Greetings,

I have been lurking for a while and felt the need to introduce myself to
the group. I am a 34 year old computer dork with a great wife and a 17 mo.
old son that we adopted in Russia. We have lived near Saint Louis, Missouri 
for about 5 years. My big-3 hobbies are woodworking, gardening and playing
guitar.

My father is a machinist with a disdain for working with wood, so I have had
to learn most of what I know by trial-and-error. My paternal grandfather
past
away several years ago and I found a Diamond-Edge smoother while cleaning
out
his garage. I later found that my maternal grandfather had been a carpenter 
(before WWII sent him to France) when he gave me a couple of handsaws and
levels. All of these were in rough shape but I kept them as a connection to
these men who had meant so much to me.

To my shame, I was a Norm devotee for about 8 years. However, I recently 
discovered the pleasure of quality hand tools and have purchased several 
bench planes, block planes, rules, brace&bits, etc. I am spending more time
than I should going to antique shops and estate sales but finding the tools
is *almost* as much fun as using them.

I am greatly enjoying sitting on the porch and listening to the experts.
---
David Holsclaw