OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

180427 "Ray Gardiner" <ray@e...> 2008‑06‑11 Ray Gardiner - Hello
>How about stepping up and introducing yourself to the assembled
>multitudes. %-)
>You know, the usual stuff, who you are and where. How'd you come to
>stumble across the Luddites sitting here. What your background is,
>working life and woodworking, both.
>Drag up a chair,
>Dave Leader

Thanks for the welcome Dave, I'll keep it brief.

I am 58, retired, like building things  furniture, tools etc. I have
been making dovetail saws, bow saws,  various other tools.
One of my ambitions is to make a few planes.

Just recently I have come down with a severe, possibly terminal
case of saw collecting. (SWMBO might kill me)

I Live in rural Victoria, Australia. Climate is similar to
Fruit Growing Areas of Northern California. For a number of
years I used to travel each year to Modesto to work. In the
late 80's we did a 16 week road trip accross the USA with the
3 kids.

We have 2 boys 1 girl and two grand-daughters.  All fantastic.
Been happily married 35 years.

I guess my start in woodworking was building model planes back
in the 1960's.  I built my own house in the early 1970's

Pretty much always been woodworking at some level or other, I just
wish I knew then, what I know now. (little though it is)

My current workshop is 15M x 7.5M (60'x25') and has the usual
range of woodworking stationary tools, with a ever increasing
number of hand tools. I also have a metal working lathe and am
in the process of buying a mill.

My woodwork is a mix of machine tools and hand tools,  I lack the
skills to do everything with handtools, but I'm learning.

In my other life I am/was an embedded systems developer, basically
anything to do with machine control / process control systems.
I have a pretty reasonable electronics workshop.

On the internet front, I host my own servers and just registered
http://www.backsaw.net which I hope will become an archive of
sorts for identification and appreciation of backsaws. It's not
up and running just yet. The idea is that anyone can post pictures
and info of a saw together with details of blade size, markings, handle etc.
Others can add comments and details as they become available.
Sort of a cross between an on-line photo gallery and a forum.

My wife thinks I have some sort of addiction to rust, could be
a terminal condition.

Looking forward to hanging out on the porch with you.
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Recent Bios FAQ