OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

85769 Roger Van Maren vanmaren2@h... 2000‑11‑03 BIO: Update Roger Van Maren
There's bee a few galoots updating their bios over the last few weeks. I've 
been off sick for a week and bored to tears. After rereading mine in the 
archive, I decided it would be a good idea. Here goes...

11/3/00
I started lurking under the porch just a few months after it was built. 
After about a year I finally came out into the light and posted my first 
bio sometime in 97. At that time I was busily trying to fill my new shop 
with both Normite and Neanderthal tools. It seemed like I'd never run out 
of space. My, how foolish of me.....

I've been an employee of the University of California for 18 years. I ride 
heard on a bunch of technicians, machinists, engineers and physicists at a 
linear induction accelerator here in Livermore. Lauren, my SWMBO of 12 
years, is an automotive repair technician (don't even think of calling her 
a mechanic). My hobbies include woodworking, science fiction, restoring old 
cars and old machinery.

I've got a good basic set of woodworking hand tools and more Normite stuff 
that I won't mention here. My projects are a mix of hand and power tools. I 
tend to pick the method that gives me the best result and as my hand tool 
skills increase I find myself shunning the tailed tool more and more often. 
I can actually cut dovetails by hand that don't end up in the fireplace! My 
furniture designs still have more than a hint of "industrial look" like the 
stuff I've been designing and building for so long for the gubbmint but are 
improving. One of my more recent projects was a dining room table and 6 
chairs for SWMBO.

Being "eloquence challenged" and less knowledgeable than most of the old 
timers here, I don't post to the list much.  I tend more to direct e-mail, 
but I have hosted a few get togethers for the local Galoots. The first was 
John Gunterman's "California Spokeshave Assault" of 98 and more recently 
the first annual BAGs get together last September. Both of these were a 
whole bunch of fun and improved my skills more than a stack of WW books. 
Galoots are as nice in person as they are on-line! If you ever have a 
chance to attend on of these in your area do it!


Roger Van Maren
My poor excuse for a woodworking page
http://homestead.deja.com/user.rogervm/index.html



Recent Bios FAQ