Better...Stronger...Slower

Recently, I made an investment in some wood-working tools.  They are made by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Maine, USA.  Their tools are beautiful and made to last (lifetime warranty.)  I purchased them in downtown Charleston last month when Lie-Nielsen came to town and had a tool show.  I talked to one of the demonstrators and asked advice on what I should start with.  I said something like this:

"I'm new to woodworking, I've made a few projects, nothing fancy, just used dimensional lumber from Lowes.  I want to progress in wood working and I'm looking to use only hand tools.  I'm on a pretty limited budget but I want to start with high quality tools.  What kind of plane would you recommend "

They talked to me for a little while and ended showing me their No. 62 Low Angel Jack plane.  The advantage with this plane is that by changing the blades you can accomplish different grades of work from roughing to finishing.  This saves money up front by eliminating the need for multiple planes (that will come later!)

I appreciate well made things.  I appreciate things that are crafted, not vomited.  There is something important about taking a little more time.  I love taking more time, making things harder.  I think we live in a strange time.  With so many cheap things available at anytime of day or night, we accumulate a vast amount of stuff.  Stuff that should take longer to afford.  And so we loose any concept of value.  We live in houses filled with things we can hardly keep up with.  It would have been easier if I were actually extremely wealthy, and had a staff to maintain and clean all my crap...but it's just me (and my wife, mostly my wife) and we cannot possibly keep up with it all without becoming slaves to it.  So I endeavour to make things more difficult, not more convenient   This gives me time to consider the real "value" of whatever it is I'm doing.  I use a hand cranked coffee grinder.  I use a me-powered push mower.  I'm learning to use hand tools instead of power tools.

I admit that it is difficult for me to passionate about a certain way of doing things, and not to be judgmental about other ways.  I am not interested in being an apostle   I don't mind if you prefer a laser-sighted, neon-plasticed, dilithium-crystalled power saw.

"Wisley and slow.  They stumble that run fast."  - W. Shakespeare

The Beginings

THIS is my garage.  It is a mess.  It is a mess because I am lazy.

I am going to clean my garage.  When I am done it will not look like this.  It will look different.

I have a motive to cleaning my garage.  Use.  It looks the way it does because I have sort of used it, not fully used it, and used it in a lazy fashion.

I am going to use the garage to do wood work in.  I have made several things thus far with varying degrees of complexity and skill (read, not very much in the way of skill)  My goal is to continue to develop myself using hand tools.  No power tools.  I do not hate power tools (yet)  I am just choosing not to use them.  I can get into why later.  Mostly, I wanted to take this picture to shame myself into action.  See me shamed.  My next project is to build a work bench.  I will follow up with that.