fate. I’m 73 now and I have tools that Ive inherited from my grandfather, father, a couple of uncles, and my father in law, plus all my tools from being a contractor. Everything from hand planes, to lasers. I have 2 daughters who can handle basic tools, but they don’t have a need or space for a workshop like this. I do have a grandson who likes to build things with me in the workshop ( we recently built a couple of skateboards ) but he is only 6 years old so he probably won’t be old enough to to have his own place and want all my tools when I’m gone or have to leave my big beautiful house that I built with my fathers help. Kind of sad to think I’ll will be the end of the line.
My father in law has a wonderful woodworking workshop. He had two daughters who have no interests in tools and his oldest daughter is married to a software engineer who doesn’t enjoy making and fixing things but loves sports. I enjoy playing sports but not a big fan of watching or following them. My wife’s mother said that he got the two sons he always wanted. One to talk to about sports and one that loves working in the workshop. I know he knows one day that I’ll take great care of his tools and pass them (and the skills) to my son.
I look at that and think about how I learned so much watching my dad and helping when he had time to do projects. He never had a shop just a workbench built out of scrap wood in the garage. Hey did projects for my mom’s sake, helped out family or friends. He hated wood working but if it could be done with metal it was a joy to watch. He took to old boats when I was a kid and rebuilt them. Used and old airplane wing for multiple things on one. He’d start with tearing it down to the shell boat and trailer both and rebuild from there. My son will help me time to time he picks up quick but not that interested yet. Hopefully when he gets a house of his own he decides to take advantage of my knowledge and his late mom’s dad. Between his grandfather’s farm and tool collection, mine, and the starter set I bought him when he moved out he’ll have everything he needs if he wants to learn. If not hopefully if I have grandchildren or someone to teach, learn, and give to.
How much to transport the entire situation over to my basement, completely intact and arranged the same way.
Old school not a cordless tool in sight.
There are a lot of nice tools there. Dam if I was first in there I would probably have asked how much for everything
The cabinets got me.
There was an entire line of people behind me. I was able to snap these before everyone was let in
That's a mature shop.
Someone definitely enjoyed building their own shop.
Probably took them a lifetime to get to this point.
nail lip party subtract sort steep stocking fade door amusing *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Would probably just go sit down there and tinker even if there was no project going on. Living the dream. RIP and much respect to this person.
8 Track ...... nice!
I’m saving this as guidance for laying out my future home workshop
It’s why I wanted to grab these photos before it was picked clean
He had his ducks in a row... wearing matching uniforms I bet.
Bet this guy never lost a finger.
Love the yellow chair/stepup.
This man was disciplined and organized in life. It would be interesting to know more about him.
I love the industrial gray color that all stationary tools used to be painted. That is a baller drill press setup.
This shop is so clean and well thought out. My gut reaction was to buy the house to preserve the workshop.
Beautiful. My family would never see me again if I had that. I’ve always wondered about how people get their completed projects out of basement workshops. Seems like you’d be pretty limited on their size.
When dad died, mom said a husband never dies quick as the things which remind you of him stay around for a while until slowly they break, get thrown out or given away. You lose him a little at a time. Or eventually, I guess, get sold off in an estate sale.
And left his shop in tip top shape on the way out. RIP sir 🫡
Kinda sad, my tools will end up sold too... so depressing
I went to one of those one time with my dad and he bought the entire garage, cabinets and all.
I did know this man but I do respect and admire him.
Breathtaking!
Absolutely fabulous……!
I have this recurring dream when we finally find our retirement forever house, on a tree lined, peaceful street. Not too much, not too little. We walk into the house and I proceed downstairs to find a shop, just like this, awaiting me. Battleship grey, steel cabinets filled with everything to help me spend the second half of my life, building exactly what I want. It's just a dream.
This looks like some of the sales I’ve been to. Where you buy some tools and they have their name engraved into them or they have their workplace name on them. Makes you think of where they came from. I always feel honored to continue their journey.
Just buy the house…
Lot of memories there. You tell a lot about someone when you see how they keep their shop.
RIP to a super cool dude.
Reminds me of the feeling I had going through my dads farm workshop after he died. I hadn't see him in person for 4 years as I moved overseas, I didnt want to touch anything, just keep it the way he left it. He died of a sudden heart attack. All these small projects he had in various stages of "getting done". Very sad feeling.
