0:00:02 > 0:00:05Over the years on Flog It you've brought us thousands of items
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and we've valued and helped you sell around a million pounds' worth
0:00:08 > 0:00:10of antiques and collectables.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Now I want to share some of that knowledge with you,
0:00:13 > 0:00:14so sit back and enjoy
0:00:14 > 0:00:18as our experts let you in on their trade secrets.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49The world of antiques isn't just about the refined and beautiful objects
0:00:49 > 0:00:51that adorn the walls of the upper echelons,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54although we do see a great deal of those on the show.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Personally, I'm very interested in how some of these items are made.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01That's why today's show is based on the Tools of the Trade.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Coming up, Philip weighs in...
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Pork butchers? I thought butchers were butchers.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Charlie thinks he's got just the ticket...
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Hold very tightly!
0:01:13 > 0:01:16But which tools will do the business at auction?
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Fantastic! Brilliant!
0:01:25 > 0:01:28What I love about tools of the trade
0:01:28 > 0:01:33is that they tell us about the history and the lives of the working classes.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I suppose the question is, can something as seemingly ordinary as workmen's tools
0:01:37 > 0:01:41be considered antique and of value to a collector?
0:01:41 > 0:01:44You certainly bring along many items to our Flog It Valuation Days
0:01:44 > 0:01:49that once adorned the walls of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54So, what do our experts think you should be keeping an eye out for?
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Old tools, these wonderful old things,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03give us an insight into how people lived
0:02:03 > 0:02:04and how people worked.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07If you want to start collecting old tools, the things to go for
0:02:07 > 0:02:11are things that tell the story or the evolution
0:02:11 > 0:02:14of that particular tool, for what it was used for.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17There are certain trades and professions
0:02:17 > 0:02:19that are more collectable than others,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22namely anything to do with the law,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25anything to do with doctors, veterinary science.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Quite often, you come across a gadget that has a patent on it, or patent pending,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and then you think, "I've never seen one of those!"
0:02:33 > 0:02:37In other words, although it was patented, it was a complete flop.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41But that means it's rarer and therefore more collectable.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Our first item is certainly unique,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47so much so, it had Will Axon confused.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50When Eric came along to the valuation day at Exmouth,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52he had a mahogany box with him
0:02:52 > 0:02:54and I assumed it contained a microscope.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I was wrong! It had a miniature lace machine in,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00the like of which I had never seen before, or since actually.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02What is this?
0:03:02 > 0:03:04It's a little miniature net-making machine.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08The real machines are about 12-feet wide.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Right, so this is an actual sort of scratch-built scale model
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- of an existing lace-making machine. - Yes.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Because we're in an area that's pretty well-known for lace-making.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Is it Honiton and...? - Honiton and Tiverton.- Tiverton.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Honiton made the hand lace
0:03:24 > 0:03:27and Tiverton did the mechanical lace.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Right, so there's two strands of lace. I see.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32So, yes, the hand lace, with all the bobbins and so on
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and lace pillows and things like that,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and then this was one from the Tiverton side of things.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42- Did you work in the factory? - I worked in the factory, but I was an engineer rather than...
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I made parts for the original machines, the big ones.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Right.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51My father actually looked after the particular department that made the net.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It was really nice that he could give a real personal insight
0:03:54 > 0:03:57into the conditions of the time
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and the sort of setting you would've found the full-size machine in.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Are these the little thread bobbins? - The carriers, yes.- The carriers.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08- So, each one of these tiny little things is threaded?- Yes.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- Then they sit on this sort of cradle? - Yes.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- Set on each side.- Set on each side.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16We turn the handle here,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- which then variously moves... - Of the two pieces.- That's it.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25So they're picking up bits of thread each time they move backwards and forwards,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- and then... - It eventually comes out as a strip.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29As an actual strip of threads,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33which on the real machines, you're saying that's 12-foot-wide.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37A lot of the time when you get these scratch-built models,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41people think they're apprentice pieces, maybe to expand their skills
0:04:41 > 0:04:44or to show off what they could do. I don't know in this instance.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Maybe it was a trade piece to take to factories,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49to try and sell the full-size models,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54maybe it was an engineer, filling in time down in the workshop by building his own model.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Who knows? I don't think we'll ever find out the truth, but a nice thing nonetheless.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00What's it going to make?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- There's no comparable to compare it with.- No, nothing.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- Let's put it in at £50 to £100. - Good idea.- It could make 50, it could make 100.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12- At least you know that whoever's going to buy it is going to want it.- Yes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Miniature lacquered brass scratch-built model
0:05:15 > 0:05:18of a lace-making machine.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21There we are. We'll start this at £100.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22- 100!- Brilliant.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25£100. And ten. 120.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28130. 140. 150. 160.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31170. 180. 190.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- 200. And 20. 240. 260. - Eric, you've caused a stir!
