Old Tools Bio

Gentle Galoots,

Following a lengthly period of lurking under the Porch, I hereby offer 
my bio.

Having passed the half century mark not too long ago, I still have a few 
good woodworking years left in me.  :)  Exposure to the good natured 
banter and instruction available on the Porch will surely increase my 
enjoyment, and certainly my capacity, to perform woodworking.

I had the good fortune to have a grandfather and father who were handy 
with, and inclined to use, hand tools.  My maternal grandfather, a 
marine engineer by profession, made extensive use of hand tools to 
extend and outfit a seasonal residence in the Catskill region of NY.  
Much of the woodworking he performed, hand built kitchen cabinets, built 
in closets, etc., is still in use today by his grandchildren and 
great-grandchildren.  My Dad, used braces, hand saws, planes and a 
variety of hand tools to construct decks, additions and such over the 
years.  Today, a couple of my brothers and I still use many of these 
handed down tools. (Some of the tools have three generations of blood on 
them!)

My grandfather's tools were not pretty, but they were well tuned and 
capable of getting the job done.  He was meticulous in the execution of 
his woodworking.  My Dad flirted with the dark side of electron 
burners...some of those bad boy are still in use too.

After a senior level IT / Billing  career the telephone business, 
wireline and wireless, I was able to retire early (a few years before 
hitting the half century mark) and get my mid-life crisis off to a good 
start.  Currently I am negotiating a couple of rather slippery slopes: 
one with vintage autos and another with vintage hand tools.   Two of the 
autos, a 1926 Franklin and a 1953 MG-TD have significant wooden 
structures. Fortunately, neither one has yet required any serious 
woodworking.  The tool slope is much more insidious, as the quantity of 
acquired old tools will likely expand to fill every nook and cranny of 
available space.  There is always room for one more plane, brace or 
saw.  (My Stanley #6 planes may be breeding; there seem to be a lot more 
of them than I ever remember purchasing....would it help if I left the 
shop lights on at night?)

I lost SWMBO to cancer a number of years ago.  Absent her good natured 
restraint, my plunge down these slopes has been like a runaway Galoot 
train with a full head of steam.  But really, I do not have a tool 
problem: I can stop any time ...

Early on, I was fascinated by watching both St. Roy and Norm.  Once I 
got past the eccentricities of each host and show, it became clear that 
many of the woodworking fundamentals were the same, just differing in 
the method of execution: A dovetail is a dovetail is a dovetail.  Some 
joints are just made with more noise than others.  I have about an equal 
number of books by each of them.  If Mike Dunbar published more, I would 
buy more of his stuff too.  :)

Pre-retirement, when woodworking time was rather limited, tailed demons 
played a much larger roll in my woodworking.  Now that time pressures 
are not as much of an issue, I find that hand work plays a larger role, 
and I can enjoy the process of learning to use the tools and performing 
the woodworking.  I am particularly enamored with wood planes: 
smoothers, jointers and scrubs.   (Did I mention the breeding #6s?)

Watching from under the porch has been a genuine learning experience.  
The wealth of experience and knowledge demonstrated by Galoots is truly 
impressive.  I thoroughly enjoy the good natured interplay mixed with 
the practical knowledge available here.  I would be remiss by failing to 
tip my cap to the List Moms, who ably and even handedly maintain this list.

Regards,

Tim Pendleton
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On Nov 23, 2006, at 8:00 PM, Michelle (Storm) Cox wrote:
> For my birthday this year I went to an old farm auction and acquired a
> Armitage Mousehole anvil (200 lbs) so I can explore blacksmithing.  
> I have an
> old round Webber BBQ that I am going to convert into a forge so I  
> can mess
> around and really annoy my neighbours (Did I mention I live in the  
> city?).

