Hello to all. Let me introduce myself properly:

My name is Jim Casey. I live in Northeaster Vermont about 30 minutes from the
Canadian Border. It has been years since I have found a group that has so much
to share and has much that I can learn from.  To me this is the fun part of
life - learning.  With that said I would like to start over. This is the
second biography that I have submitted to the group. I sent my first bio in
some months ago. I have checked back to see if it was listed and to date I
find that it has not. Then Chris Swingley verified that this is the case. I
had trouble getting my first post through to be posted. This I do recall but
so much time has passed that I did not recall that my first posting was in
fact my Bio. 

I have felt rather awkward addressing the group. I have been lurking for so
long that while at the same time that I was getting to know you all so much
better that as time passed I knew that something was wrong. 

So if I must begin at the beginning in order to gain acceptance then that is
what I must do. You are a fine group of men, and women and I would be honored
to be accepted by you.

I am 56 years old, married to a wonderful woman for the past 34 years, have
three children. My youngest is still at home. I started woodworking with a bit
and brace when I was about 4 years old. My father shared all that he knew
about carpentry, woodworking, and sheet metal fabrication, plumbing,
electrical and welding with me before passing away. I just took naturally to
working with my hands. When I was 13 I had an unfortunate disabling accident.
I refused to let that injury stop me.  It slowed me down a little for sure.
But I was stubborn and as a result of my stubbornness I have been involved in
repeatedly re-injuring my back, legs and knees over and over. Over the past
forty-five years I have been involved in blacksmithing, welding, gunsmithing,
photography, graphic design, writing and publishing. But I have always enjoyed
working with my hands the most. I have hand carved duck decoys rebuilt and
refinished Canvas and Cedar Canoes and various musical instruments.

In the mid 70’s I re-injured my back from a fall. I spent 5 years laid up flat
on my back in bed. I used to lay just wishing that I was confined to a wheel
chair. I would see all of these people on TV and se how they would get around
in a chair. A young doctor through a chance meeting came into my life.  He
sent me to an in-stay hospital for weeks and weeks of tests and diagnosis.
Finally after more than 10 years of pain and not knowing exactly what my
injury was they determined that I had injured the ligaments in my back.
Muscles were atrophied.  With ligaments damaged and detached there was little
to give me any strength in my back. I went to an in-stay Rehab Hospital. For
months I was in a wheel chair. It wasn’t any fun when I was told that through
hard work I could regain the ability to walk without pain. Well I regained
mobility with the use of a cane but there was never any relief from the pain.

We relocated to Vermont shortly after. My back was a bit better.  But then a
few years after working to rehabilitate an old barn into a wood working shop,
I took a fall from a 12’ high ladder landing smack dab across the upturned
corner of a 10” x 10” beam. A rush to the hospital and more tests later it was
determined that I fortunately had not broken anything but my back has never
been the same.  The pain I thought was at its maximum level.  A few years ago
after having sold my life long accumulation of power tools I sold my 14”
Rockwell Delta Bandsaw, 14” DeWalt Radial Arm Saw, 14” Delta Lathe, a 16” x
60” old flat belt Cowdery metal lathe that was used to manufacture Trench Gun
barrels during WW1 that I had plans to convert to a wood lathe only, a
Shopsmith, a 16” Dual Arbor Oliver Table Saw, and on and on. Yes it was
probably the lowest time in my life. I was selling all of my memories too.
Well, a few years ago I decided to move my shop into an old wood shed attached
to our garage. Being attached to the house it was thought that it would be
easier for me to get into. So we went about trying to replace many of those
tools that had been lost through the years. I decided to sell most pf my gun
collection.  We got a new Powermatic 14” Bandsaw, a new Powermatic 6” jointer,
etc. etc. Everything was proceeding well when I suffered my first stroke.
That did not dissuade me from my goal.  I could no longer get around as well
but Isaiah helped me.  Then when my second stroke hit it really knocked the
wind out of me literally. At the time that I had the second stroke I fell
hitting my lower back along the sharp corner of a table.  The blow totally
crushed and disintegrated my adrenal glands. I have never had so much pain in
my life. It was constant pain that nearly took my breath away.  I went to
another rehab hospital and the folks there were fantastic.  They got me
oriented to the use of wheel chairs and walkers.  It took me six months to
where I was fairly comfortable on a pain regimen. It was then that I had my
great idea. I had not been able to get downstairs to my shop. Realizing that I
probably would not be able to get downstairs that often, I got the idea of
moving my tools upstairs to a vacant room off my office. So slowly we started
planning.  Carol and Isaiah were great in their support and help. You would
not believe what I have crammed into that small 10’ x 10’ room. I have my Jet
1436VS Lathe, a Deltas 1 HP DC, a Craftsman 35 Gallon Air Compressor, ¾ HP 8”
1800 RPM Baldor Pedestal Buffer, a 12” Craftsman Band Saw, a 10” Rikon Bandsaw
(that I have not decided whether to keep it up or down.  I only have $75 new
into it. I have my Shopsmith, a 1725 RPM 8” Industrial Delta Grinder, my Fein
Turbo III Vacuum, a 12” Variable Speed Delta Bench Drill Press, a 1” x 42”/8”
Belt/Disk Sander and an assortment of air tools and an even lager number of
hand tools.  I have one Craftsman Metal Roll-Around Chest with Drawer Top
Chest, another Home Depot Metal Roll-Around Drawer Base and a Brown
Craftsman/Kennedy Top Chest that I am still trying to figure out how to
squeeze that in.

