OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

153344 <squarei4dtoolguy@b...> 2005‑12‑11 A Short Bio
 To honorable and respected galoots everywhere,

 Hi, my name is Tom Ford. I am currently in the construction trade,
 doing custom work and run of the mill maintenance and repair,
 painting, etc. I have been a licensed electrician, a homebuilder, a
 foreman, a superintendent, a floor sweeper and a plunger operator. I
 ain't skeered!

I was probably 3 when I found my father's tools. He finally let me "use"
them when I was 5 or 6. Braces and egg beaters, handsaws and block
planes, then when I was 8 or 9, chisels and scoring knives. When I was
12 we built our own home. He was a big suscriber to the Mother Earth
News, a magazine chock full of money saving ideas about solar heating
and wood burning and coal heat, herb gardens and alternative building
materials. OH! and crazy people!! He fit right in, we didn't have
electricity until the house was almost done! We built that house with a
chain saw and hand tools! I cut my first rafters there, with a chainsaw
a block plane and a hand saw to finish the cuts. Fun times they were,
heh. Doesn't every 12 year old want to build a house with hand tools? My
grandfather helped us with that one a lot. He's another story for
another day himself. I remember those old thumbhole saws he had and
thinking they were the ugliest things in this world. Now though, I have
6 hanging! on our bedroom wall with 20 other saws. SWMBO says they're
cool. I'm going to keep Sandy.

 I have a fairly respectable collection of old tools. A toolchest full
 of hand planes that my lower back won't let me lift. 6 or 7 braces 10"
 -14" and many books and assorted other tools. I specialize in lay out
 and finish work. I partner around with my uncle and he uses me as his
 lead man and finish carpenter. Another uncle is the most sought after
 cabinet maker in the area. He has cancer now and doesn't do much
 anymore. I will be the last of my generation in the biz. I have a son,
 he's 3. I started that late in my life and hope I can stay around long
 enough to see what he becomes. I don't want to bring anybody down but
 do you realize what the products we use to finish our projects do to
 us? I hear the screaming demons every morning and the urethanes clear
 my sinuses enough to make me think about the dangers of this lifestyle.
 What can I say or do though? I love the smell and the feel of wood and
 the satisfaction of a job completed. The feel of my tools when they're
 working! as designed and the beauty of the grain that God has given to
 us to find and enjoy. I paint a lot of my best work, but I know what's
 under there. Craftsmanship is the result of learning to care.

O.K. Short Bio, Finishing up with this, I learn something nearly every
     day. I re-learn a lot more as time goes by. I never want to say to
     myself that I've learned all that I can. I want to find something
     new or something I have forgotten as often as possible. Reading the
     old tools archives has helped me do that. I've learned about tools,
     how to use them, How to preserve them, How to tune them to death
     and that many others care about them too.

Thank you all for sharing and thank you Mr. Thompson and Wiktor for
making me feel so welcome. The porch is a comfortable place for me.

Tom in KY, just got back from my cousin's wedding, had a great time.

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Recent Bios FAQ