Popular Woodworking 2004-04 № 140, страница 12

Out on a Limb

Pricey Tools are Worth the Pain

While growing up in my house, "making do" was a cardinal principle by which we all lived. It was accepted as fact that a new baseball glove wasn't going to make you a better baseball player, nor would a fancy bike be necessary to win a race.

While I continue to believe the conclusions we reached about "making do," I have learned, although it took a long time, to get past "making do" and allow myself to appreciate the merits of having better things. Tools illustrate this point.

First, let me just say I'm no tool snob. Tools and machines are just a means to an end, not an end in themselves. The hands guiding the tool are far more important than the tool itself. My foremost expectation from a tool or machine is that it's ready to work when I pick it up or turn it on.

But during the past several years, I've been selling off some of the equipment that I have "made do" with and substantially upgraded it. Also, when I'm buying a new tool or machine for the first time, I buy more "up market" than in the past. Sometimes this means I put off buying something else for a while, but that's OK. (I'm not altogether free of the "make do" syndrome.)

At first I had a bit of guilt about spending the extra money, but I soon got over that. After a while, I started realizing certain things I'd never considered. I got a lot of satisfaction from using a better piece of equipment. Not just the temporary pleasure of simply having something new, but a deeper satisfaction. You might say it's a bit like being in a partnership with someone you know you can rely on, someone you can work with. Better machinery brings me more joy during the time I spend in my shop.

I've also learned that better equipment is easier to set up. The fence, the height adjustment and other elements stay put once locked down. The quality of the cut from hand planes, table saws and lathes is im

proved either because of an absence of vibration or machining tolerances. I pick up a chisel with a well-formed handle and it just feels good in my hand.

All these improvements add up to some better-quality time in the shop. And I do spend a lot of time there, including most evenings and weekends. I figure that my added expense will pay back in the long run anyway. One of these years I'll semi-retire and all these tools will really see a workout. With better things, it's not unreasonable to expect they'll last another 20 years as long as I take care of them.

You can make the argument that searching the classified pages and chasing auctions will land you good buys in tools. I've spent my share of time and miles chasing down a lot of disappointments. And I've found my share of bargains, too. Of course, they always take a good bit of time to rehab and put in good working order; some even require parts that aren't cheap. I saved some money, to be sure, but throughout the years, I've learned that it's often easier to replace money than it is to find more time. I've also learned after 25 years in the shop that it's woodworking I love, not fixing tools and equipment.

Like most of you, I don't have an open checkbook for tools and I don't buy anything big on a whim. But I have concluded this: The continuing joy and satisfaction of using a well-made tool can last forever - long after whatever minor guilt or hardship experienced from spending the extra money has long since been forgotten.

And no, I'm not a better woodworker -well, maybe a little better - for having better tools, but I know I'm a happier one. PW

Steve Shanesy Editor & Publisher

CONTRIBUTORS DON WEBER

Don's a bodger - a 19th-century term used to describe a kind of chairmaker, mostly in Britain. Born in New York and raised in Wales (where he apprenticed as a joiner), Don specializes in building English- and Welsh-style stick chairs in the tiny town of Paint Lick, Ky. Also a teacher and blacksmith, Don works hard to keep traditional chairmaking alive. He preserves the woodland crafts by building all of his furniture almost entirely by hand, just as Welshmen did in the forests years ago. A lover of education, tradition and quality Scotch, Don travels the world (with his dog, Bronwyn) to share his knowledge and demonstrate his skills. To learn more about the tools Don uses and to build one of his tables on your own, check out page 68.

CYNTHIA EADES

Cynthia's interest in hearing protection started at an early age as she helped her father with his woodworking tools. With a master's from Gallaudet (the Washington, D.C., university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students) and an almost-completed doctorate from the University of Arizona, she has been an audiolo-gist for 13 years, teaching people about the dangers of noise exposure (see page 62). When traveling by air, she often hands out hearing protection to her fellow passengers who want to reduce on-board noises. Even when she's at the movies, she finds herself warning people about loud previews for action films. Her favorite type of hearing protection is custom plugs, and her biggest pet peeve (naturally) is people using power tools without using hearing protection.

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10 Popular Woodworking April 2004