Dougie:

Bienvenue a la porch.... (apologies a louis in Rimouski....)

Dougie: you will find that there is enuf mathematical contextual content 
that you can add your too bits without cracking wise, although I think that 
you will find that more than a few folks here don't shave with occams razor,

 >I am a mathematician at the University of North Texas; a school of 
roughly 27,000 students located in >Denton which lies 35 miles NNW of 
Dallas.  Born and raised in San Diego, schooled in Ohio (Ohio >State) now 
raising a family here in Texas.

 >snippage concerning essential toolssuch as....files, a nice brace with a 
good collection of bits, a MF (model 98 ?) hand drill, a nice #4 smoothing 
(soothing!) plane, and a small collection of paring and firmer chisels. <<

However, I crossed the line (left the darkness?) when I purchased a felling 
axe and single beveled broad hatchet (this is probably a term suitable for 
the “department of redundancy department” ) from a machinist friend who 
got the on the yard-sale circuit. That was 1 year ago.  Since then, I have 
purchased several planes and spokeshaves, built a shaving horse (which I 
love to use!) and a bungee lathe (my father in law gave me an old copy of 
AWW from the mid 90’s—to which I made modest modifications)—which is 
a blast to use as well!

I am, strictly speaking, not a fully formed Neanderthal—I am currently in 
transition…sort of a Neandranormie (a mockery to all?).  I somehow doubt 
that I will ever cease to use P-tools--and if someone decided to give me a 
gigantic horizontal belt sander--along with a bigger shop to house it--well 
I wouldn't say no! :-)

Cowtown Eric will tell ya, in case others haven't, that although the 
boundaries of this list are defined principly by the exclusion of electron 
burners ( cross that boundary off list, eh) there are many of the galooti 
who will freely admit to tinkering on the dark side. They just talk about 
it elsewhere.

And be advised, in a friendly and porchlike manner that this is indeed the 
support group from hell. Why just this week Art B. thought that musicians 
didn't use sharp things, till some nut pointed out that he could take up 
the musical saw.....

As to the math content here, methinks you might be suprised.  Learning to 
use oldtools is not a foregone conclusion or result of being here,  and 
some of the chatter is superfluous to the newbies needs, but we was all 
newbies at one point, and got sicker from that time on.

Shoot, this list covers folks with interests from Tolstoi to tinkerbell, 
and everything inbetween. Common thread is love/interest/obsession  with 
old tools, and Everything related, either directly or indirectly.

Speaking for hisself, cowtown has more than one slide rule, got the basics 
of surveying covered at the theoretical level, and has ahieved the 
neophytic level of Vedic mathematics. (chapter 1, eh)

Come sit a spell, and I hope that you are subscribed in digest mode.......

Eric
in Calgary
trying to apply a versine tomorrow.....