OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

55262 Daniel G Jones <dgj+@p...> 1998‑12‑29 Bio: Dan Jones
Greetings,

In keeping with the welcome message, here's my bio.

Day Job: System guru/architect/engineer for a research group at the
Learning Reasearch and Developement Center at the University of
Pittsburgh. I design and implement interactive computer systems.

How I wound up here [in oldtools]: My wife and I are s l o w ly fixing up
an old farmhouse. I use power tools and appreciate what they do for me.
But that kind of work is too much like my day job. There is an aspect of
power woodworking that is intensly creative, but a lot of it is fussy and
souless. The goal often seems to be to produce work that looks like it
could have been made by a robot. The older I get (I'm 40), the more I
enjoy looking at something and seeing the hand of the person that created
it. I could go on here, but as an example,
we received two pieces of furniture from my wifes family. A corner
cupboard and a blanket chest that were made in the mid 1800's. They are
not particulary well made. Someone was using the tools that were available
to build these things as a wedding gift for a new daughter in law. It's
not like they are covered in tool marks, but you can "see" the man who
created them if you look hard enough. I like that.

I also like knowing how the things around me are made. And being able
to go from tree -> furniture is nice.

I also like to work in areas where electricity is not available. Any ideas
on portable "benches". I'm thinking about wood screws and turning every
100th tree into a clamp.

Tools: primarily new old. I'm just getting set up. If you hang on to the
end, I'll list a few things I would like pointers for.

Location: near Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The Fayette County/ Laurel
Highlands Mill Run. I'm about 3 miles overland from Fallingwater for
architecture buffs, and about 10 road
miles from Ohiopyle for any boaters that may be in the crowd. We have a
small farm (approx 20 acres, about 2/3 wooded) with some sheep, a donkey
and various poultry and fowl. and cats and a dog and 1 2/3 kids. And
vermin, lots of vermin. OT content: lots of interesting trees.

Other activities: whitewater boating, K1 but moving to OC1. Carrying food
to animals. Planting fruit trees, I think I'm going to turn into Danny
Appleseed. Simple knitting and weaving. [this is like the tree ->
furniture, I have sheep for wool, my wife spins, and we use the yarn. We
do not/cannot produce all that we need, but it's nice to know how.]

Pointers wanted:
        saws - out of all of the power tools that I use, the saws may be
the hardest to give up. I  suspect this may be due to the fact that every
handsaw I have ever used has been dull, etc. I have tried frame saws, also
without joy. When they work, they work well, but mostly I'm fussing with
them. Constantly. I'm pretty patient , but I've about had it with the
saws...
        pitsaws - anybody on the list use them? Are they still available?
Is/was there a horizontal man powered saw that does the same job (and
eliminated the need for a pit.)
        adzes and axes - SWMBO wants bowls, I fantasize about chairmaking.
I've always liked these tools. + I get into less troubel with the big
tools. With the samll ones, I tend to take a stroke or two while I'm still
setteling in to get the feel. On xmas eve I put an 18mm #8 Swiss Made into
my thumb.  xmas morning I was in the emergency room gettting stiched up.
I'll pay attention for a while now. I'm a little leary of starting a
collection of anything. My mother collects antique dolls in a big way,
I've seen the carnage...

So, if anyone has a collection of saws that are already tuned up that they
would like to part with, I'll give it another try. I'm also in the market
for hewing/carving hatchets and hollowing adzes.

Enough!

Dan Jones
dgj+@p...



Recent Bios FAQ