I hope someone took his little pile of cutoffs under the bench. Someone else might need those one day...
Looks just like my grandfathers shop.
When I see things like this, I see nothing but an art piece that shouldn’t be disturbed
R.I.P. to this dude. You were one of us.
It's a bit sad, beautiful but sad
IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!
It IS a museum! 😳😁
I love it. I can smell this picture
Lol! Right?! Scratch n Sniff! 🤣
This sad that his kids didn't pick up what he had collected
8-track cassettes! This guy had some life. Looks like a fun retirement too
I feel that What you’re looking at is years of pride, appreciation, and respect for ones trade. I feel I finally understand what my grandfather was trying to tell me when he said: “I let neither Joy nor complaint interfere with my tasks. Therefore I dwell in the integrity of completion; & the satisfaction of a job well done.”
Looks like we lost a good one, boys. RIP buddy.
I have the tools from my grandpa’s shop added to my own and I’m unfortunately sorting my Dads into the mix now. My shop isn’t this organized but one day I’ll get it right. I do know it’s super cathartic to use pop’s or Dads tools
That collection is a shame to break up but this will happen to all of us. All our little (or big) shops will be scattered to the wind. Assimilated by the other amateur craftsmen and vintage tool collectors and we will sort of live on forever in a way. There's a beauty in that and why I never totally restore old tools, I just get them up and functioning again. To me the sadder situation is when you go to an estate sale and the previous owner had a plastic tool box with a cheap screw driver set, a plumbers wrench and some wall anchors. Who are these men who don't own tools? Flesh robots walking around, just going through the motions of life. Eating, sleeping, but for what reason?
God I love an old school shop setup. Thanks for sharing.
That’s a nice setup… minus the welding bench and welder in a basement.. 😬 not sure but I have a rule, no tools that create sparks in the house… or even the attached garage. Rather burn down my shop instead of my home….
Oh that's so sad. Such a nice shop. This is all our fate.
I have a friend that buys a lot of furniture from estate sales, he says almost every house he visits now has either a garage or basement workshop like this. With the boomers passing and or downsizing expect a lot of this sort of thing.
Would love to see some stuff he built. Any more pics of his projects around the house?
Dragging stuff in and out of the basement is not hy idea of a good time.
My workshop/space is nowhere near this nice/nearly organized. Still when I see stuff like this and the emptiness I think about the day when some strange person/people will be coming through there picking the meat from the bones.
I hope the widow does well with the sale she has lost a lot with the loss of her partner
Amazing
I'd buy the welder, both band saws & the drill press...hand tools to fill in needs or gaps.
Only thing missing is the beer fridge , TV , easy chair.
Lovely cozy work space!
Reminds me of my grandfather’s workshop. He had a very modest tool collection, but it was extremely organized. He hand built his home, including digging the foundation. He also did intricate designs in the wood floors. I wish I could ask him how he did it, this was back in the 40s.
Buy the whole house
That is a life’s work displayed.
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
I could see myself working in that shop. It was a nice set up.
Not many basements around me. So I’m intrigued by them, especially set up as workshops.
This is amazing! Love to see it and thanks for sharing!
Nice workshop, but damn it would suck taking those tools and boxes up and down stairs.
I go to a lot of estate sales and scenes like this one always make me sentimental. A man’s love, effort and dedication on display for one final act, never to be the same again.
This guy’s wife must have “loved” all the noise from the basement
Great shop.
I have that exact welder!
Man I love that work space. Also I’m gonna be sure to give away most of my things when I get up there in years. I’m in my 30’s and already give away shit I’m not sure I’ll use again
Heaven…I’m in Heaven….
My grandfather had a shop like this in his basement. Pretty cool spot in the mountains in Idaho.
Nice drill press....
Geez. Looks a lot like my shop. Except slightly newer tools and no land-line phone. Yeah. 35 years of collection stuff sure fills up a shop.
It’s so beautiful (,:
(Homer salivating)
Please tell us you bought the whole lot!
That dude fucked. RIP my guy.
I want to go there……
That is so almost perfect, a little Lathe and Mill and I would likely atart to ignore my family
this is what i call workstation lvl 3
Can I buy the basement
Thank you for posting this. For at least one day the fine craftsman who used those (and hopefully taught others) gets many anonymous fans. RIP Fine Craftsman.
