Hello GGs,
Please accept this as my first "bio."
My name is Matt Sanfilippo and I am a relatively new "listener" here
on the porch. I recently discovered this list on the recommendation
of Christopher Schwarz from one of his blog entries...and boy am I
glad that I did. I have rarely enjoyed reading a list group as much
as I have this one so far. You are a very polite, enlightened and
entertaining group of Galoots....and I have already learned a lot in
my quest to move more toward galoothood.
First, I'd like to say that I enjoy the whole spectrum of
tools...those with tails and those without. I am a bit of a gadget
freak by profession and hobby, so I will probably never give up the
powered variety. I have a split personality...I recently built a CNC
machine in my basement out of MDF, black-pipe, roller-blade bearing
and an old PC. Don't really know what I am going to do with it, but
it works and I guess that was the point.
On the other hand, I "love" old tools and new "old" tools (ie, newly
made by individual craftsmen). I have a small number of old tools
that were my grandfathers, and a few more that I have acquired in
recent years. Including a couple that were purchased from Lee at
TheBestThings.
I would like to be a "blended" woodworker, to use a Chris Schwarz
term...I guess that rather than being a Normite or a pure Galoot...I
am a "Schwarzite".
I am experimenting with my first shooting board that I just
constructed and a LV low-angle jack plane. Works great. Again,
slipping back to the "dark" side, I couldn't leave the ancient
shooting shooting board alone and I added a UHMW runner for the plane
to reduce friction. Necessary? No...but fun to try.
Personally, I have a wonderful and supportive wife and two great kids.
A 7 year old boy that spends a lot of time with me in the wood shop
and a 3 year old girl that might too someday. I am very lucky that
my wife supports my wood and tool addiction...as long as every now and
then something actually exits the shop in a completed form.
Professionally, I'm Director the Center for Sensed Critical
Infrastructure at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to that I ran a
technology division for a large engineering and energy firm. During
the dot-com era I worked as a venture capitalist.
I'm also an active board member of the Pittsburgh History and
Landmarks Foundation (PHLF). A preservationist group that focuses on
historic architecture in the Pittsburgh area,Sorry for the long post
and I look forward to soaking up your knowledge! If you are really
bored, you can check out my blog at http://www.intheworkshop.info/
where I sometimes post some of my workshop thoughts.
Matt Sanfilippo
Pittsburgh, PA
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