OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

130586 "Jerry Palmer" <jerrypalmer82@h...> 2004‑03‑12 Bio: Jerry Palmer
I think I gave a semi-bio in another post, but at days away from the big
50, the mind don't always remember as well as it used to, well, except
for important stuff like where I put all them screws and such on the #5
I disassembled last night.

Anyway, not a complete neanderthal yet, but find myself using man
powered methods and tools more often all of the time.

Retired back in 1998 after 20 years as a police officer, the last ten or
so of which were spent investigating white collar type crimes. But the
pension wasn't enought to support my tool habit so I moved 600 miles and
started a second carreer. Finally an empty nester so with three incomes
and no kids to support (well not full time anyway) I can finally afford
to get regular tool fixes.

Started off with some old metal and transitional planes and more
recently have dipped into the handsaw pool. That sucker is real deep.
And then there are the shaves and scraper planes and rules and marking
gauges and bevels and . . . Of course, you gotta have the right stuff to
sharpen and set all them saws, so I've gotten a couple vises, and sets
and got a saw jointer in the other day. Beats hav'n that flat file slide
off the blade impaling my digits on the saw teeth.

Things I have recently discovered...

It is much easier to rough saw long workpieces with a handsaw than it is
to fight them across a tailed t@b... s@w...

You can edge joint pieces much quicker with a #7 than you can set up a
jointing rig with a 'lectric p*wered tool.

A good quality sharp handsaw is a joy to use, especially if it is at
least 100 years young and has some of the skill of its previous owners
in it still.


Recent Bios FAQ