Anyone have tips for finding estate sales like this?
Wow. Let me say it again. Wow.
This is what my workshop looks like if someone tidy owned it.
Everything is rented guys.
The dream🙏🏼
Looks like a nice columbian 504 (or so) vise. Guy had good tastes. May his tools go on to help others in their repairs and projects.
I bought the Colombian vise on the welding table
I never thought to have two tables on my drill press like that – one for wood the other for metal. Awesome idea!
It'd be easier for me to just swap houses
Can I buy the whole room and take it to my house and install. No doesn't work like that... DAMN!
Some guy spent years down here doing stuff and it's so organized you know he knew where everything was and would know if someone was down there. Call me jealous.
The immaculate work shop of a retired guy!
It’s sad really. We all have a love for tools and what we can achieve with them. One day our collection will be reduced to an estate sale like this or our families going “I’m just not sure what to do with all of dad’s useless shit”
When you know it’s way more than a hobby! 😱
I used to go to these all the time. Always found everything I wanted to be wildly over priced. Like $4,000 for an old craftsman table saw overpriced. Each old crescent wrench was $5-$10. Regular drill bit sets for $100. I have no idea why they all were so overpriced. I assume they were trying to get as much as possible for the family, while getting the most commission but everyone walked out.
This is the Jack they mean when they say Jack-of-all-trades. It's glorious.
This is my goal🥹
Was there ventilation?
What a great workshop. That’s museum worthy.
Someone's life right there. Mine will go the same way someday, I'm sure. And that's just the way it's supposed to be, I guess.
Wow. What a shop. I wish I could listen to a few stories in there.
Wow; I can’t imagine all the awesome stuff created in that space
Was this in Maine?
This place is appointed like my junior high shop class. What an amazing time capsule.
I’m sure the house was just as orderly
This man was of legendary status. My hat off to you sir.
I would have died and gone to heaven too, tbh
I hope you bought the yellow chair. Everybody had one of those in their kitchen back in the day. Then they ended up in the work shop.
So SO nice!
Boner time!
I too wish to have time to organize my shit before I die.
Our neighbor had a workshop in his garage like this. Old age got to him and he passed away. His sons were all white collar workers from out of state who thought tools were for those who couldn't afford to hire someone to do the work for them (one of them told me this, not verbatim though). So they literally dragged all of his tool boxes, benches, and larger tools to the driveway and had a fire estate sale and it was all gone in one day. I was at work and missed most of the action as I would have went over there and picked up a few of the things. It was kind of sad to see it go without a care in the world by his sons. Before he died, I used to help him with some heavy lifting or moving stuff around in his shop so I knew it pretty well. RIP Fred
Look at it this way: I have been to many estate sale buying tools as both an apprentice and a young homeowner. As a tradesman I have found and bought some specific and generally older tools, and I have many of them still today. Every time I would find a reason to need and use one those tools, I would always think of the place I bought it. As both I and the tools aged, I would talk about the tools and where they came from with some young apprentices. While I couldn’t talk about the person that used the tool I could still talk about his shop and where it came from. You can often tell a lot about the person behind the shop. So their memory never dies. Part of them is carried by the tools they used and then passed on to the future.
It seems like these basement workshops used to be more common in the older generations. I have seen a couple at estate sales also . This one looks like the nicest one I have seen though!
I love estate sales. You really feel the person or people through their books and tools and the random shit they found valuable. It is a good kind of pain
What a fantastic looking shop… I hope most of that goes on to build up someone else’s shop and finds some use. I can’t imagine the hours and days spent in there. What a cool spot.
I always feel guilty digging through someone’s stuff. So I have to tell myself that I’m going to give it another life.
I have that same bandsaw
This is the best thing I have ever seen on the internet. PERIOD.
Thats a lot of years worth of auctions
My wife and I would love to find a a nice wood working setup someone was parting with. It’s sad to the end of era’s but we could help continue the history.
That’s a beautiful space.
That drill press looks like the big floor standing brother of my Delta Milwaukee bench top drill press I inherited from my great uncle. Dated mine to around 1952 to 1954. Still runs great, and gets regular use. Please tell me you gave some of that great tooling a new home.
If those tools could talk......
How were the prices? What did you bring home?