OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

11555 <Bhermanek@a...> 1997‑01‑05 Bio
Well here it goes my first try of sending something to the Galoots out there. I’
ll start out by saying that I’ve collected antique tools for 19 years and use ve
ry few of them, with a collection of over 2000 I don’t think its conceivable to 
use them all. I got into collecting and using antique tools when I was about to 
get married and we had no furniture, so being pretty good in my high school shop
 classes I decide to show the future bride how handy I was . I proceeded to whip
 out my arsenal of routers ,circular saws and other implements of destruction. I
 made a trestle style coffee table and a somewhat colonial style end table. I go
t to thinking after they were all complete that I hardly used 1 hand tool on bot
h pieces. I decided to go to a book store and see how the old time cabinetmakers
 would have built them and the tools they would have used. It was a pretty basic
 book on antique tools but it really turned me on.   There was a flea market not
 far from where I lived so I decided to see if I can pick up some of these tools
. Well I shot my whole $20.00 that day and I was excited. I would go back every 
week from then on and got to be known as the tool guy. This was great until I me
t up with another tool guy ,I thought I was the only one who was buying this jun
k! He then told me about a club, The Early Trades and Crafts society here on Lon
g Island. Well I went to my first meeting and it was all downhill from there. Gu
ys brought down Ultimatum braces, odd Stanley planes ,rare rulers, it was to muc
h. I thought I died and went to heaven. At this point in my life I was into gun 
collecting and hot rods ,these all went by the wayside to collect, study, use an
d demonstrate old tools. I became vice president of the club a couple of years l
ater but I wasn’t happy the way the club was going so me and a couple of other o
ld tool guys started the Long Island Antique Tool Collectors Association. I was 
elected president 9 years ago and still hold that office. The club has a members
hip of about 170 ranging from as far away as France and Colorado. I’m also presi
dent of the Long Island Woodworkers club for the past 2 years and a member of th
e Long Island woodcarvers club which is something new for me this past 6 months.
 I have to admit I still have my arsenal of power equipment and use it but I get
 great enjoyment using many of my hand tools in my collection. Over the years my
 interests have waned in the areas I collect. When I first started out I was mos
tly collecting everything and anything. Then it turned to wood planes, braces, l
evels etc. Then I got into antique machinist tools but that only lasted a couple
 of years (Karl Sanger was happy about that). My main interest is now Stanley to
ols and has been for the past 5. My wife helped me out with this decision of wha
t I should concentrate in. We were at a Bud Brown’s auction and there was a #42 
Miller’s patent gunmetal plow plane going up for auction, I said I’d really like
 to have it but It’ll will probably go for $1200.00(1992 or 3 prices) so she sai
d if that’s what you really want why dont you specialize in Stanley . A couple m
onths later I sold all my machinist tools and many of my other antique tools and
 started to buy Stanley tools   very heavily . Well the rest is all history. The
 collection is almost all Stanley and I was honored recently by the guru of the 
galoots Pat Leach to use my plane collection to film "Stanley planes by Numbers"
, yes that’s me sitting on the treadle jig saw making pukey ducks and the handin
g Pat the electric router. It was great fun. 
I know this was long but I guarantee you’ll never get anything this long
from me again other than a for sale list. 
Bill Hermanek



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