I've been lurking here for some time, and as I find myself struggling to
type this morning because of a self-inflicted galootinous wound, I
thought it was time to introduce myself...

My name is Tom. I live just outside of Columbus, Ohio, with my wife and
two GITs (9 and 7, both girls) where I make my living as a software
developer. As a recovering Normite, I should note that my interest in
woodworking originally stemmed from watching Norm on PBS years ago while
eating breakfast on Saturday mornings. Once I bought a house and had
room for a workshop, I naturally assumed that I needed a bunch of p*w*r
tools in order to be a woodworker. Of course, the best I could afford
was bottom-of-the-line Craftsman, but that didn’t stop me. So, for quite
a few years I struggled with my sub-par tools, turning borg wood into
serving trays and coat racks, calling myself a woodworker, all the while
eschewing any tool that didn’t have a plug.

That all changed last year when I met Don Weber at a woodworking show:
watching him using a pole lathe and tools he cobbled together out of old
auto parts was enlightening. After his demo, he took the time to answer
my questions and even showed me some of his sharpening techniques. After
that, I was hooked. I scoured the internet for any information I could
on the care and use of hand tools. I discovered quickly that I’m drawn
to hand saws. I’m not sure why, I just like the way they work I guess. I
don’t yet have a whole lot of hand tools, but I find that while I could
only afford bottom-of-the-line p*w*r tools, I can easily afford decent
hand tools. And as I work on my refurbishing skills, I’ll be able to
take even cheaper old tools and turn them into good users. My ideal is
to one day rid myself of my tailed apprentices entirely (and I don’t
mean my dogs) and bask in the quiet splendor of my shop, without a dust
mask! So far I’ve been making some useful items (bench hook, shooting
board) using only hand tools and have truly enjoyed myself.

Just to round out the picture, woodworking competes for my time and
money with two other passions: riding, maintaining, fixing and re-fixing
my ’95 Harley-Davidson Sportster and playing the bass.

As to my wound: I was practicing hand-cut dovetails yesterday and was
cleaning out the bottom of a socket when the chisel slipped and nicked
my finger. After cleaning up the cut and applying a band-aid (it wasn’t
bad enough for stitches), SWMBO had a worried look on her face. This
quickly went away, however, once I pointed out that had I made a similar
mistake using a p*w*r tool, I probably would be looking for my finger on
the shop floor. She seemed happy with this comparison and I went back to
work, finishing my dovetail, keeping my fingers out of the way.

A big "Thank you" to all the members of the porch; I’ve learned a lot
here and am sure to learn a whole lot more in the coming years.

-tom

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Craftsmen are those people who cannot help doing whatever is given them
to do better than others think is worthwhile. -Anonymous

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