Greetings, Galoots,

 

Sixty-five years ago, born and raised on a red clay farm in rural central
Alabama.  If the mule is currently in better practice than I am, I'd still
be able to walk a furrow and hill up a row of corn or peanuts.  Had many
hours on Farmall and Ford tractors from the age of ten on.  It was grow it
if you wanted to eat, use it up, make do or do without.  I still plant a big
garden every year.  This surprises those who knew me then, because back on
the farm, all I thought I wanted was to never see a garden again.

 

Since the nearest hardware store was a fifteen mile trip, one learned early
on to look first in the garage, the equipment shed, the wood shed and the
scrap pile, the neighbors.  It was considered a moral failing to have to
call in paid help to fix anything.  Now that I think about it, we didn't get
phone lines until I was ten.

 

I've done time as an Eagle Scout, card-carrying union member, graduate of
several universities, the US Army in Europe and Vietnam, got married to a
Montana girl, moved to Spokane, WA.

 

Over the past thirty-six years in Spokane, the old arn collection has sort
of weighed me down.  Couldn't move now if I wanted, because of the sheer
tonnage of tools and cars and trucks.  I'm a third-generation Studebaker
driver, specializing in the '50s Hawks and pickups as well as Packard V8s.
Have gathered a pretty good stock of Snap-on tools, Starrett machinist's
tools, six drill presses, a Clausing mill, an industrial size sandblaster
and Miller and Lincoln welders.

 

The woodworking tools went through the Craftsman phase and I still have a
'60s radial arm saw and a backup table saw.  Sold the Craftsman stuff and
bought Delta Unisaw, jointer, planer, scroll saw, band saw.  Sold all the
Delta but the lathe, band saw and scroll saw to buy a Robland combination
machine.  It's a saw with a sliding table, jointer, planer, shaper and
mortiser all on one base.

 

Used to collect a lot of antique tools, but decided if I can't enjoy using
it, it can't stay.  Most of the hand tools are old, but they are fully
operational and get used regularly.  The Miller's Falls miter box is always
what I reach for before anything powered.

 

About fifteen years ago, a monster tornado went through the old homestead
back in Alabama and blew down a pecan grove my grandfather had planted in
1925.  I asked a cousin to have some of the trees sawed up and my sister
drove it out to Spokane in a rental truck on one of her many crosscountry
moves.  I stickered the rough boards, then cut off the ends, jointed and
planed it and the lumber is stored in my garage.  I'm trying to design a
small chest I can make for each of the children and grandchildren who lived
on the farm.  Could get started any day now; I just need the right plans -
that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Got a loving wife, two fine grown children, retired from a job which took me
all over the world.  Life is good and maybe I wasn't too bad, because
Galootaclaus, AKA Rick Yochim, was good to me this year.

 

Peace and thin shavings, brothers,

 

 

Jack Vines

 

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