Howdy,

    I'm a wannabe who has done too much reading and not enough
sweating.  Although, I've cut myself plenty of times, usually right
after sharpening my chisels.

    How much of a wannabe?  I've got tools... one wood and several
metal planes, hand scrapers, knives, chisels, Japanese, European, and
bow saws.  Layout tools, lumber, water stones (can even sharpen well,
if not fast), 5 or 30 books, even Hoadley's "Understanding Wood".
Half done projects, a bag of plane shavings for some guessed at use
that'll probably never happen, great varnish brushes, even a brush
spinner...  BUT NO WORKBENCH!

    My only consolation is that so many woodworkers make the same, I'm
fascinated with tools, mistake.  The other side of my mistake is
idealizing a workbench, then wanting to build it myself, with hand
tools, out of pecan.  How does a person square up long stock for a big
bench without a bench to work on?  A friend of mine has a great
normite workshop, maybe I'll just get it out of the way.  But I'd
rather not, using hand tools to build my first bench holds a strong
allure.

    I have a few nice R&L bench planes, 3 of them bedrocks, which I
bought from Larry Poffenberger. I see he is quite ubiquitous in
OldTools, though I've lost touch with him.  When I began looking for
planes friends in the Green Country Woodworkers directed me to Mr.
Poffenberger, also a member then.  I'm not sure if having a dealer in
bedrocks and other wonderful old tools in the same city is good for my
wallet, but it sure was handy.  Larry, please accept my apologies if I
drove you crazy and I'll try to forgive you for shipping all of those
bedrocks to Australia.

    Finally, I'm returning from a two year hiatus from woodworking
caused by my employer which needed all of its programmers' time to get
out a new product.  (Of course we all know whose choice that was.)
Originally I was a Civil Engineer who loved/loves surface water.  Its
incredible what can be done to recover a horribly abused or
straightened river/stream.  The techniques and knowledge are very much
like working wood from something rough to a thing of beauty.  Mostly
did flood work for the Corp of Engineers though.  Controlling flood
waters in real time was very interesting engineering.

Jim Holliman