One suggestion for your site that I thought of while reading some of chef Jenn's recipes was that it would be nice to see a photo of some of the dishes with some of your spoons being used (e.g. poking out of a bowl of creamy potato leek soup). Of course we all like to see the photos of your spoons with the tools that made them and a few shavings scattered around, but it would also be good to show them being put to use eating some of that delicious food.
Thank you all! Great suggestions everyone!
Great site Joe, may your spoons find many worthy owners.
Nice present from a very nice guy.Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
Wonderfully uplifting to see this! Thanks for sharing with us Joe and thanks to Mads for being such a positive and supportive person.Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
Both of you are special peopleAcross the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
There are no boundries in friendship and craftsmanship; we are brothers and sisters in the joy of woodworking.Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
Hi Joe,Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
This should be how the world revolves.Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
Pretty cool Mads, and I do believe you have created lots of waves of good energy. I know a few of the ripples have hit me indirectly and it has inspired me to do the same. Way to go man!Across the Seas of Woodcraft!
I was a very fortunate woodworker this week to receive correspondence from a special friend. Of course it is MADS!
Mads for the few who may be unaware of his positive presence on lumberjocks is a fantastic woodworker, designer, and all around spiritual character. Basically he makes the entire experience of sharing on Lumberjocks all the more interesting and fun.
As I opened the envelope there before me was a wonderful letter full of good things. A handmade Origami Crane…wow, I love it.
Then an exercise from the master himself asking me to perhaps give it a try. He even supplied some papers for making one!
Well….I carved a little Swan made of Sassafras to share the spirit of the game…lol. I have to learn some Origami and look forward to it!
Then this wonderful crafted strop for my carving knives….it is my favorite! I love the stamp and the color of the wood. Mads has this wonderful style of good taste, solid design, and flow to his ideas….bravo!
Mads, Iet me say that I don't think your timing could have been any better for the arrival of this letter. Times in our world are so crazy right now, so much and too much violence and sad news on most things these days. Getting this letter was a wonderful example of the positive connection of crafts people. A strong life line of sharing where people from separate countries can connect with the things we hold close to our hearts. For all of us on here….it is the love of crafting with wood, making things, taking a hand plane and creating endless shavings that lead to our desired output.
I feel really blessed to receive what I like to think of as an affirmation of good will and the spirit of woodcraft.
Once I was at my carving log, spoon making tote, hatchet, knives, and my trusty new strop I sure went to task and created with joy.
I thank all of you for your participation, inspiration and positive support in my projects. This is a great social network of people sharing the sawdust and shaving the grain.
Most of all, I thank you Mads for a terrific letter and gift.
I hope you may read this blog in the best of spirits and know that your letter for me was a great inspiration to continue to learn more!
All the best to you and yours my friends,
Joe
Great blog and now I am gonna jump over and see the finished product!Back to the bench!
Since taking such an extended time learning many aspects of carving spoons from green timber, I began to miss the other parts of working wood. I missed the use of my old Stanleys, Disstons, and Millers Falls! Yeah….I am a hand tool galoot for sure….GALOOTS UNITE!...LOL.
Of course while just starting to excel at carving, understanding the grips and sculpture of spoon making, it was easy to have a worry that my other skills were getting some rust as much as the tools began too!..lol. Oh….oh we have a few planes getting rusty….3 in 1 oil in isle 5 please!...lol. Ahhh, the tales of having a natural environment in an outdoor garage shop. Oil early and often…..I am telling myself that by the way, as a reminder.
So with some scrap 3/4 inch pine board I thought that this would be a fine time to get warmed up a little. Sure I have my 3 legged stool to finish, but I wanted something to
re-communicate old skills with. Mads always inspired me with his takes on Japanese tool box's and trying something like that has always been on my list…so I gave it a go.
This particular setup would be much smaller in size though, and I was actually happy for the required delicate nature I would have to take in order to build it. My feelings were that to have to create this with all hand tools and using such small pieces would only exercise my skills more, challenge my instincts and let me evaluate where I am at since taking such a long break from bench work.
I drafted a small plan out then took to my workbench. My only rules that I continued to affirm were to take time, use what I have learned, and let this be a joy.
First I had to rip this 3/4 inch board down….haaaa this was a small workout. Lucky me I had this old lovely Disston rip saw I purchased at an auction, it cost me about 3 bucks.
I gave it a little tune up, some tallow, and then set about my rip saw voyage. The saw felt good, the accuracy was very on par for my level, I was feeling excited and inspired to be sawing some old pine dust once more!
Once the pieces were separated I dogged them with my high tech dogging system! 3 screws at the end of my simple bench…alla Roy Underhill…lol. I am one that would rather build things then get too lost in building benches so I can build things..lol. With that said I would love to get to building another bench…but I just keep making things..lol.
This is no offense to those awesome benches all of you guys are building…I think they are awesome. I will get to it….eventually…lol.
So on to the Stanley #3 to plane down my thin pine boards. I have found that tallow is about as best you can go in my opinion for easing your tools through a job, if your new to hand tools get some tallow for using your saws and planes with. It makes everything move much easier.
I also still have to say my Diamond stones….brilliant. Paul Sellers methods are easy, fast and I never have a dull blade. I don't care for fussing with science/math experiments and calculations on sharpening…lol. I like old school methods where the work is up front. Stop a blade on your thumbnail or shave your arm hairs off…son, it's sharp!
