OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

33912 John Solie <jsolie@i...> 1998‑01‑08 Yet another....bio
Tap tap tap, is this thing on?

Uh, Hi, my name is John, and I think I'm sorta a knuckledragger, a
"normerthal" as someone coined.  I've been lurking around here a
bit, and for some strange reason, feel compelled to bore you all to
death with my spectacular prose.

I considered trying to write this in iambic pentameter, but then you'd
all get bored with "bio rhythm" (GD&R)

I'm 31, married to a very understanding woman.  We have three kids, 
daughter and two sons(7 1/2 [There ya go, Bill !], 3 and 1, 
respectively).  My daughter likes to "help" me when I'm out making a 
mess in the garage.  My 3 year old like to pound nails into an old 
hunk of 2x10.

I work for a hospital supply company, and you could say I do
computer work.  Though I'm never sure exactly what I'm going to be
working on next, whether it be programming, resetting a terminal, or
installing Unix on a new machine.  I guess I'm a JOATMON, though some
would argue JOATMOA. 

My interest in woodworking goes back as far as I can remember.  My
grandfather was a finish carpenter.  He built a good deal of the
furniture that my father now has (though I'll probably wind up with
it). My brother and I would run next door when he was working in his
garage. It was pretty neat living right next to Grandma & Grandpa. 
We used to help him make "Polish Carvings" as he called them, by
banging old hammers into wood.  My first experience with dent
carving!

My first organized experience with woodworking was in Junior high
school.  I had shop in both 7th and 8th grades.  That was when I
discovered the wood lathe...it still holds my fascination the most.
Someday I will have one, but not yet.  Made the usual book holder,
pencil holder, TP holder, etc.  Don't know what happened to most of
it, though.

Over the years, I would occasionally turn something on my father's
el-cheepo lathe.  It's held up rather well to the abuse I imparted
on it.  I have pictures of some projects at my web site

I've been getting back into woodworking this last year or so.  I was
able to score some of my grandfather's old planes, and some of his
other old tools while visiting my father.  That's when it started, I
think. When I build something now, I'm just looking for an excuse to
use one of the old hand planes.  Though I'm not planning on giving
up the tailed, noisemaking spinning things in my garage.  (I guess
that comment will probably warrant me a spell cleaning out the
*inside* of the spitoon). Guess that could be a confession of sorts


I built something like 5 boxes for Christmas presents.  There's just
something right about hand cutting dovetails.  It's kinda fun to tell
people, "Oh, a back saw, a coping saw, some chisels and a couple of
hand planes" when they ask "How did you make that?"  It's also fun
when they guess "Cedar?" and you tell them "Nope.  Redwood fence
board!  $1.91 at Home Despot!"  It then gets more fun when they ask
"How long did it take you to sand it this smooth?"  "That isn't
sanded.  That's how smooth it was when I finished surfacing it". 
Now if I just had a decent bench...

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John Solie - jsolie@i...  ----  PGP key available upon request
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  Owner - Complete Feminazi Trading Card collection.
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Recent Bios FAQ