A consummate artist much better describes him. If he was willing to share his knowledge with kids I certainly hope he passed his skills on to some adults too but hopefully one or more of the kids will also follow in his footsteps.
still argue that he is a hoarder, mostly because he has duplicates of the same (mesuring) tools time 5 at least more than a duplicate of 2 is allready overkill
This could outfit 1,000 machinists for a lifetime. God bless this man. You can feel the heart in this place. I can't stop smiling. What a beautiful spectacle!
Being a professional precision Machinist I am only hope he shared his knowledge to as many people as possible, is a dying art, but every once in a while you will find a diamond in the ruff. Thanks for sharing this great man life with me.
As a hobby machinist I was rendered speechless by what this video represents - both the value of all of it all and the mind of the man that amassed it all. It seems likely another collection of this extent probably doesn't exist on this planet.
Sitting here at almost 4am almost in tears, the amount of time and energy spent on this it breaks my heart. Hope who ever gets these items they care for them as much as he did.
It's sad that all of his things are separated. I admire this man. I hope all of his items are stored in a museum somewhere. It would be a pain to separate them.
@@stevensims3342You can see that shop is set up for work. Just bought extra stuff in later years, which cluttered shop. Make no mistake, that guy had insane amount of tools 25 years a go. No human can collect that in 10 years.
I have always looked at it this way. First, he very well may have saved things from being scrapped that were headed to the scrap bin. At the time thought of as garbage. I see it all the time. Secondly, if there weren't people that collected, saved, etc. stuff that was considered "junk," or "garbage, " or "obsolete"there wouldn't be cool "vintage" or "antique" things for people who never seen one of something before to drool over and buy 50 years later.
Old my goodness I've worked with tools ,welding ,and machining , my hole life and I'm 63 now and I've never seen or even herd of a collection like this. So many times the spouse still living has no idea of the value of there deer departed has left behind. You guys need to have reserve's on all this stuff and stay honest with his wife. You have one chance here to make sure things are done right. With that being said that's the best way you can pay tribute to his life's passion , skill, and trade. Man I would have loved to have been his apprentices.
I worked at Starrett's 40+ years ago and it is amazing seeing all the old Starrett things that he had. You might even want to contact Starrett's to see if they might be interested in some of their vintage things.
You might want to catch up with recent goings on with Starrett. To say no one is interested would be accurate. No one's even interested in running Starrett today. Let alone anything to do with Starrett. They gone.
In my 60 years on earth, I have never seen anything like this. The amount of knowledge and skill this man took to the grave, is unfathomable. I am in total awe of this display of greatness. Wow.
I have so much respect for this man, and his love of machines and tools is undeniably a work of art in itself. I share his love for all tools. I hope to win some of his jewelry making tools just to have his presence in my studio. My sincere condolences to his family.
Wow, that's awesome! Especially hearing his interest in showing the neighbor kids, and I'm sure at least one of them already knows what they want to do when they grow up. That's all it took for me in 1986, and my life was set!
If you find my citizen Orca titanium watch in there send it to me. Loved Russ, spent many afternoons visiting him in his shop. He had it all, personality, style, and a great tool collection!!!!! The jig bore is from the Tonka Truck factory.
Well... if I were a millionaire, I would make a global offer and keep this collection all together, I'm that impressed! This would be the ultimate tribute to this man's life. I'm a sucker for all of the precision stuff, machining, metal working, classic tools, quality stuff... This little black pantograph is from H.P Preiss, I have one of them. Unfortunately, mine isn't as complete as this one. I'm only 43, collecting cool bits every time I get the chance. I also like restoring machines too. These FPU bench vises are in gorgeous condition.
This is one of the most beautiful examples of meticulous collecting I have ever seen. I could spend days in here and just be absolutely fascinated the entire time! This place would give Adam Savage a heart attack!
Adam Savage is small potatoes compared to this. There's got to be someone out there with even more too. There's always someone with more. As much as this one guy had he had an awful lot of duplicates and was missing stuff too. Where's the tool cutter grinders? Where's the Deckels? He didn't like those? Give it a rest with the watchmaker lathes already. He had them stacked up like they were cordwood. Once you have 3 of something you've got it covered then.
@@1pcfredSo you can tell what he never had from not even being in the room 🤣 honestly I see you posting on loads of videos and nothing is ever positive , Mr know it all that's always saying how he can get things cheaper and never paid more than a dollar for this and that , you must have been spewing when you seen this video , thinking up of things to criticise instead of just admiring the guys collection .
@@williamn01 what's to admire? It was clearly a problem. I never claimed to know it all. But I do know some problems when I see them. All of it is so much junk today too.
After 50 years in the trade as an R&D Machinist, I'm 3 years into retirement & though i still have access to the last shop i worked in for 28 & 1/2 years till retirement i love to see stuff like this & like you guys it would be a field day just to get to see in person all this. I think the oldest machine i ran was a 1958 Le Blond Regal which needed to be scraped but the place was too cheap to pay for that plus that is a lost art not many can lay claim to, but the lathe did what it did & once you get the hang of those little old things it would work just fine. Tried to get them to put a digital readout on to help but again they were a bunch of cheapies so straight up manual was the best i could get other than waiting 15 years to get them to buy a 12-inch chuck to replace the original 8 inch. I miss the comradery with my coworkers who some now are where i am, sleeping late & doing anything we want. Sad kids don't want to be in the trade as it means work & getting dirty. LOL Desk jockeys!!!!! Gonna take my time watching this as it looks great. Thanks for sharing & no this guy was not a hoarder just a collector & if you have the money & room there's not a thing wrong with having so much cool stuff that made our trade a proud one to be a part of. Those are some fine Gerstner's & i have but one which is 1942 model i got for nothing as it was a wreck so i did refinish it from the ground up leaving what parts i could & now it looks great. All this equipment will take a long time to unload but it will a blast going through all he had & i must say i have not seen a lathe with a microscope lens attachment but if he was doing watch stuff, he would surely have used the hell out of that. And i though i was having troubles finding machinists to buy the 50 years' worth of stuff i ended up with!!!! Good Luck with sorting out what's what & i hate to say this but it's the truth we are a dying breed & it won't be so easy to sell much of this even though he did keep things in good shape.
