All the recent discussion on Bios caused me to look at mine.  A few
things have changed since 1997, so here is my update.  I am still past
the 60
mark, now only 1 1/2 years shy of the 70 mark.  I spent my youth working
around cattle and other four-legged animals.  Then I spent thirty-four
years in the Navy in aerial photography, photo interpretation, and
intelligence.   (BTW, "Military Intelligence" is a redundancy - not an
oxymoron as some would have you believe.)  I retired in 1987 and started
work for General Dynamics in Fort Worth (that's in Texas, USA Jeff &
Alf).  Still there 16 years later.

I started woodworking in the '69 when I got married and the wife started
giving me small tailed "things" for all occasions - birthday, father's
day, Xmas, etc. Built a lot of furniture using those things - benches,
tables, a cherry display cabinet and blanket chest, desk, bookshelves,
hutches, kids' furniture, etc.  We couldn't afford to buy anything, so
we would go into an Eth*n All*n furniture store, and my wife would point
out what I needed to build.  A lot of these items are still in use.
Since we were moving around in the military, all the tools (including
the tailed ones) were small and portable - until I got a Sh*pSm*th in
'82.  That was the nearest I ever came to owning a t*ble saw.

In early '80s, I started watching Roy's program and fell in love with
"real" tools. Started picking up odds and ends - mortising chisels,
transitionals, wood and metallic planes, a plethora of
miscellaneous tools and oddities, many shelves of woodworking and tool
related books, etc. I swore never to become a c*llector; I would only
buy tools I would actually use. I'm sure most of you know how well that
works!  At least I take a few shavings with each new plane as I get it;
therefore, all my tools are technically users - and you never know when
you will need a couple of dozen jack planes for some project (right
Paddy?).  I also
found that if you leave Bed Rocks laying around the shop, they multiply
rapidly - which is a good thing.

I belong to the SWTCA and M-WTCA, although I don't get a chance to
attend events outside north Texas very often.  I do enjoy the ones I do
go to (local and otherwise).  Even if you don't buy anything
(sacrilege?), it is always a pleasure to talk tools with a great group
of friendly people - including a bunch of galoots.  I love flea markets
(especially the 200+ acres of Canton's First Monday trade days - always
pillaged by Mike, Paul, and Bob before I get there), yard sales, and
estate sales. You never know when you will find that Stanley #603 for
$10 (actually, it was at an antique show in Dallas).   :-)

In my 1997 bio, I mentioned I was still looking for my first No. 1.   No
comment on that now, other than to say I am no longer looking, although
I would certainly be willing to give Walt double his money for his
famous find.   My shop is now so full of tools (and stuff), that I have
to work under the carport on a WorkMate - when I actually make any
shavings.  My last projects of note were a mesquite coffee table for one
of my sons, and a mesquite breakfast room table for my wife.  It will be
interesting to see how flat the latter stays, since it is made from two
somewhat air-dried boards, each over 16 inches wide and a hair over 4/4
thick.

Frank Sronce (Fort Worth Armadillo works)