foxfyre841

I'm a woodworker. It's true. But the term is not an intent at double entende or crass humor. I've always been passionate about woodworking: seeing how much one can draw out from the wood, the tools, and the sweat. In the last ten years or so, I've been slowly building up my collection of tools and such. It's been hard work I suppose, not int he backbreaking knock you out sort, but rather the kind that doing a research paper invovles: research, synthesis, comparison etc etc. I've looked through hundreds of forums, talked to people who have had years more experince than me, who have the kind of tools and skills that i hope to be able to have when I'm fifty. I've read books and magazines, shopped and compared prices and quality. I've bought tools that though good in their prime have been misused almost to the point of no return. I've brought them back, scraped off th rust, made new handles and bodies, ground the steel to razor edges. I've spent many hours doing this because, well, I can't spend that much money on new tools and also because new tools are usually not of the quality necessary for the close exacting and demanding work that I would like to do. I'm of course speaking of modern american hand tools that, with a few exceptions, have lost all sense of quality in favor of mass production. These tools are good enough for rough carpentry I suppose, but could never be used as I use the tools I now own. However there are some small industries both here and in Japan who produce tools of inestimable quality. I myself have been preferential to japanese tools. The chisels, planes, and saws work much better than their english counterparts. The edges you can get on these things! Glassy smooth edges, you don't even feel the cut. Edges that seem to stay sharp through wood that would give a chainsaw a hard time. Rowed woods, woods with abrasive silica within the cellular structure. These would dull most blades quicker than anything save concrete, however these tools' edgeds last beyond reasonable expectations. And yes, with tools this sharp, you ARE talking cellular level. Thes tool cutts the cell and leaves the wood witha glow and sheen that couldn't be described as anything short of "ALIVE" as opposed to sandpaper with abrades the cell and makes them fuzzy or scrapers which crush the cell surface. No, I like to cut these thing; I like to sharpen and keep my tools as pristine as possible so that when I need to use them they are ready to be used. I like to hear the shhhhhhhhh of a plane through oak and maple and see the curl forming up and over my hands and then see the shine of wood that is not dull but is rather vibrant and alive! I am glad to have experienced these things.

I told you I was passionate about this, but now you also know that I don't know when to shutup. I will probably talk a lot of woodworking and tools but also of other hobbies that I am passionate about such as skiing or karate or swimming. But until next time