Now is a good time

Now is a good time to do an inventory of your workshop. Use a spreadsheet to identify all your tools and against each indicate date of acquisition, cost, todays 2nd hand value and Estimated original price. Should something happen to you (Don't mention the "V" word) it may help your family. Send a copy to your insurance company perhaps ?

Another good thing to stop boredom setting in whilst going through this isolation period / Lock down would be to write your life story, search the internet of places you worked at and include photos etc. A lot of us were apprentices - include all that stuff as a modern apprenticeship only scrapes the surface. Those of us who toiled for 5 years on nuppence an hour and stayed on at college etc have lots to tell another generation.

Of course, you could finish off that project that you started some years ago.

I told my kids that I'm bu**ered if I'm going to do lists in case I croak.. they want to inherit then they can do the work. If it were possible I'd rather spend my time findign out about tall those rcreational drugs and loose women I keep hearing about - though doubtless I'd just embarass myself.

I have been writing 'tales of pgk' for years - just the amusing bits rather than academic or professional cases.

My list of unfinished jobs is growing and i shall only fo what I fancy and worry about the horrible chores if I make it through.

I stopped at the chip shop today - apologised for not being in for months 'cos i was on a diet and health kick - but that seems rather pointless now....

pgk

Put your 3-jaw chuck in a box labelled " This is a 3-jaw chuck for xxx lathe". Find the second set of jaws for your 3-jaw and put them in a bag clearly labelled with words like "These MUST be kept with the chuck that is currently on the lathe or in this box.". Something similar applies to chuck keys, spare plates for the dividing head.

I could write my life history down on paper and sign it but they might put me in jail

Catalogue the contents of your workshop?? How long are we expecting this shut-in to last then?

I stopped at the chip shop today - apologised for not being in for months 'cos i was on a diet and health kick - but that seems rather pointless now....

Not pointless at all. That improved diet and health kick, could well stand you in good stead if/when this virus takes hold of you!

I may well be alone in this, but I find the recurrent concern about workshop 'values' puzzling. For one thing, values will be in the 'length of string' category - there's no Glass's Guide to workshop tools. Secondly, I class workshop 'stuff' as equivalent to (say) holiday expenditure, both in amount and residual value. You buy it and (even better than holiday costs) write off the expenditure but have continuing future value in useability!! If you subsequently sell it, the amount is irrelevant ... its all bonus. Doesn't seem to work like that in most of the forum posts. "What's it worth, was it a bargain?" Can't ever recall a "got xxx years use out of ***** , worth every penny I paid for it! Anything more than scrap value is a bonus!" I'm probably being too simplistic!

rgds

Bill

Well you can put your head in the sand but like it or not over the next few months there are going to be some widows getting fleeced by house clearers and garage traders claiming there is no market for an immaculate Myford.

My biggest fear is that when I'm gone she sells it for what I said I bought it for...

For most people, when you lose a partner such material matters suddenly become completely irrelevant. Puts it all in a very real perspective : it's only old junk. Hubby had his fun with it. Its purpose and value are now over. Then there is the painful business of getting rid of it. Quick and easy is best.

Better to spend your time now telling and showing your loved ones how much you love them . Dont take for granted that they know this already or think that it's silly etc . They won't be there forever.

Workshop valuations could be used following fire, flood or theft - not just for when we drop off this planet !

I wouldn't dare tell my insurance company what my shed is worth!

Jim

I've told my beloved that if I pop off before her and one day I'm looking down on her I see a skip I will haunt her for the rest of her days

Martin P

I now my insurnace co would expect every item over a set value being listed and then give a massive hike on their rates and if disaster strikes they'll revalue everything at lowest secondhand value and give you a proportion. I've just had to accept that some things will be uninsured. My insuranace rates are high enough just with the needs of owing this piece of rural Wales and the liabilities I have to cover for roadside hedges and trees and the fact that the public might take short cuts across it and trip on a molehill or let their kids fiddle with farm machinery....

Maybe your family would take up model engineering and use the workshop and tools to finish the unfinished projects - as an act of homage. They would say "I now know why they did it all these years" .

Nothing unexpected in the responses. but, as a f'instance, Bazyle's concern re 'fleecing' would be avoided by ... what? His decision (not to be negotiated?) on the value of his various machines. 'Book value' (no such publication) ? Initial cost minus x years depreciation? Latest 'bidding war' similar item on Ebay? ... etc., etc. There are no useful guidelines for 'valuing' our machines - it's 'piece of string' territory, so how does the 'avoid being fleeced' idea work?

rgds

Bill

Wise words Hopper, no need to say more. I'm lucky to still have my better half after 50 years together but it won't last forever.

Martin

When we were trying to sort things out after my parents died, one of the hardest things was finding passwords. I would recommend getting a password manager e.g. Bitwarden Set the master password to something that you and your SO will remember and make sure your children know where to find it too.

You can also store secure notes, so lists of where all your money is and useful things like NS&I numbers can be safely stored.

Regarding the workshop, perhaps some notes on how to dispose of it all would be a kindness. We regularly see posts from relatives asking either what is it worth or how do I sell it.

A point just made by my wife. get out all your photo's and write on the back who they are etc.

Grim times, but I wish everyone of you the very best of luck and hope to see you all on the other side.

Adrian

I thought about looking for those drugs and loose women too, although I,m not sure I could handle either of them now. Still , it,s an interesting idea !!

"Write down the values?????"

Lets get real about this.

Who the hell is going to buy it???

The vast majority of those left hardly know how to make toast, few years ago, 17year old grandson rang his Mother to ask "How do I make a bacon sandwich?" I was there when the phonecall came in and yes, did someone get a right b********g !

Regards Ian.