A wonderful old cabinet maker in his twilight years decided he would give/sell me his shop before moving to the assisted living home. He’s 87 and built period reproductions for hi end clients. His work was immpecable as evidenced by the incredible Sheraton, Chippendale and Queen Anne Pieces he has displayed in his home.
The shop is crammmed full of Ball and Ball and comparable brasses- shoeboxes full of pulls, locks, eustuceons, knobs etc.I should never have to buy bras again. He had several planes including a Bailey No 6, Stanley router plane (78 ), and rabbit plane (81), a 5 Stanley, hand drills, braces, bits, benches, vises, miter trimmers, gouges, chisels , rasps files,etc. etc… There was also a Queen Anne Secretary in mahoghany, about half completed with all the remaining pieces cut and sanded and ready to assemble, a Heppelwhite and a Sheraton Chair that needed assembling, slabs of Travertine marble, huge stacks of figured, book matched mahoghany veneer, holly veneer, bass wood, and a 4×4 foot cabinet full of 1/4 mahoghany. It goes on and on. I think it will take at least two weeks to go thru it all. Some of the tools need minor maintaince- mostly cosmmetic.
It was kind of sad to see someone give up their tools. He seemed relieved though to have someone take them who was a kindered spirit. Also I think he was dreading having a yard sale and watching a bunch of Neanderthals split up his stuff.We had a good time going through the collection. He taught me alot in a very short time.
I know have filled in the holes in my tool colection and made a really good friend.
Frank
Replies
Sounds like things are passing down from one generation of craftsmen to the next. Sounds right. Glad I read this.
Frank:
Your post really hit home with me. When I was 10 years old and living in Chicago Illinois in a apartment building, I would spend hours at the front door of a custom one man woodworking shop. I had no dad as mine was serving in the army during WW ll. I was completly in awe in what the man was doing with wood. He built custom cabinets, and custom furniture. He made all his own plane irons out of files and made the wooden frames to hold them. He had a plane for every type of molding that you can imagine and he made them himself.
One day when I was at his front door watching him, he finally invited me inside for some lunch. From that point a friendship started that lasted for many, many years until his passing. He took a young lost kid into his shop and taught him things that are unheard of today. Every day that I went to the shop he gave me a new lession including the lessons on life.
There is not a day when I am in my shop that I do not thing of Julius A. Dooman. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of him but his smiling face will always be with me. I am sorry to say that I did not inherit any of his tools or equipment which is OK, but I did inherit part of his woodworking knowledge which helps me every time I go into the shop. Well I have rattled long enough, just wanted to throw that into the post.
Good luck and stay safe:
The Old Timer
Chandler AZ.
TOT,
He made alot of his own stuff. He has chisels made out of old jointer blades. The things are so hard you can barely sharpen them. The handles are all self turned out of boxwood. I am reluctant to even clean the handles as they look so cool.
Frank
Good for you Frank, it sounds like the shop I was raised in. I know that you will put all the tools to good use. You are on your way and you will have something to pass down to your own kids or grandkids.
Thanks:
The Old Timer
Frank, it' good that you two woodworkers found each other. I'm sure that it pleases him that his things are going to such a fine craftsman.
BJGardening, cooking and woodworking in Southern Maryland
Wonderful story. The tradition lives.
Among the many reasons that I love working in wood, besides the result of finished work from my own labor, is the fact that in this craft/art/industry/lifestyle, the love of knowledge and skill and tradition and the respect for those who have learned it first and who can teach us and hand down to us their wisdom continues, even in a world otherwise gone mad with disrespect for age, patience, wisdom and skill.
Rich
Frank.
What a wonderful storie. Thank you for sharing it with us. This was a gift that took a fine old woodworker a lifetime to acquire, you must feel very honored to be the chosen one to carry on with such a prized collection.
When my Grandfather passed many years ago I was given all his tools. He was a typewriter repairman for Northwestern University in the 50's and 60's, These tools sat in boxes for many years and I recently pulled them out of the attic for close inspection. There are tools that most people have never seen much less know what there use is. I know some from watching him work when I was small. They are useless for woodworking but they sure do make for some interesting discussions when other woodworking friends come to call. Its a piece of history that I have been entrusted to watch over while I am here. Do enjoy...........Rick
An old craftsperson's tools like that are treasure. Brinkmann for president in '04
They certainly are. I think I am going to make a nice big wall mounted cabinet for the collection.
Frank
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