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42785 Ed O'Riordan <eoriordan@b...> 1998‑05‑06 Bio: Ed O'Riordan
My name is Ed O'Riordan. I live in Canton, Mass (a little south of
Boston) in a house built in 1860. I like old houses, old cars (1964 to
1973, ok old fast cars that do it honestly with massive fuel guzzling
engines and no computers), and old tools. I recently started acquiring
old tools. I have always built/took apart/fixed/destroyed things (got
taken to the hospital as an infant after taking apart a TV and eating
some parts). I got bit by the old tool bug a few years back when I
happened into a almost mint #18 type 2 for cheap money. I sharpened it
and started using it, and was amazed at how nice it felt and worked. As
it was my first block plane (I got a few smoothers and jacks from my
father), I thought maybe I just needed more block planes. So I bought a
nice shiney new English manufactured low angle block plane and went to
use it, and found that it didn't work as well nor feel as good the old
#18. Quickly figuring out that I needed old tools, I started keeping an
eye out at yard sales and antique stores. I didn't have much luck. A
couple of months back I happened to find eBay and was stunned that they
had a tool category. I have bought a couple of things there, and this
really fed the bug for acquiring more. As a result of further poking I
found this group, Blood and Gore, and Walter's book. 

I just got back from a vacation where I convinced my wife that we needed
to drive a couple of hours out of our way to go see an antique store
that specialized in tools and country furniture (little did I know that
they only had tools). So while I killed an hour in the store she amused
our 18 month old in the car (tip of the day: you can get alone time in a
tool store by in the past being responsible for watching a small child,
and then having your wife find said small child playing with a chisel in
your tool glazed presence). 

As I returned to the car carrying my purchase she remarked "What number
is that?". Thinking that she was sarcastically commenting on the vast
quantity of cast iron I have been hauling to the basement of late, I
sheepishly replied "Yeah, but this is the first one of these". Her
reply? "No, ...what number is it?" Quickly realizing that she meant
"what NUMBER is it?", I responded, "it is an 8". I have decided that I
like them both.

Ed O'



Recent Bios FAQ