Wow, the Pine was really thin now…the most lightest project was being prepped for layout. I realized that my brawn would have to be put on hold for focused moves. No more of this strong arming a hatchet for hewing spoon blanks or making bowls. Now was the time for a concerto like calm effort of harmonizing with light Pine pieces for my saw to make box parts from.
With a little time and detail put in I managed to get all of my pieces cut, glued them up and made this small Japanese….gift box? I varied it's design a bit by leaving out the indents on the ends and joined it with a combination of brads and wood nails.
I whittled the wood nails from some thin Poplar dowel. The Brad nails were too long for my thin joined dimensions so I simply put a brad in my metal vise, chopped the length with cutting pliers then peened over a new small nail head with a small ball peen hammer!
Making this box was a real pleasure and challenge. I was happy and surprised at how well I adapted to dimensioning such small pieces and seeing the vision to the final product.
Woodworking is something that always reveals hidden applications we hold within ourselves. I feel there is a wide open road untraveled whenever we tap deep within our basic elements of instincts and primal curiosities of what we might make from sticks. Making things is something all of our ancestors at one time or another simply had to do, we find ourselves lucky to even call any of this current carpentry….tinker or hobby at all. To view the finished box check here: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/84063
With a small cabinet hammer, brad nails and some pine, life feels right and the tempo of my hammer follows the feeling.
The secret to most of it all is the amount of love you hold in your heart, allowing it to be shared down into your hands.
From there a crafts person shares it with those they care for, and a wonderful notion is spread throughout days far beyond our busy time.
I keep a weathered soul of strength, mystery and knowledge close to my courage to keep it company with my daily fears, sometimes my ideas surprise my own assumptions.
Above there are busy streets of youth and technology, time gives forth the passion of carefree days, but down below there is a workshop where the bodger shaves his grain, the blisters burst although he smiles with total satisfaction.
I thank all of you for your continued creativity and artisanship. Keep on the saw line and be well!
Joe
Great job. Your passion for your hand tools is great.Back to the bench!
Since taking such an extended time learning many aspects of carving spoons from green timber, I began to miss the other parts of working wood. I missed the use of my old Stanleys, Disstons, and Millers Falls! Yeah….I am a hand tool galoot for sure….GALOOTS UNITE!...LOL.
Of course while just starting to excel at carving, understanding the grips and sculpture of spoon making, it was easy to have a worry that my other skills were getting some rust as much as the tools began too!..lol. Oh….oh we have a few planes getting rusty….3 in 1 oil in isle 5 please!...lol. Ahhh, the tales of having a natural environment in an outdoor garage shop. Oil early and often…..I am telling myself that by the way, as a reminder.
So with some scrap 3/4 inch pine board I thought that this would be a fine time to get warmed up a little. Sure I have my 3 legged stool to finish, but I wanted something to
re-communicate old skills with. Mads always inspired me with his takes on Japanese tool box's and trying something like that has always been on my list…so I gave it a go.
This particular setup would be much smaller in size though, and I was actually happy for the required delicate nature I would have to take in order to build it. My feelings were that to have to create this with all hand tools and using such small pieces would only exercise my skills more, challenge my instincts and let me evaluate where I am at since taking such a long break from bench work.
I drafted a small plan out then took to my workbench. My only rules that I continued to affirm were to take time, use what I have learned, and let this be a joy.
First I had to rip this 3/4 inch board down….haaaa this was a small workout. Lucky me I had this old lovely Disston rip saw I purchased at an auction, it cost me about 3 bucks.
I gave it a little tune up, some tallow, and then set about my rip saw voyage. The saw felt good, the accuracy was very on par for my level, I was feeling excited and inspired to be sawing some old pine dust once more!
Once the pieces were separated I dogged them with my high tech dogging system! 3 screws at the end of my simple bench…alla Roy Underhill…lol. I am one that would rather build things then get too lost in building benches so I can build things..lol. With that said I would love to get to building another bench…but I just keep making things..lol.
This is no offense to those awesome benches all of you guys are building…I think they are awesome. I will get to it….eventually…lol.
So on to the Stanley #3 to plane down my thin pine boards. I have found that tallow is about as best you can go in my opinion for easing your tools through a job, if your new to hand tools get some tallow for using your saws and planes with. It makes everything move much easier.
I also still have to say my Diamond stones….brilliant. Paul Sellers methods are easy, fast and I never have a dull blade. I don't care for fussing with science/math experiments and calculations on sharpening…lol. I like old school methods where the work is up front. Stop a blade on your thumbnail or shave your arm hairs off…son, it's sharp!
Wow, the Pine was really thin now…the most lightest project was being prepped for layout. I realized that my brawn would have to be put on hold for focused moves. No more of this strong arming a hatchet for hewing spoon blanks or making bowls. Now was the time for a concerto like calm effort of harmonizing with light Pine pieces for my saw to make box parts from.
With a little time and detail put in I managed to get all of my pieces cut, glued them up and made this small Japanese….gift box? I varied it's design a bit by leaving out the indents on the ends and joined it with a combination of brads and wood nails.
I whittled the wood nails from some thin Poplar dowel. The Brad nails were too long for my thin joined dimensions so I simply put a brad in my metal vise, chopped the length with cutting pliers then peened over a new small nail head with a small ball peen hammer!
Making this box was a real pleasure and challenge. I was happy and surprised at how well I adapted to dimensioning such small pieces and seeing the vision to the final product.