	Welcome to the Porch, Storm, or should I say to the upper deck where  
the conversation takes place, since you say you've been down there in  
the dark for a while now.
	With a 200 lb. Mousehole anvil you are already the envy of a bunch  
of smiths and wannabes.  We'll be interested to hear how the Webber  
conversion goes.  I think you'll probably need a sturdier fire pot  
than anything I've seen in a BBQ, and a tuyere assembly to channel  
the air to the hotspot.  I've sometimes wondered if a salvaged blade  
from a farm disc/disk (a sturdy, concave, round piece of steel) could  
be set up in a Webber BBQ to make a fire pot for a forge.
		Tom Holloway
	

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On Thu, 23 Nov 2006, T&J Holloway wrote:

>       With a 200 lb. Mousehole anvil you are already the envy of a
>       bunch of smiths and wannabes.

Yeah, I 'spose any anvil you can't easily move by yourself is gonna
cause envy...

> We'll be interested to hear how the Webber conversion goes. I think
> you'll probably need a sturdier fire pot than anything I've seen in a
> BBQ, and a tuyere assembly to channel the air to the hotspot. I've
> sometimes wondered if a salvaged blade from a farm disc/disk (a
> sturdy, concave, round piece of steel) could be set up in a Webber BBQ
> to make a fire pot for a forge.

In general Tom offers pretty good advice on that, but I've seen one or
two weber conversions that were not too bad. You will need to come up
with some type of tuyere, but I've seen firebrick formed into a firepot
that made a pretty decent sized forge that could burn all the various
solid fuels.

Another way would be to build a cage out of rebar or similar, and pack
mortar cement on it, I've even seen crucibles made like this that work
fine. The firepots I've seen for sale that are made out of steel which
can withstand the heat of a coal/coke forge, are pretty pricey.

--

Alan DuBoff - Software Orchestration

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Michelle Cox wrote:
> 
> Round about 1998, I discovered the old tools list and have been lurking 
> ever since. 
Sounds like a record for shyness, but I don't expect that of a 
construction teacher..

> For my birthday this year I went to an old farm auction and acquired a
> Armitage Mousehole anvil (200 lbs) so I can explore blacksmithing. I 
> have an
> old round Webber BBQ that I am going to convert into a forge so I can mess
> around and really annoy my neighbours (Did I mention I live in the city?).

If you use charcoal it burns faster but they can't complain about the
smell. You want the stuff that looks like black wood, _not_ briquetes.

> Currently I reside in Hamilton, Ontario which is just around the bay from
> Lee Valley Tools, an hour from Tools of the Trade and eight hours from
> Patina.

You are local to Darrell's Christmas barbeque on Dec 9th, come on over!
(I'm coming, and hoping to bring a man teetering wildly on the brink
of the slope, with 2 sons to infect  ;-)

Welcome from a fellow estrogen-enhanced entity, by know you should
know the folks are friendly!!

Esther  (still have some turkey grease left, anyone else need some slope
lubrication???)

-- 
Esther Heller
bench built Windsor chairs
www.estherheller.com

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On Nov 29, 2006, at 4:18 PM, Tom Soles wrote:

>  Goloots and other tool nuts,
>
> I am moved to present myself to the group and ask that I be  
> accepted for
> what I am.  I am a retired private school teacher of 39 years. I am
> considered to be a professional sculptor with many of my pieces in  
> public
> and private collection. I have given this activity up after  
> retirement and
> now devote my time to my real love, woodworking and tool collecting.

  First, welcome! Second, isn't it sad that so many of us wait till  
retirement to pursue what we really love?
I think the government should provide grants so that we can all  
realize our true creative potential!

  No, really!!

Spike Cornelius
PDX
           Crazy for Shavings

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Welcome to the porch Tom!

Sounds like you know most of what I'm trying to learn.  Glad we have another 
resource here.

Looking forward to the web site.

Walt Cheever
Restricted from the shop 'cause its 9 degrees in Minnesota.

Tom introduced himself.....

