A strange thing happened on the way to the shed

[chook]

We (or at least I) are strange creatures. I have spent several decades accumulating just about every conceivable power tool and machine. Then in the last few years just as I was getting rather pleased with myself I have become captivated by the joy of hand tools old and new and now have had to start all over again.

[_fly_]

I know how ya feel.
I have a full set of stanley fatmax chisels, never used.
A full set of Irwin chisels, never used.
A set of stanley bailey chisels never used.
But the old stanleys I got 30 years ago are still used.
The 2 titan's I got last weekend at a garage sale just got cleaned up and are now in my tool roll.
It just a pain now that I need to get a set of titan mortice ones now??

But keep going on restoring the old tools, nice feeling when you clean fix and reset, then use....

[artme]

Life is a bit like that isn't it?

I like the simple things in life and the joy of using good
hand tools is one of them.

Mopping up gravy with slice of bread is another!

[IanW]

....Mopping up gravy with slice of bread is another!

I think you've nailed it, Artme. Make that a slice of fresh bread just out of my own bread machine, and it's heaven on earth!

When I first started tinkering with house-wrighting & furniture cobbling more than 40 years ago, the only tool I had which wasn't powered by meat & potatoes was a drill, and a rather pathetic little 1/4" one, at that. My hand tools were few, and not of startling quality. Above all else, how I wished for a tablesaw, as I ripped hardwood boards to size! I tigered on for many years, slowly accumulating some very good hand tools, some tolerable ones, and some very ordinary powered tools. During my last few years at work, with a bit of disposable income all to myself, at last, I went for some real grunt, like a 17" bandsaw, 12" planer/thicknesser and a decent tablesaw. While I'm very grateful to have these to do some of the hard yards, it's definitely the hand tools that bring me the most pleasure. Good tools don't gaurantee good work, but I'm convinced they inspire the ambition to try. Now that time is no longer the main driver, it's pure pleasure to spend hours sawing, planing, paring & tweaking til it all fits perfectly. And all in near-silence, but for the radio, which I can choose to have on or off.

Yep, it's all gravy & fresh bread!

Cheers,

[Ball Peen]

Must be something about bread and gravy. Here's a fiddle tune called " soppin the gravy "
Stuart Duncan - Soppin' The Gravy - YouTube