A respectful hello to all the Galoots out there.   After 35 years in what
's called a high tech automobile radiator plant, (they allowed me to care
for a computerized tube forming, RF welding, cutoff, pile, and stacking
machine.)   I am returning to one of my favorite   pastimes, producing
wood shavings, created of course, with bladed hand tools.

Got hooked with Fine Wood Working magazine in 1975 then with  Roy from
WWS, found a few local galoots who recruited me to the WNYATC group. 
Unfortunately full time work with overtime, kids in school, caring for
elderly parents, new grand children, a new border collie, all living under
one roof, was too much.  10 years ago I gave up most of my scrounged, but
prized, collection of tools to make space to store "stuff" and "bodies"
from three families.  Now that retirement is here I am revisiting my old
ways at Estate, Garage, and Auction sales, to appease my need for useable
hand tools suitable for shaving creation.  Who knows I might even make
something useful.

This time around I should have a better idea of what tool is worth
rescuing and what should be left to rust in some basement or garage.  Also
have a better idea of what I need to make acceptable wood shavings. 
(Anybody thought of collecting shavings)?  I'm partial to spoke shaves and
draw knives but have a few planes, holding out for a Long Bedrock. Had one
10 years ago but it went with the tools I had to thin out.  Stanley 45's
are neat to look at but I had better luck with skewed rabbit, hollow and
rounds, and boxed beaders.   Rejoined WNYATCA, went to a meet and swapped
tool stories with lot of old acquaintances and had sticker shock at some
tool prices.  Stanley stuff seems to be real popular and there looks to be
less interest in wood planes.  Still, the feel of a nicely sharpened and
tuned hollow or complex molder slicing through some straight-grained wood
is a pleasure I personally enjoy.  Well that’s about it, this internet
stuff sure changed old tool appreciation into something that didn't exist
10-15 years ago.  Lots of great information and lots of tools for sale.  
Trying to convince SWMBO to accompany me to Winston-Salem.  Perhaps I will
meet some of you there. I'll be the guy with the big eyes and drool
dripping on your prized tools.

Andy and Galoots

That's it then, the Canadian conspiracy to take over the world with
Robertson screws has been found out. 
Pull up a chair and make yourself at home Andy, welcome to the Porch.

Marvin Paisner
Kootenay Lake, BC

Andy Chappell-Dick wrote:

>this list also seems to have a surreptitious Canadian content.

welcome aboard, this is one of the nicest corners of the internet.

Love to hear more about your treadle tools, any advice of shopping
for/restoring same.

Michael-San francisco

> Love to hear more about your treadle tools, any advice of shopping
> for/restoring same.

Great to hear others with enthusiasm for these. The R&D that went on in
the late 19th century to create treadle tools has been squandered and
lost. Efficiently transferring human power to a useful machine is a
fascinating topic. I'm new to it, but I sense a powerful object lesson
for America today: it's somewhat analogous to pedalling a bicycle
through a traffic jam of SUV's. I'll work on that metaphor.

I have a Seneca Falls Union #5 table saw in usable condition. Found it
by sheer accident: a guy who responded to my ad on ToolTimer said he had
driven through a small town in western Illinois and stumbled upon an old
man with an antique shop and massive tool collection, including some
treadle tools. Old man not on net, corresponded by mail. Drove out and
got the saw, couldn't afford the treadle metal lathe (mint condition)
and various other ones. All since sold at an auction near Chicago.

Also have a mostly-wood mortiser, bought from the great folks at
American Artifacts.

I am certainly in the market for more--particularly looking for a
hand-operated tenoning machine. Where to find them? Short of spending
all day surfing the net, I just hope that when one comes up for sale
somewhere, I'll get lucky and stumble across it.

Restoring? Where I am, there's still enough old machinists/welders that
most repairs and simple part fabrication can be done in a guy's garage
down the street in exchange for a case of beer. Repouring babbitts is
something I'll eventually try myself. Also would like to explore
possibility of making copies of more complex parts--actually casting
them from new molds.

Welcome to the porch Paul! It sounds as though you're going to need the
"Support Group From He**"
Your Bio presents a textbook case!
Cheers,
Wes Groot
(it's sleeting in Chi-town.)

Paul Kaczmarek wrote:
 
Well, Let's see.
I've been lurking around the porch for about a year now.
Snip
 I do have a tool problem.
Snip
 How many do I need? Just one more...
Snip
 I like to take apart most anything I am allowed to. 
Snip
 Basically I appreciate a good old tool. 
Snip I have always enjoyed (obsessed) about sharpening things so fixing
up any old tool that crossed my path was a natural result. I enjoy
finding an old tool that most people would pitch and restoring it to
serviceable use. 
Snip
My goal is to complete a hanging toolbox full of useable tools that I
have restored.
Snip
  I have so far some planes (mostly Stanley’s) blocks, smoothers,
one jointer. Still need a good scrub and a shoulder plane. Saws are
plentiful and procreating continuously. 
Snip
 I will adopt any old quality chisel or handle.

Oh SURE you've got a No. 1, but do you have a nice new set of
Cabinetmaker's SCREWDRIVERS???
I didn't THINK so.
: )

Seriously, welcome Jason. I don't recall anyone stepping onto the porch
with that much in his back pocket (though I was gone for a long while).
I'd be interested in knowing what sort of "custom furniture" you are
doing. Sounds like you are living the dream. Look forward to your sharing
your knowledge with the rest of us.