 Goloots and other tool nuts,

I am moved to present myself to the group and ask that I be accepted for
what I am.  I am a retired private school teacher of 39 years. I am
considered to be a professional sculptor with many of my pieces in public
and private collection. I have given this activity up after retirement and
now devote my time to my real love, woodworking and tool collecting. I have
turned my studio, which was originally setup to do metal work (as in
sculpturing) to a full fledge woodworking shop with many wood working
machines, that I don't need, but find very intriguing to work with.
I am a founding member of the Blacksmiths guild of the Potomac.
Member of: Patina, Washington Woodworking Guild, and (inactive member) of
Artist Equity Assoc. My brother and I started Blue Ridge Outfitters (a
whitewater rafting company in Harpers Ferry, WVA). I am out of that business
now and don't go near whitewater anymore because it is way to dangerous for
an old guy like me. I have given up most of this stuff to play with bright
shiny things that go Whirr and are sharp as hell. My collection of 'working'
and 'collector' hand tools is extensive. I very much enjoy restoring hand
tools with a specialty in metal planes and hand saws (Disston saws in
particular). I have a legacy in woodworking through my grandfather who was
one of the original conservators and cabinet makers in  Williamsburg. I
worked in his shop every moment I could when I was a boy. I am a better than
average cabinet maker but enjoy the process and tools more than the product.
As a retired Blacksmith (arthritis keeps me from this activity now) I feel I
have much knowledge to pass on. I am in the process of developing a web site
that will address many of my interest and may be of some value to others.
I hope to be of service to you established Goloots and be accepted in the
group.

Yours in chips and saw dust and "keep your iron hot and tool cool!"

Tom
-- 
Tom Soles   3Retired to Woodworking and loving life!2
Washington, DC
E-mail
Sometime trading as:  Dragon Saw and Tool Works
On the Web at:  http://www.tomsoles.com

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Marty, Welcome!  Sounds like you are eminently qualified to sit on  
the Porch.  All those allied trades really come in handy sometimes  
when you just can't make the piece you need out of wood! I've started  
more fires that way! Just kidding guys......most of the time! Have a  
sit down Marty and practice with the spittoon on the downwind side!  
Paul In Normal, Illinois

On Nov 30, 2006, at 2:28 PM, Marty Reser at Specialty Packaging wrote:

> Hi, I have been lurking for a few years now and am about to put a  
> foot up on
> the porch.
>
> I started playing around with wood when I was about 7 as my dad was a
> woodworker.
>
> He was happy to show any of my 9 siblings and I anything he knew. I  
> used to
> be addicted to tailed apprentices but have mostly weaned myself off  
> of them
> except when it makes sense. I have a nice assortment of hand tools,  
> some
> younger than me and most older. I'm 52 and have done carpentry,  
> plumbing,
> welding, machining, industrial maintenance, consulting, and plant
> management. Not all well, but enough to make a living.
>
> .At the moment I live just outside Fort Worth, Tx and have been  
> lucky enough
> to meet a few galoots at MWTCA meetings and been to a few hand tool  
> classes
> at Homestead Heritage. I've really learned a tremendous amount while
> monitoring this list and am amazed at the assembled knowledge. Hope  
> to learn
> some more so I'll mostly just sit back and try to pay attention.
>
> Marty Reser
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> --
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

Paul Schobernd
paul.schobernd@v...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pete, Sounds like you already got the credentials to sit on the  
Porch!  Welcome to our world!  Now for a drive-by gloat to attach.  I  
am typing this with my four week-old Gitette-g'daughter on my other  
arm!  Talk about good tools! I owe my DIL/Son big time. But, I  
digress! You have come upon the happiest group of wood butchers I  
have ever had the pleasure to know!  Just be careful where ya set yer  
root beer down as I have heard tell that some of these Galoots chew  
on their cuds on occassion and can spit really good! Paul in Normal

On Dec 20, 2006, at 3:54 PM, Peter Potter wrote:

