Greetings to the folks up on the porch.
My name is Josh Kaufman and for several weeks I have been quitely
absorbing the large quantites of information that are generated each day
by this lists contributors (lurking has such ugly connotations) . At any
rate here is yet another bio from a thirty something ex-Norm emulating
weekend wood-mangler.
Week Days I am a biochemist at the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda Maryland . I spend my days at work making oldfashioned
handcrafted recombinant proteins. Of course I have the requisite SWMBO
and two children in sizes small and extra small. Having a real job and a
young family means that my time spent woodworking is often measured in
minutes and not hours.
I began woodworking about eleven years ago when I discovered that the
furniture I could afford was absolute junk and that well crafted
furniture of real wood was beyond my means. I also concluded that the
unadorned modern designs I liked are not dificult to make with a few
tools and limited experience. Unfortunately I fell into the mindset
popularized by most woodworking mags and the (in)famous TV woodworker. So
now I have shop equipped with Taiwanese cast iron junk and plenty of hand
power tools.
But I would not be posting this if events had not conspired to turn me
from the dark side of the force. I recently needed to smooth some very
rough resawn cherry boards and my somewhat tuned Record # 4 1/2 did a
marvelous job! The surface was so smooth and clear that It did not require
any other prep before finishing . This event coincided with my reading
Krenov's "Fine Art of Cabinetmaking" . His philosophy of hand shaping and
finishing really struck a chord when I discovered that my hand planes
really can do fine work.
My objective now is to aquire and learn to use all sorts of woodworking
handtools. Unforntunately SWMBO insists on having a house and paying for
the kids college up front so this will be a slow and methodical process.
I have been following the threads from this list for only a few weeks but
they have contributed to the projects that I am currently working on.
Surfaces are being planed and scraped while the power sanders gather
dust. I have been working on scary sharpening plane irons and chisels but
so far I have only achieved a worrisome degree of sharpness ( must spend
more time on the backs). My shop also has become more inviting and quiet
place. Lately my daughter has taken to sitting on the floor making
"masks" with a brace and auger bit while I quietly make shavings.
Regards. Josh Kaufman
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