Woodworking is something that always reveals hidden applications we hold within ourselves. I feel there is a wide open road untraveled whenever we tap deep within our basic elements of instincts and primal curiosities of what we might make from sticks. Making things is something all of our ancestors at one time or another simply had to do, we find ourselves lucky to even call any of this current carpentry….tinker or hobby at all. To view the finished box check here: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/84063
With a small cabinet hammer, brad nails and some pine, life feels right and the tempo of my hammer follows the feeling.
The secret to most of it all is the amount of love you hold in your heart, allowing it to be shared down into your hands.
From there a crafts person shares it with those they care for, and a wonderful notion is spread throughout days far beyond our busy time.
I keep a weathered soul of strength, mystery and knowledge close to my courage to keep it company with my daily fears, sometimes my ideas surprise my own assumptions.
Above there are busy streets of youth and technology, time gives forth the passion of carefree days, but down below there is a workshop where the bodger shaves his grain, the blisters burst although he smiles with total satisfaction.
I thank all of you for your continued creativity and artisanship. Keep on the saw line and be well!
Joe
Petty cool. I lost my dowel plate so i have been making "wooden nails" they work great and are round enough. Actually adds some really nice character.Back to the bench!
Since taking such an extended time learning many aspects of carving spoons from green timber, I began to miss the other parts of working wood. I missed the use of my old Stanleys, Disstons, and Millers Falls! Yeah….I am a hand tool galoot for sure….GALOOTS UNITE!...LOL.
Of course while just starting to excel at carving, understanding the grips and sculpture of spoon making, it was easy to have a worry that my other skills were getting some rust as much as the tools began too!..lol. Oh….oh we have a few planes getting rusty….3 in 1 oil in isle 5 please!...lol. Ahhh, the tales of having a natural environment in an outdoor garage shop. Oil early and often…..I am telling myself that by the way, as a reminder.
So with some scrap 3/4 inch pine board I thought that this would be a fine time to get warmed up a little. Sure I have my 3 legged stool to finish, but I wanted something to
re-communicate old skills with. Mads always inspired me with his takes on Japanese tool box's and trying something like that has always been on my list…so I gave it a go.
This particular setup would be much smaller in size though, and I was actually happy for the required delicate nature I would have to take in order to build it. My feelings were that to have to create this with all hand tools and using such small pieces would only exercise my skills more, challenge my instincts and let me evaluate where I am at since taking such a long break from bench work.
I drafted a small plan out then took to my workbench. My only rules that I continued to affirm were to take time, use what I have learned, and let this be a joy.
First I had to rip this 3/4 inch board down….haaaa this was a small workout. Lucky me I had this old lovely Disston rip saw I purchased at an auction, it cost me about 3 bucks.
I gave it a little tune up, some tallow, and then set about my rip saw voyage. The saw felt good, the accuracy was very on par for my level, I was feeling excited and inspired to be sawing some old pine dust once more!
Once the pieces were separated I dogged them with my high tech dogging system! 3 screws at the end of my simple bench…alla Roy Underhill…lol. I am one that would rather build things then get too lost in building benches so I can build things..lol. With that said I would love to get to building another bench…but I just keep making things..lol.
This is no offense to those awesome benches all of you guys are building…I think they are awesome. I will get to it….eventually…lol.
So on to the Stanley #3 to plane down my thin pine boards. I have found that tallow is about as best you can go in my opinion for easing your tools through a job, if your new to hand tools get some tallow for using your saws and planes with. It makes everything move much easier.
I also still have to say my Diamond stones….brilliant. Paul Sellers methods are easy, fast and I never have a dull blade. I don't care for fussing with science/math experiments and calculations on sharpening…lol. I like old school methods where the work is up front. Stop a blade on your thumbnail or shave your arm hairs off…son, it's sharp!
Wow, the Pine was really thin now…the most lightest project was being prepped for layout. I realized that my brawn would have to be put on hold for focused moves. No more of this strong arming a hatchet for hewing spoon blanks or making bowls. Now was the time for a concerto like calm effort of harmonizing with light Pine pieces for my saw to make box parts from.
With a little time and detail put in I managed to get all of my pieces cut, glued them up and made this small Japanese….gift box? I varied it's design a bit by leaving out the indents on the ends and joined it with a combination of brads and wood nails.
I whittled the wood nails from some thin Poplar dowel. The Brad nails were too long for my thin joined dimensions so I simply put a brad in my metal vise, chopped the length with cutting pliers then peened over a new small nail head with a small ball peen hammer!
Making this box was a real pleasure and challenge. I was happy and surprised at how well I adapted to dimensioning such small pieces and seeing the vision to the final product.
Woodworking is something that always reveals hidden applications we hold within ourselves. I feel there is a wide open road untraveled whenever we tap deep within our basic elements of instincts and primal curiosities of what we might make from sticks. Making things is something all of our ancestors at one time or another simply had to do, we find ourselves lucky to even call any of this current carpentry….tinker or hobby at all. To view the finished box check here: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/84063
With a small cabinet hammer, brad nails and some pine, life feels right and the tempo of my hammer follows the feeling.
The secret to most of it all is the amount of love you hold in your heart, allowing it to be shared down into your hands.
From there a crafts person shares it with those they care for, and a wonderful notion is spread throughout days far beyond our busy time.
I keep a weathered soul of strength, mystery and knowledge close to my courage to keep it company with my daily fears, sometimes my ideas surprise my own assumptions.
