Thread: Hand tool virus. Is it terminal or do people recover?

fancy work bench!

Originally Posted by seriph1

Here is the cure.

It'll take time to take full effect but I'm assured it does cure people of the addiction

don't agree

have you seen Studley's bench? apparently the base is hiding somewhere in New England pretending to be a dressing table

Originally Posted by ian

and I see you have left space for one

Y'know, Ian, I probably could find a spot for a #1, but it would be like trying to get that last tile into position on a Rubik's cube! In fact, I'm working (very sporadically) on a couple of new planes, an infill smoother, and a small skewed bullnose rebate like one Lightwood made modelled after an oldie that Auscab owns. The rebate is small & should squeeze in there somewhere, but the infill smoother is a different matter. Something is going to have to give up its seat, & at this juncture, it looks like it will be the Stanley 10 1/2, as it's the one plane I rarely use.

When I made my toolbox, I reckoned I had all the tools I needed - from this point on, says I, it's a case of one in, one out. Ha! so much hubris & so little self-knowledge! Since I first made it, I have re-arranged the thing numerous times in order to squeeze in new tools, including a whole 'set' of 7 Titan socket firmers that I fell in lust with. But it has definitely come to crunch-point, where I will have to begin packing things in the way Studley did, to fit anything much bigger than a pencil. I'm reluctant to do that, because one of my main aims, as I said above, was to have everything easily accessible, & not have to move any tool to get at another. So far, I've managed to keep it that way, apart from a couple of the less-othen used planes, which need to have something moved a little before they can be extracted.....

Cheers,

From that comment I take it you haven't seen the book on the Studley chest, especially the bits showing how "front" tools are mounted on frames that swing out of the way to allow access to the rear tools. A design element that increases the chest's easily accessible capacity by over 50%.

I think we'll just wait and see how you fit your new tools in.

Originally Posted by ian

From that comment I take it you haven't seen the book on the Studley chest....

I haven't seen the book, but have seen a few detailed pics of how it all fits together. It's ingenious in its use of space, and superbly executed and I am as much in awe of it as the rest of the woodworking world, but you would have to work a little harder to get hold of some of the tools in Studley's chest than with mine. However, I take your point. I reckon I've got a few years left in me, and apart from a few other tools that are on my 'gunnamakesumday' list, there are no doubt other tools lurking out there that I don't yet know I can't live without, so there's a fair chance my tool cupboard will be a bit lot more crowded by the time I'm finished with it.....

I think by now we've made our point to the OP that there is no cure, don't you think?......
Sorry, Steve, we haven't been much help!
Cheers,

yep, no cure

WAIT . . . . I was thinking about this in the last few days because I haven't acquired or had the urge to acquire what I would call a significant hand tool for at least a couple of years so I might be cured or at least well on my way to a cure.

Further Signs
Even though I have been free I haven't been to a wood show or HTPA tool sales for a couple of years.
The vouchers for timbecon I got for my retirement present I ended up spending on glue and an Arbortec.
The Xmas/Birthday presents Bunnings vouchers I have had for some time will probably be spent on gardening stuff.
Email newsletters/notices from various tool shops have been automatically directed to email trash
Compared to some folks I would not say I have many hand tools but when I do open a drawer and see tools in there original packaging I start to feel guilty about their purchased - I think this one is particularly telling
I go to various hardware/tool stores at least 3 times a week (sometimes 3 times in one day) and spend a lot of time on related websites, as much for mens shed stuff as it is for me. Even if I was going to buy a packet of screws I used to always browse past tool displays but these days I don't do that.
One issue is that I don't see anything at those stores that particularly grabs me, and the other is if I have a small urge for anything it is to purchase something like a tool or piece of machinery that will enable me to make something else.

I've seen the pics BobL shows of his shed. How many grinders were there at last count?

Be aware, there is another guy in a plaid shirt out there spreading an equally invidious virus called Norm Abrams, but that virus does not eschew electrons. Just cause one thinks their addiction is harmless, doesn't necessarily mean the other is benign or can't cross infect at any time, especially when there are less hours in the day than there used to be or need to be.

Be careful out there, it's a jungle.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

I've seen the pics BobL shows of his shed. How many grinders were there at last count? .

Only 3, only 2 wheels actually grind, the others cut, sand, polish and (wire) brush.

In 2011 the metal work area of my shed originally took up less than a 1/3rd of the space but it's creeping up close to a half now
I also do a lot of experiments and measurements - seems like I can't get away from my former day job in one form or another.

That grinder setup always impresses me when I'm round your place, for the space it occupies it's so damned flexible.

I suspected I had a problem when this all arrived within about a fortnight... followed soon after by more... then followed by the credit card statement... and then crippling debt haha But the actual illness we are discussing; actually using hand tools over power tools (vs just buying them which only leads to guilt until they are well used imo) has been steadily building ever since.

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Maybe this is a contagious virus. I am anti hard work, and hand tools generally means hard work. But today I have been flat out all day and so far used the bandsaw to make 2 cuts @365mm long and the panel saw to square up a piece of 3mm ply for use as a template. Those two machinery tasks take me maybe 5 minutes. But then I spent hours cleaning up the bandsaw marks with a block plane and then card scrapers and I was sweating my guts out and it isn't hot today. I even had to sharpen the block plane 3 times during...and what makes things worse, is that I only picked up the block plane AFTER I gave up trying to sand the bandsaw marks away with my oscillating spindle sander. Now in fairness, if I had a 6" high edge sander I would have used that and been done in about 3 minutes, so perhaps the virus is spread via a lack of means but then I look up to see Dom's post and I am left in doubt.

Stubbornness will cure me, about to cut some butterfly keys 24mm deep into a top and I have zero thoughts of chopping it all out by hand. I'll use trim router and then clean up and square corners the hard work way.

Hand tools are only the beginning �� You have a lot of "viruses" to catch yet my friend. For example the "lets collect lots of nice wood and never dare use it for a project" virus or the "build the perfect work bench" virus or the "jig building" virus or the sad but never happy "perfect sharpening system" virus, then you can't get past the "I need a lathe" virus and then the worst virus of all (expensive) the "Festool" virus.......sorry to say my fellow woody, the hand tool virus has just the begging! P.s. Have you caught the " I can by cheap hand plans on eBay an fix them up" virus! You are not alone, every single one of us have caught many " viruses"

The chronic syndrome condition is tolerable = GAS = Gouge Aquisition Syndrome.
When you finally comprehend that carving was what you meant to be doing all along.