Greetings, All!

I have been lurking around the perimeter of the porch for a few 
months now, and have finally worked up the courage to climb the 
steps, say hello, and present myself for inclusion in your esteemed 
group.

I guess I inherited my interest in woodworking from my father, 
although he relies mainly on p*w*r t**ls for his various 
projects...the bigger, the better. I will humbly admit that I find 
these machines fascinating and useful as well, but I have been trying 
to wean myself from them, not only to improve my woodworking skills, 
but my finished work as well.

My current collection of hand tools is somewhat meager, at least by 
oldtools standards, but my wife is convinced that I already have more 
than any one person could ever need. Most of these have been gleaned 
from auctions, which I attend as often as my work schedule will 
allow. I haven't had much luck at garage sales, but that doesn't keep 
me from stopping. I have also been fortunate enough to have received 
some donations from friends, including a Stanley miter box saw made 
by Simmonds and an early Stanley 45 combination plane.

Although I find myself attracted to metal planes, my best results 
have come from using modern wood-bodied planes like those made by 
E.C.Emmerich in Germany. I managed to pick up a jointer, two 
smoothers, and a block plane at an auction about two years ago, and 
have been on the lookout for more ever since. They took some time to 
get used to, but the results have been outstanding.

What I lack in tools, I make up for in material. One of my father's 
hobbies is collecting trees. Mostly trees to sell to veneer mills, 
with the leftovers being sawn locally into lumber. Between his barns 
and mine, I would conservatively guess there is about 8,000 bf of air-
dried Ohio hardwood, mostly walnut.

When I really think about it though, my most precious resource is 
time, and I don't have anywhere near enough to work on the projects 
that are on my list. I need to trim out a room I remodeled last 
spring, my wife wants a new bed, and my brother and I are trying to 
finish a table for my mother that was supposed to have been done in 
time for Christmas. I'm sure I am not alone in this respect.

That's probably enough for now. I don't want to take up any of your 
time that could be put to better use out in the shop. I am looking 
forward to participating, learning, and (hopefully) contributing.

Kevin Kauffmann
Bradford, Ohio

P.S...I owe someone in the group some information on my Bridgeport-
made Dosch miter trimmer...I haven't forgot!