0:05:35 > 0:05:41£260. 280. New place. At 280?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- He's reluctant.- Last chance...
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Yes! The hammer's gone down. £280.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51So definitely not run of the mill.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54As far as collectors of these types of things go,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58I would imagine it's more of a scientific instrument,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01a sort of tools crossover.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Hard to place, really. I'd love to know who bought it and where it is now.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08The lace machine was probably a one-off,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12but more often than not, the gadgets you bring along
0:06:12 > 0:06:16are everyday tools of the trade that have been kept
0:06:16 > 0:06:19because they hold a personal significance.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Carmel and Monica, tell me about this,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- because it's got history, hasn't it? - Yes. It's got quite a long history.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28My grandmother was a pork butcher.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31You brought these photographs along. In the window there,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- we can see O'Malley, which is the family name...- Our maiden name.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38..and it's got "Pork Butcher" there. I just find that quite strange!
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I quite like the butchers scales
0:06:40 > 0:06:43simply because my father and grandfather were butchers.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46What was really interesting about them
0:06:46 > 0:06:48was that they were pork butchers.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53I never knew you could be a pork, beef or lamb butcher. I thought butchers were butchers.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58- So these were in the family shop. - Yes.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I think they're really great, I really do.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02They're just lifted up from the norm
0:07:02 > 0:07:06by this lovely porcelain plaque, this transfer print.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09And you've got the weights with these.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- They're just a mish-mash. - They're a mix-mash.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15No-one's going to buy these to use them. They're a decorative thing.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17They're going to look great in a farmhouse kitchen.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19I think they're really, really lovely.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22The value in the scales
0:07:22 > 0:07:26is not necessarily that they came from a butcher's shop, or this, that or t'other,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28it's the fact that they can dress an environment.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31They're either going to look great in a farmhouse kitchen
0:07:31 > 0:07:35or someone might buy them as a shop accessory.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- What are they worth? - We don't know. We've got no idea.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44You're in excellent company! THEY LAUGH
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I think that someone will pay between 50 and 80 pounds.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51When I first started in this business 30 years ago,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- things like this, they weren't antiques.- No, not then.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57But all of a sudden, it's become a decorator's piece,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00it helps furnish the house, somebody's going to buy it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02One of the great areas of collectability,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06something that would've been dismissed through the years -
0:08:06 > 0:08:10like, who on earth wants a set of 60-year-old butcher scales? -
0:08:10 > 0:08:13but if you have that forethought to keep them,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16all these things that today have become collectable,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20if someone had kept all of them, they probably wouldn't be worth what they are
0:08:20 > 0:08:22because there'd be millions!
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Lot 2 is a set of cast-iron butcher scales.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29What shall we say for those? Nice set of weights. 20 bid.
0:08:29 > 0:08:3230. Two. 34. 36.
0:08:32 > 0:08:3438. 40.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Two. 42's there. 44.
0:08:38 > 0:08:4346. 48. 50. 52's by the door.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45£54. 54.
0:08:45 > 0:08:5156. 56, then, by the door. All done at £56.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Not a bad result. Not my 80 that I was hoping!
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- Philip was bang on with his 50 to 80.- Yes.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04It always amazes me what sells well at auction and what doesn't.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09But just because a tool is old, that doesn't make it valuable.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11You don't want an old plumber's hammer, for instance,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15or the fork that was used to empty the cesspit.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17That's not going to be popular.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It has to have an appeal, it has to have a collectability.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Every now and again, you see something
0:09:23 > 0:09:27that brings back memories of your childhood,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31and this was one of those things.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- Trevor, I think I recognise what this is, don't I?- Yes.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Tell me all about it.- I think you do.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41It's a London Transport punch ticket machine
0:09:41 > 0:09:46- of the kind that was used, I guess, in the 1940s and '50s.- Yes.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48What struck me about it is the weight of it!
