As a casual observer trying to glean bits of knowledge here and there within knots, a few posters are notoriously well spoken. Being a gentleman farmer inaddition to ten fingered newbie, a few “stars” come to mind. Would it be much to ask if people took the time to introduce themselves, give a small background as to their interests in woodworking. Briefly tell how they got started, where they are going and why. Make suggestions to make our paths easier, so I can put a face on the personalities. I’m not talking politics but our common passion for woodworking is it still for fun. Who has made it their occupation, who are the professional amateurs, etc. You all seem to be an incredible bunch but who are you.
Name witheld, oops
Replies
Yeah, there ought to be some kinda FAQ for this place with a run down of the frequent poster personalities. I'll tell you what I've figured out:
Forestgirl - a 25 year old woman from the NW whose skill with tools is only matched by her wit and overwhelming beauty.
Madison - A 28 year old woman who professionally works wood and looks a good deal like Audrey Hepburn. Her wit is more like Bacall's.
Mel (9612 or some such) - a recently retired astronaut who became interested in woodworking after finding that smelted meteorites make for kickin adzes.
Bob (Kidderville) - a mysterious chap we all think works for the CIA or NSA or some black agency - possibly out in Area 51. His woodworking is unlike any you've ever seen as Bob is very unconventional - he once steam bent coconut shells flat, edge jointed them, and turned them on a horizontal lathe of his own design to fashion a Calder-esque moving mobile / dressing screen for his wife.
Lataxe - a Formula One driver (who works wood in the off season), Lataxe got his start as a jockey at young age but had to give it up when he took an uncontrollable fancy to jellied eel such that he gained several stone and couldn't kick the habit. Luckily, he had a growth spurt and seems quite normally proportioned now. He likes lots of horsepower sometimes, but other times, single bloke power suits him fine. He speaks inceesently of a "ladywyfe," which we think is the British word for either girlfriend or shopvac.
The list goes on and on, but I'll let others contribute to this "Knots personality summaries for newbies". Hope I've helped some.
All of these people are one and the same. Their real name is Charles Stanford.
Edited 1/5/2008 11:44 pm ET by perizoqui
And Stanford, of course is ... Keyser Söze.
and just like that . . . he was gone
To the OP, I'm neither frequent nor notorious nor colorful. I'm just a regular guy, a self confessed tool obsessor, happiest when covered in sawdust. I rarely eat; I've trained my body to subsist on a diet which is 90% sugar, caffeine, and nicotine. I'm not 25, or beautiful. I've never flown in outer space or driven a race car. I am, in addition to a sawdust nut, something of a diesel nut. I keep spending money modifying my truck in hopes my wife will just leave me but it hasnt worked. I'm at a point though now where going further with that is going to put an inspection hole in the block. So I need a plan B, and Lie Nielsen is in the running.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
And briefly known as D B Cooper as well.39413.3 in reply to 39413.2
All of these people are one and the same. Their real name is Charles Stanford.
THAT was funny!!!
Most nights are crystal clear, but tonight it's like he's stuck between stations.
So Forestgirl isn't 25?:(
Thanks for the great responses, it was really heart warming. It is only fair that I tell you a bit about myself, I'll try to be brief.
"This is plan 'B' ", I was a DINK now a SINK and strangely have a lot in common with you people beyond the love of woodworking. My credo is " Antiques made Daily", I bleed green ( John Deere for the city folk), have among my collection and personally refurbished a 1950's baler , corn picker and tomorrow a 6' combine, I'm actually a Yankee from the burbs living the bucolic life in the South, I work a 16 hr baylor weekend and have five days off a week( it's like being semi retired with a real paycheck), I have pet cows that walk on a leash (sort of like that Pace hot sauce commercial), I have been spending the last five years making my 5 year old house look a hundred and five with full on moldings, Shaker and Queen Anne "like" furniture (I'm trying), I'm a Duramax/Banks/5"exhaust/french fry oil ( this means some thing to somebody),DIY too the extreme person( single handedly built a 20' by 40' pool last summer, barn the year before), building a 1953 Buick lead sled( it is the south after all), I'm a round headlight jeep guy, I'm a recovering Normite getting more Neanderthal each day thanks to PC(I 've become very good at handcut dovetails as I wait for my new omnijig ordered Jan '07, some day), I suffer from upgrade syndrome as my two jointers, three planers, two bandsaws etc can attest, I too use a fully enclosed respirator to cut,ted,rake,bale and carry( I really Hulk up in the summer), in other words, too much free time plus a good idea equals, I could do that, was the unibomber like this?
