Please feel free to chime in. I’d be interested to hear your story.
I’m a 51 y.o. amateure [computer scientist by trade], made all my own furniture and cabinets (walnut and cherry mostly), built my house.
- been reading FWW since 1980
- have been FWW subscriber since issue #37 in 1982
- met Tage Frid and Franz Klause at the same time (sparks were flying)
- went to HS with Mr. Sawdust’s son Karl
Thanks,
Roger (a.k.a. Mr. SQL)
Replies
Mr. Sawdust, Wally Kunkel?
Yes. I knew his son Karl Kunkle. He had a brother named Wally too. i never met the Dad (Mr. Sawdust) but Karl was making caribole (sp?) legs in high school '75-'76 timeframe.
I have Wally's (Mr. Sawdust) radial arm saw book. He could make one walk and talk I ain't kiddin'.
me and radial arm saw ...
Back in 1980, I [accidentally] used a radial arm saw to shoot a 4' 2x2 from the garage, down the drive-way and into the street [ripping in the wrond direction]
Also broke a finger on a RAS when cross cutting with the wood held at an angle (not against the fence). I got away with it for a few cuts, then on one cut I hit a knot. RAS Pulled my finger into the fence so fast it broke my index finger.
-----"Also broke a finger on a RAS when cross cutting with the wood held at an angle (not against the fence). I got away with it for a few cuts, then on one cut I hit a knot. RAS Pulled my finger into the fence so fast it broke my index finger.Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeepers, now we know why the radial arm saw has earned such a reputation.....Philip Marcou
Radical Amputation Saw
Philip, I have to get my 2 cents in here . I bought my RAS, a 9" DeWalt for $300 bucks in 1955 and still use it in the shop. I worked 40 years on commercial construction. Carpenter. The first thing on the job was the saw shack complete with 16" DeWalt RAS. After 25 years or so they started using table saws. I don't remember any one hurt with the old sawsbut the cabinet shop man was ripping 2" styrofoam on the shop cabinet saw and cut off 4 fingers. I can still count to ten w/o taking my shoes off. ps. pushing 73.
Big,
I am with you on that one, 100%. I think a good heavy radial arm saw is a tremendous machine and so versatile. I don't know what I would do without mine.
The problem has arisen with "modern" woodworms: they all, to a man, will say that 1)The radial arm saw is dangerous ,2)It is not accurate and 3)It cannot be adjusted and reset consistently.
All that is true (and more) of those light weight diy type saws,some Black and Decker models being the main culprits: it is not true of the heavy duty or better design older machines. Combine that defective design with little or no training, poor attitude etc and you get fingers sawn off-hence my comment.
I attach pictures of my own old British one , plus a Dewalt I recently pimped up . I think the British Wadkin is the best to my experience, but there just could be an American model I don't know of that may be better.
I am not surprised to hear of an accident with styrofoam....(poor attitude).Philip Marcou
Philip,
Oh my! I just sold my RAS, tonight, but it sure wasn't anything like these! Wow. I overhauled mine, and had it the solid, robust machining that these have it would still be in the shop. Great pictures.
--jonnieboy
philip,
that dewalt is beautiful. is it from the early fifties? i have one in my classroom from the seventies. it cuts very true and square. i only use it for crosscutting, however. once worked on a job site for a boss that had me cutting 1 1/2" wide dados using a saw as old as yours,(assuming 1950's...), that was scary.eef
Eef,
Here are the name plates- I am sure one could establish the date of manufacture from them.
Actually to my mind that particular model would be on the light side for cutting dadoes, even with the right tool which I know as a Trenching Tool-I picture a 12inch daimeter one I have here. I like radials that are heavy enough not to be able to shoot backwards if the blade jams.Philip Marcou
I agree philip, those are real radial arm saws, and of real worth in a woodworking environment.