0:09:48 > 0:09:53I mean, it's a really, really heavy, well-made bit of kit, isn't it?
0:09:53 > 0:10:00What was it? A large lump of metal that used to produce tickets on buses and stamp them,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02but that did it for me!
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Why should it be such an incredibly complicated piece of machinery
0:10:05 > 0:10:08when all it does is punch a hole in that?
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- Yes!- What's the answer? - Do you know, I don't know!
0:10:12 > 0:10:15But it works very well, it lasted very well,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- it went through a lot of tough service, I'm sure.- Yes.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- You didn't use it yourself?- I did,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- but not in a professional capacity! - Not in a professional capacity!
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- When I was a little boy...- Yes. - ..I played with it a lot.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- May I use it?- Of course you can.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34- In there?- In there.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Hold very tightly. BELL RINGS
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- There you go, you've punched a ticket.- I have!
0:10:41 > 0:10:43If you go onto a bus nowadays,
0:10:43 > 0:10:48a ticket comes whizzing out of a plastic machine at the front.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52This was a wonderfully mechanised piece of kit,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and I always think that the conductors used to treasure these items.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- You're happy to sell it?- I am.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00My guess is 20 to 30 pounds.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I don't think it's a £100 item, but I don't think it's a £5 item.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Shall we put £10 reserve on it? I don't think we've ever put anything as little as that on Flog It.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- That should draw people in. - It should do. We'll find someone to buy that.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16What are you going to do with the fantastic amount of cash?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- Oh, gosh! It's such a huge amount! - It is a lot.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- It could be life-changing, couldn't it?- It could!
0:11:22 > 0:11:24A bus ticket hole-puncher.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27These, believe it or not, were before my time!
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- Let's see it fly away. - What do we say?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32I don't know... Five pounds to start it off!
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Five pounds. 7.50. £10.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- £12. 14. Come on, have another one. - 30!
0:11:39 > 0:11:42£12 here. Can we sell it at £12?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- Rather!- Right, £12 here.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It's going. For the last time...
0:11:48 > 0:11:50All done. £12, then.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52£12!
0:11:52 > 0:11:56That's got to be one of the cheapest things we've ever sold on Flog It.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Two pounds over the reserve. - Two pounds over the reserve, yes.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02He's a very optimistic man, isn't he?
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- I think it's a bit of history for £12. I think it's splendid! - So do I.- I think it's great.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- And I've got enough for a cruise. - You've got...!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11On the Mersey!
0:12:11 > 0:12:15The ticket machine is a gadget, and people like gadgets.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Having said that, it only made £12
0:12:18 > 0:12:24and I still think that was too cheap for the item. Erm...
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Perhaps it has no appeal to anybody but me.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30But I think, watch this space,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34bus ticket machines will take off one day.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I'm not sure Charlie's being entirely serious.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44One thing we can be sure of, when it comes to collecting tools
0:12:44 > 0:12:47there's one trade that's a cut above the rest
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and also very close to my heart.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52The most valuable ones tend to be woodworking.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- Woodworking tools. - Woodworking tools, to be fair.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Good carpenter tools are highly prized.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03They are works of art in their own right.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08If you think of the magnificent furniture that was made in the Georgian period,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12the tools they made were no less magnificent -
0:13:12 > 0:13:15wonderful brasswork, wonderful polished woodwork -
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and, of course, they were very much treasured by their owners.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Matt and June, what can I say?!
0:13:22 > 0:13:25When you opened the box, what a reveal!
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Welcome to the world of precision woodturning instruments.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I think that sums it up, really. The Rolls-Royce.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Tell me, how did you come by this wonderful set?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I didn't know I'd bought it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Why?
0:13:39 > 0:13:41- Well, I bought a lathe...- Yes.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43..and when I came to collect the lathe
0:13:43 > 0:13:47they said, "We've got some tools that go with that."
0:13:47 > 0:13:49It was nearly 50 years ago.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- How much did you pay? - You're not going to believe this -
0:13:52 > 0:13:56£16 for the lathe and these came with it!