Hey Man, got any coconuts kicking around seeins how yall live in the South?
Also, ifn yall need any genuine Granite Flakes, I'm running a special this month. Now if I can just get Samson to show me how to design furniture I kin get started in fine woodworking.
Oh yeah, Samson isn't his real name. He thinks he's a tough guy but he's really like a purring little kitten.
Just so's yall know where I'm from, here's a recent pic o my place. Now after yall had a look, please destroy it so Hillary can't find me. She was just up the street at the Balsams I think.
View Image
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
http://www.kessels.com/CatSounds/purr5.wav
Thanks Man. My boss now thinks I'm crazy! He should have known all along.
Too funny!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
What's with all the white stuff? I ran away from that a decade ago.
I'm nursing this 46" diameter cherry tree and it's equally large sister, heavily burled (tumor looking protrusions from ground to 20'), too beautiful to cut so I'm just waiting on the next Hugo. Not for sale. When she falls, can modern mills do her justice? Can a portable saw cut that wide? I do have an old 6' two man saw but I'm not insane. Custom chainsaw maybe( for a rip cut)?
A strange fact, here in the south I have been told, all civil war cannons face north, fifteen and counting, I think they hold a grudge.
>A strange fact, here in the south I have been told, all civil war cannons face north, fifteen and counting, I think they hold a grudge.You darn straight we hold a grudge!! You probably ain't never heard anything about reconstruction, occupation, reparations.........& you probably call it the Civil War, not the War of Northern Aggression.That aside, on your portable sawmill question, I've got a little experience with them. I can't say that there's not one made that will take a 46" log, but it would be a rare bird. The WoodMizers, according to their specs, will take a 36" log, but in reality, about 28" to 30" is all we can handle on the one I use.
Edited 1/8/2008 6:09 am ET by bd
Ah, so you're not a true grit then! You left the North to move south?
Anyway, that cherry is junk wood and you should send it up here to me. It has a tendency to blotch when you try to put a finish on it and the damn stuff changes color on ya too.
The burl wood is especially nasty stuff. Ya can't plane it without tearout and sanding it takes all the, ooooops (almost made the mistake of telling ya it's beautiful - disregard)!
Oh weel, I tried. Here's a burl I salvaged earlier this year. This is the outside face of part of it.
View Image
The other side is here. The figure is stunning but the pic doesn't do it justice at all. The flesh is a creamy pinkish color and it has wild swirls of nearly blackk vein running in all directions thru it. Beautiful stuff!
View Image
Summer up here ain't so bad.
View Image
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
screwd
You need to find someone with a swing mill, Lucas, Peterson, or mobile dimension are a few makers that come to mind.
A swingmill absolutely excels at putting large diameter logs to shame in no time.
Jeff
I grew up in southwestern NH and that photo brings me back to my childhood hanging out on my grandparent’s farm in Swanzey.
Back to the mornings of freshly fallen snow when Ma woke me up 6am to shovel out her car, Poppies car, the walk way, the driveway, the end of the driveway again after the plow went by (x2), and while I’m at it, I was told please do so and so’s driveway they have a bad knee. Why didn’t Ma and Poppie use the plow on the pickup you ask? Cause this is good for you, was the answer I was told. Yankee humor I guess.
hammer,
A lot of folks would ask why in tarnation do you choose to live in all that cold!? It ain't all that cold, especially next to the woodburning stove or fireplace. If I woke up every day to the same weather all the time I'd probably go nuts.
I'm a variety is the spice of life kinda guy. I really enjoy ALL the seasons. When I see on the news that other parts of the country have to live through tornados, hurricanes, vast burning forests and the like, it isn't so bad being here in a pile of snow. None of the above in my lifetime!
And, yes I do use the pickup with the plow to do my driveway, but we do have to shovel off the deck, the walk down to the horsebarn and a path for the oil company............... OK, I confess, we use the snowblower for everything but the deck! I guess it's an old age kinda thing.
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Samson Honey I think I love You! I haven't seen 28 in 30 years but hey if that's the impression you have I'll leave you with the fantasy.
I really am 58 and have been building furniture for gallery showing and on commission for the last 22 years up here in the Rocky Mountains. I suppose that since this is like living in heaven perhaps I simply haven't aged a day in 30 years...
Madison
Glad to have tickled you. The youth of your spirit comes through I guess!