I have been waiting all winter to get a piece of plywood mounted so that I can
have a tool wall behind the all where I have my lathe. This will be a good
project making many of the hangers and holders so that I can display many of
my small hand tools that are filling up the metal cabinets.  I can’t do all
that I once did alone and I have gotten used to waiting 6 months or so until
someone can find time to help me out.  I mean my youngest has his lawns to
care for, he sugars in the late winter/early spring. My SWMBO Gardens and
Cans. She has been working for the last year to 16 months slowly fixing up the
kitchen after 20 years of having no cabinet space and little counter space.
She has decided that she wants to find a home for our old woods/coal cat iron
Kitchen Cook Stove.  It has 4 eyes and an oven that makes fantastic pizza,
Real Wood Fired Pizza. She needs the space and we could both use the money.

She needs a few extra cabinets and I keep finding myself a few hundred dollars
short of the Jet 1 ½ HP DC with Canister and Remote Control.

Currently I enjoy woodcarving and wood burning. I enjoy planning my new shop
and cleaning and sharpening my old tools and those of my father and
grandfather. I have three cats and a Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot. He's just a
young one at 14-15 years old. No I didn't buy him. I put an ad in the local
paper and ended up getting offered over 50 free parrots. My son just got a new
Labrador Retriever puppy after we had to put our old family pooch down with
cancer all over the leg.

I just want to let you know how much that I have enjoyed the time that I’ve
spent lurking and listening.  Some of the other groups that I have visited
after months never ever got passed the “how are you doing today?  Well it’s
been months since I did any “@&%+@” because I’ve just been too busy.” I’ve
unsubscribed to those sorts of groups.  I have learned so much reading and
listening to your discussion, questions and answers.

Oh by the way my true awakening to the value of hand tools came during the
70’s.  When I got back from the Rehab hospital then I still had a blacksmith
shop to finish.  I decided that just for fun I would build the entire building
using hand tools. I cut every beam using hand saws and chisels. The emphasis
was focused instead of just “getting the job done” to the exercise, the fun,
the process of cutting and fitting. The joiner was where my attention focused.
I focused more on the tool, it’s tuning and adjustment. I learned to sharpen
better. I learned that as my skill at sharpening my tools improved so did my
speed and quality of my work and so did my enjoyment increase. I started
attending many flea markets and tag sales.  I was collecting tools at this
time as I had 5 years of cabin fever to burn off. I mean it was during this
time that we met a man on one of these outings that led us to check out the
northern area of Vermont as a possible location for relocation. Had we not met
him I have no idea where I would be writing this from.

Anyways, I hope that this long rambling meets with your desires for a Bio. I
will submit it labeled as such and look forward to having it finally listed
under bios.  

Jim Casey

PS
I know this is a stupid question to ask but exactly what do the initials SWMBO
stand for?

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