OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

124820 Randy Roeder <roeder.randall@m...> 2003‑11‑27 Updated bio
Steve from Kokomo's remarks about missing bios got me to thinking about
how dated mine is, and how much has changed, so here's an update...

My name is Randy Roeder and I'm a 52-year-old-librarian, a married empty
nester out in the middle of Iowa. I've been a tool collector since 1989,
when my father died and my older brother inherited most of his tools.
Rather than feeling envious, I decided to just go out and buy my own
hand tools, and, well, one thing led to another, so here I am.

I butcher a little wood now and then--walnut, pine or oak and consider
myself a rank amateur when it comes to the craft. I don't own a table
saw, but not being a glutton for punishment, I use a tailed apprentice
for dimensioning my stock. All else is handpowered. When I'm really
humming I can cut nearly an inch per stroke in 3/4 inch walnut with a
well-tuned ripsaw. (When my arm gives out, I take the lid off my coffee
cup and ponder my progress--it's a frequent occurance.)

I've built several pieces of furniture including a hanging walnut wall
cabinet, a sort of step back cupboard, some free-standing shelving
units, and a wierd butternut end table/cabinet combination. I build
colonial-looking stuff in the country style rather than in the ornate
federal, Chippendale, etc. styles. I'm comfortable messing around with
molding planes, panel raiser and the like and manage to get passable
(for me) results. Progress on my new work bench is stalled out (still in
pieces after two years).

I maintain an educational website on the Millers Falls Company and its
tools and do some tool-related research. I've published an article on
the comapny's mid-twentieth century tool design for the Gristmill, the
publication of the Mid-West Collectors Association, and have another--on
the early history of the Millers Falls Company--coming out in the next
issue.

I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to the damage caused to old tools
by improper cleaning, re-painting, and restoration attempts--and once
gave Paddy O'Deen grief for re-plating a lever cap. I was one of the
first dozen or so people to sign up for the oldtools listserv and
treasure my original type-one, non-adjustable galoot cap.



Recent Bios FAQ