OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

32475 Gar Gargia <ggargia@p...> 1997‑12‑16 Permission to approch the porch (BIO)
As a reformed lurker, I submit my BIO and ask for the privilege of
being 
allowed to stand at the steps of the porch - as my daddy said,
"listen to 
the oldfolks you might learn sumin".

The paycheck comes from being a Deputy for the Arizona State Fire 
Marshal's Office, but the enjoyment comes from the family and 
woodworking.

I have a B.Sc. in Fire Sciences and another in Electronic 
Communications. Did 6 years in the Air Force during Vietnam as an 
Explosive Ordinance Disposal type and currently a member of the
Arizona 
Air National Guard. Turned 48 last birthday, have wife and a 6-year
git 
living at home (couple more years and he can start paying rent). I'm 
originally from New Jersey, but no one holds that against me out here

since I married a native.

About seven years ago, I had the fortune of buying a home in Valley 
Farms, Arizona. The house started its life as a 1930's Adobe (dirt
for 
the Easterners) but through the years turned into a 90-foot long
kinda 
Ranch style thing, in need of much, much work. But it came with a
30x50-
foot barn and a sixteen-car garage!  So who needs a house anyway.

Well, with all that space, I proceeded to fill up that barn with
every 
p*wer tool I could think of, hey the NYW wasn't going to out do me! 
Anyway, over the next few years I managed to build some furniture for

the SWMBO in between working on the house and collecting the
paycheck.

One day while routing out a profile on an elm tabletop with the 3
1/2hp 
and tearing out shivers the size of 16d nails, the neighbor comes
over 
and hands me an old piece of wood with a steel blade sticking out the

bottom. "Use this and you won't destroy that piece of wood" he says. 
"Great, what is it?" says I. Thus my introduction to molding planes.

Well, as the saying goes "There's got to be a better way", might not
be 
faster but I don't need to wear hearing protectors and it just feels 
better running a plane over the wood, and shavings start the old wood

stove up better than sawdust ever could.

I know I'm not even close to the Neanderthal category yet, as I still

rip 8/4 oak on the table saw, but hey, I'm trainable and the
neighbor's 
treadle scrollsaw gets better lookn' every day.

Thank ya'l     Gar Gargia



Recent Bios FAQ