Thanks for the compliment! My grandfather told me once to be sure to take risks and live life to the fullest. He said that if I did that I'd have lived a good life no matter how long or short. I guess I've just taken it to heart all these years because I've never been able to just exist, I've always needed a challenge and to go opposite the direction of the crowd!
Who'd have ever thought a girl woodworker could make a living in an old mining town in the mountains? Ha! Hubby and I love it everyday.
Live well, play hard!
Madison
What old mining town is that? I spent a month or so in that area about 7 years ago. Very pretty country. I envy you.
Doug
We're just outside Breckenridge
Madison
Nice area, do you ski? When I was young my folks almost moved to the Tuleride (sp?) area, my dad had a nice job offer their, but the folks did not want to leave the rest of the family behind. I would have loved it myself..... I have traveled a bit and Colorado would be one of my top two places to live (the other is West Virginia, another beautiful state) If I could just figure out how to A) make a living in the middle of now place up in the mountains, and B) sell off what I have in Michigan.
Well have fun and remember to stop and enjoy the wonderful views you get in that state.
Doug
Madison
I'm quite envious. One of my favorite places to ski is in your backyard. I try to make an annual trek to Breck, Keystone, Copper, and A Basin for some good skiing. I'm from the midwest, and the closest bump with any decent skiing is a 6 hour drive, and the vertical drop is only 600 feet! Mere sledding compared to the Rockies. Someday, I'm moving out there in your neck of the hills.
Jeff
Well you won't find me on a ski slope but watch the trails in the spring for wild eyed women mountain bikers! I pretty much hunker down and work all winter so I can play some when the warm air starts creeping back. I am glad however that all you skiers come to see us each winter because it keeps the galleries busy and sales are brisk.
Madison
I'm a snow junkie. I'd never get any work done out there in the winter. I'd be working hard all spring and summer to enjoy the snow and the slopes. Maybe we should co-op a shop. Sounds like we'd never run into each other, ha ha ha......
Jeff
Yes - I agree this is a wonderful bunch. The answer to your quest can (or should) be found in the member profile. It can be found by clicking on the sender or recipients name in the post.
A small box will appear on the screen which, in far too many instances, will state that the member has not posted any personal information. I would hope that all Knotheads, as a New Year's Resolution, would add personal, or at least, geographical information. It is helpful in responding or interpreting posts.
No, we are not going to steal your identity.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I would hope that all Knotheads, as a New Year's Resolution, would add personal, or at least, geographical information. It is helpful in responding or interpreting posts.
Frosty
I have just read this request in other messages. Wish FWW would put out a word of encouragement.
Truthfully, if someone asks for assistance that is hinged to where they are located and there is no profile information available, I think readers just skip it.
oh well
I echo your "Oh well!". Maybe some people are just shy?Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Frosty
I'm not talking about a summary. Just fill in the profile?? I understand Age ______________ some might avoid this one.
Location: ________________ even the state would be helpful.
Again, talking to a person in Albuquerque, NM about walnut or straight grained oak is going to be very different than trying to find a solution for a person in Ohio.
Having lived in the southwest, I saw woodworkers join tabletops and breadboards in a way you could not attempt here in North Carolina. In discussion, it helps to know where a person lives and works. And dat's it as Yogi would say.
dan
Being a gentleman farmer in addition to ten fingered newbie.
Without Farmers we would ALL starve to death! I thought farming would be 'cool' until I spent a day or two helping load a barn full of hay / straw?.. I couldn't breath well for about a month! And I spent a summer cleaning up a milking barn AND the Cows.. I even had to slaughter a pig.. (my grandpa made me do it. I wanted no part of it!)
That is why I gave up Farming for Woodworking..
I just slaughter a good design or two these days!
I always liked to make things and take them apart. My mother tells me I would take everything apart as a child and sometimes even got them back together (On occasion). Give this boy an old orange crate and some nails and I was content for hours. Best gift I ever received for Christmas was a the original Erector set that made the Parachute Tower (WITH A MOTOR). I would play with now it if I still had it!
OK, so there was also that alcohol fired steam engine train in the attic I had. Imaging parents allowing you to play with fire and steam in the attic these days!
And then I discovered Electricity! My Mom had a hard time keeping me contained with that discovery... And when older, I discovered TTL devices (1970?). My wife had a hard time keeping me contained with that discovery... But my wife put up with me as my mom did... Women are VERY special!
I have so many so called 'hobbies' I would have to be Bill Gates to afford them!
I consider myself a mechanic. As a Woodworker Better than average SO.. SO.. But then again, I have never had anybody tell me my woodworking was crap. Can I say that in here?
