OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

84292 "Croxton Gordon" lawyer@e... 2000‑09‑29 Bio
Esteemed Galoots:

I've enjoyed lurking for several months, but
after
reading a recent reference to *pond scum*, I
thought
I'd better introduce myself to The Porch.

I'm pushing 50, with a daughter in U.Va., two
boys,
3 and 5, and a beautiful and understanding
SWMBO.
We live on Virginia's Eastern Shore, which
divides
the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.
I'm a
lawyer (strike two!) by day in a small
general
practice in Eastville.  My shop is a one-car
detached
garage with a beautiful view.  Too small, of
course.

I've been interested in woodworking all my
life.
My grandfather was handy and did amazing
things
in a tiny basement shop.  My dad was even
better,
particularly at the more artistic stuff like
turning and carving and Langsner-type country
things.  I cut my teeth on the early FWW
magazines,
with Kirby and the other greats, as well as
Hayward's
Cabinetmaking for Beginners.  I had many of
the
family tools, and began gathering my own.
Most
of my work was on a Workmate with a Record
05.  I did
a tour in England (RAF Fairford, Jeff) with
the
USAF/JAG, and had a chance to play with some
unusual woods, particularly elm (crazy
grain).

Back to Virginia, home, in the early 80s, and
have
knocked around with cabinetmaking and OT
since
then.  In the spring of 96 I went to Atlanta
to take a Windsor chair class with Mike
Dunbar.
Until then, one of my mottoes had been
"people
can't make chairs, only factories can,"
because
of the joints that are difficult to make and
designed to fail.  Mike (The Master to us)
introduced me to the Windsor, and I haven't
looked back.  I've just finished my 44th
chair,
and am having a ball. I've taken four of
Mike's
classes, and have made some good friends,
including The Porch's own Dr. Lord Edward
Fisher,
First Earl of Windsor (we now address him as
Your
Grace).

Windsors are OT City:  apart from the l*th*,
(I'm not that pure, guys), I don't need
tailed
apprentices. It's not for the purity, but
because
the traditional stuff does the job faster,
better,
cheaper, safer, and quieter than the tailed
stuff.
I have, and use, plenty of TAs for other
stuff I
do, but we don't talk about that here, ahem.

While in England, I made my bench, with my
father's help, and I still love it after 20
hard years.  It's the Frid bench out of the
old FWW, lengthened, with a sturdier base and
wooden screws instead of metal.  I recently
added a twin-wooden-screw end vise, no
garters,
and use it all the time for shaping and
legging
seats, and, with a long cleat for planing
against,
Kirby-style.  My planes are on a shelf
underneath
(sole down, back ends resting on a small
cleat
along the front of the shelf--I'm not getting
back in that debate! ).  At the end of the
day I often clamp a piece of scrap in the
dogs
and take a few shavings off with each plane,
just to shake hands and say good night.

I'm sliding down the slippery slope of
amassing
a User Arsenal, thanks to MofA, Dave
Wachnicki,
Ray Larsen, The Rev Ron, and others on
the list.  So far, I use (or plan to use, I
promise!) whatever
tools I buy.  Planes, braces, spokeshaves and
bevels are my
biggest weaknesses.  I don't question SWMBO's
collection of black shoes, and she doesn't
question
the boxes with something else for making a
fine
shaving. Electronic Neanderthal is my
favorite
website, and I look forward to the OT list
every
day.  You're a great bunch; keep it going.

Croxton



Recent Bios FAQ