OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

99610 "Jordan, Wolfgang" <Wolfgang.Jordan@f...> 2001‑11‑13 Bio
Gentle Galoots,

 after having lurked for about two years with an occasional
 contribution, my bio is more than overdue. Moreover, I would like to
 participate in the holiday exchange and buy tools under OT terms.

 My name is Wolfgang Jordan. I live with wife and three kids (two of
 them GITs) in Germany near Munich. I'm a software engineer by
 profession, so when I started woodworking about four years ago, looking
 for information on the internet was obvious. Through the help of some
 people at rec.woodworking (in particular 'spokeshave' Jon Gunterman) I
 soon metamorphosed from a Normite wannabe to a neander woodworker. The
 need of cheap tools led to flea market visits and the first planes and
 saws. You all know where this is leading to. My first tools were
 strictly users. Now I find myself bying planes because of a specific
 feature or a certain maker's mark.

 Using or collecting hand planes in Germany means wooden planes, because
 there were/are only few makers of metal planes. According to old
 catalogs American tools were available over here since the beginning of
 the 19th century. But German carpenters stuck to the traditional wooden
 planes and they still do (if they use planes at all). Nevertheless I
 found Sargent and Shelton planes on the flea market and even a small
 Millers Falls hand drill. The bulk of my 100+ planes is made in Germany
 and Austria, by the craftsmen themselves or by one of many tool
 manufacturers. Professional planemaking in Germany started in the
 eighteen thirties, more then hundred years later than in England and
 over two hundred years after the first Dutch planemakers. To find out
 more about this industry is one thing I am concerned with.

 Buying old tools is not that easy, but usable planes can be found at
 flea markets, and Ebay widened the accessibility. There are braces and
 hand drills (my current obsession), but chisels and planes are very
 scarce. There is not much known about old tools and their
 manufacturers, at least there is no written information. I started to
 show some of my tools and the information I gathered in my little
 museum: http://www.holzwerken.de/museum/.

 The list is a great source of information. It's not so much as reading
 about tools I will never hold in my hand, but to share a common
 interest with people all over the world. And there's more than old
 tools like techniques, stories and the helpful attitude of the members,
 that make reading the list enjoyable. Thank you!

Wolfgang


Recent Bios FAQ