Gentle Galoots,

Since Bill trolled out a few of you, I figure it is my turn.  I will give
free stuff to the next two people submitting bios after this message
appears.  Good luck and keep those bios coming!

                Bill's excellent instructions!
                Seems like many of them start out like this.  Call me dense,
                but I'm just wondering:  How much trouble is it really?
It's
                not like we're running a literary critique here or anything.
                I often respond to bios personally when something in them
                catches my eye, and I'm sure others on the porch do as well.

                Maybe some feel they have no old tool stuff to say.  That's
                ok.  The bio isn't about tools, it's about you.  Surely
                there's something about you that we might be interested in.

                Even if it's something like, "I like ice cream, so I bought
                an old ice cream maker at the flea market and fixed it up.
                While I was there, I noticed all these old saws, and
                remembered seeing this group mentioned on the rec.the.wood
                group.  So I started listening and decided old saws were
                cool.  But not as cool as ice cream."

                So go ahead.  Have some fun and post it.  You'll be
surprised
                how good you feel.  Really.

                The Rules!
                How's that?  No repeats.  Just new folks.  If your bio is
                one of the next 5 I see show up, and I verify that it's a
                new one, I'll contact you for mailing info.  Can't beat
                that.

Well, I probably missed the prize, but it's about time anyway....

Like many others on this list, I'm a professional computer geek by day
(and sometimes night). I've been at it one way or another for 25
years, starting with a one-week programming class. (I fear that some
of my programs are making a modest contribution to the Y2K problem.)
In the middle of that stretch, I taught computer science at a Missouri
community college and at a regional campus of Indiana University. Now
I work for EDS doing groupware and collaborative work kinds of things.
Before all that I was a musician, cab driver, commercial artist, moved
furniture, wrote advertising copy, and did odd jobs and carpentry, I
have a SWMBO of 24 years and two daughters. (God only sends sons to men
who need help.) The girls are 11 (sweet) and 16 (AAaaauuugh!).

Also like many others, I set out to be a Normite. My father gave me his
old power tools (like a 1936 Craftsman 10" saw) and I started making a
little sawdust. When I couldn't get his 4" joiner tuned to produce a
straight edge, I realized I was looking at a grand or so for a quality
6" or 8" replacement. I decided that I'd better learn to use a plane
instead.

I bought a Stanley #33 on eBay, did some reading, started hitting
auctions and flea markets, bought more sizes of planes, and bought a
#40 from Steve Butti. I joined EAIA and M-WTCA, bought more books, sold
a few planes, and found the slope far too slippery to resist. At this
point, I'd rather just fool around with old tools (mostly planes) than
actually make anything, much to SWMBO's despair. I confess that when I
do make something (more likely a jig or fixture than anything else -
more despair), I feel no guilt in turning to a tailed apprentice.

And I still watch Norm but now I watch Roy too.

Steve Jones
"The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Hi, Ron.

Yup; still in it.

In a message dated 10/10/98 1:09:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
harpie@n... writes:

> Hey
>
>  Are you the Steve Jones I helped find a house in Kokomo
>
>  Ron
>
>  ----------
>  > From: STJones911@a...
>  > To: OLDTOOLS@l...
>  > Subject: Re: FREE Prize for Bio's - Round Two!
>  > Date: Saturday, October 10, 1998 6:24 AM
>  >