I don't have much to "bio-ize" that would be much of interest to 
anyone, so this will be short.  I have some questions along the way, 
and there will be a pop quiz at the end, so stay sharp.

I can't honestly say how I got sucked into this hobby, really. I'm 38

and the last time I did any "real" woodworking was in high school
shop 
class, but for some reason, here I am.

Professionally, I'm an application developer (fancy term for computer

programmer) in the financial sector; over the years I've worked at 
securities firms (of the stocks and bonds variety), banks, and so 
forth.  I have a degree in computer science, and am about as creative

as a cinder block.  I live and work in the northern 'burbs of
Atlanta, 
and love southern food, southern rock, and blues music.  (This from 
someone who grew up outside Chicago!)

I, along with some coworkers have somewhat developed this woodworking

desire together, starting about a year ago.  I started along the 
typical path of powertools and have a few of the usual suspects;
table 
saw, compound miter saw, ROS, etc.  No planer or jointer though.  My 
father, a heavy machinery mechanic (retired) has always dabbled in
the 
metalworking side of things and has passed down to me a number of 
valuable gifts, not the least of which is some modicum of mechanical 
ability, though I will never know as much as he's forgotten.

Where my coworkers continue down that path, I deviate.  I can't saw 
how, or why, but handtools have delighted me since I started this. 
Maybe it's the quiet, or the deceptively low entry price (which I'm 
finding is a cruel joke), or ... something, but I just love 'em.  I 
suspect you all know what I'm failing to elucidate here.  I don't 
DISLIKE power tools, but I feel like I'm missing something by using 
them, something important I can't quite explain; like an itch you 
can't locate.

I'm equally terrible with all of them, so the extent of embarassment,

but I'm trying to learn what they do, how to use them, take care of 
them, and to just be a decent craftsman.  Some of my contemporaries' 
desire to be more of a "manufacturer".  Maybe there's a difference 
there I'm making up to justify my leaning on all that is old, but I 
don't think so.  I find myself breaking away at work from redesigning

financial algorithms to wondering if I should practice dovetails or 
dimensioning rough stock by hand that evening.

So, I've started down the slope; it's started with planes (I have a 
#4C, #5, #8, #60, #80, no-name woodie rabbet, 2 #71's on the way from

ebay, scrapers...), but has seemed to start spilling over.  I have a 
bowsaw, and I'm going to make my own as well, and a frame saw.  My 
father gave me a D-23 which I haven't dated yet, and a saw set HIS 
father gave him, which he used in the first half of the 1900's.  I 
find myself gleaning ebay for a brace and bit set now.

Am I a galoot?  I leave that to you. I'd /like/ to be, but I don't 
think I have the experience to justify that claim.  GIT maybe, or 
apprentice perhaps.  Is there a ritual I muss pass to qualify?  Some 
arcane and bizarre hazing practice, maybe?  Demonstrate some
knowledge 
of the subject, or skill?  Do "new" versions of old tools qualify? 
Say, hypothetically...a Steve Knight jointer, or is this an egregious

faux pas?

Lastly, I think I can get it by context, but can someone give me some

pointers to the practice of qualifying something in a sentence for 
someone else, typically "Jeff"?  I see things like... "And then I 
sharpened the florx (snozlet, Jeff) until it was sharp as a bowling 
(bocce, Jeff) ball!"

Ok, so that wasn't short.

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now
http://companion.yahoo.com/

On 3 Dec 2003 at 14:24, Michael Campbell wrote:

> Lastly, I think I can get it by context, but can someone give me some
> 
> pointers to the practice of qualifying something in a sentence for 
> someone else, typically "Jeff"?  I see things like... "And then I 
> sharpened the florx (snozlet, Jeff) until it was sharp as a bowling 
> (bocce, Jeff) ball!"

It is, of course, in the FAQ....

http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/oldtools.html

All you new guys and gals ought to check it out.

-Ken, suppressing any tendency toward bad humor today

Ken Greenberg (ken@c...)
667 Brush Creek Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
woodworking page: http://www.calast.com/personal/ken/wood.htm

Hi Mike and welcome aboard,

I've been wondering the same thing myself. My own self 
imposed Galoot apprenticeship goes something like this:

1) you not only have a post drill, but use it
2) instead of buying a bow saw, you make your own
3) see above except insert treadle or pole lathe for bow saw
4) you have a bunch of chisels that you use, and a box of 
chisels under the bench that you don't, but had to buy anyway
5) see above except insert saw, plane, brace, drill, marking 
gage, or other for chisel.
6) your finish of choice is - shelac, shelac, shelac. You 
will kill anyone who doesn't like shelac.
7) you're amazed that you have any tools at all, but you do, 
since you rarely pay more than $5 for anything
8) you rarely if ever complete a woodworking project
9) you will rise at 5AM even on a Saturday to get first 
crack at the local yardsale
10) and last but not least - you have the hat

Regards
Jonathan Peck - ducking and running

>snip>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>Am I a galoot?  I leave that to you. I'd /like/ to be, but 
>I don't think I have the experience to justify that claim.  
>GIT maybe, or apprentice perhaps.  Is there a ritual I muss 
>pass to qualify?  Some arcane and bizarre hazing practice, 
>maybe?  Demonstrate some knowledge of the subject, or 
>skill?  Do "new" versions of old tools qualify? Say, 
>hypothetically...a Steve Knight jointer, or is this an 
>egregious faux pas?

> It is, of course, in the FAQ....
> 
> http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/oldtools.html
> 
> All you new guys and gals ought to check it out.
> 
> -Ken, suppressing any tendency toward bad humor today

Whoops, my humblest apologies.  I *did* read the FAQ, but put 2 and 2 
together and got 22.