Above there are busy streets of youth and technology, time gives forth the passion of carefree days, but down below there is a workshop where the bodger shaves his grain, the blisters burst although he smiles with total satisfaction.
I thank all of you for your continued creativity and artisanship. Keep on the saw line and be well!
Joe
Thanks for sharing your journey and the bounty you received.Old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
Hello friends, I have been meaning to share some tales of a wonderful trip I took at the end of August to upstate NY. Finally I have the chance to get this story and the pictures uploaded. I hope you may enjoy this blog and I thank you for taking a moment and reading….here we go!..........
The road was a winding ride through the beautiful tall green trees of upstate NY. The mountains were a backdrop of a totally peaceful environment showing strength and inviting calm. Around this area the folks that live here operate at a much different pace and lifestyle. You can leave your barn/garage open and go out to the store and you'll come back and everything is still there…lol. Maybe we need to think about that…I guess that should not be such a funny statement should it? Where and how did we lose such an trusted faith in our fellow neighbors in most areas of this great country?
I found the people here very hard working, experienced, easy going but nobody's fool. Many grow up shooting a rifle, crossbow, using a knife, and somehow crime is extremely low in this area, perhaps another lesson for us to ponder in our increasing troubled times and gang growing youth.
It was a nice sunny day and me and my girlfriend were off to visit her dad Topper. My past blog work has included Topper, he's a very interesting character.
To my lucky surprise just at the beginning of a 2 minute ride up the hill to Topper's house we found an older lady having an outside auction in her front yard. We pulled over and took a few minutes to look some things over….no worries, old hand tools appeared! There were at least 8-9 old hollows and rounding planes but far out of whack and way too worn for my latest craving of old relics to tinker with. I rooted around in a bucket of about 15-20 various rusty files, screwdrivers and pieces of this and that although still nothing I could not live without.
Then…..she sat on the edge of the first of 3 tables, rusty, old, and calling my name….a saw vice!!!! Oh boy, was I quick to wrap my hands on that and begin to see what worked and what didn't. The wing nut was half broke off but the actual job of the tool seemed to vice up fine. I figured with some WD-40 to the rescue I could see positive things in using this piece, so I had to get a price for it! I approached the kind old lady and asked "Good afternoon, how much?" "Ten dollars" she replied. I was almost as quick as John Wayne in "The Shootist" drawing that ten dollar bill out of my wallet…lol. I recall past annoying ebay scenarios more than a few times and got tired of the endless bidding for one of these as the prices got so out of hand with the shipping.
But not today, this was a really nice vice and honestly a terrific price for something that worked!
With vice in hand we were onward and upward to Toppers!
I think the cool part of living your life is if you stick around long enough perhaps you may be blessed with meeting a few good and unforgettable people. I have been very lucky to meet some interesting and good folks in my short time. Topper is one of those people. I don't know anyone else like him, he's an outlaw of sorts, a teacher, a joker, a man of incredible instincts. He is not in any way a weekend warrior of hunting, fishing, or wood skills. Topper is a part of the woods and the woods are a part of him. Topper is one of the most respected deer hunters there is in that section of upstate NY.
So you can only imagine the knowledge of many things he shares within 5 minutes of just casual chatter at his kitchen table, take notes…there is a a lot of it..lol.
From the various plants, trees, animals, leaves, guns, knives, beer, deer, venison, poker…haaaa and his beloved China Buffett…lol, I never find spending some time with Topper ever to be boring. As you carry on forward with conversation you take notice of how Topper hears and sees everything, it is amazing his delicate senses to the sounds, although I suppose that is the many years of hunting that have provided him with that and many other skills.
After a well spent afternoon with us three taking a small hike and seeing the various trees, plants and portions of lakes we headed back to his house so I could …..look in his barn….oh yeah…the tool junky within ….took me over…haaaa, get ready friends and let the search begin!
The barn doors opened and that wonderful smell of old wood, engine oil and history rushed into my senses. It was dim inside but once my eyes adjusted the treasures unfolded. A bow saw….a real old school rusty bow saw. A few hickory handled axes in the corner next to his old blue tractor. An old wooden beat to hell tote with some rusty chains intertwined with some nice old drill braces, files, and a rugged small crow bar. A huge eggbeater shoulder drill off to the side with a portion of an old hand plane. A white pale sat towards the one corner and sticking awkwardly in the center of cluttered parts and pieces was a nice old handsaw! I pulled the old lovely out for a look, a ton of caked rust and paint decorated the years of the blade. It had good teeth but was slightly warped, just like me….lmao. Nonetheless I loved it and envisioned in my minds eye of what a good cleaning session could make it look like again.
Here are some photos of the saw before and after:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Topper sat inside the edge of the barn upon his riding mower like a jolly Santa Clause in a junk pile…saying "Take it, I ain't gonna use it."
I was truly like a kid in a country hardware store with all of these fantastic treats that I could clean and possibly use again! Saw sets large and small, a great compadre to my latest saw vice purchase! A shoulder plane, a leather punch, some additional aged jagged this and rusty ole that…the list kept growing!
As the list grew Topper continued "Take it, I ain't gonna use it." What a wonderful gift and I realized he saw the joy in my finds as I continued to contort myself around tractor tires and various boxes of parts searching like a kid on Christmas morning for more toys.