There might be a contender for a good contemporary American made radial arm saw. I have never used one so can't offer a user's report, but when I lived in Texas during the 90s and the early part of the 00s I did come across three or four large heavy ones made by Delta that looked pretty robust, eg, their 33-421 model. Slainte.richardjonesfurniture.com
I also got to use one of those Dewalts in HS shop class around 1962. Very well built as was the early Delta's but.. the DW was the most robust of the American entries I saw. If I had the room to and had the opportunity to have an early Dewalt I wouldn't hesitate to add it. For the moment I use a SCMS with re-tractable extentions to accomplish the same basic feats I would use the radial for it is only 4' wide when the 16' capable extentions are retracted.
Regards...Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
"The radial arm saw is dangerous."
I have seen that so many times - it must be true but I can't figure out why. But the way I use it, I think it is one of the more safe tools that I use. I use it only in the cross cut mode with one hand on the work piece and the other hand on the saw handle. I have never seen an explanation of what can go wrong. I don't think it compares with the danger of the cabinet or the band saws that I have. I have an old 1962 Craftsman that I have to true up for every piece I make. Makes a reasonably accurate cut and is much easier to get a good dado on it than the cabinet saw.
Tinkerer,
What goes wrong is that folk will put fingers or even whole hand in the path of the blade-sort of like walking in the middle of the road with traffic....
Seriously, folk get injured mainly when those light ones shoot back and they are in the way , or the fence doesn't cover the blade when the head is pushed back/ they don't always return the head all the way, or when the work piece is not fully against the fence.
Otherwise I would say they are a lot less dangerous than a typical home type cabinet sawPhilip Marcou
My guess is the "it's dangerous" story came from the issue of ripping. The RAS can launch a javelin just as quick as a table saw in kick-back mode.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Frosty,
I think that is part of it.They aren't particularly suitable for ripping, again, especially the small diy types-which would be used the most for ripping.Philip Marcou
Many folks use a RAS to cut rough stock. If it's cupped and/or slightly twisted it can bind when sizing rough stock. Also, if folks aren't using the right blade, i.e. low tooth count and positive tooth angle it can lift the stock unexpectedly. Please don't ask me how I know this.
Must be careful with the feed rate too.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Hi Mook ,
I thought you were kidding when you agreed RASs were no good , I read your post several times and then realized it was your dry wit .I thought so .
I use a 12" older Delta ras and use it for every job I do , we can get bit from most any tool or machine in our shop so no sense singling out any one .
regards from Orygun dusty
R
I'm down here in Durham if you're ever coming thru send word and stop by. I have lots of junk to walk around and maybe... something of interest in the corner?
On my way up to Asheville on Friday. Going to see a man about some curly walnut. Maybe a find.
dan
thanks Dan. I'm looking to buy some more walnut too. I've used Steve Wall Lumber company in Mayodan before as well as the Hardwood Store in Gibsonville. Let me know if the prices are good where you are going.
met Tage Frid and Franz Klause at the same time (sparks were flying)
Could you expand? Please
Tage Frid was teaching a beginners woodworking class in NJ ('87 timeframe). Franz Klause was in the audience [I didn't recognize him at first but then I remembered seeing him in a FWW issue].
Tage was teaching how to cut dovetails (i.e. for beginners)
Franz pipes up "Is zat za vay you cut dovetails?"
Tage Frid replys "No, but it's za vay I teach zem."
Franz retorts: "Zen vhy don't you teach zem za vay you cut zem!!!"
:^)
I thought that interaction was classic. I'll never forget it.
I have a photo of me with Tage. When I asked if I could get a picture with him he asked: "Do you want to know what kind of underware I'm wearing too?" . I just chalked that up to Sweedish humor that didn't translate well in the US.
Does being 63 qualify me as an Old Timer?
I guess when woodworkers look younger than me I must be an Old Timer and more and more of 'em look a lot younger than me. Cept maybe Will George.
:-)
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Yes 63 is old. 62 is younger. I think Mel is amazing to be able to remember all those things at his age.
