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allen levine

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new york city burbs
didnt want my wife to divorce me, she is home very ill with fever and when I started bringing old stuff into the yard she started yelling at me.
I just have a problem, cant help it. Its not like I cant afford to buy something, I just like taking old crap from other people and using it.


A neighbor of mine is in her late 90s and has been moved to a hospice for her remaining days.
Her son keeps in touch with me, as I was always around for his mother, checked up on her daily the past year, my wife always checked up on her, I took her once in a while to doctor or errand, whatever, if she needed me, Id never say no to her, and I always cleaned the snow off her walks, even though I was too ill myself to do all that work.
Im not saying its going to get me a spot up above when I go, but at least I feel I did something good for another human being not related to me, and I never stopped until she was moved to hospice.

There was nothing left in her home, just a mess of old furniture and household stuff, and today a crew with a truck was just tossing everything.
Very sad, just taking hammers and smashing her beautiful dining table to throw into truck.
I was speaking with the head of the crew, and he told me hes not going to be able to take all the metal and aluminum, do I know someone.
I made a call, the junker is someone I know, he was happy.
Anyway, I was going through, there were tons of little metal boxes filled with hardware, tools, and parts. Her late husband was a contractor and obviously this was all the junk stuff he saved.
This crew was not even looking. They were just tossing. I took 4 or 5 craftsman wrenches out of the garbage. Then I found a bucket filled with files and rasps, so I took a few of those.
There were fans, shovels, chairs, an old singer sewing machine, camping stoves, tons of metal and tin containers(she must have kept every one of them over the years)
Everything was filled with something, screws, silverware, parts, knitting stuff, cooking stuff, you name it, a lifetime was just being thrown out like that, made me a bit sad that this is how it all ends up when no family is around.
The crew chief came into my yard and asked me to come take whatever I wanted before they tossed it.
So, being Im a scavenger by nature, when I knew my wife went back to bed, I snuck over there.

Got me a junkie old block plane, 2 diston saws, in decent shape, another hand saw, (I wont use hand saws, but I like them anyway), as mentioned, files, a 35 lb c clamp, must be 18 inches, a dueling sword, a great find, an electric hedge trimmer, great, because I just broke mine recently, and I couldnt let the junk guy get the old milk box, its part of history, Ill have to hide that from the wife.
There were some oddball hand tools, pliers and stuff I had already thrown with some wrenches into the boxes in the back of the garage, but there was some cool old stuff, if only my wife wouldnt divorce me.
There were 3 boxes of silverware, the guy said nothing silver, but I looked anyway.

Anyone know the value, if any of the disston saws?
Does that c clamp have any value if I clean it up?

I had the camera down with me so I took a few shots.
 

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It is sad isn't it Allen.
My parents about 10 years ago started putting us kid's names (how's that for proper english) on things. Christmas we would ask for one large thing (I got the dining room table) they put names under everything. Then about five years ago, on our birthday they would tell us we could pick from a certain plate rail or room or china cabinet. Somethings they made us take then. Some we get when they pass on. Anyway, most if not all things are marked. Should cut down on arguements. Then like Larry, for my trusted guns, they'll go to my son in laws and close friends. The rest, have a sale and enjoy the money. But if you know my son in laws, there'll be no sale, they'll be buying another couple gun safes for their homes!!
Not having met you, I would guess you were that type of person to keep an eye on that lady without the thought of any monetary reward. Good for you, anything you pulled will be used or treasured. :thumb::thumb:

PS, make your wife a nice box using some of that rescued hardware so she has something from those saved treasures!!
 
because the construction and kitchen makeover is killing my plans for aug and sept, Im a little behind on my build schedule.
My wifes birthday is first week of Oct and I wanted to make her something special, but now Ill have to push the date back to sometime nov.
Ive been meaning to make her something, since Ive made something for everyone in my family, except her.(not including a pen or two)
 
Good on you for keeping some of that stuff out of the landfill. It is a shame to see someone's lifetime collection of things go into a dump truck.

I hope your wife is feeling better soon, too.
 
You can find aproximate prices for the saws making a search on e-bay. Opposite to planes they never reach high prices unless they are sought-after collectibles from the very early days which I think it is not the case as those look fairly new and unused. It is my guess that they could have 30-40 years although I'm not an expert at all.

You can try to locate them at the Disstonian institute to find out how old can be those models, http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/.
 
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