My beautiful girlfriend laughed with her Dad seeing just how much of a goof I was over a pile of things most would be relieved to chuck into the dumpster…hey we all have our own song to sing and mine has melodies of sweet woodcraft and planed pine shavings for all…lol.
Here are a few pics of what I was able to salvage with this hand saw. It is Warranted Superior medallion Dec 27, 1887. It will require some light anvil work to attempt to straighten the blade out more, as well as a nice sharpening that my newly purchased saw vice can provide. If it cannot be used it can remain a wonderful time piece to hang in my shop and enjoy. I really cherish these old tools as most of them were Topper's father's. His dad was a carpenter and some of these very same tools may have been handed down to Topper's Dad from his Grandfather, pretty neat stuff indeed.
It is important to keep these old tools and their owners legacy alive. With caring and a little cleaning we can once again share their history, see their tool marked stories on parts of their beaten bodies of hard work from a past time.
As you drive around some old country roads you never know and it is sure fun to think, what may lie inside some old barn. As the summer high pines stand tall and the waters flow true and strong there can always be old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
The tools as always were only an added bonus for it was the quality of the company that made the entire time a real blast. Perhaps the real favorite of it all was remembering to snap a picture of me and Topper.
It reminds me of a fun moment at lunch we shared. All 3 of us were at the China Buffet…of course…lol. At the end of our pig out fest we in true tradition read our fortune cookies. Topper read his message and it went something like this "You are surrounded by people that care about you" Amen to that, and thank you Topper, your fortune was right on target.
Topper and me.
![]()
May all of your fortunes be as great and thank you for reading!
Joe
Enjoyed the trip, Joe. I have a saw very much like that from my Grandfather, still cuts very well!Old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
Hello friends, I have been meaning to share some tales of a wonderful trip I took at the end of August to upstate NY. Finally I have the chance to get this story and the pictures uploaded. I hope you may enjoy this blog and I thank you for taking a moment and reading….here we go!..........
The road was a winding ride through the beautiful tall green trees of upstate NY. The mountains were a backdrop of a totally peaceful environment showing strength and inviting calm. Around this area the folks that live here operate at a much different pace and lifestyle. You can leave your barn/garage open and go out to the store and you'll come back and everything is still there…lol. Maybe we need to think about that…I guess that should not be such a funny statement should it? Where and how did we lose such an trusted faith in our fellow neighbors in most areas of this great country?
I found the people here very hard working, experienced, easy going but nobody's fool. Many grow up shooting a rifle, crossbow, using a knife, and somehow crime is extremely low in this area, perhaps another lesson for us to ponder in our increasing troubled times and gang growing youth.
It was a nice sunny day and me and my girlfriend were off to visit her dad Topper. My past blog work has included Topper, he's a very interesting character.
To my lucky surprise just at the beginning of a 2 minute ride up the hill to Topper's house we found an older lady having an outside auction in her front yard. We pulled over and took a few minutes to look some things over….no worries, old hand tools appeared! There were at least 8-9 old hollows and rounding planes but far out of whack and way too worn for my latest craving of old relics to tinker with. I rooted around in a bucket of about 15-20 various rusty files, screwdrivers and pieces of this and that although still nothing I could not live without.
Then…..she sat on the edge of the first of 3 tables, rusty, old, and calling my name….a saw vice!!!! Oh boy, was I quick to wrap my hands on that and begin to see what worked and what didn't. The wing nut was half broke off but the actual job of the tool seemed to vice up fine. I figured with some WD-40 to the rescue I could see positive things in using this piece, so I had to get a price for it! I approached the kind old lady and asked "Good afternoon, how much?" "Ten dollars" she replied. I was almost as quick as John Wayne in "The Shootist" drawing that ten dollar bill out of my wallet…lol. I recall past annoying ebay scenarios more than a few times and got tired of the endless bidding for one of these as the prices got so out of hand with the shipping.
But not today, this was a really nice vice and honestly a terrific price for something that worked!
With vice in hand we were onward and upward to Toppers!
I think the cool part of living your life is if you stick around long enough perhaps you may be blessed with meeting a few good and unforgettable people. I have been very lucky to meet some interesting and good folks in my short time. Topper is one of those people. I don't know anyone else like him, he's an outlaw of sorts, a teacher, a joker, a man of incredible instincts. He is not in any way a weekend warrior of hunting, fishing, or wood skills. Topper is a part of the woods and the woods are a part of him. Topper is one of the most respected deer hunters there is in that section of upstate NY.
So you can only imagine the knowledge of many things he shares within 5 minutes of just casual chatter at his kitchen table, take notes…there is a a lot of it..lol.
From the various plants, trees, animals, leaves, guns, knives, beer, deer, venison, poker…haaaa and his beloved China Buffett…lol, I never find spending some time with Topper ever to be boring. As you carry on forward with conversation you take notice of how Topper hears and sees everything, it is amazing his delicate senses to the sounds, although I suppose that is the many years of hunting that have provided him with that and many other skills.
After a well spent afternoon with us three taking a small hike and seeing the various trees, plants and portions of lakes we headed back to his house so I could …..look in his barn….oh yeah…the tool junky within ….took me over…haaaa, get ready friends and let the search begin!