ASK
63 qualifies you, Bob.I'm 45, but some days, I feel 85. My attitude has been hardened to a serious level of poorness, and my wife tells me I have days of serious curmudgeonly behavior, acting like her late father, 30 years my senior.Sometimes, "Old Timer" status is earned through years of experience, and not necessarily rotations around the sun.Watching any hockey lately?Jeff
Hi ya Jeff,
Haint seen you in a coons age.
Been too busy buttoning up the house fer winter to watch the pucksters. Will get there after I finish tearing down a wall; really opens up the kitchen to the family room; gettin way modern here.
Wife's gone for a week so she'll be surprised when she gets back. 50/50 I could end up in the horsebarn though. Since I quit drinking I feel like I'm 53 but the bod tells me different at the end of the day.............
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Kidder,
Let me get this straight, you tore down a wall and your wife is out of town? She doesn't know? She neither requested nor approved said project?
I'll be watching for updates on this story.
--jonnieboy
jonnie,
Yeah and you should see it! It opens up the whole downstairs, well almost. Now the living room/dining room and kitchen all open into each other.
Next week I'm thinking of opening up another wall to make the living room bigger.
If ye hear a loud scream........ I love it when she goes away;I git to do all kinds of thangs, remodeling that is. Hey I stillowe ye some pics of french cleats right?
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
It sounds very nice, actually.
I hope she likes it, because there's nowhere to hide if she doesn't.
Yeah, French cleats. You were talking about a bench set-up for different tools. Sounds like a great idea.
--jonnieboy
jonnie,
Don't wanna hijack this so will post in the french cleat discussion.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
"Wife's gone for a week so she'll be surprised when she gets back." Hmmmmm, she's "gone" for a week and my hubby's supposedly hunting deer in Idaho or E. WA. Just a coincidence or do we call Magnum, PI? LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Magnum PI! You're dating yerself aint ye?
I was thinking of calling Ephram Zimbalist, Jr. You know, the guy on 77 Sunset Strip with that Troy Donahue guy who thought he could sing.
She did take the shotgun with her though. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 10/24/2009 7:47 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Yep, I remember (vaguely) 77 Sunset Strip. What vintage was that show? Have to look it up.....wow! 1958-1964! That cover some serious growing time. I know we didn't have a TV during part of that time.
The producer, Daniel Melnick, died just the other day. The products of his that I remember well are Get Smart, Altered States (mmmmm, William Hurt!), The Fugitive and The China Syndrome.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"I was thinking of calling Ephram Zimbalist, Jr. You know, the guy on 77 Sunset Strip with that Troy Donahue guy who thought he could sing"
Kookie.. Kookie, lend me your comb! " ha..ha..Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
Hi SargeGuess they changed his name to protect the innocent, Edd Byrnes played Kookie in Australia. Loved his jacketsBruceI started out with nothing...and I still have most of it left!
It was indeed Edd Byrnes as Kookie but I was thinking it was "77 Sunset Strip". My memory must be slipping a bit... ha..ha..Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
Sarge,
Hang in there young fella, you're right. He parked the cars but not in Haaavad Yaaaaad. He was on the show from '58 to '63.
I literally bumped into Effram Zimbalist, Jr. back in '64 as he was getting off the elevator at 77 Sunset Strip. He was short!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
"She did take the shotgun with her though. Hmmmmmmmmmmm." Nick swears it was he who brought down the 3-point buck. Venison anyone??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Bob -- hide the cast iron skillets. Trust me. Your head with thank you. ;)Leon
Jeff,
Watch any hockey lately? Yes the Canucks beating the Black Hawks late in the third period. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Do you skate? If you're getting that grumpy, it's a great release. My wife always says she likes it when I'm playing. Something about my attitude being better, whatever that means.
Played summer hockey this year with a bunch of college kids. We also had a few AHL guys for a while. There was one guy who kept shooting lasers by me. I couldn't even see the shot. I found out he's a skills coach with the Islanders. I didn't feel so bad after that.
I fit the old timer category at 57.
