Hello all,
My name is Greg Hoffart and, at the recomendation of Dan McCloskey, I have been
lurking on the porch for a week or two. After reading innumerable messages and
learning a great deal I have come down to one inevitable conclusion: you folks
are just too cool for words (unless, perhaps, the words were carved into somethi
ng :-)
I suppose I would characterize myself as a potential Galoot and Neanderthal wann
abe. While I have some experience working as a carpenter for a couple different
general contractors, most of my woodworking experience is in theatrical carpent
ry - a craft in which one is encouraged to use any tool, material, substance, or
technique so long as it is used in a way for which it was never intended. . . .
Actually, I have found the theatre to be a place of extremes in terms of both th
e traditional and the unconventional. One minute I will be hand scraping a piec
e of antique furniture or chopping the corners off a beam with an adz, and the n
ext I will be hanging 25 feet off the ground in a bowsun's chair using a chainsa
w to carve a rock face out of styrofoam. One of the more interesting ways I hav
e learned to make large cove molding in the theatre is to run lengths of laminat
ed particle board or MDF across a tablesaw at a diagonal (it also works rather w
ell with extruded polystyrene if you need the molding to be light-weight; just m
ake sure to wear a dust mask so you don't get pnumonia when it gets into your lu
ngs).
Presently, I am a scene and lighting designer potentially looking to get back in
to the computer industry, which is far less stressfull and more lucrative than t
heatre. Though I have a fair collection of hand and small power tools, only a f
ew of them are appropriate for the fine woodworking and hand craftsmanship that
I am awed by. I love the history and workmanship that a quality, well used tool
represents. I recently dropped my first chunk of old tool change on a Stanley
#55. I got 44 cutters and all the plane pieces except the cam rest for $250. It
is in good structural condition with a lot of dirt and a small amount of rust.
I have no idea where that falls in the price range; can anyone clue me in?
Anyway, I look forward to learning from and contributing to the discussion. I'l
l be asking plenty of questions soon.
-Greg Hoffart
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Gregory Hoffart
ghoff@a...
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