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Mind you, that's still quite a lot of money, isn't it?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- Oh, in those days. - It was for him at that time.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04How much were you earning then?
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Er, I was earning something like £30 a month.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Let's pick one out, for instance, down here. Look at this.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17- This is a typical woodturner's tool. - It is.- It's a gouge. You can see by the end.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21As with all precision instruments, perfectly balanced.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23That's not going to give you any grief
0:14:23 > 0:14:27if you're using this for three or fours hours every day.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32- It doesn't get any better, does it? You've made my day! You really have! - He's fallen in love with it!
0:14:32 > 0:14:37- They've all been punched with Holtzapffel & Co.- That's right.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Made in Charing Cross Road in London.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44John Holtzapffel, a German immigrant,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47started the firm in the late 1700s
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- and it was a father-son-grandson business.- Yes.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56His son, Charles, took over the firm, I think, in 1827.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02- Right.- And I think that's bang-on the date of these.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05I think we put a fixed reserve on this at £1,000.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07I'd love it to do £2,000.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10We need four woodturners in the auction room at the same time,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13fighting it out, and hopefully we'll get that!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17OK, so four woodturners was a bit optimistic,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21but did the bidders appreciate this collection as much as I did?
0:15:21 > 0:15:26201 - this fine collection of tools right behind me here.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The nicest set of tools I've ever seen.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34£800. £800. £900.
0:15:34 > 0:15:40£1,000. £1,100. 50 if it'll help anybody?
0:15:40 > 0:15:45£1,100. All done at 1,100, then?
0:15:45 > 0:15:47- Brilliant.- Great!
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- Just over.- Great!
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I was getting a bit worried, but we did it, didn't we?
0:15:52 > 0:15:54It's great!
0:15:55 > 0:16:01Since that sale, these tools have undoubtedly gone up in value even more.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05That's, in part, because collecting old carpentry tools is becoming more and more popular.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11So if you're buying or selling, check the body of the tool for engravings, patent numbers
0:16:11 > 0:16:15or other stamps that will help identify the maker.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Most collectors specialise in a specific maker,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21so check your shed for antique hand tools
0:16:21 > 0:16:25with names like Stanley, Belknap and Bailey.
0:16:25 > 0:16:31Most carpentry tools aren't hugely valuable, but there are a few exceptions.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33If you find a Norris plane,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37which tend to be rosewood and steel and very simply designed
0:16:37 > 0:16:41but quite large and engineered almost,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45they can range anywhere from five to £15,000.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Unfortunately, we haven't been lucky enough to see one of those on the show,
0:16:49 > 0:16:56but back in 2009, Michael found an antique drill that rather took his fancy.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59You know it's a tool, but you don't know what it was used for.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- It was a breast drill, a carpenter's breast drill.- Absolutely.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05So you've got this as the end piece,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09you put your drill in there and away you go.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11It's a wonderful thing.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17- How long's it been in the family? - It belonged to my father-in-law,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and if he was alive today, he would be 100.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24If he bought it when he was 20, it'd probably be about 80 years old.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27We're going back 80 years, so we'd be 1920s, wouldn't we?
0:17:27 > 0:17:31This is a real quality tool.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35The wood that we can't see terribly well,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39if we do that, it just brings the colour up and you can see that that's ebony.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Really expensive hardwood. You wouldn't get a piece like that today.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Looking at the wood, you've got a very close-grained dark timber,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51so it's going to be a species of ebony or rosewood,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54and that's very hard-wearing, it's very dense.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56With the breast drill, you're pressing it up,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00it's taking a lot of force and wear and that will resist it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05So it's a very sensible timber, but a very expensive timber to use.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09We've got these beautifully-made brass plaques,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12all screwed and bolted on and then gilded.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15That's real gold on there and then lacquered.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20- Fantastic tool. - It's not just brass, then?- No, no. There's a bit of gilt and lacquer.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Actually, the end piece here,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26we've got a little bit of ivory inlay there,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28which is totally unnecessary,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32it's just the chap that made it was that proud of it he thought, "Why not?"
