Thread: Being reminded of my own mortality

Originally Posted by azzrock

i was planning on getting buried with all my stuff

could they dig a hole big enough with out bringing in a excavator from BHP

Thats a tough subject! I'm only 33 and have been thinking about my huge and ever-growing workshop. I told my lass that if I die at 90 standing up in my workshop, I was a happy man!

I was offered to go through a workshop and help myself not that long ago. A family friends father passed away leaving a substantial empire of a shop behind to his wife and daughters to sort out. I had never met this gentleman but was shown some of his work. He was schooled in Italy in the 40s in fine joinery and brought it with him to Australia.
I could not bring myself to even walk into his workshop. I felt like a vulture at the thought of it. Had I met him, an they were his wishes I think I would have felt different.

Make a plan on who it will go to as it really tortured his family for about a year after it.
If money is an issue then explain to them that it is to be sold.
If I don't have anyone I can hand the shop over to, I plan to donate it! Pass it forward! It might be the making of some young punk that isn't even born yet!
When I was just starting out, All the oldies I met and asked questions ended up handing me a few bits and pieces to get me
started.

I don't really care what happens to my stuff after I die. I bought it all to play with, some of it has paid for itself many times over, other things never have and never will. I didn't buy it as an investment, I get my pleasure out of it now. It's all sunk funds just like drinking or gambling, just with a much larger 'residue' to dispose of.

Told people to sell it, give it away or do anything they like with it. I won't care at all. Let's not get too precious...

My library, OTOH, has instructions attached. It's probably a lot more valuable than my machine shop and I certainly value it more highly. Shrug. Whatever.....

PDW

Make sure you mark everything as to who gets what,sister in Taree, her mother in law died a few years ago, the house was mainly built from cedar ,which grew on the property,bro. in law owns a dairy farm fifteen hundre acres in the old money,at one stage 5 families were getting a living out of it and there were 5 houses on the property,alas no more he struggles to make a living out of it ,he has two sons, one is a nine to five farmer who wont work weekends, so he has to work seven days a week, getting older, has past reirement date,the other son not interested at all in dairy farming.Anyhow to cut a long story short after the will was read with everything being left to the sister and bro in law ,all the relos started turning up, "Mum promised me this, Mum promised me that" ,house is full of beautiful old cedar furniture all hand made.
In the end my sister has to order them off the property at the point of a .22 rifle,she was really shat off with the lot off them,so make patently sure who gets what to avoid any family arguments.

Originally Posted by acmegridley

Make sure you mark everything as to who gets what ... to avoid any family arguments.

Better yet, make each member of the family a keep sake box

place a note each the box listing what items the family member is to get

Congrats Ben! Now where's my beer (or 6 was it??)

I spent last week at my Grandparents place in Taree. My Grandfather passed away last year and left his shed to his only son (my uncle). He took the dust extractor and the triton superjaws. He was going to sell the rest if it wasn't for me........He left the place a right mess, didn't even look for the spare superjaws jaws or dust bags (which i found) I feel very lucky to own some of my Grandfathers prized possessions, his wood lathe, turning tools, bench grinder etc (abot and ashby made 1979, 2 new bearings and she's smoother than a new chinese one).

If my kids or grandkids (if i have any) aren't interested then mens shed or even just anyone who will use everything. Anything to stop my gear being scraped basically!