Oh great Galoots: I realized that I have forgotten my manners and
failed to post a bio. My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the
product of three generations of carpenters. (There were a couple of
farmers, toolmakers and blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)
Unfortunately, despite having sawdust in my veins, I became an
architect rather than being wise enough to apprentice under my father
first. Thus, I struggle to achieve the end results that my eyes were
trained to look for, but my hands were not. My favorite old tool is a
Sweetheart vintage Stanley
#1 plane given to me by grandpa when I was about 6 or 8 years old. By
the time I was 10 I had dropped it onto the basement floor and done it
in.  Ah, we grow too soon old and too late smart! It is now brazed back
     together and still usable, but now I'll never part with it as the
     sentimental value FAR EXCEEDS the intrinsic!

Through habit or necessity, grandpa was a professor of the philosophy of
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Thus, many of his
old tools have remained in the family, some given to me. I can't stand
buying a new doohickey (especially when Made in China appears on
io) when something authentic and American can be put into use. Although
    I appreciate the elegance of moulding planes, (grandpa gave me a
    mint Stanley #45 in the box and a handfull of woodies too) I
    confess to throwing some cash in the direction of Mr. Porter and
    Mr. Cable. I am not likely to give up my *able saw either. I am,
    however, assembling a rather respectable user set of chisels,
    planes, handsaws and the like, and just re-trimmed much of my
    home's interior with a 1940's vintage Stanley mitre box at the
    ready, despite my friend's insistence that his chop saw was the
    only way to fly.

Way too long and rambling a way to say I like woodworking and love old
tools! Let the therapy begin!

John J. Butkus, AIA (aka Jack) Trumbull, Connecticut

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are a man after my own heart, Jack! Welcome aboard.

I don't remember any other architect on board.

On Jun 24, 2007, at 9:07 PM, jjb-aia@j... wrote:

> Oh great Galoots:
> I realized that I have forgotten my manners and failed to post a bio.
> My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the product of three generations
> of carpenters.  (There were a couple of farmers, toolmakers and
> blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)  Unfortunately, despite
> having sawdust in my veins, I became an architect rather than being
> wise enough to apprentice under my father first.  Thus, I struggle to
> achieve the end results that my eyes were trained to look for, but my
> hands were not.  My favorite old tool is a Sweetheart vintage Stanley
> #1 plane given to me by grandpa when I was about 6 or 8 years old.  By
> the time I was 10 I had dropped it onto the basement floor and done it
> in.  Ah, we grow too soon old and too late smart!  It is now brazed
> back together and still usable, but now I'll never part with it as the
> sentimental value FAR EXCEEDS the intrinsic!
>
> Through habit or necessity, grandpa was a professor of the philosophy
> of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."  Thus, many of
> his old tools have remained in the family, some given to me.  I can't
> stand buying a new doohickey (especially when Made in China appears on
> it) when something authentic and American can be put into use.
> Although I appreciate the elegance of moulding planes, (grandpa gave me
> a mint Stanley #45 in the box and a handfull of woodies too) I confess
> to throwing some cash in the direction of Mr. Porter and Mr. Cable.  I
> am not likely to give up my *able saw either.  I am, however,
> assembling a rather respectable user set of chisels, planes, handsaws
> and the like, and just re-trimmed much of my home's interior with a
> 1940's vintage Stanley mitre box at the ready, despite my friend's
> insistence that his chop saw was the only way to fly.
>
> Way too long and rambling a way to say I like woodworking and love old
> tools!  Let the therapy begin!
>
> John J. Butkus, AIA (aka Jack)
> Trumbull, Connecticut
Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey, Walt! That is what I do. I call it working by Gestalt. I start 
with only a vague idea of what I want the finished project to look like 
using a rough sketch as a guide, then work towards that. Along the way 
different things occur to me (the Gestalt) and I often get sidetracked, 
but always manage to get back on track.

I had to work from prints all my life, and i don't want to do that in 
my retirement. I am not getting paid for this, so I can do it my way. 
:>)  And If I fail, I can bury my mistakes, or use them to cook steaks 
with.

