Update part I

I can't figure it out. I just don't know how to edit a post and insert pictures. My wife had to show me how to insert pictures for this one. So these are the pics for the first Update post.  In it you can see my Lie Neilsen vice handle, my little drawer which is slated for removal and a 3 drawer unit taking its place. I also have all my planes of which I have a wide assortment. I have three wooden planes, 2 by ECE and a wooden jack a friend gave me. I used this as a scrub plane until I bought one from Lee Valley. I have a couple of record planes that I am going to replace one at time with Lie Nielsen planes. Lastly I have my TFFW hold fasts at the ready.

I also have and keep my Lee Valley winding sticks on the right hand leg. I did have some made of wood, but I got to the point where I didn't want to correct them for seasonal changes. These are metal and they don't care what season it is - dead flat through them all.

That little bench at the end of the workbench is a set up bench I made a while back. I got bored one day as I had no project going and I had just read something about sawbenches by Sir Chris so I thought why not.
 Ended up being a little set up bench. Used it once so far (worthwhile) but it's a little annoying because I really don't have space for it. Besides any vertical surface in my shop becomes a massive black hole catch all. It took me a 1/2 hr to put away the stuff I had piled on it.

Update - Warwick, RI

I have made some changes to my workbench. The first change I did was to replace the handles on my vice assemblies. I can't not tell how many times I have fixed, changed, adapted, re-screwed, hurled across the shop, the handles I did have. Hands down I don't think there is anyone in the world rougher on his tools than I am. I beat the snot of them and like an old timex watch, I expect them to keep on ticking. I tried several "handles' recommended in the various magazines I read and none of them could take my abuse. I am of the opinion that once you do something it should last a reasonable amount of time. Say, you don't have to fix, repair, or replace it till you die.(My bride said I am unreasonable)

That being said I broke down and bought the vice handle from Lie Neilson. I figured on using and abusing it until I found something else better. This handle is awesome. Not only does it look good, more importantly it can and has taken all the abuse I have heaped on it. The only problem I have had with it is the knob came loose and the handle fell to the floor. Fixed that by putting lock tight on the threads and it hasn't happened since. After 3 months I bought another handle for the wagon vice ass'y and I can't be happier.Another quality AMERICAN made product that I believe is worth every cent charged for it. It's been almost a year since I bought the first one and its still ticking (as is the second one). I anticipate these lasting me a long time.

The second change I made to the bench was I bought a couple of bench hooks from TFFW. I had bought one a long time ago and the head separated from the body the first time I used it. I think the hook being made in two pieces and joined together had a lot to do with it breaking. The hooks I got from TFFW are one continuous piece with a flat on the end that holds your work. These aren't going to break anytime soon and if I drop them ( I am going out on a limb)  they will bounce w/o breaking. Another investment that I am sure will pay off handsomely. I should be able to pass these down to my grandson's grandson.

The last change I made was storage. I got Sir Chris's book on workbenches and he is against it. However, comma, slant, backslash, I work wood in the space of a phone booth. My basement shop is L-shaped with the long leg about 18 foot and the short leg 11 foot by about 10 feet wide. Not a lot of space so the bench was utilized. I put a small drawer under the stretchers and I am going to change that and put 3 larger drawers there.So for now I have a piece of plywood across the stretchers and on top of it I have all my planes, bench hooks,  and cleaning supplies. I can still use my bench hooks and aside from sawdust and the occasional screw falling through the holes its working.

I will post some pictures of the bench as soon as I can figure out how to do it again. Besides its a real mess right now as I haven't held field day (a navy term meaning cleaning the same spot on a boat for 6 hours straight) and you can't even tell I have a workbench.

The Bug

My bug happened in  1966 at Babcock Junior High School in Westerly, Rhode Island. I walked into that basement workshop not realizing what was going to happen. What happen is this: 40 plus years later I still get excited about woodworking. But let me get back to that day. I recall the "teacher" coming out of his office and looking at us and turning around and going back into his office. He had two other people working with him that did the actual "teaching".

I was led to a workbench ( I can't remember anything about the bench) and on it was a block plane and four pieces of red cedar. At the time I didn't know that this was supposed to be, was going to be, a tie rack. Before we could use the plane we were (there were several other aspiring woodworkers) told to render a perspective drawing of a square block of wood. I think I had a difficult time with this because I was not an artist and I didn't have a clue what perspective was (I was 12 and I just wanted to see what that plane was for). Also the two teaching assistants didn't do a whole lot of instructing or anything that even closely resembled teaching. I must have done it because I got to  use that block plane.

I do not have any difficulty remembering that first shaving coming out of the mouth of that plane. It was magic and I was hooked. We had to take a 8 inch long 3/4 inch square piece of wood and make it round and that would become the bar for hanging your ties on. I got carried away and shaved it down way too much and it ended up being too small. I was not given more wood to re do it, I was just told I had done it wrong.

Unfortunately for me I only got to go to this class for two weeks and I never finished that tie rack. (I was an orphan and my foster mother said I was getting too big for her to care for anymore) In thinking back on that experience I can't understand how the bug captured me. The teaching was non existent. The experience overall sucked out loud but it's only in retrospect that I say that. We weren't taught anything such as: this is red cedar, this is the grain, this is what you are going to do with it and this is how I expect you to do it. Next on the agenda, this is a block plane. This is how you use it and this is how to use it to make your tie rack. All and all I don't know how that teacher got away with it.

What I do know is this. I continued to woodwork on my own. It was very sporadic and all trial and error. I really didn't do a great deal because I was married with children and I was serving in the US Navy. I wasn't home much for 20 years. Now that that life is behind me now and I have a civilian job I have more time. I especially spent a lot of time woodworking during an almost two year period of unemployment.

I can look at pile of wood and I can see the entire project in my mind. It doesn't dim with each new thing to build and the magic is still there. I can not describe adequately with mere words my feelings as I make something and watch it progress from a few boards into something that I made. Its a bug that I hope science will never find a medicine for. How did you get your bug?

keep making sawdust

I'm back

Hi to the internet world of the blogsphere,

If you notice its been a wee while since my last post. Almost two years, where does the time go?
Finally got a job, but not in the field I have been trained in and have worked in for almost 35 years. In today's economy, a job is a job and I have acquired the annoying habit of eating three times a day that the job pays for.
I'm working for the veterans administration which makes me feels somewhat better about going to work each day. I'm a veteran helping other veterans - (in an ancillary role). I am still able to woodwork and buy wood, tools, etc.
Which brings us to this point: even though I haven't posted (mainly because I lost this address ) I have still been cranking out the projects.
I will write more about it later today. I am at work right now, no this isn't on company time. Old habit - I come into work about hour and half early everyday. I can thank 20 years in the navy for this one.
To the village carpenter, tony's workshop, old wolf workshop, chris s, evenfall studios, and the countless other bloggers keep it up.