BarryW

I've had two shops in my life. The first when I was married(which included a 16 inch jointer)...now 30 years later I'm starting my second shop...well, I've been working on it seriously since '05...but planning for it for 10+ years. I spent about an hour a day working on it for the last year...most of my time spent caring for an elderly parent...or rather watching an elderly parent. My garage shop was electrified October '07. I have a 17" Grizzly Extreme series bandsaw, a Grizzly 8" jointer, a Delta floor stand drill press, a Craftsman 13 inch thickness planer, table saw, router, jigsaw, moisture meter, handheld magnatometer for finding nails and bullets, chainsaw, 16 foot sided trailer towed by a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 liter... (for gathering nuts in the forest), and lots of other small tools in a large Craftsman stacked chest. I've also just acquired a Leigh dovetail jig set. I also have a Tormek sharpening system that I'm learning to use. This has all come together in the last 9 months or so...or been collected over the last 10 years. I'm built a rolling cabinet for the Tormek. Most everything is on casters. I have a mobile shop because of bad weather, I also have to get the Jeep in the garage. Out back I have two large chunks of American Elm, a large maple crotch, and a 10 foot x 21 inch maple log, slabbed and drying under a blue tarp...with open ends to let air in. I collect scrap wood from crates, etc, from glass stores, etc. Even though I haven't made many "projects" after reading the list of "why I belong here..."...I figure I belong here. And from the map I see few listed in South Dakota. Somebody's gotta be in South Dakota. Oh, I used to work in radio, voiced commercials for radio and tv, I owned a record store (what are those, daddy?), I've driven cab and done other things before Bill W. rescued me...sorta.
3 children....all over the map...some of them putting out grandkids for me...I have four grandchildren.
I have no education in the vocational arts...but I've read Krenov and a bunch of other books I've purchased or borrowed. When I read Krenov in the late 70s, I made a reallly nice jack plane out of old oak from the wharves of Louisville. Sadly, one marriage later, everything went and I was reduced to one pick-up load. Now, I'm growing again and living out a dream of having a real shop. I collect pictures of gothic and Renaissance furniture...etc...from the internet. When asleep, I dream architecture...buildings, furniture, places. The dreams I have about pianos is odd. I've played piano since a kid and was professional for a short 3-4 year period in college...but don't play anymore.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ http://thecreekviewwoodworker.blogspot.com