0:18:32 > 0:18:37He probably made it in about 1850, 1860,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- so it's a good 140, 150 years old. - Good grief.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Anything that's as well-made as this obviously has a value.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Any ideas what it might be worth?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51No idea whatsoever.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Well, it's with its bits, in its roll.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- Lovingly cared for.- They might have a negative effect on the value!
0:18:59 > 0:19:01But it all helps that it's together.
0:19:01 > 0:19:07I think at auction, we'd be safe to put 50 to 80 on it.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Good grief.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Put a reserve at 50. You don't want to sell it for any less than that because it's a good piece.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16It wouldn't surprise me if I stood there on the day
0:19:16 > 0:19:19looking a bit foolish and a bit cheap on my estimate.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23- Are you happy to put it into auction? - More than happy at that price.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28But did anyone want to buy this vintage cordless drill?
0:19:28 > 0:19:3419th-century rosewood, ebony and brass carpenter's breast drill,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37together with other bits and pieces, lot 461.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42A lot of interest in this. Three commission bids, plus a telephone.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- We've got a phone bid! - I can't believe it!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Start the bidding at £95.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- Straight in at the top end. - At 90... 100 up at the top.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53105. 110. Commission bid's out.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Is there 120? 130. 140. 150.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- 160.- Fantastic!- 170.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03180. 190.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04200.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06And ten. 220.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11- At £220, if you're all done... - I didn't think it would make £20!
0:20:11 > 0:20:15- Fantastic!- Good Lord!- Brilliant!
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The fact that the drill was functional probably didn't make a great deal of difference
0:20:19 > 0:20:25because I believe you can get power tools down at the DIY store that require less effort.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29I would be amazed if someone bought it to use it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Nevertheless, it's an exquisite item,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and astonishing to think that it was made for use
0:20:35 > 0:20:38in dusty carpentry workshops.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48You know, I'm very passionate about old woodworking tools
0:20:48 > 0:20:52and in another life, I think I'd like to have been a carpenter,
0:20:52 > 0:20:58so you can imagine my delight when I was recently given the opportunity to get my hands dirty.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Now, I've been told up this lane, there's a rather unusual furniture-making workshop
0:21:03 > 0:21:06where they make tables, stools and chairs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09But you won't hear the whirl of machinery.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11That's because there is no electricity.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14In fact, there's no water, there's no gas,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17there's not even any walls to the side of the workshop.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19So when I go down in the woods today,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I'm sure we're all going to be in for a big surprise.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It's no accident that I'm here in Clissett Wood,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31named after the important local furniture-maker Philip Clissett,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34renowned for his traditionally-made leather-back chairs.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38He was revered by the Arts & Crafts movement of the 1880s
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and his chairs went from being sold in the local markets of Hereford
0:21:42 > 0:21:45to being stocked in London's Liberty.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53And one person who's continuing the tradition is Gudrun Leitz,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56a master in the craft of green woodworking.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Gudrun, tell me all about Clissett Wood.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- This is a ten-acre wood, bought in '94.- Yes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07We wanted to run courses in this traditional greenwood craft from the start,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10making furniture from the resources,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15from the green ash or cherry oak, whatever we take down,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and using it green, making components from it green,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and then going into the assembly, where some parts get dried,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- and putting it together as a stool or a chair.- Fabulous.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26And I'm certainly into that
0:22:26 > 0:22:32because it's freshly felled, it's easy to work with, it doesn't blunt your tools so much.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- That's right. And sustainable. - It's sustainable.- Yes.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Away from the technology and the pressures of modern life,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42traditional crafts are seeing quite a resurgence.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It's quite easily taught, it's quite easily learnt,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and so people can go away after a weekend with a stool
0:22:48 > 0:22:50or, after a week in the woods, with a chair.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52I've got some pretty good woodworking skills.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I'd love to make a little stool,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- maybe a bit of ash or a bit of oak, whatever we can find.- Yes.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- Can we do that?- We can do that. - We can go through the rudimentary steps
0:23:02 > 0:23:06- of making a tiny primitive stool... - You can.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09..which I'll give to my little boy! I think he'll love that!
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- Come on, then, let's get started. - Yes!
0:23:18 > 0:23:23It doesn't get any greener than this, does it? We're going to cut this bit down.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Lovely. Lovely.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Smashing.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34- Nice.- Isn't that lovely?- It is. - That's a great start to our legs. - Yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40OK. So now,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44put your weight on it first and then...