Well, that blew my mind. I'm an old hobby machinist and have been knocking around for years picking up odds and ends for my home shop. I have never seen anything like this in person or on the internet, and I probably never will again. Thank you for sharing this awesome collection. RIP Russell.
What a wonderful, beautiful, sad sight. I only hope things that belong together stay together with someone who cares as much as he did. I wish I had grown up next to him and learned one-tenth of his knowledge. Thank you Russell and Topper Machine for sharing this with the world.
Those tools need to be used. This guy had so much premium quality stuff that thousands of homeshop and hundreds smaller businesses enjoy using them for decades. Josh already immortalized the wealth of collection.
Figuring out what goes with what machine will take some sleuthing. You have collets that are specific to a certain lathe, along with fixturing, slides, tooling, etc. You almost need to start with the obvious items well known and then work backwards. It's a really wonderful puzzle you have to unwind. I look forward to the auctions. ePop
Like y'all, at every turn, all I can say is, "Wow, wow, WOW!" His love for the craft just overflows out of every nook and cranny! I really hope and pray that these sales can recompense the widow for all the love and sacrifices that she obviously made for her husband during his long battle with cancer!
Machine tools are expensive......But the tooling is priceless.....This really is an amazing find. I hope all goes to a good home where it will continue to be used and appreciated. RIP Russ.
Please do an interview with a family member when they are ready- we all have the same condition- but this fellow took it 1000x further. In his honor, we need to know more. This man was special, and it would be a shame if all of that was lost. I suppose the shop tour speaks for itself, but it is so unique that to do the man justice- it would be nice if we could hear the whole story. Thanks!
@@JoeMikuljanJr It's sad that all of his things are separated. I admire this man. I hope all of his items are stored in a museum somewhere. It would be a pain to separate them.
I'VE BEEN AROUND PRECISION TOOLING FOR OVER 65 YEARS , AND THIS IS CRAZY OCD AT IT'S BEST !!!!! WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR TOOLS THEY CAN LAST FOREVER !!!! AMAZING !!
You’re right Josh - not a hoarder (just got through the whole vid). A collector and steward. Hoarders don't label their material stock that carefully, or keep things in meticulous condition. There's just a LOT of it. Appreciate you showing it all to us. 👍
I have never seen a machine shop so immaculate outside on NASA. A most impressive collection for a single individual, everything chosen with discernment.
Holy goddamn smokes. I´ve never seen anything like this, after 48 years in metalworking. This must have cost millions and millions of dollars. Only the finest high-end tooling worldwide in this collection. How on earth could a human keep up with this monumental amount of tooling? Imagine if you look for something...i wish you good luck in finding the item....Somehow its very sad to rip that collection apart....i should become kind of a museum....I know you cant do that. That was a breathtaking journey for a toolmaker/machinist like me. Thanks for showing this one of a kind find to the world, Josh.
The guy with the most tools when he dies Wins! Russell you won! An unbelievable collection! Beautiful, meticulous, and impressive. I wish i had known sooner but i'm greatly appreciative for this video, i'll be bidding.
Several years ago, I encountered a very, very similar situation. My sister’s friend from her work, had lost his father recently, and he needed help trying to clear out the house and property to get it ready to sell, in order to settle his father’s debts etc. His dad was also a precision machinist, and he had an impeccably organized shop building on his property. But he was also a hoarder, and every square inch of his entire house, rafters, garage, was almost completely filled with stuff, floor to ceiling. The yard was full of decaying station wagons, full of machinery stored in them, for later use maybe? And dozens of still new, unopened lathes, mills, drill presses, laying out in the yard, all rusted throughout, never opened. I’d never seen anything like it. You had just narrow little passageways in the house through the piles of stacked books, manuals, parts, boxes of stuff. You had to use a flashlight just to get throught the house because the windows were all blocked with a ton of stuff. I mean, it was incredible. And a little scary, because I have more stuff than I really should, and in a few more years I might be in the same situation. So I learned my lesson there, for sure. 🫤
This is amazing but also heart breaking that he passed at the age he did, such a shame he didn’t have another 30+ years to enjoy all his amazing tools. If this auction was in the UK I’d spend a fortune buying most of what I have just seen - I hope for Russell’s sake that as much of this is bought, kept together and cherished by like minded people - He sounds like an amazing man! RIP Russell
How can you enjoy any of it like that? He needed 20 times the floor space. Then maybe you can enjoy it. Like that it's just a fever dream. I'd love to open this drawer but I have all this stuff in the way. There were places it'd take you days to get to in there.
What an AMAZING collection of tools and tooling. The skill behind the machinery that was lost, must have been simply fantastic! Thank you for sharing this collection!
Wow, Watching from Ireland, If truth be known I think ive started to go down the same route, but will never have or possibly see a collection like this again. RIP Russell, and thanks Topper for showcasing this, it was heaven on earth.
