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The hardware you use can make or break your project. Crappy hinges, lightweight pulls or cheesy locks have no place on a piece that you slaved over.
While there are still some great hardware companies out there that sell new hardware (Horton Brasses, Ball & Ball and Whitechapel Ltd. to name a few), their range is obviously limited. That’s why you should never forget eBay.com as a source for hardware.
Since eBay was founded, I’ve used it to buy cut nails, vintage screws, locks, blacksmith-made pulls, campaign brasses and hundreds of other items. Most woodworkers use eBay to buy old tools or super-cheap knockoff tools, but they don’t use it for hardware.
Recently I finished up two tool chests for customers and outfitted them with vintage iron casters from eBay (this seller restores casters and sells them). These casters are about the same price as modern casters but look and function 100 times better.
Whenever I need a crab lock for a tool chest, I search eBay before I call a blacksmith. Many times I can get a good lock for about 20 percent of what a new one costs. Same goes for cut nails. Believe it or not, people salvage old nails and sell them on eBay.
And while I’m happy to save a few dollars for me or my customers, I’m actually more pleased by the quality of the stuff I get. Plus, I don’t have to artificially age the hardware to take off the ugly glow of new brass.
— Christopher Schwarz
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
