Greetings to all!
My name is Paul Jones, and a number of galoots already
know me
through my not-too-infrequent purchases of old tools.
Without
exception, everyone that I have dealt with has been
great, and
I've carried my shame of being a lurker for too long.
Well, no more!
I work as a research scientist for Eastman Kodak in
Rochester, NY.
My area of expertise is digital image processing and
more
specifically, image compression (JPEG, MPEG, etc.). I
mainly do
analysis and algorithm development, with the obligatory
writing
of C/C++ code. If anyone has questions on digital
imaging, I'll
do my best to answer them, but don't be surprised if
the well is
dry as my knowledge often runs more esoteric than
practical.
My descent into old tool lust was more a fall off a
cliff than a
gentle slide. I bought my first plane about 1-1/2 years
ago at an
antique show (from an Oldtools galoot - they're an
insidious lot).
The plane was a Stanley #4, which seems an appropriate
place to
start. It was a Type 11, and those three patent dates
on the
casting started the quest to find out more. The search
led to one
site after another, and finally to the Electronic
Neanderthal,
with its links to mysterious topics such as scary sharp
and
electrolysis.
Since then, I've followed the same path as many others,
slowly
accreting planes and other tools. It's like the
formation of a
pearl; one small grain at the heart and then layer upon
layer
until something of considerable mass is formed. My wife
has been
reasonably tolerant, only complaining when the dining
room started
to be decorated with spokeshaves and jointer planes.
Fortunately,
she has her own vice in Pee Wee Herman collectibles,
which has been
expanding now that she has discovered eBay.
Now, my intent in buying tools was to actually produce
things in
the Neanderthal Way, but it's been more accumulating
than using
until this point. However, my latest project was a
bead-board
wainscoting for our hallway, and while I did buy the
bead-board,
I used a Stanley #50 to do some custom cap rail and
base molding.
It came out great, although I work so slowly that I'd
certainly
starve if I had to do it for a living. A key discovery
during this
project was that handplaning requires a decent
workbench. Chasing
a Workmate around the garage on one leg while the other
leg is
wrapped around the base is not a recommended practice.
The next
project is heavy workbench, and the Oldtools list has
been a good
source of ideas.
As a parting thought, I've been trying to analyze why
old tools
(and some of the new tools as well) have such appeal to
me and
obviously to many others. I think there are several
reasons. One
is that tools often have strong visual appeal, with
interesting
shapes and curves, usually done with a degree of
craftsmanship
that is lacking in many products today. Second, the
tools are not
only beautiful, but they are also functional. While
beanie babies
may appeal to some, they aren't all that useful except
as kindling.
With tools, you can create other things that also have
beauty.
Finally, I think that many old tools evoke thoughts of
an earlier
time when the pace of life was different, perhaps
slower. I can't
say if it actually was, but that's the romantic vision
that I tend
to associate with old tools.
Thanks for listening.
Paul Jones
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