What a beautiful collection of fine tools and machinery. This man must have had an amazing life. Wouldn't have been nice to have talked and visited with this man. Had to be a fine Craftsman filled with the highest degree of knowledge and experience. Please give thanks to his Widow for allowing you Josh to come in and share all of this with your channel viewers. And thank you to the Auction people as well. How do you sum up the life of a man like this. His life and tools is almost like a Museum. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend. 👍 🇺🇸👍
The starrett tools hat at 12:10 should be in one of the auctions! What an unbelievable collection, as a woodworker that needs infeed and outfeed for his big old vintage machinery, and also works in a tight space, and also can’t stop collecting more machinery, I’m jealous of the ability of the jewelry smith/watchmaker/fine machinist to fit many cool metalworking machines and far more accessories into tight spaces. Thanks for sharing this shop, and for selling it off the right way. You’re doing a great favor to the memory and legacy of the nice sounding man who collected and restored so much amazing equipment.
Amazing, but I understand a man's love for tools. I just hope it all goes to people that will appreciate it. Old manual machining is going away in industry in the US. I am 73, I need to stop buying hand tools, I have more than I need but I still find it hard to pass up on a good deal. My three sons and three grandsons will enjoy what I have some day. Thanks Josh for showing this on your channel, I am sure it will help with the eventual sale of this collection.
I'm in the same boat. I certainly have enough tools for me now but if I see something I might still pick it up. The price does have to be right though.
A lot of it a museum is all its good for now. Those pantographs are scrap today. I'm sorry but that's just how it is. I was watching a video a little while ago where a guy got a beautiful one with all the tooling for nothing. It was either he took it or it was headed for scrap.
@@kimj2570 there's someone out there for everything I suppose. But anyone thinking any of it is worth near retail today is mistaken. Pennies on the dollar.
I'm glad you have the appreciation of his collection ,I am also happy he saved all these tools and machines form the scrapyard I wish you all the best homing these .
I am a retired toolmaker . This man's shop is a great work of art . Too bad he's gone . He had probably been forgot more than many men would ever know . Wish I could have known him . ❤❤
That is one incredible collection. A retired toolmaker now, many of the items here bring back memories of the days when I worked with real craftsmen. I have a small collection of tools that are sentimental to me, but they would all fit in just one of his cabinets!
this is just incredible display of a man and machinery,the delta toolmaker surface grinder blew me away.I wish I could have met this man.God bless us with more people like Russell.
Saying wow doesn't do this collection justice. The difficulty the Auctioneers will face is figuring out what tooling and fixturing goes with the specific equipment. I'm amazed at the quality of all this equipment.
Having dealt with museums most of my life, I hope none of it goes to one. Locked away to rust and not be enjoyed. Private ownership is the best place for this collection.
At least the auctioneers look like they care. I bought a milling machine once, the vice for it was leaning on the base of a drill press next to it and they gave the vice (a decent 6" milling vice, obviously not a drill press vice) to the drill press buyer as they said it was in the drill press photo. I luckily met the drill press buyer and bought the vice from him on pickup. Matching this stuff will be next level.
@@benchapman5247 The auctioneers get a percentage of the sale so they absolutely do care. So they will squeeze every dime out of it that they possibly can. Because they'll get a penny out of that dime for themselves. Pennies add up to dollars.
It reminds me (not in monetary value) of a saddle maker in town, who went home for the weekend, had a heart atck and never came back to his shop. It was so emotional for me to see his lifetime collection of tools, half finished projects and all his work laid out for when (he thought) he was coming in on Monday. I absolutely know this guy enjoyed every minute of his time surrounded by the things he loved. Don't put off doing the things you love.
This is an incredible collection Josh, just incredible. One of the saddest things about losing someone, is going through all their stuff afterwards. The difficulty of what to keep, what to throw away, and finding things you never knew. Sadly, I have this job to do, as my 32 year old daughter passed away on 1st August. I'll have to watch this video in sections, as it's a bit tough going for me right now.
It's very encouraging to hear Premier is going to do their best to sort this collection into appropriate lots so they go to those who need them, and the widow gets the most value possible. It makes me wish Mr. Garens could have had an enormous shop to spread his collection out. I suppose there will be a "steal of a deal" or many that often happens at auctions BUT everything looks to be in pristine condition. This was just mind boggling to see and i hope you do some follow up videos.
I can't even find words to describe that collection, just blown away. I will be keeping an eye out on auctions for sure. RIP to that great man, he must have had such a wealth of knowledge.
I honestly can't comprehend how one person could accumulate such a collection in only 61 years of life. That effort alone is monumental, not to mention finding space for it all, moving stuff around to fit more stuff. And now to liquidate it all in only a year or so. I hope I never burden my family with such a task.
@@TopperMachineLLC Wow. That is an amazing "accomplishment." Based on some of what was said about him, I wonder if he was neurodiverse. To get that much done in a short period takes some serious determination and focus, the kind that most of us with more typical neurocognitive abilities can't do.
Reminds me of my shop. So much equipment and tooling with no flat surface to do any work 👍 Hopefully next generations can appreciate this wealth of tools and machinery that most likely will never be made again.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful collection and the story of the collector . You have done justice for the collector as well as his widow ; my deepest condolences to her .
This man was amazing. I learned stuff I didn't know existed. This could be a whole channel in itself. Being a machinist for 40 years and second generation after my father I totally understand. My tools are my livelihood and my poem of my being. We all have a story if you take time to listen. Thanks for showing this amazed and in awe.
Hi Josh, watching this video made me feel so sad, it is so unfair that a talented person like Russel appeared to be, could be taken so early in his life, he was obviously a man with a deep appreciation for quality machinery and what could be achieved with it.
Im kind of blown away after watching this. Please do more vids on his shop. Wow. It is a museum, nearly a shame to move things, but it cant be just left like that. What a collection 👍👌🇦🇺
You can feel this mans passion. walking into that shop every day must have been magical. "Hard to find stuff, now you know why its hard to find. Because he had it all". LOL. good for him.
almost inconceivable one person could accumulate, sort, organize, store, so much. How was he able to find all this pre-internet?? Truly a monumental achievement.