On Jun 26, 2007, at 7:44 PM, Walt Cheever wrote:

> Jack reveals his secrets:
>
> Oh great Galoots:
> I realized that I have forgotten my manners and failed to post a bio.
> My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the product of three generations
> of carpenters.  (There were a couple of farmers, toolmakers and
> blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)  Unfortunately, despite
> having sawdust in my veins, I became an architect rather than being
> wise enough to apprentice under my father first.
>
> ####################################
>
> Hi, and a delayed welcome to the porch from a fellow architect 
> (retired).
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that my architectural thought mode gets 
> in the way of successful woodworking projects.
>
> To make proper drawings, you have to plan the darn thing town to a 
> gnat's kneecap, and explain and dimension the he** out of it.
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that successful projects resulted from 
> making sketches, establishing the major dimensions and going 
> cut-to-fit from there on.  I like this way best.
>
> In retirement, I found its lots more fun to make my own stuff, than to 
> tell others how to do it.
>
> Welcome aboard.
>
> Walt Cheever
>
Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack reveals his secrets:

Oh great Galoots:
I realized that I have forgotten my manners and failed to post a bio.
My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the product of three generations
of carpenters.  (There were a couple of farmers, toolmakers and
blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)  Unfortunately, despite
having sawdust in my veins, I became an architect rather than being
wise enough to apprentice under my father first.

####################################

Hi, and a delayed welcome to the porch from a fellow architect (retired).

Much to my amazement, I found that my architectural thought mode gets in the 
way of successful woodworking projects.

To make proper drawings, you have to plan the darn thing town to a gnat's 
kneecap, and explain and dimension the he** out of it.

Much to my amazement, I found that successful projects resulted from making 
sketches, establishing the major dimensions and going cut-to-fit from there 
on.  I like this way best.

In retirement, I found its lots more fun to make my own stuff, than to tell 
others how to do it.

Welcome aboard.

Walt Cheever

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am going the opposite direction. By nature I prefer to feel my way into it
to an extent, but I find that if I don't plan the work with some care, I get
really irritating problems with fit and length.

Joe

Joseph Sullivan

-----Original Message-----
From: oldtools-bounces@r...
[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of James Thompson
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:16 PM
To: Walt Cheever
Cc: jjb-aia@j...; old tools
Subject: Re: [OldTools] Re: Overdue Bio

Hey, Walt! That is what I do. I call it working by Gestalt. I start 
with only a vague idea of what I want the finished project to look like 
using a rough sketch as a guide, then work towards that. Along the way 
different things occur to me (the Gestalt) and I often get sidetracked, 
but always manage to get back on track.

I had to work from prints all my life, and i don't want to do that in 
my retirement. I am not getting paid for this, so I can do it my way. 
:>)  And If I fail, I can bury my mistakes, or use them to cook steaks 
with.

On Jun 26, 2007, at 7:44 PM, Walt Cheever wrote:

> Jack reveals his secrets:
>
> Oh great Galoots:
> I realized that I have forgotten my manners and failed to post a bio.
> My name is John (Jack) Butkus and I am the product of three generations
> of carpenters.  (There were a couple of farmers, toolmakers and
> blacksmiths dangling from the family tree too.)  Unfortunately, despite
> having sawdust in my veins, I became an architect rather than being
> wise enough to apprentice under my father first.
>
> ####################################
>
> Hi, and a delayed welcome to the porch from a fellow architect 
> (retired).
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that my architectural thought mode gets 
> in the way of successful woodworking projects.
>
> To make proper drawings, you have to plan the darn thing town to a 
> gnat's kneecap, and explain and dimension the he** out of it.
>
> Much to my amazement, I found that successful projects resulted from 
> making sketches, establishing the major dimensions and going 
> cut-to-fit from there on.  I like this way best.
>
> In retirement, I found its lots more fun to make my own stuff, than to 
> tell others how to do it.
>
> Welcome aboard.
>
> Walt Cheever
>
Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------