Hello, my name is Bill.

The matters under discussion in this forum are matters I consider on a
daily basis. I particularly enjoy the international character of the
posts herein.

I gather from reading said posts that it is customary to lurk for a
while (which I have done), and then introduce one's self with a brief
biography, which I now commence.

I was born in Hong Kong rather more than a half-century ago. My father
was in the American Foreign Service there. We came back to the United
States after six years, which was quite a culture shock for me.

My father had two estates, one in rural Virginia and another in Southern
Indiana. Both had stables, producing fields, forests, and workrooms; the
latter always loaded with tools. My father's particular pleasure was
making things from wood, in companionship with my grandfather, who was a
professional woodworker from Ireland, and later, a labor organizer (he
co-founded the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees
[IATSE] in the U.S.).

In 1956, the three of us collaborated on a rather ornate workbench
which, sadly, saw its demise in 2001.

My grandfather passed away, and a decade later, my father passed away.
At the age of 14, I inherited all their tools, and in particular, the
cream of the collection: a late 18th century purpose-built mahogany
chest wherein every tool was hand-made in Britain, in the 18th, 19th,
and early 20th centuries (there was also a little German and French
stuff tossed in for good measure). The earliest piece was made in 1780.
Nothing in the lot post-dated 1925. Everything was pristine.

As a teenager, I put these tools to professional use, making theatrical
scenery for what used to be known as "summer stock" theatres. I did this
for the State Theatre of Kentucky, the State Theatre of North Carolina,
and for various theatres in Florida. Traditional theatrical scenery
("flats," and so forth) is crap construction, and does not take much
skill to produce, so I was equal to the task. I plied this trade for
three years, and did more damage to the tools than had been done in the
previous century.

Then, I went away to school overseas, majoring in what used to be known
as "international relations."

I also studied law and medicine and warfare.

Then, I went away to war overseas.

At some point between school and war, I was living in the San Francisco
Bay Area, and a dark-minded acquaintance stole my tool chest. He used
these tools to build a boat. Upon this boat he placed all his earthly
possessions, together with all the stolen tools, and launched forth to
seek his fortune.

His fortune was not long in coming. On the maiden voyage, the boat sank
beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

And some people do not believe in karma?

After the war I became involved in a tangental way with custom
toolmakers. I was doing some restoration work in Asia, in places with no
electricity, and I needed things that weren't immediately available. I
went to the U.K. and found some old turtles in Sheffield who still had
their wits about them, and at one point I owned a small manufacturing
concern there.

Career interests intervened (I was in organized crime by profession,
i.e. matters between men and institutions, and nature and nations), and
     I was led away from tools for a couple of decades.

Then, I retired from the rackets and became inspired to re-create the
sunken tool collection of my grandfather and father, which I still
recall in exquisite detail, down to the maker's mark on the most obscure
chisel or wooden plane.

This I am accomplishing with the help of eBay, which is addictive, and
should be strictly controlled.

As my daughter watched thousands of dollars of her inheritance dwindle
down the endless pipes of Pay-Pal's cistern, she suggested that I return
to the preoccupations of my younger days and try to break even.

This, I am in the process of doing.

I am back in the U.S. to stay now, and will go no more a-wandering. All
the wild geese have flown. I am slowly equipping a small factory and
yard in Southern California, and am gently easing myself back into the
trades, as much as madness and physical infirmity will permit.

I don't know anything, I don't have anything, and I don't
understand anything.

Nevertheless, you see, I do so enjoy using old tools.

With the exception of the wood milling machinery I have just purchased,
I do not own any electric or gasoline-powered tools at all.

I even mow the damn grass by hand.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Cordially,

Bill

http://www.elixirs.net/Arcadia_Works/index.html

P.S.

If you or anyone you know has a Holtzapffel lathe for sale, in any
condition, please do let me know.

P.P.

Can anyone tell me why most mid-19th and early 20th century tool chests
and factory work benches in the United States are painted a particular
shade of green I can only describe as "institutional"?

"The world around you is a reflection of your reaction to the world
around you."

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Bill--
     Thanks for sharing your interesting  bio.  You now have a lot of  
sympathy and/or empathy WRT losing the tool chest to the thief whose  
boat sank.  We can only hope that the thief himself suffered the same  
fate.
     But one mystery remains.  You wrote:

> In 1956, the three of us collaborated on a rather ornate workbench
> which, sadly, saw its demise in 2001.

     How, prey tell, can a workbench just up and see it's demise?
         Tom Holloway,
lauching a carpentry project to partition off the woodshop from the  
horse stalls turned into storage bins (certain Bay Area Galoots will  
appreciate the reference).