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE
Just say: If I was seriously tooling, I don't think a motorcycle would
quite cut it for bringing back all the booty.
: )

-- 
http://www.fastmail.fm - Choose from over 50 domains or use your own

On 23 Apr 2003 at 21:29, Jason Starbird wrote:

> Hello to All Galoots! I've been lurking around the porch now for about
> two months

Welcome aboard!

> I think I may have the mother of all gloats, and that was enough to
> get me started collecting.

> I went out the door with a near mint #1 for $48.15.

> So, that's my best gloat i have. A hard one to top I'll admit.

Well, certainly respectable gloat indeed! I can't top it personally, but
I know one Galoot who can - although he's been absent from the Porch for
a long time - I think marriage and work pressures got the best of him...

Many Galoots will likely remember several years ago when Walter Barry
got a #1 smoother at an estate sale for the princely sum of $5.

It wasn't "mint" but it wasn't dogmeat either. A tough one to beat.

> Since then, I've amassed about 30 -40 hand planes, mostly all metal.
> 602- 608 bedrocks. 1, 3-8 Bailey's. Never have gotten #2 yet
> though....A nice 66 hand beader. In the box, 45. LN 112. A nice 40. A
> 100 1/2 from a fellow Galoot. Levels, Trammel points, catalogs, rules,
> etc....I try to get only tools that I can and will use, but occasionly
> get others if it's a good deal. I want to learn to use a scraper
> better, actually how to burnish better. I do all of my sharpening on a
> set of Japanese waterstones, with a Veritas honing guide. I have yet
> to find one or make a guide that fits the wide blade on my 608.

That right there sounds pretty gloat-worthy! Whole line up of
Bedrocks? Sheesh.

>  It's a pleasure to share the porch with you all!!

It's a pleasure to have you aboard! Pull up a rocker and set a spell...

- Bill Taggart

On Thu, 24 Apr 2003 09:15:57 -0600, CheekyGeek wrote:

>Darren Addy Kearney, NE Just say: If I was seriously tooling, I don't
>think a motorcycle would quite cut it for bringing back all the booty.
>: )
>
I can't resist. Your sig line reminds me of an auction my wife and I
attended in central Long Island in 1977. We had gotten there buy Long
Island RR, plus a two mile walk.

One lot was a pair of bar clamps, with 4 x 4 oak bars, apparently meant
for holding barn doors together while sloping braces were put in place.
Anyway, my wife said something like "Those are some clamps!"

I thought that meant she wanted them. I bid and won.

A kind soul from Queens had come with a station wagon and took pity. He
took them home until I could come by with a truck a couple of weeks
later. Those clamps now grace our apartment as a pair of columns
bracketing a white oak cabinet of an unfinished chamber organ. They
press against the ceiling by unscrewing the end until the screw shaft
buts against the ceiling, 8'6" high.

Another souvenir of the kindness of galoots is an enormous cooper's
jointer, by Goldsmith of Philadelphia. It is made of cherry wood, bout 8
feet long, and 6 inches square, with a 4-inch wide iron, also by
Goldsmith.

That one we bought in Morristown, NJ, and a fellow collector from
Brooklyn took it in his van. It took two of us just to lift it in and
out of the van.

It is still the largest and most spectacular cooper's jointer I have
ever seen, in or out of museums.

Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

"I met about a dozen people who voted for me, and generally I can't say
I really agree with their reasoning." Bernard Goetz, subway gunman

Bill Taggart said of Jason's #602 through #608 Bed Rocks:

> That right there sounds pretty gloat-worthy! Whole
>line up of Bedrocks?    Sheesh.

Bill,

I have to agree that that is a pretty impressive set, but if Patrick
Leach was still sitting around on the porch a-chewing and a-spitting, he
might point out that it can't be a "whole line up" of Bed Rocks if it
doesn't include a #601!!

Frank (Fort Worth Armadillo Works)

That is a beautiful piece of work -- what does it look like from the top =
and bottom?  Disassembled?

Ken

On 20 Jul 2003 at 21:55, Matt Mulka wrote:

> Last November I came across this site and it's been my homepage
> ever since.

[Snippety do-da]

> As the youngest member of The Porch (I think), I have a lot of
> learning to do.

Welcome aboard! As a medium/average aged member of the Porch (IIRC), I
still have a lot of learning to do as well. I've always felt that a day
that you didn't learn something either meant you were comatose or it was
just time for them to throw dirt on your face.

Ennyhow, congrats on having such a strong interest relatively early
- I liked the story of sharpening saws in the dorm room - a
worthwhile endeavor.

Someday I've got to get around to figuring out how to sharpen my myriad
dull saws...

- Bill Taggart

Matt,

I think you'll fit in just fine.  Oh and BTW,  there are no more tools left
on the south side, ya see, Ralph, myself and buncha others make sure all
user tools, and all other sorts of stuff get snapped up soons it hits the
shelves....  Nope, no more tools down here....  :P

Gimme a shout sometime if ya wanna get together, I'm just in New Lenox.

Welcome to the Porch.

Roger
South of Chicago

>
> Now that I've got the time (and more $$$$), it's time for some more
> ambitious projects. Next up will be a bookcase with inlayed sides, by far
> the most complicated so far. I'm also planning a lot more rust hunting in
> the south suburbs of Chicago. As the youngest member of The Porch (I
> think), I have a lot of learning to do.
>
> Matt Mulka
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
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