OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

256930 kurt schmitz 2015‑11‑10 Bio Post - FINALLY!
After a 10-year renovation and expansion of our 1898 home,my wife and I are busy
raising four kids and redoing each of the rooms for a second (and even third!)
time. I am very fortunate to have a free-standing shop building as just one of
manythings that compete for attention. I gained a love of antiques from my
mother, anda wide range of construction-based skills from my dad; he has been a
renovator ‘extraordinaire’since before I was born and is very capable with
tools. My trip intoGalootateria didn’t begin, however, until I had my new shop
space, acentury-old 2’x6’ slab of white oak and a goal of “doing something
important”with said slab. I bought Landis’ Workbench Book, and the blue
Workbenches bookby Chris Schwarz, and the slide was underway. Dad had a wooden
jack (no idea why), the webconvinced my Scary Sharp might help, and a Roubo-
based bench was ultimately theresult. Best tool in the shop, I say. I also found
Der Leachmeister’s B&G site, this list, and all kinds of informationon old tools
on the web. Started checking Dad’s shop for hand tools, too. Hehad some
mushroomed socket chisels and two Type 21 Stanley hand planes (#4 and#110), a
“miter box saw” or two, and that was about it (he’s a tailedapprentice guy,
through and through). I was on my own for the rest.

Auctions, flea markets, antique stores, Patrick Leach andWalt Q have facilitated
my transformation to hand tool enthusiast. Lumberjockshas also been a great
place for me ('Smitty_Cabinetshop' if you’re interested, and there are pics of
my shop space there as well).And all along the way, the Porch has been an
everyday read. I’ve made a fewinquiries but have been mostly quiet, leaning on
that furthest post inthe shade, drinking in the wide-ranging conversations.
I’ve built a couple sets of farmhouse bench/table/sideboardsuites for sale, but
mostly build for myself and my own home. Many pieces ofshop furniture, to
include a ‘not-wall-hung’ tool cabinet, a fairly extensiverebuild of an old
toolchest-shaped box, and my ‘cabinet-under-bench.’ The biggestplans on the
horizon include a trestle-type dining table to replace what wehave, then
(likely) start building pieces for my kids as they start lives outof college
soon.
Happy to be with y’all, on the Porch!
VR,
Smitty

Recent Bios FAQ