> > >Paul Comino wrote:
> > >>To "loosen" this binding, you need to "compress" the screw, and I
> > >>would do this using a vice (vise for those who carnt spel)...
> >
> > And Steve replied...
> > >Now there is an interesting British/Aussie spelling variant. How do
> > >y'all keep your hobbies straight ;)
>
> >From the Alphabet of Stanley Tools(unknown vintage), Verse 22:
>
>       V is for Vises; We trust you'll agree "Jersey Vises" should
>       never be spelled with a 'C'.

Well, I've been here about a week and had planned to mill, er,
linger quietly in the background as a vagrant lurker, but I am
compelled to comment.

Or rather, question. I've been pondering the meaning of "Galoot" since
joining the list, and finally even discovered an FAQ that identified the
term as originating with a gang of five obsessing over a saw-set. Is
"galoot" really *not* an acronym? Surely the final "ot" stands for "old
tools." I'm hard pressed to figure out the leading "galo," though the
leading "g" might stand for gentlemen, grouches, grumps, gougers,
geezers, etc., or maybe even "galoots". Somebody help me out here.

For what it's worth my interest in the list is not tools so much as
woodworking and related odds 'n ends. Stuff like scarey-sharp, and wood
alchohol, er, I mean cleaning wood. There seems to be a lot of expertise
here, even though the focus is on tools. The saying goes "a craftsmen is
known by his tools." Or was that a Sears ad?

An introduction would probably be appropriate, too. By way of a
micro-bio, in a past life I worked as a residential carpenter for about
5 years. I think I eventually achieved the status of senior
wood-butcher from a carpenter's perspective, and maybe a
cabinet/furniture maker might let me in the shop, provided I didn't
touch. In any case, now, I've sort-of rediscovered an interest in
woodworking, and so that's what got me here. Not that I need any more
expensive or time consuming things to occupy my "spare" time. My
primary hobby is cycling, and my perspective with regard to bicycles is
that much of what makes for a fine bicycle is sacrificed in the
interest of "bottom lines" and mass-production. I guess it's kind of
analogous to the galoot philosophy on tools.

So, I don't have much to contribute, but so far it's been pretty
entertaining just listening.
--
Bob Newman GE Fanuc Automation, Inc. bob.newman@CHO.GE.COM
Charlottesville, VA