Outstanding! And, WELCOME!!!!


--- On Fri, 12/3/10, Mark Lovett Wells  wrote:

> From: Mark Lovett Wells  Subject: [OldTools] Bio Update
> 2010 To: "Old Tools List"  Date:
> Friday, December 3, 2010, 9:42 PM My name is Mark Wells.=A0 I'm 37 and
> I live in Austin, TX with my wife and young son.
>
> I majored in computer science and math and write software for a
> living.=A0 Software I wrote helps validate student records collected
> by the state departments of education in Wyoming, Alaska, Missouri,
> and Idaho.
>
> I did some woodworking as a child and learned from my dad.=A0 My dad
> wouldn't use a hand tool if it were the last tool on earth.
>
> I started woodworking again in 2001 after my employer went bust.=A0 I
> went from a highly-sought-after engineer to unemployed in the blink of
> an eye.=A0 Unemployment changed my perspective on many things.=A0 For
> one, I had time to start woodworking again!
>
> I started out with hand tools.=A0 I kept reading about the joys of
> using hand tools on rec.woodworking.=A0 I didn't really have money to
> take classes, so I read books, articles, and rec.woodworking.=A0 I
> started with a blue Record #5 (jack plane with a plastic handle,
> Jeff).=A0 I got the old Veritas sharpening guide, some sandpaper and
> glass, and tried to "use hand tools."=A0 I was able to get the blade
> sharp enough to take some shavings.=A0 I was trying to use the plane
> to the rounded edges from a 4x4.=A0 Based on that experience, I
> decided hand tools are too hard and take too long.
>
> Over time I stocked up on power tools.=A0 I bought all the usual
> machines (except a table saw) and built some nice stuff.
>
> During this project =A0 http://www.mwells.org/woodworking/shaker-toy-
> shelves I realized I really need a functional hand plane.=A0 I also
> realized that if I wanted my son to come in the shop, I would have to
> learn to use hand tools.
>
> Brent Beach taught my how to sharpen.=A0 At one point Brent mentioned
> the Old Tools List.=A0 It took me several more months before I started
> sitting on the porch.=A0 That was sometime in 2007.
>
> Since then I've been sliding.=A0 I unplugged my jointer and planer.=A0
> I wrote an evangelical hand tool children's book.=A0 I sold my
> compound miter saw.=A0 I try to find other people who are interested
> in hand tools and teach them the meager skills I have learned on my
> own.=A0 I'm in deep.
>
> Recently my shop time has been limited.=A0 I'm working on a queen-
> sized bed.=A0 I bought the wood in January of 2009.=A0 (You all are
> such a bad influence.)=A0 After I finish the bed, I have a list of
> ideas a mile long.=A0 With a young son, a one-car garage, and an
> analytical mind, most of my woodworking limitations are time, space,
> and courage.
>
> I'm glad I found you guys.=A0 I am convinced that my journey to hand
> tools would have been shorter if I had started with a coarse crosscut
> saw and a sawbench rather than a jack plane and a workbench.=A0 I
> probably could have skipped the power tools altogether.=A0 Anyway, I'm
> glad I finally made it on the porch.
>
> Mark http://www.mwells.org
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...du
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>



------------------------------------------------------------------------