A Warco mill<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e, which went under the hammer for £520. These three v<strong>in</strong>tage steel planes, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g an 8'' dovetailed mitre plane with ebony wedge and a G Tiss<strong>in</strong>gton 7'' chariot plane, made £750 as part of the auction of a specialist tool collection. A Harrison <strong>in</strong>dustrial lathe used to manufacture exquisite model tra<strong>in</strong>s and trucks by a local eng<strong>in</strong>eer <strong>in</strong> his workshop sold for £2,700 at auction. From the makers of… ............................... By Stuart Hay ALL beautiful th<strong>in</strong>gs are made with materials, imag<strong>in</strong>ation and tools. Not just th<strong>in</strong>gs of beauty but practical and necessary items as well. Carpenters, eng<strong>in</strong>eers and lowly DIYers like you are me, need tools to make life easier. From the humble hammer, a meagre screwdriver or heavy-duty metal work<strong>in</strong>g lathes and mill<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e are needed to carry out the simplest of household jobs to repair<strong>in</strong>g and manufactur<strong>in</strong>g your family car they are all needed, along with a little skill. Then there is the beauty of the tool itself. Over the years carpenters and eng<strong>in</strong>eers, as part of their apprenticeships, made and adapted hand tools to suit the jobs at hand. Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton Auctioneers has sold some stunn<strong>in</strong>g tools and toolboxes over the years, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g one gentleman’s collection of axes, planes, saws and chisels from the iron age to the 1950s collected over 40 years and displayed <strong>in</strong> rooms <strong>in</strong> his house <strong>in</strong> Tamworth and Cornwall. This collection from the sublime plough and mould<strong>in</strong>g planes manufactured by Gabriel and Aux M<strong>in</strong>es De Suede <strong>in</strong> France, to the ridiculous six <strong>in</strong>ch hand chisel more than two-and-a-half feet <strong>in</strong> length along with shipwright and cooper<strong>in</strong>g planes, axes and hammers made <strong>in</strong> jolly old England by makers such as Hield, Cox and Luckman, Mathieson, all sold through The <strong>Lichfield</strong> Auction Centre and realised <strong>in</strong> excess of £30,000. On the other end of the scale we held an onsite sale, just a mile from our Fradley saleroom, of a deceased eng<strong>in</strong>eer who manufactured exquisite model tra<strong>in</strong>s and trucks <strong>in</strong> his converted garage/workshop. The mach<strong>in</strong>ery <strong>in</strong>cluded a computer controlled Warco mill<strong>in</strong>g mach<strong>in</strong>e, full size and m<strong>in</strong>iature Axm<strong>in</strong>ster lathes, pillar drill, hand power tools, turn<strong>in</strong>g blanks and sheet metal, along with lots and lots of accessories for the mach<strong>in</strong>ery. These, along with some his amaz<strong>in</strong>g models, totalled £15,000 for his long-time partner. Our House Clearance team came across an attic full of watchmak<strong>in</strong>g and repair<strong>in</strong>g equipment <strong>in</strong> one of our ‘normal’ clearances. This <strong>in</strong>cluded watchmakers’ lathes only a foot <strong>in</strong> length, This Axm<strong>in</strong>ster model eng<strong>in</strong>eer’s microlathe sold for £500. with mandrill, chucks, m<strong>in</strong>iature drill bits and cutters, p<strong>in</strong> presses, Rolex and Omega back removal tools along with spare parts, watch glasses, p<strong>in</strong>s, etcetera – another collection amount<strong>in</strong>g to thousands of pounds. It isn’t just large and extension collections that are sold at our salerooms. As you can imag<strong>in</strong>e, every household conta<strong>in</strong>s tools of various grades and expenditure. From the DIY enthusiast with a couple of hammers, saws and a power drill to more elaborate and skilled home workshops with wood or metalwork<strong>in</strong>g lathes and weld<strong>in</strong>g plants of all styles and sizes, such as a Parweld TIG weld<strong>in</strong>g plant <strong>in</strong> almost new condition with all the kit needed for its use. This realised more than £700 for a Coalville lady who had recently lost her husband. Another example is the elderly gent with fail<strong>in</strong>g eyesight want<strong>in</strong>g someone to utilise his Clarke metalwork<strong>in</strong>g lathe now that he couldn’t safely use it anymore – his cheque totalled £400 to help fund his next holiday for him and his wife. Our household sales will always conta<strong>in</strong> hand and power tools from different makers like Record, Rabone and Chesterman, DeWalt, Ryobi, Bosch, Milwaukee and many more. We try to cater for all wants and needs for purchaser or vendor where possible. Whether it is one item that you want to consign to auction or a larger collection for our team to collect, all it takes is a call or email to start the process – telephone 01543 251081 or email office@richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk. 16
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