> Greetings Galoot,
>  As this is my first post here is the mandatory bio.  I was born in  
> Indiana and moved to Texas at
> age 12. I served in the U.S. Navy from 1976 to 1980, the U.S. Army  
> from 1985 to 1993, and am
> currently serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve. I live in San Antonio,  
> Texas with LOML and two GITs. My
> day job is at one of the local hospitals as a Surgical First  
> Assistant, I specialize in Cardiac and Vascular Surgery.
>  My interest in woodworking started as a kid. My father had a  
> ShopSmith as well as a number of
> Galoot type tools. My brother and I were always building things  
> like go carts and forts, as well as
> turning things on the lathe. My intrest was renewed when I left the  
> Army and bought a house in
> San Antonio, Texas. Lots of things needed repairs so I learned  
> plumbing, Dry wall, Tiling etc. The bug really bit when we visited  
> my brother in Ohio and I built a couple of benches in his well  
> equipped
> Cabinet Shop (His hobby Spot). Many electons were consumed. On  
> returning home I started
> studying and trying my hand at various projects, all very normite.  
> I was mobilized in 2005 and took a
> short vacation in Southwest Asia. When I got home I had amassed  
> enough cash to buy my own
> ShopSmith from a widow who also tried to sell me her husband's  
> forge and Blacksmith tools. I was
> very tempted but had nowhere to use it, and SWMBO pointed out that  
> the Bank Account would
> not stand the strain. I got frustrated with all the Woodworking  
> magazine atricle about tools I did not have and methods of work  
> involving them to build the projects they featured. I started to  
> think I good do most of these things with hand tools for a fraction  
> of the cost and not nearly as much
> set-up time. For instance, I could plane board with a hand plane  
> instead of a 400-500 dollar
> thickness planer. I started to watch the unnamed electioic auction  
> site fore a good plane. That was
> the start of the slippery slope. In the last three months my old  
> tool aquizitions include a #4 type 17,
> a #5 tyoe 19, a #7 type 17, a Dunlap #4 clone, an unnamed Scube  
> plane, a Disston #7 with a damaged handle, an A-4 panel saw by  
> Pennsylvania Saw Corp, A 125+ year old Broad Ax, and other
> small items. Now I mostly use my (cheap) contractors saw as a work  
> table and my Mitre saw stand as a planing bench. I have been  
> lurking for a couple of weeks and decided to crawl out from under
> the porch and admit my addiction. Hi, my name is Pete and I'm a  
> Galoot (wannabe).
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Type your favorite song.  Get a customized station.  Try MSN Radio  
> powered by Pandora. http://radio.msn.com/?icid=T002MSN03A07001
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> --
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

Paul Schobernd
paul.schobernd@v...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Pete,

You've come to the wrong place a'ight!  We'll help ya'long with yer 
problem...  we'll push you way down the slope and when you think thar 
ain't no more slope we'll show ya'new un!

The are no Galoot wannabes, only those that don't know what a Galoot is 
yet, you're here, you're full-fledged.

Folks, here's Pete, he's a Galoot!

Welcome, Have A Seat, Someone's Got Some Lemonade Here Somewhere, Or So 
They Say, But I've Haven't Had Any Yet!

Happy Galooting,
Ken
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Peter Potter wrote:
I served in the U.S. Navy from 1976 to 1980, the U.S. Army from
> 1985 to 1993, and am
> currently serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve. 

I thought those 2 branches tended to compete?

Tool list planed per FAQ..

  Now I mostly use my (cheap) contractors saw as a work table

Check

> and my Mitre saw stand as a planing bench.

Check
I have been lurking for a
> couple of weeks and decided to crawl out from under
> the porch and admit my addiction. Hi, my name is Pete and I'm a Galoot 
> (wannabe).

No wannabe, when the apprentices become worktables, you are clearly
a galoot. Don't bother looking for the lemonade, we've switched to
mulled cider (except for the brewers...)

Welcome to the most civilised corner of the Net!  If you aren't clear
about all the galootaclaus postings I think the original announcement/
explanation of the festivities was around Halloween if you check the
archives. (basically an opt-in randomised gift exchange)

Esther
listmom emerita

-- 
Esther Heller
bench built Windsor chairs
www.estherheller.com

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Welcome John and thanks for your offering a look at that collection  
of absatively superb set of miniature tools. We have a word here on  
the Porch to describe your work... it's all Gloatable.

Happy Holidays
Gary

PS: Please sign me up for next years Galootaclaus, provided that John  
Maki is my secret Galootaclaus....
...............................
Gary Roberts
Dedham, MA
toolemera@m...
Visit me at Galoots < http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/gRoberts/ 
grr/index.html>

On Dec 22, 2006, at 9:05 PM, John & Carol Maki wrote:

> Greetings to all,
>
>
>
> As a new Galoot, I am submitting my bio...
>
>
> John Maki
>
> Port Ludlow, WA
>
> "Minitool"
>

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