BIO Louis Boutet
I am 55 years old.  I live in Orléans (a quiet and peaceful suburb of
Ottawa), Ontario, Canada.  I have worked in Information Technology (IT,
computers to most folks) for over 32 years.  My current employer is the
Federal Government, Statistics Canada in particular.  For those who may
care, Statistics Canada is considered the best statistical agency in the
world (voted so by international statistical agencies).  I'm proud of the
place.  I am Chief of Systems, Operations and Integration Division.  I will
be retiring within the next year, and will most likely work in the private
sector (my wife says I'll probably die at my screen).

We are a French Canadian family (fluently bilingual) and I promise never to
get into a political discussion here.  I am married to Suzanne (speaks
English with a French accent) who could probably charm a mint Stanley #55
out of any galloot.  We have two children; Valérie 15 and Louis-Philippe (my
best buddy) 11.  Do you notice a trend?  Like starting things later in life?

I have been an avid fly fisherman for close to 40 years.  Make my own flies,
even made a couple of rods.  I have had fishing adventures that would rival
many stories in Field & Stream; from trout (speckled, brown and rainbows) to
salmon, bass, even pike.  Some of my favorite haunts are the West Branch of
the Ausable (New York), la rivière Jacques Cartier (Québec, near Québec
City) and the Margaree (for salmon, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia).

In the fall I am an avid grouse and woodcock hunter, (my cottage in Québec
is on a woodcock flyway).  I own several shotguns, my favorite an over and
under 12 gauge Browning Citori with an English stock.  I have a trained
pointer, Paco de Contre Coeur.  He's a Brittany Spaniel, a little on the
high side (for those who know Brittanies).  He has the hardest head of any
Brittany I have owned to date but god does he have a good nose!  That's the
reason he's still alive.

If I might digress a little.  My favorite shotgun has a history of sorts.
When Suzanne and I got married, she had her wedding ring all picked out.  We
went to Toronto to order it.  She asked if I wanted a wedding band.  I said
no.  I have never worn rings.  But there was this nice shotgun at the local
sporting goods store..  Well, that was our shotgun wedding!

Start of soapbox portion of BIO.

I know I said I wouldn't get political but sometimes I can't help it!  You
know that my gun ownership and hence my hunting are becoming more and more
constrained here in Canada.  Do you realize I can't even legally pass one of
my shotguns on to my son so he can hunt next year without loads of red tape
and of course extensive fees.  My dad taught me to hunt, safely.  He would
have been livid with todays laws.  HELP.

End of soapbox portion of BIO.

I own a cottage in Québec (like owning two homes) and I am a part-time
Shortwave listener (I like to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the
world).  Oh yes, I'm also involved with Boy Scouts, I sketch and I dabble in
watercolors.

My shop is reasonably well equipped; contractor's saw, router, router table,
Jointech fence, planer, jointer, drill press, scroll saw (my son has his
own)..  I built my workbench, vise and all, from Shopnote plans.  I am
builing cabinets for the laudry room (oak frame & panel doors etc.).  So
what am I doing here you ask?

Well, we discovered Suzanne has asthma.  Woodust is a bitch for someone with
asthma!  I tried vacuums, even built a filter to take the dust out of the
air.  No dice.  Bye bye MDF, and particularly the router.  I can't build a
shop outside (not enough room and bylaws) so..  Not beign one to give up,
it's handtools for me!

I'm working my way back up from scratch.  I own a #7 Record Jointer (bought
it from Lee Valley on sale), #4 and #5C Stanleys I bought recently from Jon
Zimmers (good person to do business with), Marples chisels (I learned how to
Scary Sharp en them properly last winter), Sandvick crosscut saw, Disston
ripsaw, etc.  I'm looking for good user tools.  Eventually I hope to come
close to doing with handtools what I now do with my router (boy I'll miss
that thing).

What I regret the most is giving away a complete, slightly used Record Multi
Plane many years ago.  My grandfather gave it to me.  I wasn't using it so I
gave it to Art Van Draanen (you will find a couple of his articles in Fine
Woodworking on Boxes, Carcases, and Drawers; goes by the name Adrian C. Van
Draanen) with whom I worked.  Art was an old world cabinet maker working
with me as a computer specialist.  He taught hand tool techniques part time.
I figured I would never use it and I knew Art would.  So I gave it to him.
The one thing I don't regret. that tool had a long, honorable and useful
life.

In essence I am a raw beginner.  I don't have much to gloat about.  I read
tons of books. I'll try and hand build a tool box or chest this winter.  I
just bought John Tolpin's The Toolbox Book a couple of days ago.  I figure
it'll make a good starter project.  I can screw up multiple times 'till I
get it right.  Nobody but me will know.

I realize this is a bit long but so is 55 years.  I am particularly
interested in Canadian Old Tool sources who sell at prices Canadians can
afford.  By the time something from the States gets here you can almost
double the asking price.  That's what I pay in Canadian dollars with
exchange rates, postage, taxes, handling fees what have you.  Hope to chat
with you soon.
Louis