Hello, my name is David Sawyer. I got busted for not having a bio while
ordering some chisels from a list member so I'm finally posting one. I
posted one awhile ago but it didn't have bio in the subject line so it never
got filed.
I got into woodworking when I came back from Germany (I'm in the Army)
where my wife and I had been living in a furnished apartment. When we got
to Ft Knox we did not have a single piece of furniture. I quickly decided
that furniture making would be a useful hobby to pick up. I had done some
woodworking as a kid, but nothing serious. I started off buying a c*rdl*ss
drill, a j*g saw, orb*tal s*nder, and b*lt s*nder (the last one to flatten a
table top, wish I'd figured out hand planes before buying this one). I
built some bookcases and a breakfast bar, but realized that I still didn't
have (and wouldn't be able to afford) enough tools for a complete Norm
workshop.
Then I remembered, oh yea, my great-grandfather had been a pattern maker
and his tool chest was still in my Grandmother's basement. I raided it for
anything I thought would be useful and then started searching the web for
info on how to use the stuff. I found this group and a lot of useful info
on various web sites. My first real oldtool project was an oak mission
style end table. It wasn't pure oldtool, but pretty close. It turned out
pretty good, but now my wife wants another one and I'm off on a new project
(a cherry nightstand, which I've also been told I need two of).
I've already bought something from Patrick Leach, a nice #40 scrub.
This was needed after I picked up about 300 bf of walnut and cherry from an
older widow cleaning out her late husbands woodworking shack (and no, I
didn't rip her off, I paid $200). Some is thickness planed, but most isn't.
The #40 is getting a real workout and I may be in the market for a #40 1/2
at some point (is there much of a difference?). I also got a couple of 3-4'
mahogany 2x6's that I'll use when I find the right project for them.
Recently my grandmother moved into a nursing home, and I was told to
come get the toolbox and what I had left in it out of her basement (didn't
have to twist my arm). I'm sure some of you are interested in the tool
chest, so here's the link to what's in it:
http://www.homestead.com/dhsawyer/files/pattern.htm
I'm sure that some of the original tools are missing from it. There are
obvious gaps in the chisel sets (I just bought a 1/2" and 1" New Haven Edge
Tool chisels but I'm still looking for a 3/8"). It's interesting to note
that the biggest plane he had was a #6 and it looks like it saw more use
then either the 4 or the 5. He dated the blades when he changed them and
the #6 had the newest blade and it's still significantly shorter then either
the 4 or 5. He must have changed the 4 and 5 blades once each and the #6
twice.
His original workbench must have been left in his old house because my
grandfather built a new one for his home. I now have this workbench and
it's a pretty nice one. The main workspace is built from 7' x 2" oak
flooring strips. He joined them together and then took them to the local
lumber yard to have it planed flat. The vise on it was probably new at the
time (an old Craftsman in excellent shape), so whatever vise my
great-grandfather had is gone.
I've added a few old tools to the pile, a #3, #8, an extra #5, and a bow
saw from Highland Hardware. My next purchase will probably be a new #93. I
know a Lie-Nielson 073 is probably better, but at twice the price, it's
probably not twice as good. I find myself doing a lot of mortise and tenon
joints and I need something to clean up the shoulders.
If you browse the web page you'll also notice the latest addition to our
family, Emma, she's 11 weeks old.
David Sawyer
Elizabethtown, KY
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