Rehtorical Question; When does it stop?

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smith357

Joined
Feb 19, 2005
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587
I just rationalized spending $50 on a rusty old axe head, Now I'm trying to rationalize not buying it. I don't need another axe at home or the cabin. I could really stand spending the money on new files. Then there is the handle and my time. I'm just running out of room in the tool cabinet. That's it, I need to build a bigger tool cabinet. :)
 
Make a rule - can't buy a new one until you hang another one. Or if you really wanna get crazy make the rule - can't buy until you sell!!!!!!!! Lunacy! Right?
 
The $50 price would make it easy for me. You don't have to spend that much, you can two nice ones for $50, or 3 pretty good ones.
 
Hell, I try never to spend more than $30 and I get my hands on some awesome heads. Most come in at $18-25. I've got about a 10 head backlog now.... No time to hang the new ones, and no time to sell the old ones!
 
Just the fact that I even considered spending $50 gets worrisome. I can see a very slippery slope, next is $75 then $100, I sure don't want to be that guy that spent over 1K for some wall hanger. I have come down to earth now and will crawl back into my less than 10 no more the $20 hole. :)
 
I put a $20 limit on my axe purchases a few years ago. I have backslid a couple times. The problem is picking out which nice axe or hatchet to take on my few camping trips.
 
halfaxe said:
I put a $20 limit on my axe purchases a few years ago. I have backslid a couple times. The problem is picking out which nice axe or hatchet to take on my few camping trips.
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I will almost never pay more than $10 just because i don't have to. I find so many and most so reasonably priced that it's easy to pass on expensive ones. However, I will make exceptions. I found 3 axe heads in an antique store a few weeks ago, a full sized Winchester Dayton for $35, a Manhattan Axe Co Niagara and a Maine wedge from I forget at the moment that were all rare and in great shape. Those two were $25 each. I could never pay those prices on principal and was able to group purchase the 3 for $60 instead of $85. It was still way over what I normally spend, but sometimes if you see something that you may never see again you have to be willing to pay more if you really want it. A beautiful Plumb Dayton for $25? No way. That's a good retail price, but I know that I will see many more in the future for $5-10 in a barn, flea market, estate sale etc. A rare nice Maine wedge from an obscure old maker (just as an example)? If you like it, don't let that one go.

If it's for you, and you don't buy often, you can pay up to retail. If it is to sell, know what they retail for and make sure you leave yourself a good amount of room. As an example, I picked up an old shipbuilding adze head in a shop for $10 because I liked the look of it. I figured if it didn't sell I'd enjoy having it anyway. It sold for $31. I saw a guy on Craigslist selling a bunch of stuff and saw two adze heads among the pictures. When I inquired I was told that he was looking for $65 each for them. This is where knowing your prices is important. I didn't even bother trying to talk him down, just said thanks anyway. Also, know what is really valuable. If I saw a Black Raven, a nice Sager Chemical etc. I would definitely be willing to open my wallet much wider.

Lastly, don't be afraid to buy things that you just like if the price is right. If you see an axe with markings on it that's in solid shape for $5-10, I would buy it every time even if I had 10-20 already. It will never go to waste.
 
For me, it has become less about how much I spent or how many I have. I started out trying to snag and example of everything- realized pretty quick that first that would never happen due to $$, second that I was really not that taken with most of what I was getting.

Now it is more of what sings to me. I have several good working axes, I do not NEED anything more. But I have really began to admire the design and work that went into the older, less mainstream axes. My minty Stohler gets admired weekly- a real prize to me, the 100.00 I spent on it has never bothered me and I would not trade it for a Black Raven.

Now I am into Upper NE axes, the design is simple yet the quality is excellent- look at a good maine profile, very basic but the symmetry and heat treat are excellent and they quietly function like no ones business.

Bill
 
People may think I'm crazy but I just spent well over a hundred on a Spiller double-bit. It's something I really wanted, would have regretted not getting, and probably will not see more in that shape for some time, if ever (I asked someone else who sells Maine axes and he said he hardly ever sees them, so that justifies the price for me).