Pre internet? The guy was only 61 and it all appears to not have sat for too long so why would you assume it was all bought pre internet. I have been buying tooling online for 25 years now not likely much of this was accumulated too long ago
Unbelievable collection, thank you for showing us around all the good stuff well preserved is a treasure and I can only imagine what is still tp discover. This auction will bring in 7 figures
I especially like the screw jacks being used as shelf bracing. I always say you can't buy it all, when you miss something, get outbid, didn't go to a sale and later find it had great stuff etc, but I think Russell really didbuy it all.
What a fantastic tribute and amazing collection. I’m glad is window was paid appropriately. A lot of awesome tools and the market shows we still value and want these tools.
I have never seen so many collets in my life, not in any shop anywhere ! There is a small chucker lathe in this video that I would make room for in my shop. What a mind blowing video.
@kimmoj2570 I disagree. You are buying the machine. The aloris holders anyone with an aloris tool post could use. There best bet is to sell all the tooling separate. Hundreds of people have the same lathe but need more tooling.
WOW! I'm 66 years old, a journeyman tool and die maker, machinist and tool and cutter grinder. What an incredible collection. And all in like new condition. Wish it was closser to Texas. I'd love to see it all.
I knew Russ briefly, when I sold him the Hardinge HLVH about 15 years ago. He invited me to his house to show me his collection of machines and tools, and I say "collection" not hording, because how he explained, it to me was that, he just loves fine tools. He told me that he is not alone in his affection for tools, he has acquaintances that have storage buildings full of machines and tooling that they have collected not necessarily to use, but to just find, buy, and own. That is what I believe is the real reason for the collecting. BTW: When Russ was showing me all his tooling, he had a draw of grinding wheel blotters, which I asked if he would part with a few; his answer was, “not really". Therefore, you can see he would not part with any of his collection.
@@farmcentralohio I believe they were referring to the clutter that Russ had recently created, as when I was their, everything was organized and uncluttered.
@@BronzeAgePuritan The lathe is in great condition, i only sold because i purchased an HLV--EM. It also has a complete set of change gears for metric thread cutting.
To say this is incredible is an understatement. I don't think there''s even words to describe this. The range or machines and the range of tooling to go with them and almost everything is is almost new condition. What a sad loss that Russell passed at only 61 years of age. For sure the auction house is going to be here for a lot more than a year to get through everything. They certainly have their work cut out to get everything catalogued and listed.
This is a collection Like I have never seen, I am not a machinist, but I have worked in machine shops and this is a collection I dought exists anywhere on earth. There must be over a million dollars of tooling in here.
What’s the rarest tool or machine you’ve ever seen or owned? Share your stories in the comments below!
I don't think he was a hoarder I think he just needed a bigger shop
You got that right.
I think he would have "overfilled" any shop.
A consummate artist much better describes him. If he was willing to share his knowledge with kids I certainly hope he passed his skills on to some adults too but hopefully one or more of the kids will also follow in his footsteps.
still argue that he is a hoarder, mostly because he has duplicates of the same (mesuring) tools time 5 at least
more than a duplicate of 2 is allready overkill
Absolutely. The only difference between a collector and hoarder is flat space.
Sad to see someone passing away with this level of knowledge and focus.
R.I.P.
Look up the obituary. This guy was not that old. Amazing!
@@BMRStudio I think the saddest part is the world lost another craftsman.
@@hotpuppy1 yikes! He was a year younger than me. How in the heck did he accumulate so much?
This isn't a collection, this is a museum! Holy cow, guys!
This could outfit 1,000 machinists for a lifetime. God bless this man. You can feel the heart in this place. I can't stop smiling. What a beautiful spectacle!
Not 1,000. A few dozen is reasonable though. Certainly no one person needs all of that. One could stay busy with a small fraction of it all.
Being a professional precision Machinist I am only hope he shared his knowledge to as many people as possible, is a dying art, but every once in a while you will find a diamond in the ruff. Thanks for sharing this great man life with me.
Not only have we lost Russell, but we have lost his knowledge and talent.. Rest easy sir..
@@robhawthorne6892 I'd love to even have a fraction of his knowledge.
The knowledge and talent we just lost. Wish I could have worked under this man I never met
@@JoeMikuljanJr I wish he would have had a UA-cam channel so he could have captured a lot of that knowledge.
It should be a crime to dismantle this amazing shop. This collection and the care taken is a work of art.
As a hobby machinist I was rendered speechless by what this video represents - both the value of all of it all and the mind of the man that amassed it all. It seems likely another collection of this extent probably doesn't exist on this planet.
Unfortunately to my wife I wasn't rendered speechless, my profanity did not stop for almost one complete hour!
Sitting here at almost 4am almost in tears, the amount of time and energy spent on this it breaks my heart. Hope who ever gets these items they care for them as much as he did.
It's sad that all of his things are separated. I admire this man. I hope all of his items are stored in a museum somewhere. It would be a pain to separate them.
He wasn't a hoarder. He was a collector of quality machinery and tools.
@@RG-li5zq he was a straight up Guardian of quality and precision
He was the Man
No he was definitely a hoarder but an organized one. Stuff filling the entire house. How could one person ever use so much, stuff. It's mind boggling.
@@stevensims3342You can see that shop is set up for work. Just bought extra stuff in later years, which cluttered shop. Make no mistake, that guy had insane amount of tools 25 years a go. No human can collect that in 10 years.
I have always looked at it this way. First, he very well may have saved things from being scrapped that were headed to the scrap bin. At the time thought of as garbage. I see it all the time. Secondly, if there weren't people that collected, saved, etc. stuff that was considered "junk," or "garbage, " or "obsolete"there wouldn't be cool "vintage" or "antique" things for people who never seen one of something before to drool over and buy 50 years later.
