In this episode:

How Ted grew up in a family of collectors

The unexpected $6 auction purchase that started his tool obsession

More than 40 years of collecting antique tools

Restoring thousands of vintage hand tools

How buying and selling helped Ted build a higher-end collection

Turning a lifelong hobby into Ted Dawson Antique Tools

Why collectors love "the hunt"

Leatherworking tools dating as far back as the 1830s

Why old tools were often built for functionality and repairability

Vintage C.S. Osborne, Gomph, Johnson and Barnsley tools

Oversized vintage leather edgers

A rare adjustable French edger

Antique leather draw gauges and strap cutters

A nineteenth-century Huber draw gauge

Barnsley leather plows

Brazilian rosewood tool handles

The difference between modern and vintage tool ergonomics

How decades of use physically wear into antique tools

The craftsmanship and ornamentation of nineteenth-century tools

Why high-quality modern hand tools still exist — but serve a smaller market

Why a vintage Stanley can sometimes provide the same functionality as a much more expensive modern hand plane

The surprisingly deep world of vintage vise collecting

Using vises and custom jigs to make a shop more versatile

Polish FPU and Bison vises with reverse-moving jaws

What to inspect before buying a vintage tool

Why rust and seized components aren't always dealbreakers

Why broken or missing internal parts can be much bigger problems

Ted's approach to restoration

Where to find Ted's collection of user tools and collector pieces

Find out more about our guest on his Website

Follow the show: leathershoppod.com · @leathershoppod

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