The U.K.’s Classic Hand Tools (CHT) has organized an auction of David Charlesworth’s hand tools – 100 of the best tools he amassed and used in his storied and half-century woodworking and teaching career. The auction proceeds will benefit David’s wife, Pat.
The tools – each professionally photographed and properly described – are available for preview viewing now, and are arranged by tool type – planes, saws, chisels etc. CHT notes that more information about each tool, and a price guide, will be added as/if that information becomes available. Online bidding begins on November 24 and ends on December 1 at 4 p.m. GMT. These are tools that David actually used, and as such are in excellent condition and ready to put to work.
This is a “best offer” sale – the person who submits the highest bid in the closed auction will be the winner. CHT will ship the items at cost. For more on how to bid and how it works, take a look at any of the items on the CHT pages – at the bottom of each is a link for bidding information. Here again is the link for the main auction page.
– Fitz
p.s. You can read more about David in this post by Christopher Schwarz. Or by simply Googling him. He was a woodworking giant, and is greatly missed.
One thought… This is sad.
It is. But I’d much rather this than letting the tools sit and gather dust/rust.
It sounds like Classic Hand Tools is doing a really nice thing.
sigh… at this point, I can’t even afford a normal version of those tools let alone one owned by the master! So…. tonight I went into the shop and made a new handle out of cocobolo for my great uncle’s old 3/4″ paring chisel that I found in his workshop after he passed. It was great fun!
He probably replaced the handle twice and the cutter once in his day, too. Bet it cuts the same as the day it was new from the foundry. 🙂
Making handles is almost the ultimate in immediate gratification when personalizing your tools. One of my first lathe projects was to turn a couple long handles for my Lie-Nielsen chisels. They look like crap, but fit my hand well.
I hope there is someone you can pass that chisel to who will have the appropriate appreciation. I believe the tools are supposed to live beyond our brief time on this mortal coil.
When Auriou was going out of the carving tools business, years ago, I bought a bunch of those that weren’t made by anyone else. All were untangled. I had great fun using bits of odd woods that I had never used before. I learned a lot, and have some great one of a kind tools.