Memoir of a Handmade Chair

It was sometime in the early days of the 1950s, an older gentleman named Clyde was busy working with his tools.  What was he working on?  Why, me of course.  You see, Clyde liked to work with wood.  He measured, he cut and he planed every single part of me.  I was a special project that he was working on.  I was to become a chair for his nephew.

The nephew, Earl, put me to good use right away.  I became his office chair at home.  On occasion, Earl would use me at the dining room table.  I don’t remember who, but someone made some nice cushions for me, and not just a seat cushion.  I had one for the back, and one for each arm rest.  I was looking good and feeling great!  He was a great owner.  He took really good care of me, for over 20 years.

I can still recall when his family would get together for the holidays.  One of the grandkids liked to play near me.  Sometimes, the little squirt would untie my cushions.  He would rotate the stiles on my back too.  He wasn’t being rough or mean about it.  I think he just like to figure out how I was put together.  I had a feeling that he would become a future woodworker.

During the latter part of 1980, I lost my dear friend.  His wife kept me around and kept me busy.  She took care of me for a few years.  One of the boys acquired me after that.  My days of being cared for and respected came to an abrupt halt.

For about the next ten years, I was knocked around, stepped on, mishandled and had paint dripped all over me.  The upper part of one of my back legs was split badly and was held together with black tape.  I no longer had a shine and felt completely disheveled.  Then one day, I overheard my owner telling a younger man that he was just going to throw me on the burn pile.  I’m not sure what a burn pile is, but the younger man seemed to be rather upset.  He told my owner that he would take me.  So, here I was, being given away to some stranger…or so I thought.

I arrived at my new home and he proceeded to take off the black tape.  Next, he looked me over for other cracks and damage.  He put his hand on me and said, “Don’t worry.  I will fix you up.”  There was something about his eyes and smile that seemed familiar.  Finally, I realized that this young man was the same little boy who used to untie my cushions.  Over time, my young friend cleaned me up.  He scraped of the paint drippings.  He sanded me down and glued my leg.  Every little nick, scratch and dent got repaired.  He gave me a new color (I think he called it a stain).  It smelled like a stain, but I was looking pretty dapper.  He then covered me with a shiny coating.  I went from dapper to slick.  My young friend even made me some new cushions.  I felt complete again, just like those many years ago.

My owner put me to very good use.  He took very good care of me, for a while.  I haven’t seen my friend in a few years.  I hope he comes to get me sometime soon.  I could use him and I’m sure he could use me.

Hammer Away!

It’s time for another episode of Sawdust Fitness! In this episode, we will talk about strengthening our arms. That’s right! It’s time to talk about the gun show!

When using a hammer of any kind, you are using mainly the muscles in the arm. What most people don’t realize, those are not the only muscles being utilized. Gripping a hammer properly requires hand strength. The swinging motion, while hammering, brings the shoulder muscles into play. You are using your whole arm while driving that stubborn, bent nail into that two by four.

A lot of people are under the assumption that using a hammer requires brute force. Those folks are rather misinformed. It does require some strength, but mostly it involves technique. The first part is making sure you have a proper posture. Keep those shoulders square! Second, you don’t have to put your whole body into it. That is how accidents happen. Third, despite what some might say, it’s not all in the wrist. Let’s think about this for a second. If you take that hammer and start using just your wrist, you might wind up pinching a nerve. This is the same area where people have problems with carpal tunnel. I have pinched that nerve a few times. Trust me, it doesn’t tickle.

As long as you focus on good posture and use your whole arm, you should not have any problems driving in a nail.

Pounding in a few nails isn’t much of a workout. However, if you hammer in 20 or so nails, then you are starting a workout. You are working the biceps, triceps and the various forearm muscles pretty well. By swinging the hammer, you start moving the blood through your body quicker. Kind of like a light cardio workout. Just as many other aspects of woodworking, the more you do, the more exercise you get. Although, I wouldn’t recommend getting rid of that gym membership yet.

Happy Hammering!

Why I prefer antique hand tools

For those of you who are new to woodworking, it is hard to describe what makes old hand tools so special. I will do my best to convey to you why they are special to me. Who knows, I might even convert a few of you. Let’s get started.

Antique hand tools can be superior to modern hand tools. The first aspect in the superiority of antique tools is durability. Nowadays, things just aren’t built to last. Most things, tools included, are made to be disposable. They are made with inferior materials. The processes used by most manufacturers are to speed up production efficiency. The more items that can be produced, as quickly and cheaply as possible, will lead to more profits. I bought a new saw about a year ago. I was so impressed by how well it worked. The design of the teeth made it cut better and faster. Within the first couple of weeks, three teeth broke off! It had a plastic handle that had a button on the side, so you could remove the blade. You can’t find replacement blades anywhere! What a piece of garbage! You would have to go out and buy a whole new saw!! With an old saw, you could repair it yourself. You could buy a replacement blade. You could even make a new blade yourself. Most often, the teeth on an old saw were less likely to break. Below are pictures of a few of my old hand saws.

                                      

The second aspect is affordability. Since modern tools aren’t as durable, you have to buy replacement parts or the entire tool every so often. With antique tools, you mostly just have to buy a replacement handle….once in a while. I have a nice claw hammer that is about as old as I am. It still has the original handle and I use it more than my modern one.

I consider these two points when I go out and buy any hand tool.

I find modern hand tools to be rather antiseptic. They seem cold and sterile. Whereas, antique hand tools seem to have an essence to them. As if they have a life of their own. After all, they have a history to them. Someone, somewhere, had used it for many years. They took care of it. They sharpened, polished or cleaned it. They took great care of it, so it would give them many years of use. Such dedication to these tools must have imprinted a part of that person to it.

Then you have the patina. Ooohhhh, the patina. It’s that special coloring to the wood and metal as it has aged over the years. It gives the tool that “well used” look to it. People have tried to fake that look on newer tools, but it never comes out quite right. The patina of the tool helps to give it the essence of life. Don’t believe me? Go and buy an antique hand tool. Hold it in your hands. Use it. Then go back to your more modern tool. It’s never quite the same.

Antique hand tools have a different feel to them, as well. They seem smoother to the touch. They aren’t overly shiny, but they still have a unique sheen to them. Modern wooden handles are either plain or have a sealer on them. Antique wooden handles have been oiled. Wooden handles that have a sealer on them still feel a little rough. That maybe due to small particles being trapped under the sealer. Again, go out and try it. Don’t just take my word for it.

So there you have it! I prefer antique hand tools because I find them more durable, more affordable and I like the way they look and feel. I hope you learned something new and are curious to give antique tools a try. After all, just because something is old, it doesn’t mean it’s not useful.