I figure if it's something I really want and can most likely get a good lifetime of use out of then I'll spend a fair bit on it. I'm also nearing completion of what I need/want, so I know axes won't be cutting into the budget much more. I don't think I need any more felling axes, just a couple limbing and splitting beasts. I'd rather have a few that I am crazy about than a lot that are just ok.

I'm willing to spend up to Gransfors prices if it's something I really want and should be a top quality geometry and steel.
 
It's not so much adding to a collection for me, although I can understand a collector mentality, having collected many old tools over my lifetime. I figure my 15 Hudson Bay axes are enough as a collection. Anymore I just get a lot of satisfaction finding a neglected but good condition old axe head for low cost, cleaning it up, and putting a handle on it.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
People may think I'm crazy but I just spent well over a hundred on a Spiller double-bit. It's something I really wanted, would have regretted not getting, and probably will not see more in that shape for some time, if ever (I asked someone else who sells Maine axes and he said he hardly ever sees them, so that justifies the price for me).

I figure if it's something I really want and can most likely get a good lifetime of use out of then I'll spend a fair bit on it. I'm also nearing completion of what I need/want, so I know axes won't be cutting into the budget much more. I don't think I need any more felling axes, just a couple limbing and splitting beasts. I'd rather have a few that I am crazy about than a lot that are just ok.

I'm willing to spend up to Gransfors prices if it's something I really want and should be a top quality geometry and steel.
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I think that it sounds like you made just the right decision. I'm glad it found it's way to you.
 
jblyttle said:
I think that it sounds like you made just the right decision. I'm glad it found it's way to you.
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I think so. I'm also in a rural part of Canada so even finding used ones often involves a drive of an hour or more, and finding Maine axes is pretty unlikely here. I've gotten some good local ones in the 10-25 dollar range, but I'm a little jealous of you guys getting so many 5-10 dollar finds (I'm sure you do your work for em).

There is something about restoring those cheap finds though that is quite satisfying.
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
I've gotten some good local ones in the 10-25 dollar range, but I'm a little jealous of you guys getting so many 5-10 dollar finds (I'm sure you do your work for em)
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Yeah, I benefit from living in one of the oldest parts of the country, and an area that has a long history of serious wood harvesting. There is a ton of that history still in evidence around these parts, lots of old tools sitting quietly in lots of dark places.
 
I got my Stiletto hewing hatchet as payment for re-beveling a machete. Hard to beat free axes.

My collection is my favorite "cheap" (read as "undervalued well-made") stuff like a 4# plumb Michigan and an unmarked (pre-1910) forge welded Connie boy's axe. Not worth the moon but can hang with the high dollar fancy stuff all day.
(The stuff worth more to someone else than it is to me moves along as soon as it's finished.)
 
Axe Master '94 said:
I got my Stiletto hewing hatchet as payment for re-beveling a machete. Hard to beat free axes.

My collection is my favorite "cheap" (read as "undervalued well-made") stuff like a 4# plumb Michigan and an unmarked (pre-1910) forge welded Connie boy's axe. Not worth the moon but can hang with the high dollar fancy stuff all day.
(The stuff worth more to someone else than it is to me moves along as soon as it's finished.)
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My sentiments exactly. I'll sell one axe for $60 and it's cousin that won't sell for $25 but is of equality quality is the one that I keep.
 
I guess another question would be, What do you want to achieve with the axe? If skill is your purpose it may not matter that much to you what you find since a great axe can make you look skilled or a poor axe can show you how you've overcome limitations. If aesthetics is your purpose there may be an axe that will always look better on your wall than what you already have. Or if selling is your goal there is almost always a way to improve your return on investment.

I think your goals determine whether or not the collection will stop, not to suggest that either way is bad or wrong. Just that setting certain goals will force you to look for certain axes or repair axes for different purposes.

Hopefully that makes sense.
 
Well said, and a good point. I sell, so my collection is what I wouldn't make good money with. If I was able to afford not to sell some of the rarer axes I've had, I'd have a collection four times the size of my current one. I've sold axes that (to my knowledge and research) are incredibly rare, to the point where I'll likely never see another like it. So it is the mentality you have that determines what sticks around for a while.
 
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