OldTools Archive

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39294 <ERDMANJ@U...> 1998‑03‑13 Bio of Jim Erdman
I've been "lurking" for a few weeks, ever since I got occasional
computer access at work, and I thought I'd better submit this
so I could be a part of the fun and games.

I've lived in Menomonie, Wis., since 1989, and I am employed 
as a maintenance mechanic at Univ. of Wis- Stout in Menomonie.
I have a wife(Janice), three sons, ages 16, 19, and 21, and I
turn 50 in a couple of months; been married for almost 26 years.

I've been accumulating tools  for almost all  my life.  My dad's
dad, and his dad, were carpenters at one time or another, and my
father, a high school chemistry and physics teacher,  taught 
wood shop at a summer camp for a number of years when I was young.
(The only power tools my dad owned were a drill and a dremel tool.)

I ended up with the remnants of my grandfather's and greatgrand-
father's tools when Grandpa died, not long after Janice and I had
built a stud-framed superinsulated house from rough pine without
using power tools.  She sure appreciated all my sharp handsaws,
since she was the one who cut both end of every piece of lumber in
the house. (Rough lumber from the saw mill isn't squared at the 
ends.)  Grandpa's tools included a Stanley 45, block planes,
some wood jack and jointer planes, Yankee push drill and screw-
drivers, and lots of long hand auger bits, and some saws and
a saw vice.  And an old Sargaent tool catalog, 1911 vintage or
so,  which I proceded to drool over.  

Since then we have moved to a different city (Menomonie, Wis.) and
live in an early 20th century farm house in town on 79 acres with
a barn and other outbuildings.  I have a sort-of shop in the barn,
and my 16 year old GIT has one, too.  He's getting interested in
blacksmithing;  he bought an anvil at a farm auction, a friend 
gave him 2 small forges, I had some tongs, etc., and we found
an old swage block which was his Christmas gift lasts year.

In addition to old tools, I'm also interested in old Volkswagens
(have a 1965 Double Cab pickup), alternative energy (especially
wind generators, Photovoltaics, and electric cars), homebrewing,
gardening, fruit trees, old rock 'n' roll music, old Ford tractors
(1939 Ford 9N),  Dodge trucks (65 pickup), and books about all of
this stuff and more.

Most of my current woodworking is related to house remodelin/
repair/renovation.  I've been a member of MWTCA and EAIA for over
15 years, never went to an annual meeting but enjoy the
publications- membership is worth it for them.  I usually manage
to sell my valuable tools so I can buy more #5's or braces or 
something more "usable"  rather than collectable --lots of
stories of "dumb" mistakes there.

Jim Erdman
Menomonie, Wis.  (just an hour east of the Twin Cities)



Recent Bios FAQ