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45075 SWSCPA@a... 1998‑06‑19 The end of a shameless lurker
I am a shameless lurker.  I have been on the list for over eight FMMs.  Thats
long enough to grow to resent the fact that after each FMM all the NGs try to
change it.  I shamelessly lurked through the great outing of 98."  You
remember, when mom begged everyone to come out and introduce themselves.  I
have even been personally goaded by mom to unlurk.  Months ago I promised
Gunterman that I would review of his How to Make a Spoke Shave video, as
soon as I de-lurked.  And gracious John, has stayed a friend all these months,
with just an occasional nag to come out.

Anyway.

I am the husband of one and father of two.  I live (born and raised) in
Florida.  I was born in the mid 50s the end of the age of hand tools.  I have
always had an interest in history.  The family reenacts the War Between The
States (American Civil War, Jeff).  I have always loved old tools, and
especially old wood working tools.  Back when I thought that a Neanderthal was
just an early European, I was reading everything I could on old tools.  Even
as I was buying everything that made Norm smile, (or anything Norm was paid to
smile over) I was interested in the old stuff.  I even read Norms book on
hand tools, and I saved the chapter on hand planes for last to savor it.  I
found the OT list, and surfed many of your Web Pages.  So I knew that there
were people like you out there.  As I read each page I would smile to myself
and say boy does he have a problem."  And yet I would keep coming back.  Soon
I was wondering when Paddy would ever go woodworking in the park again.

Then I found the book Old Ways of Working Wood by Alex Bealer.  I was
enjoying his quaint way of describing all these Old Ways.  I read with
detached interest the chapters on Splitting and Hewing.  Then on page 94 I
read this:

To start the saw blade is placed on the sawing mark at a forty-five degree
angle with the end of the raised left thumb pressing gently against it.  Then,
as with the framed saw, the blade is pulled gently over the board with short
strokes until the kerf is started.

I paused, I knew this... my dad taught this to me... who would teach my son...
And then I knew... I was one of them...

Hi my name is Scott and I am a Galoot!



Recent Bios FAQ