You can't call this person a hoarder. He was a collector. Everything is valuable.
The fact that he could run all those machines and make or fix things. He knew the story behind everyone of them. What an amazing person.
Did you know the man personally, or are you assuming a lot ?
Old my goodness I've worked with tools ,welding ,and machining , my hole life and I'm 63 now and I've never seen or even herd of a collection like this. So many times the spouse still living has no idea of the value of there deer departed has left behind. You guys need to have reserve's on all this stuff and stay honest with his wife. You have one chance here to make sure things are done right. With that being said that's the best way you can pay tribute to his life's passion , skill, and trade. Man I would have loved to have been his apprentices.
I worked at Starrett's 40+ years ago and it is amazing seeing all the old Starrett things that he had. You might even want to contact Starrett's to see if they might be interested in some of their vintage things.
You might want to catch up with recent goings on with Starrett. To say no one is interested would be accurate. No one's even interested in running Starrett today. Let alone anything to do with Starrett. They gone.
@@1pcfred Incorrect, we all pray.
@@RRaucina no they're toast. You have to go Mitutoyo today.
@@1pcfred Mitutoyo is the best.
In my 60 years on earth, I have never seen anything like this. The amount of knowledge and skill this man took to the grave, is unfathomable. I am in total awe of this display of greatness. Wow.
This is a magical place, and truly one of a kind in the world. It's a treasure for sure.
I have so much respect for this man, and his love of machines and tools is undeniably a work of art in itself. I share his love for all tools. I hope to win some of his jewelry making tools just to have his presence in my studio.
My sincere condolences to his family.
Wow, that's awesome!
Especially hearing his interest in showing the neighbor kids, and I'm sure at least one of them already knows what they want to do when they grow up. That's all it took for me in 1986, and my life was set!
I'm a toolmaker 68 years old And this stuff is beautiful Period
If you find my citizen Orca titanium watch in there send it to me. Loved Russ, spent many afternoons visiting him in his shop. He had it all, personality, style, and a great tool collection!!!!! The jig bore is from the Tonka Truck factory.
Man, I wish my dad was still alive to see this. He was an old-school master machinist. He was born in 39. Passed in 2019.
@@shakascloset1700 Same here…..gone at 46 in 1982….
Well... if I were a millionaire, I would make a global offer and keep this collection all together, I'm that impressed! This would be the ultimate tribute to this man's life. I'm a sucker for all of the precision stuff, machining, metal working, classic tools, quality stuff... This little black pantograph is from H.P Preiss, I have one of them. Unfortunately, mine isn't as complete as this one. I'm only 43, collecting cool bits every time I get the chance. I also like restoring machines too. These FPU bench vises are in gorgeous condition.
You boys are in curator's museum.
His respect for the collective genius of the 20th century's industrial age is appreciated.
The best private workshop that I have ever seen and well kept too………..
This is one of the most beautiful examples of meticulous collecting I have ever seen. I could spend days in here and just be absolutely fascinated the entire time!
This place would give Adam Savage a heart attack!
Adam Savage is small potatoes compared to this. There's got to be someone out there with even more too. There's always someone with more. As much as this one guy had he had an awful lot of duplicates and was missing stuff too. Where's the tool cutter grinders? Where's the Deckels? He didn't like those? Give it a rest with the watchmaker lathes already. He had them stacked up like they were cordwood. Once you have 3 of something you've got it covered then.
@@1pcfredSo you can tell what he never had from not even being in the room 🤣 honestly I see you posting on loads of videos and nothing is ever positive , Mr know it all that's always saying how he can get things cheaper and never paid more than a dollar for this and that , you must have been spewing when you seen this video , thinking up of things to criticise instead of just admiring the guys collection .
@@williamn01 what's to admire? It was clearly a problem. I never claimed to know it all. But I do know some problems when I see them. All of it is so much junk today too.
@@1pcfred I believe I saw one or more Deckel SO cutter grinders somewhere in there....
After 50 years in the trade as an R&D Machinist, I'm 3 years into retirement & though i still have access to the last shop i worked in for 28 & 1/2 years till retirement i love to see stuff like this & like you guys it would be a field day just to get to see in person all this. I think the oldest machine i ran was a 1958 Le Blond Regal which needed to be scraped but the place was too cheap to pay for that plus that is a lost art not many can lay claim to, but the lathe did what it did & once you get the hang of those little old things it would work just fine. Tried to get them to put a digital readout on to help but again they were a bunch of cheapies so straight up manual was the best i could get other than waiting 15 years to get them to buy a 12-inch chuck to replace the original 8 inch. I miss the comradery with my coworkers who some now are where i am, sleeping late & doing anything we want. Sad kids don't want to be in the trade as it means work & getting dirty. LOL Desk jockeys!!!!! Gonna take my time watching this as it looks great. Thanks for sharing & no this guy was not a hoarder just a collector & if you have the money & room there's not a thing wrong with having so much cool stuff that made our trade a proud one to be a part of. Those are some fine Gerstner's & i have but one which is 1942 model i got for nothing as it was a wreck so i did refinish it from the ground up leaving what parts i could & now it looks great. All this equipment will take a long time to unload but it will a blast going through all he had & i must say i have not seen a lathe with a microscope lens attachment but if he was doing watch stuff, he would surely have used the hell out of that. And i though i was having troubles finding machinists to buy the 50 years' worth of stuff i ended up with!!!! Good Luck with sorting out what's what & i hate to say this but it's the truth we are a dying breed & it won't be so easy to sell much of this even though he did keep things in good shape.
Well, that blew my mind. I'm an old hobby machinist and have been knocking around for years picking up odds and ends for my home shop. I have never seen anything like this in person or on the internet, and I probably never will again. Thank you for sharing this awesome collection. RIP Russell.
