Quote Originally Posted by IanW View Post
Cheer up Chook - you should be able to chuck it in in a few more years, unless they keep jacking up the age when you can collect your super! I made sure I bought a couple of 'must-haves', like a decent new tablesaw, in my last couple of years of paid employment, and every time I use it I am ever so glad I did, so look on these last few years as preparing for the best sabbatical ever.....

Cheers,
That is the plan. In the last 12 months I have spent a lot of money upgrading my workshop, including a new table saw. For years I never needed one since I always had the keys to a school machinery shop which I had fitted out very well indeed. Apart from a bigger thickneser and a bigger bandsaw the machinery side of things is sorted. And I do like machinery. But I am not content with the hand tools I have and so that is the goal for the next few months. I have become a big fan of Veritas saws and planes. When I make things I mostly do all the stock preparation with machines and all the joinery by hand.

My head is so full of projects and ideas and currently my free time is limited but patience is a good thing to learn.