0:23:44 > 0:23:48- Push down.- ..take it down.- OK.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Perfect.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54That's very nice.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Magnificent.- Lovely.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02- These techniques, they've been around for centuries, haven't they? - Absolutely. And longer.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Yes. This is the basis of all furniture-building and woodworking!
0:24:07 > 0:24:10But it disappears as archaeological evidence,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12so it's hard to date it back.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17From about the time 3000 BC,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20most of the common furniture-making techniques we know today
0:24:20 > 0:24:23were already being used by the Egyptians.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Absolutely love it! You cannot beat this!
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Look... We've done two legs each. That's four legs.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34There's our tops, ready to socket-through the seat itself.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Right, next stage!
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I've got my cup of tea. And this here,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46what I've drawn, this sort of egg-shape,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48keeping it very contemporary,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52is what I'm going to, what we call, bottom out with an adze.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56'An adze was used to smooth and carve rough-cut wood.'
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Sort this out for me.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00'Its blade is at right angles to the shaft,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02'rather than in line with the shaft like a normal axe.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Cramp it in!
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'This allows you to bottom-out a piece of wood.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:11You drop down and then find the angle...
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- ..where it will go in.- Sure.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17- Should I have a go? - You can have a go, yes.- OK.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- There's quite a bit to do. - There's a lot to do!
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- I might see you in a good hour! - THEY LAUGH
0:25:24 > 0:25:30You can injure yourself, so it is important to keep your legs at least a foot apart.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Swing the adze centrally, bisecting your body.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I'm starting to use muscles that I haven't used...
0:25:38 > 0:25:40..for a few years!
0:25:41 > 0:25:44It looks like the teacher
0:25:44 > 0:25:46gets a easy job.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Two hours in now, and I'm working up a sweat.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- Gudrun.- I think that's beautiful.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- Concentrate just getting the rough... - Oh, those ridges out.- Right.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Be slow.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Just going with the grain smoothly...
0:26:09 > 0:26:14..before Gudrun comes along and gives me marks out of ten.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- Are you done?- Look.- Calluses?- Yes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Fantastic. I think you did fantastic.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24- So we can move on?- Yes.- Yes?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Let's socket those legs in.- Mm.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Gudrun has given me a giant pencil sharpener
0:26:34 > 0:26:37to give my leg a perfectly round tenon.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40A satisfying thing, this is!
0:26:40 > 0:26:44We mark up the stool with a good old-fashioned pencil and ruler
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and now it's time to get drilling.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48That's good.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50All the way down.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54'And a few old finishing touches...'
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I swallowed a bit then!
0:26:58 > 0:27:00It tastes good!
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Nearly the moment of truth. We're nearly there.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04OK.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05Lovely.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- Hey, well done. - I'm hoping for something tangible.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Well, I know I'm going to go away with something tangible -
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I'm not hoping because this is absolutely brilliant -
0:27:14 > 0:27:16that I can use for the rest of my life.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- That's very nice. - Yes, it's beautiful. Yes.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I'm just looking at this from here. That looks so sculptural.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- It's gorgeous. - I know it's got to be squared off,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31but now the moment of truth...
0:27:31 > 0:27:35It didn't even move, did it? That is as solid as a rock.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Oh!
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- Ah, this is so good!- Well done. - Thank you for being such a brilliant teacher.- You worked so hard!
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- I'm going to give you a big hug and a kiss. Thank you.- Well done!
0:27:44 > 0:27:46You've made my day!
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- Remember... - You've taken me back centuries
0:27:48 > 0:27:51to how these crafts worked, and that's what it's all about.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53We've all got a connection to the past
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- and this has given me a fabulous one here today in Clissett Wood.- Yes.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Thank you. You're a star. - And so are you!
0:28:00 > 0:28:04I went back to basics for the day and it was magical!
0:28:12 > 0:28:13As we've seen,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17tools of the trade are far more than dusty old implements.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21They capture a little slice of our not-so-distant past.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Whether you are buying or selling, there's not doubt there'll be
0:28:24 > 0:28:29someone out there you'll appreciate their beauty and value.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Join us again soon for more trade secrets.