wrote:

Which leads me to say it ain't the tool. It ain't the edge. It ain't
the jig/no jig. It's the user who got up off his arse, learned how to
use the tool, and actually put them to use.

Sorry for the rant. )

Gotta agree. I really don't know how to phrase this, but I am making a
conscientious effort to shift my focus from owning tools to using them.
That is, rather than scrambling to fill my shop with 'must have' tools,
I am trying to learn to use the tools I already have. I already have a
couple basic 'sets' of router bits. From now on, new bits have to meet a
specific need better than a combination of existing bits can.

I can not get a perfect edge on my chisels by hand sharpening them even
if I spent half the day trying ... but I can get an edge good enough to
get back to work in a minute or two. (My wife likes my forearms just
fine in their current state, so there is no pressing need to shave them.)

Over the course of the past few months I've realized that I am out of
the 'tool collecting' business and trying to gain a toehold on the
woodworking business. Over time I have earned which grits of abrasives
in which forms I really need for what I do. The sort of flat work I do
really only needs a couple types of blades. I do at least 90% of my
lathe work using only 3 tools ... and 100% of it using just a couple
more. I've learned which wood finishes I prefer to use and, since my
work is primarily done 'on spec', am free to reduce my inventory to the
few finishes that I like and can get good results with.

Bill
--
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one
rascal less in the world.
Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881)
http://nmwoodworks.com


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