The barn doors opened and that wonderful smell of old wood, engine oil and history rushed into my senses. It was dim inside but once my eyes adjusted the treasures unfolded. A bow saw….a real old school rusty bow saw. A few hickory handled axes in the corner next to his old blue tractor. An old wooden beat to hell tote with some rusty chains intertwined with some nice old drill braces, files, and a rugged small crow bar. A huge eggbeater shoulder drill off to the side with a portion of an old hand plane. A white pale sat towards the one corner and sticking awkwardly in the center of cluttered parts and pieces was a nice old handsaw! I pulled the old lovely out for a look, a ton of caked rust and paint decorated the years of the blade. It had good teeth but was slightly warped, just like me….lmao. Nonetheless I loved it and envisioned in my minds eye of what a good cleaning session could make it look like again.
Here are some photos of the saw before and after:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Topper sat inside the edge of the barn upon his riding mower like a jolly Santa Clause in a junk pile…saying "Take it, I ain't gonna use it."
I was truly like a kid in a country hardware store with all of these fantastic treats that I could clean and possibly use again! Saw sets large and small, a great compadre to my latest saw vice purchase! A shoulder plane, a leather punch, some additional aged jagged this and rusty ole that…the list kept growing!
As the list grew Topper continued "Take it, I ain't gonna use it." What a wonderful gift and I realized he saw the joy in my finds as I continued to contort myself around tractor tires and various boxes of parts searching like a kid on Christmas morning for more toys.
My beautiful girlfriend laughed with her Dad seeing just how much of a goof I was over a pile of things most would be relieved to chuck into the dumpster…hey we all have our own song to sing and mine has melodies of sweet woodcraft and planed pine shavings for all…lol.
Here are a few pics of what I was able to salvage with this hand saw. It is Warranted Superior medallion Dec 27, 1887. It will require some light anvil work to attempt to straighten the blade out more, as well as a nice sharpening that my newly purchased saw vice can provide. If it cannot be used it can remain a wonderful time piece to hang in my shop and enjoy. I really cherish these old tools as most of them were Topper's father's. His dad was a carpenter and some of these very same tools may have been handed down to Topper's Dad from his Grandfather, pretty neat stuff indeed.
It is important to keep these old tools and their owners legacy alive. With caring and a little cleaning we can once again share their history, see their tool marked stories on parts of their beaten bodies of hard work from a past time.
As you drive around some old country roads you never know and it is sure fun to think, what may lie inside some old barn. As the summer high pines stand tall and the waters flow true and strong there can always be old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
The tools as always were only an added bonus for it was the quality of the company that made the entire time a real blast. Perhaps the real favorite of it all was remembering to snap a picture of me and Topper.
It reminds me of a fun moment at lunch we shared. All 3 of us were at the China Buffet…of course…lol. At the end of our pig out fest we in true tradition read our fortune cookies. Topper read his message and it went something like this "You are surrounded by people that care about you" Amen to that, and thank you Topper, your fortune was right on target.
Topper and me.
![]()
May all of your fortunes be as great and thank you for reading!
Joe
I always look forward to taking trips with you..thanks for the opportunity to ride along.. PapaOld treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
Hello friends, I have been meaning to share some tales of a wonderful trip I took at the end of August to upstate NY. Finally I have the chance to get this story and the pictures uploaded. I hope you may enjoy this blog and I thank you for taking a moment and reading….here we go!..........
The road was a winding ride through the beautiful tall green trees of upstate NY. The mountains were a backdrop of a totally peaceful environment showing strength and inviting calm. Around this area the folks that live here operate at a much different pace and lifestyle. You can leave your barn/garage open and go out to the store and you'll come back and everything is still there…lol. Maybe we need to think about that…I guess that should not be such a funny statement should it? Where and how did we lose such an trusted faith in our fellow neighbors in most areas of this great country?
I found the people here very hard working, experienced, easy going but nobody's fool. Many grow up shooting a rifle, crossbow, using a knife, and somehow crime is extremely low in this area, perhaps another lesson for us to ponder in our increasing troubled times and gang growing youth.
It was a nice sunny day and me and my girlfriend were off to visit her dad Topper. My past blog work has included Topper, he's a very interesting character.
To my lucky surprise just at the beginning of a 2 minute ride up the hill to Topper's house we found an older lady having an outside auction in her front yard. We pulled over and took a few minutes to look some things over….no worries, old hand tools appeared! There were at least 8-9 old hollows and rounding planes but far out of whack and way too worn for my latest craving of old relics to tinker with. I rooted around in a bucket of about 15-20 various rusty files, screwdrivers and pieces of this and that although still nothing I could not live without.
Then…..she sat on the edge of the first of 3 tables, rusty, old, and calling my name….a saw vice!!!! Oh boy, was I quick to wrap my hands on that and begin to see what worked and what didn't. The wing nut was half broke off but the actual job of the tool seemed to vice up fine. I figured with some WD-40 to the rescue I could see positive things in using this piece, so I had to get a price for it! I approached the kind old lady and asked "Good afternoon, how much?" "Ten dollars" she replied. I was almost as quick as John Wayne in "The Shootist" drawing that ten dollar bill out of my wallet…lol. I recall past annoying ebay scenarios more than a few times and got tired of the endless bidding for one of these as the prices got so out of hand with the shipping.
But not today, this was a really nice vice and honestly a terrific price for something that worked!
With vice in hand we were onward and upward to Toppers!
I think the cool part of living your life is if you stick around long enough perhaps you may be blessed with meeting a few good and unforgettable people. I have been very lucky to meet some interesting and good folks in my short time. Topper is one of those people. I don't know anyone else like him, he's an outlaw of sorts, a teacher, a joker, a man of incredible instincts. He is not in any way a weekend warrior of hunting, fishing, or wood skills. Topper is a part of the woods and the woods are a part of him. Topper is one of the most respected deer hunters there is in that section of upstate NY.