55 minutes of well spent time watching this.....thank you Josh......
What a wonderful, beautiful, sad sight. I only hope things that belong together stay together with someone who cares as much as he did. I wish I had grown up next to him and learned one-tenth of his knowledge. Thank you Russell and Topper Machine for sharing this with the world.
Those tools need to be used. This guy had so much premium quality stuff that thousands of homeshop and hundreds smaller businesses enjoy using them for decades. Josh already immortalized the wealth of collection.
Figuring out what goes with what machine will take some sleuthing. You have collets that are specific to a certain lathe, along with fixturing, slides, tooling, etc. You almost need to start with the obvious items well known and then work backwards. It's a really wonderful puzzle you have to unwind. I look forward to the auctions.
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Can't get over how clean eveything is. I don't see how he worked and kept it so clean....Amazing..
Like y'all, at every turn, all I can say is, "Wow, wow, WOW!" His love for the craft just overflows out of every nook and cranny! I really hope and pray that these sales can recompense the widow for all the love and sacrifices that she obviously made for her husband during his long battle with cancer!
I must have said WOW a hundred times watching this.
Machine tools are expensive......But the tooling is priceless.....This really is an amazing find. I hope all goes to a good home where it will continue to be used and appreciated. RIP Russ.
Please do an interview with a family member when they are ready- we all have the same condition- but this fellow took it 1000x further. In his honor, we need to know more. This man was special, and it would be a shame if all of that was lost. I suppose the shop tour speaks for itself, but it is so unique that to do the man justice- it would be nice if we could hear the whole story. Thanks!
Yeah I would love to know more about the guy.
Same here, would love to hear his story
@@JoeMikuljanJr It's sad that all of his things are separated. I admire this man. I hope all of his items are stored in a museum somewhere. It would be a pain to separate them.
I'VE BEEN AROUND PRECISION TOOLING FOR OVER 65 YEARS , AND THIS IS CRAZY OCD AT IT'S BEST !!!!! WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR TOOLS THEY CAN LAST FOREVER !!!! AMAZING !!
They lasted foe ever because they weren't being used.
@@soteful9949 They were used, just not in factory production. THAT is what wears stuff out.
You’re right Josh - not a hoarder (just got through the whole vid). A collector and steward. Hoarders don't label their material stock that carefully, or keep things in meticulous condition. There's just a LOT of it. Appreciate you showing it all to us. 👍
Absolutely !!!
This man was without a doubt, a genius, the world certaintly worse without him, i'm writing this with tears in my eyes, may he rest in peace!
I have never seen a machine shop so immaculate outside on NASA. A most impressive collection for a single individual, everything chosen with discernment.
Unbelievable. What a collection. What a daunting task.
Thanks for sharing. WOW!
Holy goddamn smokes. I´ve never seen anything like this, after 48 years in metalworking. This must have cost millions and millions of dollars. Only the finest high-end tooling worldwide in this collection. How on earth could a human keep up with this monumental amount of tooling? Imagine if you look for something...i wish you good luck in finding the item....Somehow its very sad to rip that collection apart....i should become kind of a museum....I know you cant do that. That was a breathtaking journey for a toolmaker/machinist like me. Thanks for showing this one of a kind find to the world, Josh.
The guy with the most tools when he dies Wins! Russell you won! An unbelievable collection! Beautiful, meticulous, and impressive. I wish i had known sooner but i'm greatly appreciative for this video, i'll be bidding.
Several years ago, I encountered a very, very similar situation. My sister’s friend from her work, had lost his father recently, and he needed help trying to clear out the house and property to get it ready to sell, in order to settle his father’s debts etc. His dad was also a precision machinist, and he had an impeccably organized shop building on his property. But he was also a hoarder, and every square inch of his entire house, rafters, garage, was almost completely filled with stuff, floor to ceiling. The yard was full of decaying station wagons, full of machinery stored in them, for later use maybe? And dozens of still new, unopened lathes, mills, drill presses, laying out in the yard, all rusted throughout, never opened. I’d never seen anything like it. You had just narrow little passageways in the house through the piles of stacked books, manuals, parts, boxes of stuff. You had to use a flashlight just to get throught the house because the windows were all blocked with a ton of stuff. I mean, it was incredible. And a little scary, because I have more stuff than I really should, and in a few more years I might be in the same situation. So I learned my lesson there, for sure. 🫤
All that knowledge ..in one man/ spirit. These are the men that made America great. Today his bones are auctioned.....who could fill those shoes.
This is amazing but also heart breaking that he passed at the age he did, such a shame he didn’t have another 30+ years to enjoy all his amazing tools. If this auction was in the UK I’d spend a fortune buying most of what I have just seen - I hope for Russell’s sake that as much of this is bought, kept together and cherished by like minded people - He sounds like an amazing man! RIP Russell
How can you enjoy any of it like that? He needed 20 times the floor space. Then maybe you can enjoy it. Like that it's just a fever dream. I'd love to open this drawer but I have all this stuff in the way. There were places it'd take you days to get to in there.
What an AMAZING collection of tools and tooling. The skill behind the machinery that was lost, must have been simply fantastic! Thank you for sharing this collection!
The amazing thing is he had all of this equipment AT HOME! That’s mind blowing in and of itself
Wow, Watching from Ireland, If truth be known I think ive started to go down the same route, but will never have or possibly see a collection like this again. RIP Russell, and thanks Topper for showcasing this, it was heaven on earth.
What a beautiful collection of fine tools and machinery.
This man must have had an amazing life.
Wouldn't have been nice to have talked and visited with this man.
Had to be a fine Craftsman filled with the highest degree of knowledge and experience.
