OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

12663 Beyers Coetzee <beyers@a...> 1997‑01‑28 Bio (Was Re: Newbie questions)
Jim Cook wrote:
> Hey Justin,
> Welcome to the Porch, but....
> Ya gotta put in your bio before anyone is allowed to
> answer your questions :-)
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>From another newbie.

Yeeekk! But how strict you guys are. I have been gawking at the oldtools
list, and participating here and there, and never sent in my Bio. Even
worse. I must have come in through the back door, since I only discovered
"The Framed Oldtools Site" a few days ago. For the rest of you backdoor
newbies, it's at http://www.pangea.com/~rock/oldtools/ 

Bio:
I have been born and bred in South Africa. We have moved around a fair
deal, which involved my attending seven different schools, but I managed to
continue with woodwork until standard seven (9th grade in your language I
believe. In any case, the grade you attend when you are about 15 years
old). Our woodworking teacher was notoriously strict. He used to examine
our joints (well those on our projects, dammit!) with a magnifying glass.
Gloat to follow --> I loved woodwork and won the woodworking prize in
standard seven, beating all of the seniors.

After school I started an Electronics Engineering course at the superbly
beautiful University of Stellenbosch. Unfortunately, the superbly beautiful
university together with the other superbly beautiful creatures meandering
around proved to be sooo much more interesting than the movement of
electrons around silicon, that I failed my course dismally after five
years. I made a mental switch to a state of celibacy, poverty and
solemnity, and a physical switch to a course in Applied Mathematics. I
eventually attained my BSc Hons degree (Somewhere between a BSc and a MSc
degree) in the said direction.

All this fun, games and serious studying has of course left a serious mark
on my financial situation, so I started a job as an Operations Researcher
in the somewhat less beautiful city of Pretoria (Close to Johannesburg, for
those of you who have heard of South Africa before). In any case, now, four
years and three jobs later has left me with no debt, no money, and a
beautiful wife (expecting our first in May, arr, arr). The perfect time to
start collecting old tools, what?

I am now 32 years old, and have not touched wood since I was 15. It really
is amazing how much you can get out of practice. I really am all thumbs
now. Not at all like learning how to ride a bicycle. I took up a small
project for my wife's christmas present two months ago. She was nagging
(well, asking) for a rocker chair to feed our future galoot in. So I made
one from some stinkwood offcuts (a very rare and expensive local wood). It
turned out great. I treated the stinkwood with boiled linseed oil to
enhance its deep, dark colour further, and weaved a rush seat. The chair
stands about 4 inches high, exact 1:12 scale. The wife is highly impressed,
but she says she still wants a rocker chair!

My entire toolchest consists of 2 backsaws of unknown make or origin, a
Stanley Jack plane that I bummed of my brother in law, and a Stanley #6
fore plane that I bought a few days ago to kick off my galooting
activities. So there is unlimited scope for expansion.

I have a bit of a fetish with these old things. In addition to tools, I try
to bake my own bread (only failures so far), make my own soap, and I shave
with a straight razor (Now there is some sharpening practice, I am here to
tell you). So any of you galoots that have info on other old things of the
old tools path, feel free to mail!

- beyers

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Beyers Coetzee
394 Rooiribbok Street
Waterkloof Ridge X2
0181 Pretoria
South Africa

voice: +27 12 45 1408
email: beyers@a... 
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Recent Bios FAQ