Peter
I use to play 3 to 4 nights a week. I stopped playing 3 years ago. Lack of anger management got the best of me, one night, when a 23 year old kid hit me in the face intentionally with his stick during a mens league game in a highly competitive league. I beat the pulp out of him and his defense partner, who jumped me from behind. I was no longer welcome at the rink for a few years. Now, the knees and back are so bad that I would need to duct tape myself up to keep all the parts from flying apart.JeffOh, and it's Blackhawks....one word! I'll bet it was not nearly satisfying as that playoff series last year. Double sorry, as I couldn't resist. LOL!Edited 10/23/2009 7:50 pm ET by JeffHeath <!-- PLANEMAN4 -->
Edited 10/23/2009 7:51 pm ET by JeffHeath
Jeff,
I know it's Blackhawks! What an idiot mistake.
I'll bet nobody got near your netminder. I always liked D like you except when you put the other team on the power play. What was your position?
Sometimes those 23 year olds just need to see the light right?
That was a good series last year, I wished they went further, I always liked the Hawks. I'd give anything to see an original six final someday.
Peter
Peter & Jeff,
From one old phart tothers.
View Image
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 10/23/2009 10:04 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
I was a right winger.Jeff
heh."I went to the fights and a hockey game broke out."When we still had the Express here, one memorable fight had the Yankee players vs. the Canadian players with the Russian players taking on all comers. The fans were rooting for the Russians.I thought Jack Steffe (a doc I worked with who was the "official" doc for the Express -- it got him free admission) and I were going to have to code the refs. They were way past purple by the time it was sorted out.I guess I qualify as an old timer -- I'm sixty -- but not a pro woodworker, I do the odd piece of furniture, fix stuff around a 1957 era house. Runs in the blood, I guess, my grandfather was a master carp, worked on the Canal and helped build what's now Ft. Belvoir, my son was a combat engineer in the Corps, working on a degree in construction management paid for by two tours in Anbar.Leon
Yes, even young guys like you can claim old-timer status.
Zose are ferry good stories, zo I guess I must have a flexible sense of homour.
At a mere 51 years of age you are no old timer, but keep working on it. Hell, there folk on this forum who will maintain that they have forgotten more than Chippendale and the boys ever learned.
For the luv of the Lord, turn a blind ear to those that will instruct you on the niceties of ticketing tools in the form of old screwdrivers, the treachery of bevel up planes, diamond plates, flat soles or any planes other than pre WW2 Stanleys.
Apart from that- welcome to the forum-and why have you just emerged from the woodwork now, after reading FWW for all those years? ☺Philip Marcou
I discovered Knots about 3 years ago, but because I was in the process of building a house I focused mostly on the FHB BreakTime.
House is mostly done and I'm moving back into wood working. I have a winding stair-case in progress (Jactoba treads; walnut risers and skirt boards). I'll be making Walnut Box newels and Walnut hand rails. Trimmed the whole downstairs in walnut; made the kitchen and bathroom cabinets out of walnut.
BTW. I have a Peterson swing-arm sawmill that is made in New Zeland
S,
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE STAIRCASE WORK IN PROGRESS!Philip Marcou
>Old Timer<
I was born old and crotchety.
: )
The older I get the less serious I take things. (thanks to Douglas Adams mostly )
I never met him but from the first I connected with Frank Klausz, his articles and videos.
Tage Frid doesn't do it for me though I have read his books and many articles. He was instrumental in starting FWW and for that I thank him !
In the early 1980s I was into metal work but I was buying the hard bound books of the best of FWW just 'cause I loved everything about them. Very nice books. Well bound and fascinating content ! I wasn't working wood at all then. My surfer girlfriend was.
I am roughly your age. Have been working wood seriously, hand dovetailing/resawing etc., for only about eight years. So in the words of Frank or his Dad I am on my way to becoming " a pretty fair beginner ".
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Roc,
I am relieved that you too are becoming less serious with age. As I have a decade on you, my own serious-gene seems to have withered entirely and now I have something of that Svede attitude to people and their paroxyms, mentioned by the OP (look sideways at them whilst issuing a snort of part-amazement, part-derision).
