Hello all,
I figure it's time to post my bio after (mostly) lurking for....actually
I forget how long I've been on the list. I reside in northern Illinois
(an Old Tool hell, it seems) with my wife of 12 years and three GITs.
I've been a woodworker for about 10 years, and for approx. the last 4 or
5 have been sliding down the slope, gaining momentum as time goes on.
My shop is a detached two-car garage. It contains nearly a full
compliment of tailed demons. Save for the band saw, I'm using them a
lot less these days. I usually fire them up to save time (ripping,
etc.) so I can get back to the "fun" stuff. I guess you could say I'm
not a true Neander...but then again I don't have quite the arsenal of
hand tools that I'd like. Someday...
As far as old tools go, I'm slowly "getting there". I have a few bench
planes (Bedrocks and Baileys), a Stanley 55 and 71, a couple of saws (a
Jackson hacksaw and a Disston D-115 "Victory"), Millers Falls brace, and
a few others that escape my memory at the moment. I also own a number
of LN's, which are outstanding tools I must say. If I can manage to get
my hands on older replacements at a sane price (see paragraph #1), I may
part with them. Something tells me that unless I relocate to the east
coast, that's not going to happen anytime soon.
My projects have mainly consisted of Craftsman-style furniture, though I
plan on tackling some Federal pieces starting this year. My most
satisfying project(s) to date was a wall-mounted display case in
walnut. I built it for a friend who needed a place to put his late
grandfather's WWII medals (Bronze Star, Battle of the Bulge). Shortly
thereafter, my wife asked that I do the same for her grandfather (also
WWII), this time in curly maple and cherry. It was completed and
delivered two months before he passed away. Being a veteran myself
(USMC '91-'95), it was an honor to have done those two pieces.
I've learned a lot in the time I've been part of this list, and I'd like
to thank you all for sharing what you know. Here's to many (hopefully)
more years of "chewin' the cyber-fat"...
Richard Russo
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