Monday, March 07, 2011

Spot The Difference

There are many moments of accomplishment available to the woodworker. The first saw cut that actually has some vague relationship to 90°; the first plane shaving; the gleam of a newly restored tool; that first exotic wood handle. Even, so I'm told, the buzz of a completed project is pretty good. All these things are good to share with your fellow wood torturers. They will demand pictures; they will congratulate you; they may even be moved to follow your example. All these things make splendid blog material too.

Spending all Sunday tidying up just one corner of the nuclear fallout zone you laughingly call your workshop is not good bloggable material. It's not something worth sharing. People seldom demand pictures.

Too bad - you're getting 'em anyway ;)

The situation I started with. Some of those things haven't moved in at least three years, periodically there's a land slip of turning blanks, and it's just your average Black Hole of Calcutta workshop situation really.


Some hours, considerable amounts of dust, 37 insect corpses and four (yes, four) boxes of stuff to be disposed of later:


Well I did say spot the difference... Most of the difference is, of course, the space I've suddenly acquired. Not a problem; I can soon deal with that... I also made an effort to identify and label the turning blanks, with mixed results. I labeled them at the time, but most have dropped off, and all that remains is the stock code. So I hauled out the old Axminster catalogues from whence they were ordered, but still a couple of them proved elusive. Annoying and not a little odd. Never mind.

Anyway, I also ended up finding one or two surprise items. Viz:
  • Washita stone, one. Wondered where that had gone.
  • Grinding wheels, grey, five. Easily explained, honest...
  • Files 'n' rasps, new, assorted, legion.


What? What?! Okay, I knew about the metal plough and combination plane problem. The chisel thing is acknowledged and more or less resigned to. The saw thing I have under control. The block planes I've pretty much got over now. But files? Files? I hadn't a clue I had a file problem.

The rasps, on the other hand; well we kinda knew that could go critical at any time...

7 comments:

  1. Alf

    Thanks for the pics. There's an unwritten law of the universe that someone else's accumulated junk is always more interesting than your own.

    And chisel hoarding is just normal and healthy (BTW, I'm nearly cured now). Rasps? Ha! I once had a thing for ratchet screwdrivers....

    Evergreen

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  2. We each have our own cross to bear. Mine include eggbeaters and braces, saws of all descriptions, and chisels. I'm desperately fighting off a burgeoning addiction to ratchet (and spiral) screwdrivers, but I have a genuine need for more raspy things. Rifflers, in particular. I own no rifflers!!

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  3. Oh hell, I'd forgotten the ratchet screwdrivers...

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  4. Did someone mention spiral ratchet screwdrivers..........

    Cheers ;-)

    Paul Chapman

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  5. Hi Alf,

    I love to read your blog and I'm glad you are back in full flight again. Beware of bundeling your files and raps like that. I've always learned they should't touch each other in a drawer.

    Kees

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  6. Hey,
    It must be the season, I just spent three long days building shelves and storage in my shop. I did not have nerve enough to take photos.(either before or after)
    I confess to a knife problem/fetish?! I don't even really carve and I've got tonnes of knives.
    It is nice to stumble onto another interesting blog.
    cheers, Ian W from Hamilton, Ontario
    Canada

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  7. chortle, chortle, enjoyed your phrasing once again. I am glad to know that my affliction is shared by many.
    rjb

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