By the way, everybody in here are a great bunch (OK so a few nuts like me).. Hell, they even get on my case and put me back in line when I need it. I tend to go off the deep end and type as I think at the time without regard to what I 'really' wanted to say.
No better friends than what you find in here.. Even if you do not agree with them.. They seem to put up with your nonsense and help when they can.
I wish all on Earth got along as well as WOODWORKERS.
SO you wanted to 'Put a face on me'.. You'll be sorry! I was once a 'HUNK'. Now at my age just 'SLAB' tossed in the corner for a future project!
If I had my way, I'd still be in the Army fixing Tanks and Armored Artillery! I sure love to work on that old 8 inch self-propelled gun!
Lots of METAL! And no wood that I recall!
You all seem to be an incredible bunch but who are you....
I thought about that a bit and came up with .. I have no idea!
I hate war but sort of what I loved working on among others (Very Heavy Metal)
105 mm, 155 mm, and the good old 8 inch! Wood is much more peaceful!
I was once a 'HUNK'. Now at my age just I'm just a 'SLAB' "I love it!Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
I bought my wood shop in 2004 when my live in girlfriend said, "marry me or I'm leaving."
I helped her pack then took the wedding money and outfitted myself with a nice shop full of tools.
My fathger was a woodworker and tried to interest me. But I wanted everything in a hurry so never caught on while young. Now he's too old and sick to work wood. One thing I regret is not spending enough time in the shop with him.
My expertise lies in taking highly figured, expensive, exotic wood and turning it into sawdust and firewood. Since my daughters have left home I have been able to indulge my passion for cursing and find that it fits well with my woodworking avocation. I have NEVER made a mistake in the shop, but I make "revisions" on a daily basis.
Right now I'm working on a quarter sawn white oak blanket chest for my wife. I'm going to fume it, use garnett shellac for the finish and line it with cedar.
As of now, I estimate it should be finished sometime early in 2013. That is, if there are enough oak trees left on earth to supply my demand for new stock.
Jeeeeez, don't I wish I were 25 again! (Well, then again....I drank a little too much back in those days, and definitely didn't get enough sleep!)
Yes, I live in the Great Northwest (on an island, no less) and picked up woodworking after being in the antiques and vintage furniture business for many years. I have discovered that woodworking is actually difficult for me, and I approach each project with great trepidation, but I love working with tools (even hand tools, of which a stable is now developing in my little shop).
My husband and I both retired in 2006 (myself about 10 years early), but strangely that hasn't resulted in more time in the shop. Home-remuddling and family crises have taken up time, but what with the new floors and paint jobs being done, I can now turn my attention to some furniture to make the tiny home more liveable. To stay in shape, I've returned to training horses again, that too steals time from the shop, but it's my first passion in life and has brought me great joy.
Great to meet you, looking forward to seeing you 'round here at Knots! BTW, my grandfather retired to become a "gentleman farmer" -- fond memories there.
Check out my website. You might just learn something. http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Hello Screwd,
I'm a retired engineer gone bad - spent most of my career in either technical sales or management. I'm from a family of farmers and engineers (interesting combination). The less adventurous of us chose engineering, as farming is just too hard on the nerves - i.e., is that hail, again!?
I am just getting back into woodworking after retiring (now that I have a life). The rest of the gang is patient with me as I tend to ask steeuwpid questions, in far too much detail for most folks to bear reading, much less answer.
I'm presently making a kitchen island display cabinet of my own design out of curly maple. Lessons so far - the design is more complex than a lunar lander; I have to master at least one new woodworking skill that I thought I had and didn't, each day: I didn't have the tools to make it after all (hello...Lee Valley?...I need a new....); bench planes are hard to master, especially in figured wood, and a joy when you and they work; sharpening is not a science or even an art - it's a religion. The list goes on.
Anyway, Welcome - you're going to like it here.
Mike D
Edited 1/7/2008 11:09 am ET by Mike_D
I’m a typical idiot who has bought far more equipment I’ll ever be able to use properly. On a good day I can make two pieces of wood stick together. On a bad day I watch the pieces of wood I put together on a good day fall apart. My ultimate goal is to build a beautiful wooden woman so I can say good-bye to my wife. My greatest fear is that when I finish my beautiful wooden woman I’ll end up with a splinter that I will never be able to explain in the emergency room.
I'm in and out of here infrequently so most don't know me. I'm in business, agriculture, and grew up on a farm where I had to learn to make wooden implements. I would call myself a professional amateur woodworker if there is such a thing. I am also an artist.