Woodworking was an antidote to the world of "work" with it's strange energetic gyrations and non-production of anything except pesronalities struggling up some greasy pole of their own invention. This was around 10 or 12 years ago, when I too was something of a computer scientist, trapped in an enormous bureaucracy as a wage-slave.
FWW was an excellent resource to help dig the mental-escape tunnel, with a quality of information and presentation miles ahead of the British stuff. The latter consisted of dire B&W periodicals written by old fellows in virtual flat caps who were unable to form words into coherent phrases, let alone sentences. The WW books were worse, with one or two notable exceptions such as Joyce.
I nivver did get the American hero-woodworker thing, though, concerning the Frids, Krenovs and similar. It was always the one aspect of American WW that jarred, despite the rest of the "new tradition" portrayed by FWW being exceptionally can-do, wide-ranging and highly useful to a larnin' fellow such as meself. Even the OP's recollections of how he began seem to centre on the completely inconsequential exchange of two of these celebrity WW creatures. Is it that man-crush stuff that the Wombat mentioned elsewhere? Strange.
Woodworking saved me from going the other way (turning into a ranting serious bloke in a grey suit, fulminating to The Times about "young people today"). What a pleasure it is to make useful things - a pleasure that only increases as one learns to make the things not just useful but also attractive to the eye. (One day, though, I will show thee one o' my early "works", which will possibly push one of your eyes askew as it tries to avoid the horrible sight).
Lataxe, quite a new old-timer.
>strange energetic gyrations<That 's a good way to put it.>British woodworking lit<I did take a year or two of Furniture and Cabinetmaking mag and enjoyed that quite a lot. Expensive to get it here so I cut back for now. Also all things Jim Kingshott are great.oops sorry worshipping woodworking heros again.>push one of your eyes askew as it tries to avoid the horrible sight<
Ha, ha, ha, aaahhhh, Ha, ha, ha, haI don't know what I am doing up. I woke up on the couch about three am here decided to answer an e-mail I intended to respond to from a freind and now I am on Knots. It is now four thirty am.Must go to bed ! This is madness, Madness I tell you.Looks like it is late morning your time. Have a good afternoon; I'm going to bed.PS: here is a pic of The Black Pig (my commuter bicycle ) and some autumness here (aspen tree ). See "?" thread for the whole story.LaterrocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )Edited 10/23/2009 6:33 am by roc <!-- ROC2013 -->
Edited 10/23/2009 6:36 am by roc
I am relieved that you too are becoming less serious with age.. Right ON!
I recall something about humans being born old and die as a baby. I think we all would be better off and have a very rich life if never sweat the small things.. OK, so some things in life, require immediate aggressive action, but overall very few we cannot outcome with a few kind words. How wonderful a life, if we humans, when in our teens, knew that everybody was just like us but very different at the same time. Life is good if you let it be.
I'm OK with my life. Except I traveled alot and missed the time with my wife and my children.
All worked out. I was given the privilege of baby sitting my China Dolls every week day from 1 year old to 5 years old (Yes I usually had the weekends off) and my children sort of like me anyway.
The only thing wrong with this scenario is that my grumpy old grandpa that gave me a hammer, a box of nails, some old wooden fruit boxes and a bit of advice.. Do not hit your fingers with the hammer! In the above scenario I would have all broken fingers and the advice after the injuries!
As to the 'American hero-woodworker thing'..
We USA folk love TV and I loved ALL the woodworker shows. I do not have to agree with them but I learn something from them.. Maybe good or bad.. Not sure until I try it out...
I was a big fan of the BBC.. All sort of very serious and very funny things. Not many woodworking shows from BBC here in the USA except Norm! At least BBC was where he started out as I recall but not sure.