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Dear Messrs. Griggs and Holloway:

Yes, I did work in government from time to time, and the workbench was
being stored down in Florida where it was attacked by critters.

"The world around you is a reflection of your reaction to the world
around you."

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Hello, Bill, and welcome to the group!

I must say that I hope one day our paths cross and we can regale each 
other with stories.

But until then, don't be shy about entertaining us with any and all 
yarns.  We do love a good story here. Just toss in a mention of an old 
tool. :>)

On Jul 8, 2005, at 3:05 PM, William Cassidy wrote:

> Hello, my name is Bill.
>
> The matters under discussion in this forum are matters I consider on a
> daily basis. I particularly enjoy the international character of the
> posts herein.
>
Big SNIP per FAQ.

Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

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GG,
 Welcome Bill drag up chair and jaw awhile...Do I understand that you
worked for the goverment?
 roy

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On Jul 8, 2005, at 3:43 PM, Wm. Sanderson-Cassidy wrote:
>  the workbench was being stored down in Florida where it was  
> attacked by critters.

     I have visions of a swarm of alligators chomping away at some  
tasty maple bench parts.
         Tom Holloway

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Welcome, Bill, to the friendliest place in the whole Internet. Stories,
puns, gloats and gentle digs concerning antique tablecloths (Tom, we need to
add that to the FAQ - it keeps resurfacing...) are always welcome.

Make sure you keep us up-to-date on your Arcadia Works project. Always
thrilled to have a new source of high-quality hand tools. And, the story of
a new startup tool outfit going together should be as engaging as Phil's
posts about life near the Arctic Circle (which I always look forwards to.)

Anyway, glad to have you.

Rob in Peoria
1960 Anniversary Shopsmith Mk V Brownie
www.jlatech.com/rob/Woodworking/Knowledge%20Base.htm
 
Wood shavings on the floor! Wood shavings on the floor!

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William Cassidy apparently said,on my timestamp of 9/07/2005 8:05 AM:

> I gather from reading said posts that it is customary to lurk for a 
> while (which I have done), and then introduce one's self with a brief 
> biography, which I now commence.

Hang around, chief.  Sounds like you might have an interesting story
to share.  Or two.

> This I am accomplishing with the help of eBay, which is addictive, and 
> should be strictly controlled.

So true!  There should be a law restricting its use
on a time base...

> I don't know anything, I don't have anything, and I don't understand 
> anything.

Except for a wealth of life experience, something we value much in
this group. Welcome and may you find as many good moments here as
I have along the years.

> I even mow the damn grass by hand.

Probably the only area where I give up my galoot tendencies:
gardens for me = more tool power!  Anything that keeps me away
from the shop is to be dealt with as fast as possible...

-- 
Cheers
Nuno Souto
in sunny Sydney, Australia
wizofoz@i...

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William Cassidy wrote:
> In 1956, the three of us collaborated on a rather ornate workbench 
> which, sadly, saw its demise in 2001.
> 
> My grandfather passed away, and a decade later, my father passed away. 
> At the age of 14, I inherited all their tools ...

Your contributions to the collaboration on the workbench must have been 
especially appreciated by Dad and Granddad, as you were a precocious GIT 
of no more than 4 years at the time.

> Career interests intervened (I was in organized crime by profession, 
> i.e. matters between men and institutions, and nature and nations) ...

That's the best and most brutally honest description of an employment 
background I've ever heard!

> This I am accomplishing with the help of eBay, which is addictive, and 
> should be strictly controlled.

It's definitely something that should be covered by the drug laws or the 
USA-Patriot Act.

> I don't know anything, I don't have anything, and I don't understand 
> anything.

Neither do any of us.  What snippets we know, we share.

> Nevertheless, you see, I do so enjoy using old tools.

Yup.

> http://www.elixirs.net/Arcadia_Works/index.html

I like your declaration on the above website:
WE SERVE SERIOUS WOODWORKERS:

All of our tools, tool chests, and workbenches are made for use,
and although some are collectible,
we believe that the true art of the tool
only becomes manifest in a workman's hand.

I think you will fit in here on the porch just fine.
Welcome!

> Can anyone tell me why most mid-19th and early 20th century tool chests 
> and factory work benches in the United States are painted a particular 
> shade of green I can only describe as "institutional"?

I think there was a law requiring the use of institutional green; the 
same law also required that speckles of it be splattered on all wooden 
and transitional planes.  Luckily, the English didn't have such a law, 
so English planes are speckle-free and have remained brilliantly 
wire-brushed since leaving the factory.

-- 
Michael D. Sullivan
Bethesda, MD (USA)

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