Chris:

Interesting bio. You started out just as many of have. But, I couldn't help 
notice that you said, "Recently, I've had time to work on MY shop again. 
Insulation, electric, wall coverings, etc." I was wondering what on earth 
you would do with "electric". I expect you would use oil lamps like most 
Galoots.

Regards,
Col. Dick Hucker (Huck)
Dyer, Indiana USA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Hartman" 
To: "oldtools" 
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 10:35 PM
Subject: [oldtools] Chris Hartman bio

> Ok, geez, where to start.
>
> Been a GIT myself, (not quite a galoot yet) for several years. Only 
> academic training in woodworking (in the worst sense of the word - read a 
> lot, haven't done much of anything) for a long long time. Built a king 
> sized platform bed about six years ago (all 'lectric), can't think of 
> another woodworking project I've completed. Fair amount of carpentry, 
> plumbing, renovation, electric, even concrete work though.
>
> My shop: Seven  years ago I bought the house I live in now - and will for 
> the next 15 years, at least. I posted to rec.woodworking at the time, 
> about my plans for a shop. Web page coming, but in the meantime, the short 
> story - It's _under_ the garage. The way this place was built, they did 
> foundation and full 13 course cinderblock wall, built a wooden garage 
> floor at the upper level on a hillside. The floor was held up by one 
> central beam consisting of three 2x12s sistered together with a screw-jack 
> post in the middle, covered by 2x10 joists on 16" centers, with three 
> layers of 1/2" plywood for the floor. Underneath wasn't finished, and that 
> might be an understatement. More below... Engineer told them that wasn't 
> good enough when we bought the house (wouldn't be good if the cars fell 
> through now, would it?), they needed at least two 16" glue-lam beams with 
> posts. Already imagining shop space, I asked how much more it would cost 
> for clear span metal beams instead. $300? "Here's a check, have them do 
> that instead." How many people do you know that have 14" I-beams in their 
> house?
>
> So I had space for a shop. $1000 in outisde dirt work and $200 in concrete 
> cutting, and I had an outside door, too. Three weeks worth of a couple of 
> hours of shovel and wheelbarrow work a day, and I had removed the dirt 
> they had never bothered to excavate. Another $1200 in concrete, and a 
> little bit more for a 42" door and frame, and I had a shop.
>
> The project lagged for several years. Bought a _big_ shop inside city 
> limits with a partner. We rent out various office and garage space, and go 
> to a lot of auctions to buy more junk. Sell some of that, too, but not 
> enough. Our 11,000 square foot pole barn is nearing capacity, but mostly 
> with crap. Not junk. That's good stuff. We're half full with stuff that 
> was too good to leave (after buying a row of pallets) but not good enough 
> to sell. But hey, there's a lot of treasures in there too. Anybody need a 
> 20" Dewalt three-phase radial arm saw? Naw, that's not galootish... Even 
> the 2000 sq. ft. we keep for ourselves seems to fill up with stuff that 
> just has to be inside. Anyway...
>
> Recently, I've had time to work on MY shop again. Insulation, electric, 
> wall coverings, etc. Pictures will come (as I said) but being nearly ready 
> to have a bench and a place to work at home, I had the inclination to 
> browse the web and the world for woodworking info. Having always had an 
> interest in old tools (both tailed and non), I was immediately fascinated 
> by the porch. Imagine my pleasure when finding Chris Swingley is not just 
> the archiver, but somebody I'll be able to learn a lot from, and in my 
> area, too! I doubt there are many of us in Fairbanks. I'll send you email 
> soon Chris - we'll get along great. In any case, I'll soon have a heated 
> 26 by 20 foot shop for a total expenditure of less than $4000. Ceiling 
> height could be better, but I've got 8'2" to the _top_ of the joists. 
> Enough to swing a sheet of plywood, if I hold it the right way :).
>
> Tools I own. Pretty sad, I can fit this in a smaller paragraph than others 
> in this post. Newest purchase was a user Stanley #7 from our favorite 
> auction site. First decent galoot tool was user Stanley #4 at the flea 
> market back east several years ago. That's the only one that's tuned. 
> Scary sharp, even! Got a Miller's Falls #5 at auction here in Fairbanks 
> last year. Have a couple of spokeshaves, saws, drawknives, etc. from other 
> auctions, but those belong to the downtown shop - along with couple of 
> other Stanley's - router plane (missing a couple of knives) and shoulder 
> plane.  Have a couple of block planes, lots of old but not antique paring 
> chisels (Buck Bros., Stanley, etc.). One 1/2" Weatherby mortice chisel, 
> looking forward to turning a handle for it. That's about it.
>
> So why the bio? Heck, I feel at home here already. And in a month or so 
> I'll be building my first bench. Can't say I'm 100% against killing those 
> electrons, but I do like the hand-work. And fixing old tools has always 
> been a hobby. Can't help it, I'm cheap. Can't say that I seem to be out of 
> place here, either!
>
> What else belongs in a bio? Non-woodworking? I'm 35, have three kids (girl 
> 3, boy 6, girl 9), a SWMBO, a dog, and two cats (in some order). I'm a 
> professor here at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, with a Ph.D. in 
> math, but I teach computer science. They pay us more :)
>
> Guess that's about it. Looking forward to translating "academic" knowledge 
> into some neat projects. With no electrons killed, neither!
>         -Chris
>
> --
> "To use bad English is regrettable, to use bad Scotch is unforgivable."
> Chris Hartman, Dept. of Math. Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
>
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
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