OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

101625 "Sam Gibbs" <sgibbs@n...> 2002‑01‑08 Bio for Sam Gibbs
Greetings Gallots,

I've been watching the goings on of your Porch from the road and thought
I'd come closer and introduce myself. My name is Sam Gibbs, I'm 24, married 
and live in Northeast Mississippi. I manage data networks for a large health 
care system.

I've been around woodworking all my life. My dad and grandfather have 
woodworking shops, but they're centered around the table saw and other 
electric devices. I have many, many wonderful memories of working with 
my dad in the shop, but they are all tempered by the roar of his 
ShopSmith. I remember cringing and plugging my ears whenever he fired 
that thing up.

Now it's time for me to setup my own shop.  I don't have much room, 
(half of storage  a storage shed) or much money, (just married) so 
things looked pretty dismal.  I priced all the electrics I'd need to 
get started and things looked even worse.  I had resigned to wait on 
woodworking until I could afford it. One day I was searching the web 
for information on wood and came across www.shavings.net.  I read 
everything on that page, and was fascinated by the things that could 
be done with hand tools. I kept seeing the words, "galoot, neanderthal, 
#5, scary sharp" being tossed around.  I did a search on galoot, 
found the Galoot's Progress, read the Oldtools FAQ, and started 
browsing the list archives to learn more.  I discovered I could start now, 
with some simple hand tools and minimal space. I decided this was 
the way for me, simple and inexpensive.  My dad donated a bench 
that he wasn't using, my wife got me a marking gauge, try square, 
and bevel gauge for Christmas, and I've bought some clamps and 
chisels. I've been searching through the local antiques stores for 
some planes and saws, but all I've found is a rusted plane sole, 
and a worm eaten wooden plane, both ridiculously priced. There's 
a monthly flea market nearby, so I'm going to try there next.

I went ahead and subscribed to the list, so I could get the messages
firsthand.  I've been lurking for a while now and the discussions have 
been fascinating.  Ya'll are my kind of people, witty, crafty, do it better 
yourself kinda folks, mind if I just sit here on the steps and listen?

Thanks for reading,
Sam Gibbs



Recent Bios FAQ