I guess an introduction is in order first. My name is Bob, and I am a
GIT (Galoot In Training, Jeff, although the more familiar definition
often fits as well).

I've been what I call a "speculative woodworker" for the last 10 years
or so. By this I mean that I've subscribed to various magazines, bought
a bunch of books, and watched the how-to shows on TV, and would
frequently show SWMBO a picture and say "Gee, I could probably make
that, if I had the right tools...." But I wasn't actually getting any
tools, so this only served to annoy her.

About a year ago, she finally said "Well, get off your fat ass, get some
tools, and make something" or words to that affect (I don't think she
actually used the word "well"). So I'm being encouraged to move on to
"operative woodworking."

Now, for quite a while, I was completely addicted to Normism, bought one
of his books, even sent in for some "measured drawrings". But that paled
6-7 years ago. I came to realize that the odds of my getting a TV show,
with its production budget, sponsors, and "friends of the show" (can
someone please explain the difference between these last two groups?)
was somewhere between none and, well, none, so I wasn't going to get a
drawer full of routahs or a 48" panel sander any time soon. Plus, I was
looking at woodworking as a hobby for relaxation, and the high-decibel
whine of a router or scream of a circular saw do not fit my definition
of "relaxing."

At the same time I watched Norm, I also got completely hooked on Roy.
And I came to realize that Roy was a lot closer to what I had in mind:
working with wood, not adjusting machines and flipping switches. I'm not
running a production shop, I don't need to kick things out on a
schedule, so speed isn't important to me (SWMBO may disagree). Plus, I
figured hand tools would be loads cheaper than power tools (feel free to
laugh at my naivete here).

So far, SWMBO has completely supported this, mainly because it hasn't
cost much of anything yet. She figures it'll keep me occupied, won't
cost us a fortune, and she'll get some hand-crafted furniture out of the
deal (it seems naivete runs in the family). I haven't actually built
anything yet, apart from things like a bench hook or shooting board. My
one flea market purchase is a Wards jack plane ($20, serviceable, I
think it's akin to a #4, seems to work all right). I somehow stumbled
across The Porch a month or so ago, read about a year's worth of the
archives (it beats working), and began lurking.

So that's me, in a rather wordy nutshell. Hi.

On to my question:

My Dad passed away a little over a year ago, and at the time, Mom told
me that all his old tools were mine. He wasn't a cabinet maker or
anything like that (darn it), but he did have some old tools that he
used around the house over the years. Well, a week ago, my burgeoning
Galootitude overcame my feeling-weird-asking-Mom-for-the-tools, and I
picked up most of them (left her with some, in case she needs them).
Among the stuff I took were a Disston D7 8tpi x-cut saw (1953 vintage,
from the looks of the badge), a Disston D8 10tpi x-cut saw (1942-1952
badge), a "Warranted Superior" 8tpi rip saw, a no-name 6tpi rip saw, a
MF Buck Rogers 1/4" drill, a couple block planes (one standard, the
other low-angle), an 8" wood-metal hybrid bench plane, a brace and set
of Clark's Pattern Expansive Bits (still in their original box - does
that make me a collector?), and some socket chisels (1/4, 3/4 and 1", I
think the blade is stamped Stiletto), plus some random file, rasps,
squares and stuff.

None of it's in horrid shape, but all of it has some damage - small rust
spots (some pitting on the no-name saw), nicks and gouges in the wooden
plane, damaged handles, things like that. Some items are still showing
signs of abuse heaped upon them 30-35 years ago by a younger version of
myself (and I am truly sorry). A lot of the metal has this wonderful
patina that I'd really like to keep, but tantamount in my mind is
stopping any damage that's occurring, and getting things in working
order. So my question (finally!) is, where can I best learn to identify
and assess the damage, and get the tools back into shape?

Suggestions that it's all junk, and my best option would be to package
it up and send it to you, will be given the consideration they deserve.

Thanks, all.

Bob Dehnhardt
Sparks, Nevada

aye, there's the rub.

welcome to the porch, bob.  even if you're not, you're an uncle, here.

bill
felton, ca

On Sep 8, 2004, at 10:15 AM, Bob Dehnhardt wrote:

> working with wood, not adjusting machines and flipping switches.

well, there you go!

we all need multiple uncle bobs.

not to mention the occasional dr. robert.

bill
felton, ca

On Sep 8, 2004, at 11:55 AM, Robert Fortier wrote:

> ``even if you're not, you're an uncle, here``
>
> That makes two of us !!
>
> Bob in Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec
>
>
>
> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : Bill Kasper [mailto:dragonlist@i...]
> Envoye : 8 septembre, 2004 13:48
> A : oldtools
> Cc : oldtools
> Objet : Re: [oldtools] Intro & question (long)
>
>
> aye, there's the rub.
>
> welcome to the porch, bob.  even if you're not, you're an uncle, here.
>
> bill
> felton, ca
>
> On Sep 8, 2004, at 10:15 AM, Bob Dehnhardt wrote:
>
>> working with wood, not adjusting machines and flipping switches.
>
>
>
> Archive: http://www.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
> To unsubscribe or change options, use the web interface:
>     http://galoots.law.cornell.edu:81/read/?forum=oldtools
>
>
>

Daniel E.L. Yurwit writes:
> From: "Bob Dehnhardt" 
> >
> > So my question (finally!) is, where can I best learn to identify
> > and assess the damage, and get the tools back into shape?
>
> Bob,
>    Welcome aboard.   Does SWMBO know where you're hanging out?  The
> don't call this the Support Group from Hell for nothing.  Danger
> lurks. The slopes are slick.