So you can only imagine the knowledge of many things he shares within 5 minutes of just casual chatter at his kitchen table, take notes…there is a a lot of it..lol.
From the various plants, trees, animals, leaves, guns, knives, beer, deer, venison, poker…haaaa and his beloved China Buffett…lol, I never find spending some time with Topper ever to be boring. As you carry on forward with conversation you take notice of how Topper hears and sees everything, it is amazing his delicate senses to the sounds, although I suppose that is the many years of hunting that have provided him with that and many other skills.
After a well spent afternoon with us three taking a small hike and seeing the various trees, plants and portions of lakes we headed back to his house so I could …..look in his barn….oh yeah…the tool junky within ….took me over…haaaa, get ready friends and let the search begin!
The barn doors opened and that wonderful smell of old wood, engine oil and history rushed into my senses. It was dim inside but once my eyes adjusted the treasures unfolded. A bow saw….a real old school rusty bow saw. A few hickory handled axes in the corner next to his old blue tractor. An old wooden beat to hell tote with some rusty chains intertwined with some nice old drill braces, files, and a rugged small crow bar. A huge eggbeater shoulder drill off to the side with a portion of an old hand plane. A white pale sat towards the one corner and sticking awkwardly in the center of cluttered parts and pieces was a nice old handsaw! I pulled the old lovely out for a look, a ton of caked rust and paint decorated the years of the blade. It had good teeth but was slightly warped, just like me….lmao. Nonetheless I loved it and envisioned in my minds eye of what a good cleaning session could make it look like again.
Here are some photos of the saw before and after:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Topper sat inside the edge of the barn upon his riding mower like a jolly Santa Clause in a junk pile…saying "Take it, I ain't gonna use it."
I was truly like a kid in a country hardware store with all of these fantastic treats that I could clean and possibly use again! Saw sets large and small, a great compadre to my latest saw vice purchase! A shoulder plane, a leather punch, some additional aged jagged this and rusty ole that…the list kept growing!
As the list grew Topper continued "Take it, I ain't gonna use it." What a wonderful gift and I realized he saw the joy in my finds as I continued to contort myself around tractor tires and various boxes of parts searching like a kid on Christmas morning for more toys.
My beautiful girlfriend laughed with her Dad seeing just how much of a goof I was over a pile of things most would be relieved to chuck into the dumpster…hey we all have our own song to sing and mine has melodies of sweet woodcraft and planed pine shavings for all…lol.
Here are a few pics of what I was able to salvage with this hand saw. It is Warranted Superior medallion Dec 27, 1887. It will require some light anvil work to attempt to straighten the blade out more, as well as a nice sharpening that my newly purchased saw vice can provide. If it cannot be used it can remain a wonderful time piece to hang in my shop and enjoy. I really cherish these old tools as most of them were Topper's father's. His dad was a carpenter and some of these very same tools may have been handed down to Topper's Dad from his Grandfather, pretty neat stuff indeed.
It is important to keep these old tools and their owners legacy alive. With caring and a little cleaning we can once again share their history, see their tool marked stories on parts of their beaten bodies of hard work from a past time.
As you drive around some old country roads you never know and it is sure fun to think, what may lie inside some old barn. As the summer high pines stand tall and the waters flow true and strong there can always be old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
The tools as always were only an added bonus for it was the quality of the company that made the entire time a real blast. Perhaps the real favorite of it all was remembering to snap a picture of me and Topper.
It reminds me of a fun moment at lunch we shared. All 3 of us were at the China Buffet…of course…lol. At the end of our pig out fest we in true tradition read our fortune cookies. Topper read his message and it went something like this "You are surrounded by people that care about you" Amen to that, and thank you Topper, your fortune was right on target.
Topper and me.
![]()
May all of your fortunes be as great and thank you for reading!
Joe
The first 2 paragraphs describe my area to a "T". Love the job you did on that saw and, man oh man, the stories it must hold….being owned by Topper. The man has a million stories in him…I can just tell by looking at him. What a great trip y'all had. Good stuff!!!!!Old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
Hello friends, I have been meaning to share some tales of a wonderful trip I took at the end of August to upstate NY. Finally I have the chance to get this story and the pictures uploaded. I hope you may enjoy this blog and I thank you for taking a moment and reading….here we go!..........
The road was a winding ride through the beautiful tall green trees of upstate NY. The mountains were a backdrop of a totally peaceful environment showing strength and inviting calm. Around this area the folks that live here operate at a much different pace and lifestyle. You can leave your barn/garage open and go out to the store and you'll come back and everything is still there…lol. Maybe we need to think about that…I guess that should not be such a funny statement should it? Where and how did we lose such an trusted faith in our fellow neighbors in most areas of this great country?
I found the people here very hard working, experienced, easy going but nobody's fool. Many grow up shooting a rifle, crossbow, using a knife, and somehow crime is extremely low in this area, perhaps another lesson for us to ponder in our increasing troubled times and gang growing youth.
It was a nice sunny day and me and my girlfriend were off to visit her dad Topper. My past blog work has included Topper, he's a very interesting character.