Lataxe.. I even think you ARE a Fine WoodWorker! :>)
Edited 10/23/2009 9:07 am by WillGeorge
thanks for your story. Interesting how different folks help propel/motivate us in woodworking. I recall an article about Art Carpenter in FWW# 37 (1982), where his router table was just a router attachec to a piece of plywood set over a steel 55 gal. drum.
So from there I figured the old formica sink cut-out that I've been using as a router table for the past 21 years is ok.
With my new 3 1/4 Hitachi router, I'm going to upgrade to a piece of corian sink cut-out that's been alying around for as long.
Roger,
You think of Tage Frid and Frank Klausz as Old Timers. I think of them as youngsters. Old? You betcha. I learned woodworking from Joseph, father of Jesus. I helped clear the forests near Rome to make room for the expansion of the city. We used the wood to make some of the great furniture of the day.
Old? Heck, I went to grammar school with Pebbles and Bam Bam
Old? When I was a kid, we didn't have sandpaper. Sand had just been invented.
Old? I remember having to clean dinosaur poop off of my front yard when I was a kid.
I remember when handplanes were invented. Those things saved us a lot of time, back in the day.
I remember when chisels didn't have handles. You hit the tang with a rock to make the damn things work.
Lathes? We didn't have lathes. We used to raise beavers, and hold them by the skin in the back of their neck, and have them chew off the wood when we made what you now call "turnings".
Old? I remember the original trees. The first ones were too small to use for furniture. Back then, most of our furniture were rocks.
Old? I remember (vaguely) my uncle Adam.
Have fun. I have to go and wax my walker. I have a date later today.
Have fun.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
HA!
Rodney Dangerfield-esque humor.
Did Adam have a brother or sister?
I just bit the end of my tongue off!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Mr S,
I heard on the news this am that Soupy Sales died yesterday. I'm old enough to remember him. When he was young, opening the door for that huge dog. White Fang?
And Smokey Stover. Anyone here remember him? Notary sojac.
Ray
Ray,Yes, and the reason he was thrown off the air. It wasn't for "send the cash from mommies purse incident". That is revisionist TV history. It was more for a "banana and cream and a mommy" reference.Do remember White Fang.Boilerbay
Well, White Fang had an alter ego named Black Tooth...But I seem to recall an entirely different explanation for the removal of Mr. Sales from my TV screen. He had asked us all "What begins with "F" and ends with "UCK", and without waiting long for our answer he said "Firetruck, of course". But then again, one of the perks of being old-timers is that each of us can remember what he chooses, and it's all right.David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
The closing lyrics of a popular bluegrass song by Steve "Arrowhead" Martin has an appropriate line""Now the banjo takes me back, through the foggy haze,When memories of what never was, become the good old days."Regards,Ron
Edited 10/23/2009 7:30 pm ET by RonInOttawa
You know, that one kind of rings a bell also.
Age - and old age - is all relative. I guess we have a bunch of spring chickens around here as I am 82.I've been woodworking, home repairs and cabinets. I built a barn, built bridges over streams and ditches around the place and used a lot of sheet-goods. I didn't get into furniture and hardwoods until about 10 years ago. I've attended a lot of Marc Adams classes but no longer; I've got to stay home to make sure my wife keeps on her proper 'med' schedule. Last Tuesday I had coffee with a friend; well, coffee and a toasted pecan roll. Big discussion as to who gets the extra-stickey and gooey top half. He gave me a new definition of old age when he told me his oldest daughter just went on Social Security. Now that's scary.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
Frosty,My hat's off to you then. I'm just a wet-behind-the-ears 60 years old.I think it was George Burns who said "It's nice to be here. At my age it's nice to be anywhere."That sticky pecan roll sounds good to me...David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1
"Age - and old age - is all relative."I agree. Unfortunately, age is one of those relatives that show up at your door, and then stay for dinner after dinner. But, that's better than the alternative - not getting any older. ;-)
Well, they say we oldtimers are supposed to socialize. I guess that "relatives" could qualify for that job.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
At age 76, I thought I was one of the older ones. Man, if you are 82 and just a spring chicken, I must not be hatched yet.
