Galoots

I have been lurking for several weeks. It is finally time to crawl into
the light.

I have been experimenting with woodworking for several years. I started
as a Normite,
but a friend of mine (A serious Normite) gave me an unknowing nudge down
the
slippery slope with a Fulton jointer that he didn't have use for. My
shop is below the
kids' room, so I needed quiet tools. The tailed apprentices gave the
children nightmares.
I am slowly acquiring a stash of good quality users. (I don't think I
will ever give up my
b*nd#%w though.) My skills are slowly growing, and I have gotten many
ideas from
the support group from hell. I have recently spent more time cleaning
and sharpening
than using. (Is there a definitive guide to tool salvage and rust
removal?)

I have seen that many of you loot the flea markets for tools. In
Illinois farm country
(sort of) I have found estate auctions to be the best source of
treasures. That's where the
flea market people shop. This weekend alone, I scored a MF 900, a
similarly sized
Defiant and a #5 Bailey for $2 each! I also got a box of auger bits dirt
cheap. (Why are
there different sized lead screws? Is coarse for softwood, and fine for
hardwood, or just
manufacturing preference?) My big find was a Disston backsaw almost
free.

My dad grew up on a farm, and has recently returned to farming. He owned
an auto
repair shop for many years, so I grew up learning that it was better to
do your own work
than to pay someone else. That's why wood working appeals to me. I am
also a gadget
freak (on a budget), so hand tools satisfy me on many levels. The down
side is that
shop work interferes with my hunting and dog training.

I used to be an Athletic Trainer (taping ankles and applying Band-Aids),
but the hours
got to me. I went to gradual school (where you gradually realize that
you hate school
[thanks Garp]), and now I am a physical therapist. I like to work with
people, but I find
that wood and steel don't talk back. The problem solving is usually more

straight-forward too. I am 38, and have 2 SWMBOettes, and a GIT.

My dad collects antique farm tractors, but I don't have the space. The
slippery slope is a
better alternative. (I think)

Gradually gaining speed in Elgin, Illinois

Mike Duchaj

Matthew,

Welcome aboard, but sorry to lose a Fort Worth galoot - even a short
time one.  There aren't many around.

Frank (Fort Worth Armadillo Works)

----- Original Message -----
From: "matthew zuke" 
To: "oldtools" 
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 6:59 PM
Subject: [oldtools] Re: Bio

> Name: Matthew j Zuke
> Age:30
> Status: engaged with an 8 yr. old Gitette
> Profession: Interior Designer & Galuthier
> Dual-Diagnosed: Sick & Ill
> Matthew j Zuke
> temporarily in Fort Worth/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools

hey, this sounds just like my wife.  and here i thought she was the 
only version (half english, too!).

welcome aboard!

bill kasper
santa cruz, ca

On Thursday, January 23, 2003, at 11:23 PM, Mark Marsay wrote:

> I am happily married to an incredibly wonderful and long suffering 
> wife, who puts up with the dining room regularly being used as a 
> furniture depository and finding bits of nameless metal soaking in the 
> kitchen with a tolerance that should earn her a ticket to sainthood > :-)

Mark,
Welcome to the list.
Tod Herrli
Mississinewa Valley Workshop
"If you make a mistake, put ebony on it"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Marsay" 
To: "oldtools" 
Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 2:23 AM
Subject: [oldtools] Bio

> Been lurking for a while now and figure it is time to introduce myself.
>
> I am an antique restorer, based in London, UK, who collects, uses and
> (furtive whisper) deals in old tools. I got into the use of tailless tools
> as part of my day to day business, and gradually got more interested in
the
> tools themselves, rather than what they do. To this end, I am probably one
> of the few people on Earth that likes and admires the Stanley 45!
>
> I am happily married to an incredibly wonderful and long suffering wife,
> who puts up with the dining room regularly being used as a furniture
> depository and finding bits of nameless metal soaking in the kitchen with
a
> tolerance that should earn her a ticket to sainthood :-)
>
> I am wildly impressed by the amount of skill and knowledge shown in this
> list and hope to be able to add a small contribution whenever I can.
>
> cheers for now,
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=oldtools
>

Mark Marsay wrote:

> I am an antique restorer, based in London, UK

Another Brit! And far enough away that he won't be raiding
my tool sources.

Excellent.

      BugBear