I was first seduced by the sweet siren song of my great-grandfather's Stanley No. 8 jointer plane persnicketing thru hard maple. Lured further by the graceful lines of hundred year old brass, rusty steel, and tropical hardwoods, I fell headfirst down the old tool rabbit hole and haven't yet surfaced.
After a dozen years of nearly unrestrained acquisition, a lack of space pushed me to begin selling tools at local tool meetings and online. Although buying, collecting, using, and selling woodworking tools remains a part-time pursuit for me, it is truly one of my passions.
On these pages, you will find vintage woodworking tools and books for sale, as well as the RakeMaker, an innovative guide for beginning and experienced saw filers alike.
This innovative saw filing guide will be appreciated by anyone who has ever filed a Western handsaw.
As much as I wish to, I cannot keep every tool I find. Most of the tools I offer for sale are meant to be used, although a few collectible tools do crop up. No matter what you are looking at, be assured that all items are accurately described and photographed.
If you prefer the excitement of eBay auctions, you can search blackburntools for my occasional listings.
Finally, many of the tools I have sold in the past can be found in the archives. These will be maintained as a reference for the hand tool community.
From time to time, I document a tool restoration, woodworking project, or tool build that I find interesting. I have benefitted tremendously from the effort other people have made to document and post techniques, tips, and information. It is my hope that my contributions can similarly help others.
Although there are thousands of woodworking sites online, there are a few that stand out. These are some of my favorites. If you have any suggestions, send me an email and I will take a look at it.
If you are interested in purchasing an item, you probably have a question or two. Answers to most of the basic questions are found here.
Looking for Graham Blackburn's website? Other than being a big fan of his books,
I have absolutely no affiliation.
If you've never heard of Graham Blackburn, I urge you to take a serious look at his three volume set of classic traditional
woodworking books. As a hobbiest handtool woodworker, I find myself turning to his books time and again for knowledge, inspiration,
and entertainment. And did I mention he also sells some handtools on his website?
Oh, and if you're wondering why I call this little experiment Blackburn Tools, it's fairly mundane: Blackburn is a family name.
Are you interested in Old Tools and Tool Collecting? Want to learn more about tools, and meet some great people who have the
same interests? Please take a minute to check out the Mid-West Tool Collectors Web Site at this link:
www.mwtca.org.