Please give thanks to his Widow for allowing you Josh to come in and share all of this with your channel viewers.
And thank you to the Auction people as well.
How do you sum up the life of a man like this.
His life and tools is almost like a Museum.
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend. 👍 🇺🇸👍
The starrett tools hat at 12:10 should be in one of the auctions! What an unbelievable collection, as a woodworker that needs infeed and outfeed for his big old vintage machinery, and also works in a tight space, and also can’t stop collecting more machinery, I’m jealous of the ability of the jewelry smith/watchmaker/fine machinist to fit many cool metalworking machines and far more accessories into tight spaces. Thanks for sharing this shop, and for selling it off the right way. You’re doing a great favor to the memory and legacy of the nice sounding man who collected and restored so much amazing equipment.
Amazing, but I understand a man's love for tools. I just hope it all goes to people that will appreciate it. Old manual machining is going away in industry in the US. I am 73, I need to stop buying hand tools, I have more than I need but I still find it hard to pass up on a good deal. My three sons and three grandsons will enjoy what I have some day. Thanks Josh for showing this on your channel, I am sure it will help with the eventual sale of this collection.
I'm in the same boat. I certainly have enough tools for me now but if I see something I might still pick it up. The price does have to be right though.
It’s like a fractal picture. Incredible. It should all be in a museum.
A lot of it a museum is all its good for now. Those pantographs are scrap today. I'm sorry but that's just how it is. I was watching a video a little while ago where a guy got a beautiful one with all the tooling for nothing. It was either he took it or it was headed for scrap.
@@1pcfredPantograps yes, and insane amount of small mills, but half of stuff there is current and usefull to hobbyist or jeweller shop.
@@kimj2570 there's someone out there for everything I suppose. But anyone thinking any of it is worth near retail today is mistaken. Pennies on the dollar.
Wow, this is amazing... I am flabergasted... nothing cheap there either! ... darn... The value of all this ... Thanks for sharing this...
Wow, just Wow. Machinists heaven.
I'm glad you have the appreciation of his collection ,I am also happy he saved all these tools and machines form the scrapyard I wish you all the best homing these .
He sounds like such a kind person. I love that you are taking the time to do this right and honor his legacy!
I couldn’t even imagine the amount of money this man spent to acquire all those machines and tooling. Simply amazing this man was.
More than you'd think.
Please don't ever remove this video. I'm in awe
Whatever work he was doing was way above what most people think is possible
This is my definition of paradise! So many wonderful machines and they’re nowhere near what some classify as “junk”.
I am a retired toolmaker . This man's shop is a great work of art . Too bad he's gone . He had probably been forgot more than many men would ever know . Wish I could have known him . ❤❤
That is one incredible collection. A retired toolmaker now, many of the items here bring back memories of the days when I worked with real craftsmen. I have a small collection of tools that are sentimental to me, but they would all fit in just one of his cabinets!
I’ve worked in multi billion dollar companies I have never seen so much good tooling in my life I was drooling wow
That's why they were multi billion dollar companies. They weren't wasting money on assets.
this is just incredible display of a man and machinery,the delta toolmaker surface grinder blew me away.I wish I could have met this man.God bless us with more people like Russell.
Saying wow doesn't do this collection justice. The difficulty the Auctioneers will face is figuring out what tooling and fixturing goes with the specific equipment. I'm amazed at the quality of all this equipment.
Somebody start a museum
They will do their best, but stuff will be missed
Having dealt with museums most of my life, I hope none of it goes to one. Locked away to rust and not be enjoyed. Private ownership is the best place for this collection.
At least the auctioneers look like they care. I bought a milling machine once, the vice for it was leaning on the base of a drill press next to it and they gave the vice (a decent 6" milling vice, obviously not a drill press vice) to the drill press buyer as they said it was in the drill press photo. I luckily met the drill press buyer and bought the vice from him on pickup. Matching this stuff will be next level.
@@benchapman5247 The auctioneers get a percentage of the sale so they absolutely do care. So they will squeeze every dime out of it that they possibly can. Because they'll get a penny out of that dime for themselves. Pennies add up to dollars.
It reminds me (not in monetary value) of a saddle maker in town, who went home for the weekend, had a heart atck and never came back to his shop. It was so emotional for me to see his lifetime collection of tools, half finished projects and all his work laid out for when (he thought) he was coming in on Monday.
I absolutely know this guy enjoyed every minute of his time surrounded by the things he loved. Don't put off doing the things you love.
This is an incredible collection Josh, just incredible. One of the saddest things about losing someone, is going through all their stuff afterwards. The difficulty of what to keep, what to throw away, and finding things you never knew. Sadly, I have this job to do, as my 32 year old daughter passed away on 1st August. I'll have to watch this video in sections, as it's a bit tough going for me right now.
I hope you will find peace.
Sorry to hear this.
Condolences 💐
speechless, you just know he was in heaven every time he entered this paradise, good luck and i will be watching!
It's very encouraging to hear Premier is going to do their best to sort this collection into appropriate lots so they go to those who need them, and the widow gets the most value possible. It makes me wish Mr. Garens could have had an enormous shop to spread his collection out. I suppose there will be a "steal of a deal" or many that often happens at auctions BUT everything looks to be in pristine condition. This was just mind boggling to see and i hope you do some follow up videos.
I can't even find words to describe that collection, just blown away. I will be keeping an eye out on auctions for sure. RIP to that great man, he must have had such a wealth of knowledge.
I’m impressed that the floors in that house can hold all the weight.
There are some sketchy metal pipe supports in the basement. Looks like it is overloaded...
Every machine looks excellent! OMG AMAZING
I honestly can't comprehend how one person could accumulate such a collection in only 61 years of life. That effort alone is monumental, not to mention finding space for it all, moving stuff around to fit more stuff. And now to liquidate it all in only a year or so. I hope I never burden my family with such a task.