To my lucky surprise just at the beginning of a 2 minute ride up the hill to Topper's house we found an older lady having an outside auction in her front yard. We pulled over and took a few minutes to look some things over….no worries, old hand tools appeared! There were at least 8-9 old hollows and rounding planes but far out of whack and way too worn for my latest craving of old relics to tinker with. I rooted around in a bucket of about 15-20 various rusty files, screwdrivers and pieces of this and that although still nothing I could not live without.
Then…..she sat on the edge of the first of 3 tables, rusty, old, and calling my name….a saw vice!!!! Oh boy, was I quick to wrap my hands on that and begin to see what worked and what didn't. The wing nut was half broke off but the actual job of the tool seemed to vice up fine. I figured with some WD-40 to the rescue I could see positive things in using this piece, so I had to get a price for it! I approached the kind old lady and asked "Good afternoon, how much?" "Ten dollars" she replied. I was almost as quick as John Wayne in "The Shootist" drawing that ten dollar bill out of my wallet…lol. I recall past annoying ebay scenarios more than a few times and got tired of the endless bidding for one of these as the prices got so out of hand with the shipping.
But not today, this was a really nice vice and honestly a terrific price for something that worked!
With vice in hand we were onward and upward to Toppers!
I think the cool part of living your life is if you stick around long enough perhaps you may be blessed with meeting a few good and unforgettable people. I have been very lucky to meet some interesting and good folks in my short time. Topper is one of those people. I don't know anyone else like him, he's an outlaw of sorts, a teacher, a joker, a man of incredible instincts. He is not in any way a weekend warrior of hunting, fishing, or wood skills. Topper is a part of the woods and the woods are a part of him. Topper is one of the most respected deer hunters there is in that section of upstate NY.
So you can only imagine the knowledge of many things he shares within 5 minutes of just casual chatter at his kitchen table, take notes…there is a a lot of it..lol.
From the various plants, trees, animals, leaves, guns, knives, beer, deer, venison, poker…haaaa and his beloved China Buffett…lol, I never find spending some time with Topper ever to be boring. As you carry on forward with conversation you take notice of how Topper hears and sees everything, it is amazing his delicate senses to the sounds, although I suppose that is the many years of hunting that have provided him with that and many other skills.
After a well spent afternoon with us three taking a small hike and seeing the various trees, plants and portions of lakes we headed back to his house so I could …..look in his barn….oh yeah…the tool junky within ….took me over…haaaa, get ready friends and let the search begin!
The barn doors opened and that wonderful smell of old wood, engine oil and history rushed into my senses. It was dim inside but once my eyes adjusted the treasures unfolded. A bow saw….a real old school rusty bow saw. A few hickory handled axes in the corner next to his old blue tractor. An old wooden beat to hell tote with some rusty chains intertwined with some nice old drill braces, files, and a rugged small crow bar. A huge eggbeater shoulder drill off to the side with a portion of an old hand plane. A white pale sat towards the one corner and sticking awkwardly in the center of cluttered parts and pieces was a nice old handsaw! I pulled the old lovely out for a look, a ton of caked rust and paint decorated the years of the blade. It had good teeth but was slightly warped, just like me….lmao. Nonetheless I loved it and envisioned in my minds eye of what a good cleaning session could make it look like again.
Here are some photos of the saw before and after:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Topper sat inside the edge of the barn upon his riding mower like a jolly Santa Clause in a junk pile…saying "Take it, I ain't gonna use it."
I was truly like a kid in a country hardware store with all of these fantastic treats that I could clean and possibly use again! Saw sets large and small, a great compadre to my latest saw vice purchase! A shoulder plane, a leather punch, some additional aged jagged this and rusty ole that…the list kept growing!
As the list grew Topper continued "Take it, I ain't gonna use it." What a wonderful gift and I realized he saw the joy in my finds as I continued to contort myself around tractor tires and various boxes of parts searching like a kid on Christmas morning for more toys.
My beautiful girlfriend laughed with her Dad seeing just how much of a goof I was over a pile of things most would be relieved to chuck into the dumpster…hey we all have our own song to sing and mine has melodies of sweet woodcraft and planed pine shavings for all…lol.
Here are a few pics of what I was able to salvage with this hand saw. It is Warranted Superior medallion Dec 27, 1887. It will require some light anvil work to attempt to straighten the blade out more, as well as a nice sharpening that my newly purchased saw vice can provide. If it cannot be used it can remain a wonderful time piece to hang in my shop and enjoy. I really cherish these old tools as most of them were Topper's father's. His dad was a carpenter and some of these very same tools may have been handed down to Topper's Dad from his Grandfather, pretty neat stuff indeed.
It is important to keep these old tools and their owners legacy alive. With caring and a little cleaning we can once again share their history, see their tool marked stories on parts of their beaten bodies of hard work from a past time.
As you drive around some old country roads you never know and it is sure fun to think, what may lie inside some old barn. As the summer high pines stand tall and the waters flow true and strong there can always be old treasures, green mountains and great fortunes.
The tools as always were only an added bonus for it was the quality of the company that made the entire time a real blast. Perhaps the real favorite of it all was remembering to snap a picture of me and Topper.
It reminds me of a fun moment at lunch we shared. All 3 of us were at the China Buffet…of course…lol. At the end of our pig out fest we in true tradition read our fortune cookies. Topper read his message and it went something like this "You are surrounded by people that care about you" Amen to that, and thank you Topper, your fortune was right on target.
Topper and me.
![]()
May all of your fortunes be as great and thank you for reading!
Joe
