Hi Folks,

Over the past 5 months I have posted and listened and read and seems my
story is the same as most of the others posting bio’s…I have put it off,
and forgotten and just plain ignored it. So today is the day; its time for
my bio.

I was born on a cold morning (Jan 6, 1956 to be exact in Keene, NH)…… but
maybe I am going too far back with this bio.

(hitting fast forward). My first memories of really loving tools was in my
middle school years. In addition to loving 7th and 8th grade shop class,
my family had just moved into a house that had (as I realize now) a pretty
nice shop built in the basement. My Dad (a high school math teacher, and
old Yankee of the first order) had a bit brace, some bits, a beautiful old
saw, and some hammers. I don’t remember a plane, but I do have
surprisingly vivid memories of that brace and saw. My Dad no longer has
those tools. As with many old Yankees, although he respected his tools
(they were always clean, as was the shop), there wasn’t any emotional
attachment and they were sold for auction when Mom and Dad moved back to
NH from CT 20 years ago.  As you might imagine, I now have an affinity for
braces and saws.

( I will also note that I grew up in Bristol, CT… two towns from (said
reverentially… NEW BRITIAN, CT…. wow). Yup, we all knew who Stanley was…
they were, and still are a big employer in that area (thank goodness)).

(fast forwarding through high school, college, developing a career and
raising kids… all of which had UNFORTUNALEY virtually NO OT content; I
became a geologist; worked in the oil biz in Louisiana and Texas; moved
back to NH in 1990 and now practice here as a geologist)

So with the two GITS in college, the house quiet, and spare time becoming
a reality again, three years ago, almost to the day, I turned to SWMBO and
said “lets go to that local auction and see if there is any furniture for
the house”.  At the auction was a Millers Falls 9… I bought it for $20.
You all know the rest of the story. ( I can see the collective smile on
the faces of GG’s across the world…we’ve all been there LOL).

The rest of the story is… I discovered that there is this INCREDIBLE
history of tool making in the Connecticut River Valley (as it is known
locally “the Precision Valley”) and that in one little town in
Massachusetts (Greenfield, MA….28 miles from my house) there was the
Millers Falls Tool Co, Goodell Pratt, Stratton Bros., Greenfield Tool,
Willey and Russell, and a number of others about who I am still learning.

My first Spicer’s auction was in Oct 2002 and since that time the breadth
of my hobby has expanded in a very exciting and rewarding way. I’ve made
some great friends and contacts who have shared their knowledge and
experience generously.

And with that I think the best way to wrap this up is to sincerely thank
all of you have taken the time to develop the type studies, written books,
developed and supported websites, and even those “tool guys” that stopped
by my table at various tailgating functions. I’m sure there are a large
number of wonderful tools that would never have been appreciated (and
saved!!!) without the accumulation and transfer of all this knowledge (and
most of it for free, wow!).

And now I will go back to my seat on the porch and resume lurking and
spurious posting of rookie questions… someday I really, really hope I can
add to all of this and maybe even answer a question!

Steve in Keene (an unapologetic collector!… yup I use em’ too)