Wow, Five years since my last Bio, has it been that long???

Feb 2000 was a peak year, lots of time at home, great job, plenty of 
cash and lots of tools, then there was that bad boss, great job turned 
horrible and the blessing in disguise, getting fired. Best thing that 
ever happened to me! I fail to understand how one can go from a full 
performance bonus to firing in 11 months, but telling your boss that you 
have tools that know more about the power industry than he does likely 
had something to do with it. Especially when everyone else is agreeing 
with you but not telling him. I took the settlement, thanked him 
sweetly, intervened at his next rate hearing and took home twice the 
money, then watched as his contract was cut short by a year...

Now I have to depend on myself and I have my own consulting business. 
The start up was painful as was living in a condo with a 7'6" by 11' 
"basement" shared with the washer and dryer, two wine racks and a 14 
inch rock saw. It is remarkable how much wood working can be done in the 
small space, just not all at once. SWMBO insisted I take pictures to 
show what is in the space. It was always a mess but the hardwood floor, 
custom moldings and custom stairs plus the book cases and the plant 
stands and a number of tables and bird houses all came out of that 
little space.

Today is a new day as we start moving into the house, with two car 
garage and an unfinished basement. Everything comes out of storage, gets 
inventoried and the extra stuff will get a new home with fellow galoots. 
The garage will be for dusty work and the work shop in the basement for 
not dusty work. As far as I can translate that means sawing and sanding 
in the garage and planing and chiseling in the basement.

Time to run, gotta go design a new work bench!

Here is my old bio circa February 2000

Dean Chesterman

Hello All
Well it happened today, I shut down the wreck and am on to old tools
only.

Raised on a farm, wood whacking was part of life. It was not until the
late 80s that the wood working started, and the first project was a
mahogany spice rack, cut with a hacksaw over the end of the old over
stuffed couch. Joints were only 3 to 5 degrees out of whack, but the
steel screws solved that problem!

The next projects were oak and marble coffee tables with the edges
rounded off with a Stanley surform. I hated it and threw it at the
dumpster from the fourth floor balcony. The First House had a small shop
that was filled quickly, including a new Record Number 04.

The Record served well and was the favorite tool when the oak feature
wall went in, trimming the mitres and smoothing the face boards.

A small antique shop near Nevis Alberta (Pop 18) yielded a Stanley
Sweetheart 78, a crispy almost new looking plane 70 years old. After a
sharpening and some use the research started. Why not, the blade was
easier to sharpen, better made and lasted much longer than the Record!
Tool looting began in earnest and hand tools were the choice.

Since then the tools are sweethearts and anything else Stanley that
looks good and useable. The Newest Plane is the Record Loaner/door
trimmer, the next newest a war era number 4. Some have been *B*Y but
most are local shops, antique shows and road trips.

Projects include chairs, coffee and end tables, wall units, the feature
wall left in our old house and the in-progress work includes an oak work
bench, a sunshine ceiling, a TV station, tool cabinets and the peg board
frames, to hang more tools of course.

Since I am an electric engineer who plans and builds high voltage
transmission lines, a condition of employment is some power tool.
Covered with a Delta drill press, 621 Dewalt router and 3/8th drill.

The balance of the shop is a passive magnetic anomaly, including a
complete Stanley 45 sweetheart, two Stanley Number 8C's and who knows
how many #3's, #4's #5's,  three #6's, a #7 and that 'orrible slippery
slope, a limited selection of woodies.

The Wife tells me there are 37 planes in the shop but I am sure she has
yet to find the block planes.

That's about it, I am in to hand tools and the " projects need tools so
find a project to justify the latest purchase".

Dean Chesterman
( some of the tag lines I have used in the past )

There are those who have the ferocious hunters instincts, and then there
are those who buy tools mail order.

Power tools are for those who think the product is the result, not the
process.

Hand tools won't wake up the baby sleeping on the bench.

dean.chesterman@h...

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