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a few handplanes
http://www-.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=9163		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  letseatpaste [ Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:27 am ]
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Thought some of you might enjoy some pics I snapped this morning. My friend Chris and I spent a few hours this morning seeing an impressive tool collection. Gene is in his 80's and suffers from Parkinsons, but was getting around well and enjoyed sharing his collection with us. Gene was Chris' Sunday School teacher when he was a kid, and he helped me with some machining for an engineering design project when I was in school in the mid-90's.

He has many hammers (300?), handplanes, saws, and other interesting tools. The neat thing was that he knows a lot about the history and use of these tools as well.









Author:  John Mayes [ Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:31 am ]
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holy handplanes batman! Now that is one impressive bunch of planes!
Author:  Colin S [ Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:41 am ]
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Can you ask him if he'll adopt me please .

Colin
Author:  CarltonM [ Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:31 pm ]
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This is your shop on TAS.

Impressive!
Author:  RCoates [ Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:55 pm ]
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Honey! Honey, come here. Look sweetheart I don't have too many tools. This is over the top, me, I'm just an average guy with an average tool collectio... er, I mean shop. Yeah average workshop...
Author:  Don Williams [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:40 am ]
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I've long been a collector of old wooden moulding planes, and what I see there makes me drool....dang, to me, that IS Fantasy Island!
Author:  Dave White [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 12:48 am ]
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Jon,

That's a real Santa's Grotto!! Fabulous.

It would be cool if you could spend some time with Gene with a tape-recorder capturing some of his "wisdom" on the history and use of these tools. All too sadly this sort of "knowledge" is disappearing as chains in the "word of mouth" transfer break down. Once broken it is gone forever. Modern society values some wierd things highly and other things it seems quite glad to ditch imho.Dave White39026.3676388889
Author:  letseatpaste [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 1:35 am ]
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I do plan on spending more time with him. Due to his Parkinsons he can only go a couple hours before he needs to stop and rest (his wife makes sure he doesn't overextend himself, he was excited and kept wanting to show us "one more thing"). I probably won't record him, but next time I may take better notes and individual pictures of some of his more favorite tools.

Here's another site that has put up some pictures of Gene and his tool collection.

Another interesting thing he showed us was a personal letter from Jimmy Carter. Gene makes beautiful plumb bobs, and sent a few to Mr Carter with a letter telling a little bit about himself and thanking him for his work with Habitat for Humanity.
Author:  Dave Anderson [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:05 am ]
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Wow! What a great collection of tools!
Author:  Arnt Rian [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 7:22 am ]
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Nice collection! It looks like he has a little (actually a lot!) of everything there, you could actually get things done with these tools. Some tool collections are focused on themes like miniature planes, braces, Polynesian adzes or some such, and are owned by people who don't do any woodworking themselves; I always find that a little odd.

Author:  letseatpaste [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 7:44 am ]
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Yeah, he's an avid woodworker and machinist, and he still likes to make things.

Here's a few more pics:
Here's an old wooden plane from the early 1850s... The sign on the stand notes, "Made by prison labor."


I can't remember what kind of bench this is called, but he built this recently. He demonstrated it and took some shavings with the draw knife.


This is a display in his living room. The small plane is a Lie Nielsen #1, serial # is 29 if I remember correctly. Also, you can see a bow saw that he made from a bent branch. There are also some of his plumb bobs, one made from tagua (vegetable ivory).
Author:  Jim Watts [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 8:25 am ]
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Wow!
Author:  D Stewart [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 8:38 am ]
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I am reduced to a glazed-eye, slack-jawed stare.

Very sweet collection.
Author:  old man [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 8:57 am ]
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Very inspiring.

Ron
Author:  Bobc [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 9:43 am ]
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Jon that is one awesome collection. I'll bet one of the wood mags would do an article on that.
Author:  Serge Poirier [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:30 pm ]
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Good suggestion Bob, that would be a great way to learn more on this fine gentleman. Great story Jon, thanks!
Author:  Miketobey [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:47 pm ]
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Ronn- I was going to join you in your Tools Anon. statement until this post. I,too, feel relatively sane now.MT
Author:  Alain Desforges [ Sun Nov 05, 2006 11:53 pm ]
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Wow! Awesome collection and great thread... Thanks!
Author:  RCoates [ Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:51 pm ]
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[QUOTE=Miketobey] Ronn- I was going to join you in your Tools Anon. statement until this post. I,too, feel relatively sane now.MT[/QUOTE]

Kind of puts in perspective eh?
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