Investing in only old tools is part of what keeps ThS ecologically sound. To get the tools and materials I need, I regularly dredge Craigslist, FB marketplace, and take city spanning nighttime walks. I also follow several auction sites. This week, I found a fancy new (old) toy for about the cost of a cup of decent coffee.
I often find interesting stuff at auction. Lots of junk, hordes of kipple, sometimes a lemon disguised as a ford ranger, but amongst all that, I’ve found an old metal turning lathe, nearly all the hand tools I own, and several of the power tools I use most often.
The best experiences are when I find things no one else wants like the above power hammer erroneously called a drill press. I guess it looks vaguely like one if you ignore the lack of a place for a drill bit, the stationary collect, and the overall hulk-ish nature of its design. It certainly beat the crap out of my truck bed.
It’s not a tool I need, or can even use right now. It, like the metal lathe and most of my blacksmithing tools, exist currently only to remind me to keeping looking for a new workshop. But, when I do manage to find a proper studio space, this mini mechanical masher will really help me move some metal.