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71800 MisterMatt@a... 1999‑12‑01 Bio - long!
My Tool Happy Friends,

In looking for the bio of my '99 Holiday Galoot target, I realized that I had
never (formally) posted one myself.  So, here goes;

I'm an old tool addict - just ask my wife.  We live in a small NYC apartment
and I just keep on bringing home wayward things.  It's not that she minds my
acquiring things (she has a collection jones or two herself), she just looks
at me and asks "Where will that fit?"  To give you an idea, I have over 40
complex moulders stacked on my sock and underwear shelf in my closet (as
there is no place else to put them).  Anyway, I digress.

I have been building things for many years, starting with standard go-carts
and tree forts as a kid in the suburbs and working up to finished basements
in my parent's homes.  I was a voracious "how-to" reader growing up and have
a lot of brain knowledge (if not practical hands-on stuff).  Each basement
turned out much better then the last (a good direction to have one's skills
move).  In college, it became necessary to build furniture for my room.  The
framing skills from the basements came in handy for some of these things....
yes you need to build stereo cabinets and desks with 2-by framing when they
will do duty in a fraternity house - people tend to want to dance on them.

So I've always been into tools and such.  As for old things....  I've got a
strange nostalgia gene and have always liked old stuff - especially stuff
with a mechanical or technical bent (must be the engineer in me).  My first
"real" OT find was a Stanley transitional and a brass advertising rule -
grabbed in a 'teek maul up in New England.  That got me started & I just kept
looking for old tools (along with a bunch of crappy new tools that I bought
and later got rid of).  Well, the transitional purchase was back in the early
90's.  Needless to say, the slope is slippery indeed - oiled Teflon I
believe.  The collection (yeah, I don't have any illusions, it's a collection
- but I do use a bunch of them) is up to a few hundred planes now.  I don't
have an exact count, as I have no desire to sit and count - but my FIL does,
and I just have to wait for his next visit.  He loves to count 'em.

So, planes - both wooden and metallic are the primary focus of my tool jag.
However, my enjoyment of the odd-mechanical thing is still strong.  I guess I
can blame guys like Roger Smith for putting together PTAMPIA I & II (I'm sure
many of you out there can credit Mr. Smith) and driving my interest into
things beyond the ordinary.  That and Walter's guide and the Sargent guide
and other books have really pushed me to keep finding stuff.  So, while
somewhat of a newbie, I devour the books and love the hunt.

My tastes are still fairly broad and the collection not real focused...  but
who cares...  I'm not trying to do Stanley by the numbers (OK, I guess I am
sort of), or only woodies from "non-religious makers operating in South
Jersey but not Philly" or any other such focused search - not that there's
anything wrong with that.  I just buy what appeals to me or what I think I'd
like to try to use.  However, I do have a real soft spot for woodie sets -
especially stepped sets of moulders.

Unfortunately, I currently don't do as much wood-dorking as I'd like - lots
of work travel (I'm in hazardous and nuclear waste) and no real shop space
(small NYC apartment).  But, recent projects have included bookcases and a
dining room table for said small apartment - nothing in stores would fit the
space well.  Oh yeah, I have also been able to use my Stanley #55 and a
couple of my woodies to make some replacement mouldings for the apartment
(it's a late 1800's building, w/ some renovation in the 20's).  What they say
is true - the #55 is not a very workable plane, but it is a swell looker and
has all the gizmosity one could ask for.

So, there you have it - a small glimpse into my existence.  Hope you enjoyed.

Matt Glass - NYCity Galoot



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