Esteemed few--

It's been about a year since I found the oldtools list, and a private
note recently reminded me of how much I have learned from the list during
our acquaintance.  One of the major things I have learned is that I don't
need to tell the whole list everydamnthing that comes into my little
mind.  Which argues against posting this note.  But we'll see.

Like many others, I got here through rec.loud-noise, with a side
excursion to theforge, a blacksmithing group.  Let me say immediately
that there is no
comparison in quality between oldtools and the other lists.  Most of the
credit,
of course, goes to our list moms, but recently it seems like we have been
elevated to a state of grace by some special quality of the list members.

But I digress.

What do I value from the list?  Friends.  Community.  Tools.  Skills.  I
thought that each one of those would make a long bullet item, but now
they seem so obvious that I will just skip to the last one, as an
example.  Since I signed on to the list I've learned--

Dovetails, the second rite of passage for a galoot; planes being the
first.  It wasn't my first dovetail, BTW, but there was still a long way
to go when I got here.

M&T joints, laps, half laps, finger joints, splines, pegs and wedges.
The whole world of joinery has opened up to me. Slowed my work down to a
crawl, too, but hey, it's a hobby, right?  May as well do it right.

Non-kilowatt work.  I still had some devil tools when I signed on.  Now
the only ones left are strictly for metal working.  And the shop lights.
(I admire the spirit of those few who do completely without electrons in
their shops, but mine is such a fire hazard you wouldn't believe.)  A
year ago, I would look at a project and think of power tools that I
needed to do it.  Now I don't; I can usually find two or three
alternatives to do a job with hand tools.

The lathe, lathe tools, and all that implies, which is quite a bit,
because I am starting on a path of making, well; just say more tools.  I
was recently interviewed by a family friend for a college paper (probably
on crackpots, but that's not what she told me).  One of the questions
was, Do I have a role model as a blacksmith? Well, I didn't know of
anyone, but as it turned out, I told her the story of TH Witherby and the
invention of socket handles, so maybe he is it.

Deeper appreciation of my tools.  I started as a confirmed user and
bottom feeder.  We all seem to eschew tool collecting even as we do it,
but as I become more familiar with the tools and the work, I am more,
umm, conscious of quality tools.  And more aware of the universe of tools
and techniques that are available. When I first read one of Kingshott's
books years ago, I thought he was one of a kind; a plane nut that had no
peer.  Now I find that there are several places to buy kits or new infill
planes, not to mention all the other old tools that never seem to come to
Kansas on their own.  When I handle tools now, I see the elements that
make them good, great, or otherwise.  Sometimes it amazes me that other
people don't see it too, but that's their loss.

Judgement.  I guess that's the word.  There are a lot of things I pass up
now, as techniques or tools I choose not to pursue.  Corner braces, miter
boxes, tricky fixed angle sharpening jigs and burnishers, plastic
handles, carbide anything, urethane varnish.  Power tools (boy, does that
cut down on catalogs and shopping decisions).  Personal choices, BTW,
guys, you are welcome to use miter boxes if you want....

Directions.  Maybe this should be another note entirely.  What I want to
do this year is to get past a lot of misdirection with my tool making and
get a few skills really nailed down.  Then go back to wood working
instead of making and refining my tools all the damn time.  Turn out a
few pretty good sized projects.  A Hoosier type cabinet for the kitchen,
a nice tool box or set of tool boxes to take care of my tools for the
next couple of hundred years.  Clean up the shop so it's a little more
efficient.

How about starting another project thread?  What do you want to do in the
next year; where do you want to be when the computers all put up or shut
up in Y2K?

(Uhh, wait a minute.  You want me to go first?  Well, OK, but it's a
secret--).  I hope to have my life organized for a major restart; one of
those cusps where you feel like you are at the end of the diving board,
ready to jump off.  In my case, it is to quit my long time professional
bureaucrat job and move to Alaska to be a professional blacksmith and
full time galoot.

Thanks, galoots, for a great year.

Phil Koontz
Still in Kansas
Where the medication for the day is Boulevard Nutcracker Ale