My name is Bill Owens, and I'm a 37 year old computer network engineer.
I've been doing that same general thing since college, though the actual
job has changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable compared to where
I started. I was a mechanical engineer in school, so everything I've
learned about computers and networks I picked up on the job. And most
of what I know about engineering I learned in spite of my education ;)
My wife and I grew up in Buffalo, but we now live with our two daughters
in a suburb of Syracuse, NY, the snowiest metropolitan area in the US
(115 inches a year, though we're off pace so far this winter).
Unfortunately I don't have much of a woodworking background. I learned
how to hammer and saw, though not either one really well, but mostly
I grew up around electronics (so I'm a ham radio operator, N2RKL) and
spent lots of time playing with stuff that Dad brought home from work -
everything from adding machines to high-current power supplies. I have
a reputation around the house for being able to fix lots of things,
thanks in large part to having spent a childhood taking them apart.
Anything that broke in the house was either reparied or dissected,
and I'm continuing that tradition with my kids.
I have a wonderful wife who is completely supportive of my hobbies (no,
really!). I occasionally go to hamfests (flea markets for electronics
geeks) and she routinely tells me to take *more* cash than I was planning,
in case I find something I really want. We're both enamored of Craftsman
style and she has a long wish list of projects, ranging from a napkin
holder to new kitchen cupboards and a breakfast nook. I'm working on
building skill and conquering fears so that I can actually attempt them.
For my 30th birthday, my wife not only gave me a suprise party that was
a true suprise, she also collected money from folks in lieu of gifts,
enough for me to buy the drill press I'd long wanted. I 'inherited' the
scroll saw that my mother no longer used (short-lived fling). And after a
long time of occasional small projects I finally started to get seriously
interested in wood a year ago. Last winter she worked many days with
me to clear enough space in the basement to set aside a small shop
area. I've since bought a few more 'lectric tools, and spent a lot of
time making improvements in the shop (lighting, power, lumber storage,
and so on). Most of my other projects have been utility stuff or toys.
My girls, 6 1/2 and 5 years old, love the woodshop. At around 4 1/2
each one received their toolbox, with real tools - screwdrivers, hammer,
hacksaw, pliers, etc. We never bothered with toy tools, and as a result
they clearly understand what the tools are for. I'm trying to pass on my
limited knowledge to them, while simultaneously teaching myself. They also
have a wish list of projects ;) My project du jour is a small workbench
for them, to give them somewhere to do things other than on the floor,
and as practice for a bigger workbench for me. So far I'm looking at
a softwood base and a ply or MDF top, but with every intention of
a hardwood replacement once I feel up to jointing all those boards. A
hybrid of design elements I've dug up from various places - I'll post
a picture, if it works ;)
I have long been a fan of St. Roy, always amazed at what he could do with
wood. But I have to say that I've also admired He Who Must Not Be Normed,
er, I mean, Named. I will certainly never be as skilled with hand tools
as Roy, and will never have as many power tools as Norm, but hope to
strike some sort of balance. I also shop at the BORG now and then, since
there's one a half mile from the house, but mostly to buy cheap lumber
from the culls bin. Great for practice and making stuff around the shop.
I only subscribed to oldtools a couple of weeks ago, though oddly enough
I've already forgotten how I heard about it. Most likely a Google search
or following a link from somewhere. In those couple of weeks I've also
been haunting eBay buying some planes to get started learning with. I
had a Bailey #4 with a missing front knob and a Craftsman #4 size with
a beat blade, neither imediately usable. My grandfather passed down a
Sandusky coffin smoother that still makes curls. I've added a #5, #27,
an intact #4 and a #78. Still watching the listings for a jointer or two,
block planes, and either a scrub or, since they seem to command a premium
price, a #35 to re-purpose. I have a photocopy of the list from the The
Handplane Book as a guide. Now I'm teaching myself how to sharpen irons
and true soles, and hope to actually make shavings someday soon ;)
Oh, and I only have three saws, two Craftsman (rip and crosscut) and
a nesting saw set that I've had since I was a kid, from which I use the
backsaw blade. Hint, hint ;)
Bill in snowy Central New York
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