You've got years ahead of you. Just stay active and involved.It's a great life.Frosty“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert,
in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Milton Friedman
b,
actually, i think it was for a slow process of elimination, or count-down, folding his fingers one by one until all that was left was the middle one and him saying "...and this one is for the producer..."eef
I do remember Soupy from TV, I was so young though [or just scatter brained], that I confused him with Snoopy.
ray,
chompin' at the bit for the dvd release of his old stuff. that man helped me through the insanity of catholic school.oolah-oolah-oolah, brother.eef
I'm 67 and have been woodworking since I was 12. I wandered into the wood hobby shop at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base in Newfoundland and got my first glimpse of the world of woodworking. The guy who ran the shop, I truly wish I could remember his name since I owe him an immense debt of gratitude, kind of made me his shop rat and slowly began to teach me some fundamentals of woodworking. Just basic things like safety, using the right tools for the tasks and above all, patience. Wish I had learned that last lesson better.
Up until the past 8 years I never had a dedicated work shop or the desire to get more serious. Other than some bedroom furniture, most of my work centered around remodeling our homes and lots and lots of cabinets.
Then I discovered Knots, rediscovered FWW and began building my library of woodworking reference books, my woodworking world slowly begin to change. It came at a great time in my life since I now had a shop and money to occasionally buy what I needed. With retirement looming on the horizon I began the transition to a more adventuresome ww'er learning to use new tools - particularly hand tools - and techniques such as steaming bending and resawing for my own veneer.
Our friend across the Pond has a point about our obsession with celebrities and for me the heroes of woodworking are the people share their knowledge through books, TV shows, articles in ww'ing magazines and online forums such as this one. We owe all of you a debt of gratitude.
For me, the Internet provided a portal to emerge from the isolation of the weekend and evening project in the garage and connect with others. Whether lurking on the sidelines, actively engage in the give and take or posting your efforts in the gallery for the scrutiny by your peers, the truth is that now much of the world has an opportunity for a digital apprenticeship and mentoring that simply wasn't available as we came of age.
Didn't mean to get this serious but ww'ing has provided me an expanded focus and purpose as I travel through these "golden years." I find that I now approach my projects with more humility and resolve to do the best that I can. This is my small contribution to the craft that will hopefully will outlive me; I owe it my very best.
Doug
Thanks for your story. Very interesting. I'll be jumping into more furniture soon. I'm finishing up on some walnut trim for the house, then a walnut fireplace mantle, a couple of build-ins, then a big library book case for the living room.
Doug ,
Great post !
regards from Orygun dusty
Thanks Dusty. I think the tread about Norm Anrams show going off the air sort of got me to thinking about how much I owe to those willing to share their knowledge and my origions as a ww'er. I think the world would be a more sane and civilized place if people would just say "thank you" to the people who make a difference in their lives.
Doug
I'm new to wood-working. I just sat up a table-saw with my J.C. Penny circular saw mounted under a 2 x 4 sheet of ply. Taped the trigger with duct tape so I can just plug it in and and un-plug it when I want to blade to spin. The blade is a hollow ground planer which is state of the art and the smoothest cutting blade on the market for cutting wood.
The angle iron fence is held down on the table with precision (after measuring to it both on a front tooth and a rear tooth) by two C clamps which keep it in place. I also purchased a new Craftsman 1 HP state of the art ring collar lock router and a Craftsman drill. Inherited my uncles Stanley plane.. some chisels and a few hand saws he used to build houses with for 50 years.
So.... looks like I am ready to rock and roll with this new wood-working hobby!
BTW... I just woke up from a nap. This is 1972 isn't it?....
Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
ha!
hey, you're pulling my leg.
Yep.. kidding you about waking up and asking it it was 1972 but... the rest was exactly how I got started with this hobby in 1972. BTW.. I have had four various TS's since my first field improvised one I described. They don't work any better for the most part... just quicker and will rust if not cared for. That sheet of ply was low maintenance. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Regards...Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia
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