OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

124960 "Carl Matthews" <cmatthews@P...> 2003‑11‑30 Overdue Bio
Hi All,

First, a big thanks to Chris Swingley for doing such a=20
great job on the bios. Also the OldTools Archive is one of=20
the best research tools on the net. I noticed that I didn't=20
have a Bio in the archives, so I thought that it's a good=20
time to fix that.

About 2 years ago, I started posting on The Badger Pond. It=20
took me a bit longer to find the Porch but I'm so glad I=20
did. About a year ago I asked a few questions about Emmert=20
vises. Well, 2 years later and my quest for Emmert=20
information has turned into a web site called the Iron Hand=20
(http://www.mprime.com/emmert.htm). I started out wanting=20
to paint my Emmert the original color and later found that=20
I've slid down the slippery slope and own as many as Todd.

Now for the trip down memory lane.... I started my love for=20
woodworking when I was young and took woodshop in high=20
school. I also fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright and=20
Greene and Greene's design. With some encouragement from my=20
Father, I successfully became an architect. I graduated=20
from Texas Tech University in 1982 with a minor in=20
structural engineering. I had the first of three great kids=20
in 1980 while still in school. Sarah is now 23. I took my=20
youngest son, Taylor age 13, to the emergency room=20
Thanksgiving Day. He is a skateboarder and hit his head on=20
spare tire on the Jeep. Three hours and 13 stitches later,=20
we made it back for a late turkey dinner. My middle child,=20
Skyler is 18 and works at a local chicken place. He has=20
many tough, life-defining decisions to make which like his=20
dad, he's putting off till the last possible minute. Oh=20
yes, my other time-consuming enjoyment is my 1969 Firebird=20
convertible (see http://www.mprime.com/firebird.htm). It=20
was complete around 1998, prior to my divorce. I say=20
completed, but I still need to finish the interior.

Most of my woodworking projects have not been very=20
noteworthy and have incorporated almost every tailed device=20
known to man. While my shop still houses many of the=20
beasts, I am learning and appreciating the old ways. In=20
another 10 years or so, I'll still be learning, asking dumb=20
questions, thirsty for more and the slope will still be=20
just as slippery. My latest project is to restore an old=20
carpenter's bench (see=20
http://www.mprime.com/emmert/bench2.htm). Many of the=20
mortises are mostly gone, rotted away. Any suggestions on=20
the best wood filler? I was thinking of large amount of=20
epoxy and then chiseling out the mortises again.

There are a lot of great people here. Thanks for listening=20
and your words of wisdom and encouragement.

Best regards, ......Carl
Carl Matthews, AIA
cmatthews at psp.com
Author and curator of The Iron Hand website
http://www.mprime.com/emmert.htm=20



Recent Bios FAQ