In Shop Blog

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.

There is a T-shirt in the back of my closet with the phrase He Who Dies With The Most Tools Wins. We joke here about our various “problems”, as in “Chris has a saw problem”, and we get nutty some times when we learn about new tools, racing to get our orders in before announcing something publicly. Of course, in our world this behavior is perfectly normal, but we do have to deal with wives and others who don’t always share our world view. When dealing with them, our motto is; There is No Substitute for a Good Excuse.As a service to our readers, here is one of my personal favorite excuses:I’m not so bad if I can find someone else who is worse.

The picture above is from a British auction site, and it is but a snippet of one man’s attempt to beat us all. The gentleman has gone on to a better place, and his executors have put his collection up for auction. Here is a link to the online catalog, some 900 lots and well over 1000 tools.

Spend some time drooling, maybe place a bid on something you really need and if anyone ever criticizes your need for more tools, point them in this direction. You’re not so bad after all, you’re OK, but that guy . . .

–Robert W. Lang

Looking for More Free Woodworking Information?
– Sign up for our newsletters to get free plans, techniques and reviews HERE.
– Like tools? We do! Read our latest tool coverage HERE.
– Looking for free project plans? We have hundreds. Click HERE.
– Learn a new woodworking technique today. Click HERE.
– Want more videos? See all our free videos HERE.
– Check out our selection of half-price woodworking books HERE.
– Get 8 years of Popular Woodworking on one CD. Click HERE.


Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Recommended Posts
Showing 3 comments
  • Herman Veenendaal

    He who dies with the most tools is still dead.

  • David Pickett

    As Christopher Walken said in "The Rundown," "That’s a lotta [planes]."

  • Jonas H. Jensen

    This person is definetely an axample to us all.
    May he rest in peace in the eternal woodworking shop where an edge never get dulled, there is no tear out, and you never run out of clamps.

    By the way, my favourite excuse is normally, that I don’t smoke or use money on candy, so I am sort of allowed to use them on tools etc.
    (In health freak Denmark a package of cigarettes is approx. $6,5)

Start typing and press Enter to search