Succession Planning...what To Do With Our Home Shops/machine Skills

wrat said:
We, as a people, have lost lots of skills. Not just the quaint colonial skills of days gone by like "hay stacking" (a genuine skill).Wrat
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I used to work on the local farms stacking hay as a kid. I remember having to switch stacking styles depending on the preferences of the farmer. If you stacked it differently then what the farmer "knew" was right, there was hell to pay.
 
That worries me , I too have three daughters, a son in law who can't use a screwdriver . I mentored an autistic , but super high function in small engine repairs , engine and transmission rebuilds on mowers. This young man is a very good mechanic , going to higher training for Toyota now. He will be more then able to provide for himself . I am proud to have had him under foot at times . But he was happy to be here to get used engines and things to work on.
His love of life is engines , I'd be more then proud if my family offer this young man my mechanic tools and small engine supplies. As for the machine shop we will see what comes along before I croak , who knows God may need me work out the joints in the streets of gold.
 
I am a hobby nut and 74 years old. I keep a list of my hobby stuff, approximate value, and best place to sell posted on the wall near my desk. My wife and one son know where it is and hopefully it will bring in some serious cash for my wife if i die 1st. don
 
dontrinko said:
I am a hobby nut and 74 years old. I keep a list of my hobby stuff, approximate value, and best place to sell posted on the wall near my desk. My wife and one son know where it is and hopefully it will bring in some serious cash for my wife if i die 1st. don
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Not specific to my tools but I saw somebody once who recommended writing a letter to your heirs. Telling them where all the important papers are, account numbers, instructions not covered in your will, things like that. It seems like a good idea to have all of that in one place. Now I believe I'll include my inventory list of tools and machines with it.
 
louosten said:
I found this interesting topic on another internet forum (The Garage Journal) and coincidentally, had been pondering the future of my own situation:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321460&highlight=who's+lathes

As we go about merrily collecting machine tools, and building our skills inventory, building home shops, and cultivating Old World skills, what will become of all this effort once we leave this earth, and continue to our just desserts?

It worries me sometimes to hear Wifey announce that as soon as I leave, everything I have enjoyed over the years will end up on the curb, or to the eager drive-by for pennies on the dollar, should I be so foolish as to leave cherished machines & tools behind. And what about the skills...should we be actively trying to pass these on to younger generations, who at present aren't remotely interested in any of these activities?

Sorry for the pause in machining activity, just wondering if any of you 'over 65 types' have considered these thoughts too.
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I'm well on my way to being 67 have no family or relatives interested or capable of using my gear in an engineering manner .
Through my 15 yr old daughters friends I've found one of the other dad's to be a rock solid quality guy ( Monty ) .
He's 20 years younger then me & is a trained engineer but works as self employed with his team of seven guys as a floor covering , tiling & wall plastering specialist . He says he makes a heck of a lot more at it than playing at a lathe or milling machine .

In a couple of days I'm to have ( hopefully ) a total left knee replacement . I'm one of those people who for numerous medical reasons are considered at a much higher risk from dying because of the operation or it's after effects etc it than normal .
I'm booked in to a high care/dependency hospital bed for seven days , usually a normal person would be released on the third day in a standard ward after the operation.

This morning I got talking with Monty & have arranged that if / when I pop my clogs he can have all my engineering equipment including benches & cabinets , lathe , multi mode welder, wood band saw , metal band saw & all my hand tools of which there are many good quality ones all for nothing . I can't take them with me & I don't want the shiitehawks & vultures picking over my gear anywhere near my home or my wife & kiddy .

Alison my lass is in full agreement , so long as he leaves her one four drawer filing cabinet in the garage with a sensible e small " House " tool kit including one of the battery drills , one of the boxes of the 1 - 15 mm HSS twist drill & the box of 3 to 10 mm masonry drill bits & the 150 bar pressure washer .

:D I've told him if he collects early in the next 20 years or so I'll come back & haunt him . :grin:
 
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This has been discussed with my wife a few times. I want to keep all my stuff until I die. Life is for the living! The idea of slowly selling it off and waiting in boredom to die doesn't work for me. My wife knows the plan and has time to prepare if I go first. My junk will be her problem in that case. And likewise I encourage my wife to spend on hobbies to enjoy life while she can. Her stuff will be my problem if she goes first. Our kids know what we have and are welcome to it when we are done.
If someone took a genuine interest in learning from me I would be more than happy.
But all the stuff I worked hard to earn and enjoy does not have to mean anything to anyone else. I don't care what happens to my lathe after I die. We write off hobby stuff when purchased as entertainment (except for the house).
 
Tozguy said:
I want to keep all my stuff until I die. Life is for the living! The idea of slowly selling it off and waiting in boredom to die doesn't work for me.
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I bought a Stark 4S lathe from a man who was about 84 and living in a retirement community. He had used it to make wheel chair parts for his neighbors free of charge but now could no longer live there on his own. Still, he had kept doing something useful for longer than you might expect.
 
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Yeah, my father-in-law didn't give me his Shopsmith system until about a month before he and my mother-in-law moved out to Air Force Village. He was 89 at the time.
 
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