Tools in Them Thar Hills

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Katie Penna at Tresamble Trading, a new venture purveying fine tools. Mainly gardening, but branching out into woodworking tools too - and locally, here in the back of tool beyond that is Cornwall. Woot. How I didn't feel the pull of rust in the vicinity, I know not, but I know of it now, and as I was in the area, stopped off yesterday at the market in Truro to say "Howdy" in person.

Kids, it was a good thing I had no cash on me, because a rather nice panel gauge (which you can probably spot in the dismal pic that is all my iPod is able to divvy up) and a very spiffy chamfer plane (Which I failed to include in the frame, but registered highly on the gizmocity scale for a woodie) both sang their siren song. But I was good and plugged my ears. I may have lain awake thinking about them for only a couple of hours last night and wondering if I was foolish not to hightail it down the road to the bank and withdrawing the necessary then and there. But no, I was good. And I may have blown my non-existant tool budget just recently anyway...

Anyway, there is a website, but there are plans to include more stock on it and so forth, so I'll probably blog again when that happens and I add it to Ze Master List.

More local tool purveying is always a Good Thing, and there do seem to be quite a few interested parties knocking about so the interest in old tools is certainly alive and well in Cornwall. As Katie observed, it's a shame there isn't a local gathering of same really. Apparently even the Devon & Cornwall branch of TATHS has ceased to be, which is a shame.

Although I can talk - I've never joined TATHS. Whenever I considered it and how the events and meetings are all far up country, when it came to the crunch and the question of the membership fee I couldn't help thinking "But I could buy tools with that!"