Here2infinity

Funny how things come around . . .

This article, inspired by the fire that changed Jon Brooks life,comes to me half way 'round the world from Fine Woodworking to New Zealand where I now live. But my friend who also lives in NZ, sends me the news about Jon's fire( Jon is his stepdad). Small world . . .

When hearing of the fire, I was immediately reminded of near tragedies in my own experience in my various shops. The first one that comes to mind, was in my shop in Glens Falls, NY. It get very cold and dry there, and before we all heard about static electrical charges building up in the dust collection pipes, I came back into the shop one evening to check on the finish that was drying on a project. I smelled that telltale wood burning, only to find it coming from my dust collector bag . . . Not long after that, I ran a ground wire along the pipe to ground it.

Another close one was when I came in the shop an hour or so after using my belt sander to put an edge on a piece of steel only to find the dust collector bag of the belt sander actually on fire on my favorite work bench. The belt sander is long gone, but I still have the mark on the bench to remind me . . .

Solvents in the air finding their way to an ignition source, oily rags, heaters, bearings getting hot and melting . . . so many ways to sneak up on you. I walked the shop many a night double checking everything. I have had no shop whatsoever for the last three years after moving here, and I still go over my safety checks in my head out of habit!

My deepest sympathies for all who have lost their tools and work. Hope this forum of ideas helps to prevent others from loss.

Chris Harrington,
Auckland, NZ

When Norm and Russel Marsh created the show, I was watching. Every episode. I had often imagined myself getting out of shooting TV commercials in NYC and shooting the show. So much so, that I had sent a letter off to them before deciding to leave the US to live in New Zealand. A return offer from the producer would have been the only thing that would have kept me from moving to the other side of the world! It would be impossible to imagine just how much the show has enriched the lives of so many. Folks like Norm and David Marks have certainly helped me grow.

Cheers Norm!