Yep, I said that very same thing a while back.  Now I have 52 saws, and 
I only need a couple more. But I can quit buying them any time I want.  
I really can. Really!

On Wednesday, December 3, 2003, at 05:48  PM, C N Schwartz wrote:

>
> Yup, 24 saws.  All differnt function.  And I only need 2 more.  A 
> stair saw,
> and a small panel saw.   Sheesh.

On 3 Dec 2003 at 14:24, Michael Campbell wrote:

> Am I a galoot? I leave that to you. I'd /like/ to be, but I don't
> think I have the experience to justify that claim. GIT maybe, or
> apprentice perhaps. Is there a ritual I muss pass to qualify? Some
> arcane and bizarre hazing practice, maybe?

You Don't... Wanna....Know. ;-)

> Demonstrate some knowledge of the subject, or skill? Do "new" versions
> of old tools qualify? Say, hypothetically...a Steve Knight jointer, or
> is this an egregious faux pas?

Just hang around, soak up the accumulated knowledge, make an effort to
acquire some yerself - y'know, read some books, do a little internet
research, start fiddling around with those old tools, hit the garage
sales and flea market, and before you know it, you're a Galoot.

- Bill T.

Ahhhh, THAT SWMBO excuse.  I did that starting out.  Now instead of buying a
$1500 t@b...&s@w from Delta or Jet all with one fell swoop of a credit card,
we buy 25 $60 saws from Disston or Atkins (well... originally from those
companies).  Average price, or course.  Maybe one $5 Disston and one $115
IT, that sort of purchase.   It SEEMED like it was an economical tradeoff
originally, when we only had 3 saws, but NOW look at use.  I am a fastidious
user, so no collector grade saw, but to get one for each function....
lessee, I'll go count.  Wait one.

Yup, 24 saws.  All differnt function.  And I only need 2 more.  A stair saw,
and a small panel saw.   Sheesh.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Campbell [mailto:michael_s_campbell@y...]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 5:25 PM
To: oldtools
Subject: [oldtools] [bio] etc

 can't say how, or why, but handtools have delighted me since I started
this.
Maybe it's the quiet, or the deceptively low entry price (which I'm
finding is a cruel joke), or ... something, but I just love 'em.

Esteemed Galoots,

Judging by some of the content of this thread, I think I can call myself
a galoot. Lemme describe the symptoms.....13 saws, one of which was
bought for the handle. Useable Stanley planes...check. Hunks of rust
lying in waiting...check. Post drill, not yet but I'm looking! Dreaming
about dovetails...sometimes but these days I am mostly planning in my
head a plane till and saw till during every waking moment. Does that
count? Searches for flea market tables that do not have shiny
stuff...check. Already planning next years Christmas tree, which I get
to design/decorate because SWMBO got to do it this year, to have chisels
for tinsel, saws for ornaments and a bedrock (which I don't even own
yet) in place of the star.....check.

Well, I might be a galoot. Pass the spitoon.

Steve Kubien FOYBIPO Ajax, Ont.

: -----Original Message-----
: From: Michael campbell [mailto:michael_s_campbell@y...]
: Sent: 03 December 2003 23:11
: To: oldtools
: Cc: oldtools
: Subject: Re: [oldtools] [bio] etc

: .................. I *did* read the FAQ, but put 2 and 2 
: together and got 22.

Better than 1 + 1 = 3!

Jeff, feeling naughty.

-- 
Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK
http://www.amgron.clara.net 

C N Schwartz said:
> Yup, 24 saws.  All differnt function.  And I only need 2 more.  A stair
> saw, and a small panel saw.   Sheesh.

DON'T DO IT! I set out innocently to buy a small panel saw to put in my
grandGIT's toolbox. Cute little Woodrough & McParlin, bought from Galoot
Jim Crammond at Darley's Barn. Hmm, that looks kinda nice alongside the
little Henry Disston (no sons) I bought for $65 at an auction a few years
ago. (Thanks again for bowing out, Chris. Yeah, thanks a lot. Greased a
slope I didn't even see.)

Y'know, I kinda like those little Disstons, especially the nibbed
varieties. Oh, look, the Leach Ness Monster has a cute little Atkins on
Ebay. Uh oh, here's a little Taylor (Sheffield) panel saw with a spiffy
beech handle. About 20 small panel saws later, well, you know....

Don't risk it. If the first one don't getcha, you'll buy another and that
one will.

-- 
Steve - another Kokomo galoot

Jonathan Peck wrote:

>Hi Mike and welcome aboard,
>
>I've been wondering the same thing myself. My own self 
>imposed Galoot apprenticeship goes something like this:
>
>1) you not only have a post drill, but use it
>2) instead of buying a bow saw, you make your own
>3) see above except insert treadle or pole lathe for bow saw
>4) you have a bunch of chisels that you use, and a box of 
>chisels under the bench that you don't, but had to buy anyway
>5) see above except insert saw, plane, brace, drill, marking 
>gage, or other for chisel.
>6) your finish of choice is - shelac, shelac, shelac. You 
>will kill anyone who doesn't like shelac.
>7) you're amazed that you have any tools at all, but you do, 
>since you rarely pay more than $5 for anything
>8) you rarely if ever complete a woodworking project
>9) you will rise at 5AM even on a Saturday to get first 
>crack at the local yardsale
>10) and last but not least - you have the hat
>  
>
Hmm. That fits me rather well except I don't have room for a treadle lathe
(item 3) and I use oil finishes most of the time (item 6).

I'm not confident on this point since I conform to item (8) and thus
very rarely use finished of any kind.

     BugBear (who doesn't have the hat)