This collection was just the last 10 years when he first got cancer.
@@TopperMachineLLC Wow. That is an amazing "accomplishment." Based on some of what was said about him, I wonder if he was neurodiverse. To get that much done in a short period takes some serious determination and focus, the kind that most of us with more typical neurocognitive abilities can't do.
@@TopperMachineLLCno way that was only ten years of collecting! The widow must not have known when he really started.
Maybe a small burden, but she’ll get a lot of money for all of that.
@@MyLilMule what rock are you living under? You will be looking at a million plus
Reminds me of my shop. So much equipment and tooling with no flat surface to do any work 👍
Hopefully next generations can appreciate this wealth of tools and machinery that most likely will never be made again.
Holy Smoke...What a Gem...Just Amazing...If Only These Items Could Talk...God Bless...What a Labor of Love...
Thank you for sharing this wonderful collection and the story of the collector . You have done justice for the collector as well as his widow ; my deepest condolences to her .
Russell must have been an interesting man. Thanks for sharing this, Josh. I decided to watch this at .5 speed so I could see more of the items.
Thanks for doing that, it was great entertainment and a community service. Absolutely amazing.
Just imagine all the knowledge he took with him. God rest his soul.
This man was amazing. I learned stuff I didn't know existed. This could be a whole channel in itself. Being a machinist for 40 years and second generation after my father I totally understand. My tools are my livelihood and my poem of my being. We all have a story if you take time to listen. Thanks for showing this amazed and in awe.
Hi Josh, watching this video made me feel so sad, it is so unfair that a talented person like Russel appeared to be, could be taken so early in his life, he was obviously a man with a deep appreciation for quality machinery and what could be achieved with it.
Im kind of blown away after watching this. Please do more vids on his shop. Wow. It is a museum, nearly a shame to move things, but it cant be just left like that. What a collection 👍👌🇦🇺
You can feel this mans passion. walking into that shop every day must have been magical. "Hard to find stuff, now you know why its hard to find. Because he had it all". LOL. good for him.
almost inconceivable one person could accumulate, sort, organize, store, so much. How was he able to find all this pre-internet?? Truly a monumental achievement.
Pre internet? The guy was only 61 and it all appears to not have sat for too long so why would you assume it was all bought pre internet. I have been buying tooling online for 25 years now not likely much of this was accumulated too long ago
I'm festinated at all His tooling , A life time collection, I'm a furniture builder, GOOD Luck with the
sales.
I'd buy this house with everything in it anytime of the day and week. Very impressive tooling and equipment!
Unbelievable collection, thank you for showing us around all the good stuff well preserved is a treasure and I can only imagine what is still tp discover. This auction will bring in 7 figures
I especially like the screw jacks being used as shelf bracing.
I always say you can't buy it all, when you miss something, get outbid, didn't go to a sale and later find it had great stuff etc, but I think Russell really didbuy it all.
What a fantastic tribute and amazing collection. I’m glad is window was paid appropriately. A lot of awesome tools and the market shows we still value and want these tools.
This is a wake up call for me at 77yo. I need to start finding homes for lots of tools and motorcycles.
I feel like one you hit 60 you should really start taking a hard look at all of your stuff.
Ah, clear out stuff you'll never use, but mostly just enjoy the stuff today. It will be someone else's problem (or joy) some day.
I have never seen so many collets in my life, not in any shop anywhere ! There is a small chucker lathe in this video that I would make room for in my shop. What a mind blowing video.
Not a hoarder, just a man with a vast collection of tools. That lathe was tooled to the max. R.I.P Russell
That Hardinge is best sold with full setup. It will be pretty penny....
@kimmoj2570 I disagree. You are buying the machine. The aloris holders anyone with an aloris tool post could use. There best bet is to sell all the tooling separate. Hundreds of people have the same lathe but need more tooling.
WOW! I'm 66 years old, a journeyman tool and die maker, machinist and tool and cutter grinder. What an incredible collection. And all in like new condition. Wish it was closser to Texas. I'd love to see it all.
I knew Russ briefly, when I sold him the Hardinge HLVH about 15 years ago. He invited me to his house to show me his collection of machines and tools, and I say "collection" not hording, because how he explained, it to me was that, he just loves fine tools. He told me that he is not alone in his affection for tools, he has acquaintances that have storage buildings full of machines and tooling that they have collected not necessarily to use, but to just find, buy, and own. That is what I believe is the real reason for the collecting.
BTW: When Russ was showing me all his tooling, he had a draw of grinding wheel blotters, which I asked if he would part with a few; his answer was, “not really". Therefore, you can see he would not part with any of his collection.
@@farmcentralohio I believe they were referring to the clutter that Russ had recently created, as when I was their, everything was organized and uncluttered.
Absolutely : Collecting; not hoarding !
I am seriously thinking of bidding on the HLVH. May I ask what condition it is in, or anything else of significance?
@@BronzeAgePuritan The lathe is in great condition, i only sold because i purchased an HLV--EM. It also has a complete set of change gears for metric thread cutting.
To say this is incredible is an understatement. I don't think there''s even words to describe this. The range or machines and the range of tooling to go with them and almost everything is is almost new condition. What a sad loss that Russell passed at only 61 years of age. For sure the auction house is going to be here for a lot more than a year to get through everything. They certainly have their work cut out to get everything catalogued and listed.
Absolutely incredible.
How lovely a collection of machinist parts. i bet he liked watches and probably understood the Antikythera well.
I’d love to see some of his work! Fascinating video!
This is a collection Like I have never seen, I am not a machinist, but I have worked in machine shops and this is a collection I dought exists anywhere on earth. There must be over a million dollars of tooling in here.