I invented a piece of furniture, a Brench(TM), a sort of natural tree-like bench with counter obliqued bases. Yes, I have a trademark on it, that can be seen here if you click the link and flow through the photos, it's an orange looking bench)....
http://www.stansperlak.com/workshops/crowcreek/crowcreek.shtml
They retail for $600 and I make them in various colors by an usual technique of infusing pastel grounds into the wood. I sell only through this gallery.
I have what most would consider a professional shop, 2000s.ft. I'm at a stage where each year I upgrade at least one of my major machines. I see myself as always having more to learn.
I'm also a biker, and just purchased my fourth Harley-Davidson. I live in NJ and I'm 55 years old.
Edited 1/25/2008 10:54 am ET by blewcrowe
I saw this thread when it first came up, and meant to post in it but forgot. It came up again, so here's mine:
I started woodworking from the construction end of things -- I earned extra cash for college doing general carpentry & restoration. That got me interested in how things used to be done. That lead me to learning how to use hand tools. Well, that and I couldn't afford a shop full of machines back then! ;-)
I helped teach a beginning class in hand tool woodworking at a local museum's woodshop for a few years -- Old Economy (think Williamsburgh, on a MUCH smaller scale). Doing this on one hand, and construction on the other made me sort of "ambi-tool-erous" -- I'll pick up a hand tool just as soon as a power tool, depending on the mood I'm in. (A pro woodshop guy recently saw a library table I made and asked me what type of jig I used for the nice DTs on the drawer -- I'd simply done them by hand in far less time than it would have taken me to set up for power. Heck, I hadn't even used a ruler!) Sometimes, I'll still do a full project start to finish without plugging in - although I'll admit that it's a struggle not to use a power sander over hand sanding. I just like the feeling I get when I look at the piece later, knowing no electrons were killed in its making. ;-)
From there, I continued to add to my collection of hand tools for pleasure, and power tools for use in renovating houses. My career is in law, but I have continued to pursue woodworking "on the side", both the furniture stuff and the construction stuff. I spend as much time on Breaktime as I do on Knots. My wife ("My Lovely Assistant") and I recently completed a pretty ambitious addition on our home that included a lot of woodworking, from rough stuff to making cabinetry. She's getting pretty good at it her own self!
The "woodworking" tasks on this recent project included fabricating some pretty nice white oak A&C railings, A&C trim and a bathroom vanity and a medicine cab (currently under construction.) However, we also enjoyed doing: demolition, plumbing (water and radiant sub-floor heat), electrical, framing, siding, brick work, block work and stone work (wood-fired oven -- FUN!), standing seam copper roof for the oven, siding, drywall (well, I suppose we didn't really exactly enjoy that part), tile, first time to use the Kerdi system for a shower, plastering and all the other little stuff that goes with a job like this.
When this is complete, we're back to doing some furniture and some cherry paneling and a mantle for the living room. And whatever else strikes our fancy -- like, I have a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I need to build a guitar or mandolin. We'll see.
My advice to those just starting out is to focus on enjoying the processes involved in making things, not the goal of pumping out projects. "It's the journey, not the destination."
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
"It's the journey, not the destination."
Ah, a favorite of us bikers.
"Ah, a favorite of us bikers."
Done that too, but the ol' back just ain't what it used to wuz. ;-(
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
You must have been riding the wrong bikes. I've had back surgery, serious stuff, but was not related to or affected by the bike.
"You must have been riding the wrong bikes."
Hey! Nobody can dis my Husqvarna and get away with it! "Wrong bike", indeed! ;-)
Unfortunately, it ain't the bike, it's the back. I have a hard time with more than a couple of hours in a car, let alone riding any two-wheeled vehicle. It's a position thing. For me, surgery made it so I could walk again, but did nada for the pain and discomfort of squashed nerves.
I still find myself shifting gears in my sleep, though. ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Huskie, huh? Fast machine. I'm a cruiser guy. It's about the friendships and rides. No acrobatics or speed (Rothlissberger?). Just ease back in the seat and log on some miles.
I guess its my turn. Will keep it brief. Day job is trial attorney. I love every second of it. I guess I am a competition junkie. My only complaint is that it takes away from my second love: woodworking. So here is what I do: Work like crazy in the courtrooms of the commonealth of Massachusetts (suit, tie, whole nine yards- fight and argue like a son of a b....). But I take every Friday off. And then for 3 days I work wood. And repeat. They are both my passion. But the law is draining. Woodworking is replenishing. So I do both. And life is good. PMM
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