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47905 "Brian C. Browning" <browning@r...> 1998‑08‑12 Bio and Ruminations (8/12/98): Brian Browning
(Bio and Ruminations (8/12/98):  Brian Browning)

Finding Oldtools was a revelation to me; I've been a Galoot for years
and didn't even know it.  As I've always said, Any day you get a "new"
tool is a good day. (The thing that really pushed me over the edge was
the desire to own a Galoot stealth cap.)
I reside in Des Moines, Iowa with my SWMBO Mary Kay and four children:
Amelia (age 9), Lillian (age 7), Sam (age 4), and Madeline (2 1/2 but
thinks she is 13).  We recently purchased my wife's parent's previous
domicile, a circa 1916 pseudo-Craftsman house.  I have to admit to
turning 42 this year, and to spending more time on the internet than I
should.
All of my kids are budding carpenters; they share a tool box I built
which includes an eggbeater hand drill, 6" try square, 4 light claw
hammers, several really beat-up folding rules, two chalk lines
(currently everyone's favorite tool), a coping saw, and a bunch of old
wrenches and screwdrivers.  Once the kids are a few years older,
I plan to add a 12' by 23' shop to the back side of my garage, which
will allow me to indulge in some serious hand-tool woodworking and
blacksmithing, which I have not done for entirely too long.

I am the Construction and Historic Maintenance Technician at Terrace
Hill, the Iowa Governors Mansion.  (a shameless plug: Built in 1869
without benefit of any p*w*r tools, Terrace Hill is a fantastic
example of Second Empire grandiosity; the first floor is almost
commpletely original, with period furnishings, and I invite any and
all Galoots to come for a tour.  I wish I was capable of building some
of this stuff.)

Personal (somewhat tool-related) History:  I fooled around with a lot of
tools as a kid but it never completely took until after high school. (My
Dad, Everett Browning, can build or rebuild anything, which seems to be
typical of his WWII generation. He is currently a retired journalism
teacher and a talented blacksmith, but he recently admitted to me that
he became interested in forging while in high school because he couldn't
bring himself to cut dovetails.)  Anyway, I received a degree in
anthropology, worked as an archeologist for a few years, tried and
became disillusioned with law school, and spent about 14 years in the
construction trades doing high-end residential work (carpentry and stone
masonry), before landing at Terrace Hill.  I have found that I love old
buildings and old tools.

Motto: you can't have too many tools

Almost all the carpenters and masons I know take an extremely Normative
approach to both their work and hobbies.  I have a fair collection of
tailed apprentices which I use regularly, and I can appreciate the speed
and ease of cutting with a worm-drive, but I don't really enjoy it.
(I try to take a balanced approach, which allows use of tools I don't
like when they help me finish job more efficiently or quickly.)  My hand
tool collection (and I must admit that while most of the tools are
functional, I do have a collection) has been built sporadically over the
last 20 years. Almost all are well worn tools with a lot of character
and a wonderful patina, and I find a tremendous enjoyment in handling
them even when I am not working on a project.  I have about a dozen
wooden-bodied planes (of which I only really use three), a dozen Stanley
planes (including a Bedrock 603 which I rather like) and an almost
unused (circa 1920) #55 which has come in handy but is hard to set up,
and a variety of hand saws, levels, chisels, marking gauges, a breast
drill, saw set and other strange tools difficult to catagorize but
useful to own. Plus some '20's vintage auto mechanics tools, and a lot
of odds and ends.  Old (but useable) carpenter's levels seem to have an
increasing attraction; I only have three so far, but this could be a
"continuing problem".

I have tried to determine what ties together my interests, and I think a
fair description is a desire to learn about, understand and use
antiquated or developing technologies and any associated tools.  Or
maybe I'm just weird.

This bio is a lot of work.

I dabble in blacksmithing, like old stationary engines, and enjoy
working on old (pre-WWII) vehicles (I currently drive a 1082 Jeep CJ-7,
which to my mind is not really old but practical and a lot of fun.)  I
also like lurking in hardware stores, cooking, amateur blacksmithing
(another shameless plug: consider trying toolsmithing; or if you have no
interest in black-smithing you should at least try to meet a few smiths;
INMH experience, they are mostly Galoots at heart.  I have forged plane
blades and guides to repair potentially functional but not valuable
planes; ask for help: these guys and gals are worth their weight in
gold, besides being a lot of fun); I like a variety of music from
Dixieland jazz to alternative rock, like to read a lot, enjoy
philosophical discussions (which do not necessarily have to lead
anywhere), and appreciate good beer.

There are probably a lot of things I will wish I had included in this
bio, and perhaps a few I will wish I hadn't.  Such is life.

By the way, many of the Galoot biographies I have read seem to at least
casually mention beer.  Is there a connection? I have not committed
Homebrew for about 10 years, but hope to do so in the not-too-distant
future.In the meantime, Des Moines has several excellent
micro-breweries. Come visit for a beer and some good conversation.
(I hope this is not an inappropriate topic!)

Brian Browning
Des Moines, Iowa

"No matter where you go, there you are"

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