Welcome Bob, I been here about a hear m'self after finding myself a
cupla bench planes and chisels at a garage sale.  Out grew them chisels
before I even used 'em, just sharpening them pointed out their
junkitude, so there's some merit to taking it slow.  But the bench
planes tuned up nicely.

But let me tell ya, there ain't a slope to be afeared of. Nope.  It's
level, stable footing, admired and envied by those who have yet to find
their way to it.  The path to 48 inch sanders and the wall-o-routers is
the slope to premature hearing loss, bounced checks and van living we're
avoiding here.

This is an accelerating frame of reference, though.  Enjoy the wind in
your hair, and don't get ahead of me at any garage sales.

cur

--- Bob Dehnhardt  wrote:

> Suggestions that it's all junk, and my best option would
> be to package
> it up and send it to you, will be given the consideration
> they deserve.
> 
> Thanks, all.
> 
> Bob Dehnhardt

Welcome to the 4th dimension.  It's that parallel plane of
existence that sort of is in the past, but is still in the
present, and yet also perpetually in the future, all at the
same time.  

Wipe off everything metal with an oily rag, and everything
wood with a dry rag.  Brush dust and grunge out with stuff
ranging from a paint brush to a wisk broom.  (No steel wool
or wire brushes just yet.)  Make yourself a work area,
clean and spacious enough to lay out out a corpse on.  Pick
one tool, something relatively simple, and slowly and
carefully disassemble it. Take scrupulous notes and photos
if you feel the need.  Clean everything with oil and rags. 
Observe.  Regard.  Let the "aha!" sort of soak in. 
Reassemble the tool.  

Do this with all your planes.  The wooden parts of the
planes will do very well with most things that include
beeswax.  Ditto the handles on the saws, and anything else
wood.

Sharpening is probably the first skill you'll need to
learn, and there are good books out there, and videos, to
help you down this path.  Probably the best thing to learn
to sharpen first is that 1/4" chisel.  Work from that up to
your other chisels, then your plane irons, then your saws. 
(This progression will be slow, but take your time and
enjoy it.)  

When everything's sharp, it sounds like you have yourself a
dandy tool kit.  Pull St. Roy Underhill's books down and
pick yourself a project, such as a stool or a box or
something, and go at it.  As he says it, "Take an axe and
build first one thing and then another until you have a
house and everything in it."

Keep plenty of iced tea and bandaids on hand.

All the best, 
Ryan McNabb

=====
http://www.gunstocker.com

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

``even if you're not, you're an uncle, here``

That makes two of us !!

Bob in Sherbrooke, Province of Quebec

-----Message d'origine-----
De : Bill Kasper [mailto:dragonlist@i...]
Envoye : 8 septembre, 2004 13:48
A : oldtools
Cc : oldtools
Objet : Re: [oldtools] Intro & question (long)

aye, there's the rub.

welcome to the porch, bob.  even if you're not, you're an uncle, here.

bill
felton, ca

On Sep 8, 2004, at 10:15 AM, Bob Dehnhardt wrote:

> working with wood, not adjusting machines and flipping switches.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Dehnhardt" 
>
> So my question (finally!) is, where can I best learn to identify
> and assess the damage, and get the tools back into shape?

Bob,
    Welcome aboard.   Does SWMBO know where you're hanging out?  The don't
call this the Support Group from Hell for nothing.  Danger lurks.  The
slopes are slick.
    Some simplistic direct answers to your question are a) Michael Dunbar's
book Restoring, Tuning, & Using Classic Woodworking Tools would be a good
starting point and overview. b) Oldtools Archives are a wonderful resource
since most of the issues of cleaning, tuning, sharpening, repairing, and
using hand tools have been debated here in much greater detail, and I
suspect with greater authority, than most volumes in print. (Most recently a
thread on restoring boxwood rules.)  c) And finally, take a hint from the
physicians: "Woodworker (or Col....tor ) do no harm."  Start off gently
until you are ready to make an informed decision about more aggressive
techniques.  000 or 0000 steel wool (except on a saw etch) and Butcher's
Bowling Alley Wax will work wonders at spiffing up appearance while doing
minimal damage.
Dan, slinking back to the nether world under the Porch in NJ