But now, perhaps just because peace is not going according to plan, certainly not in the way that we, the ordinary citizens, had imagined it, there are opportunities which will give us the thrill of vital living if we care to seize them, the difference being that these opportunities do not come unsought.
In heaven’s name, let us be men with real interests, real ability to use our powers of hand and brain, men of character who can make a mark at least on our own circle.
We can do it by constant personal effort. And if our daily work leaves us no outlet we must find our own.
The woodworker can make himself a first-rate craftsman, he can persevere in spite of present difficulties, learning all the time, and enjoy a sense of personal achievement in surmounting them. Because personal achievement is the only answer to the cipher business and the one which a man owes his soul.
With it he will have truly lived, whatever part outside events have played in his life. Without it, he will pass like a straw in the wind.
And yet the opportunity is there for every man who knows how to handle a tool. Knowledge alone is not enough, skill alone is not enough, for the perfect use of them depends on what a man can give of himself.
For when all is said and done he is not a precision tool, or a robot, or a machine, nor even — by nature — a machine minder. Something he is of all these things, but he has also that gift which is so utterly his own, his restless, eternal, questing spirit, which keeps him ever searching for beauty and everlastingly trying to create it.
This is the power behind his technical capacity if he learns to harness it, the power by which he can attain to the sense of balance and good judgment which are among the first requisites of beauty. The rest will vary with the man himself.
This is the great glory of our personality, that each individual touch is different, so that throughout the great ages of craftsmanship the work of each worker stood out from its fellows even if it was never stamped with his name.
SOLD: This rasp was an experiment to see if it would be helpful in saddling chair seats.
It didn’t work as well as I hoped, and I stuck to my scorp and travisher. And so this little curved guy has been sitting in my toolbox for many years. Wear a glove when you use it.
Retail price: $40
Price: $20 plus $6 domestic shipping.
About Tool Sales on My Blog
Please read this if you are interested in buying a tool. Why am I selling these tools? Read this entry before you freak out. There is no “master list” of tools that I can send you. I am working through several piles of tools and will list them when I can.
Want to see only the tools that haven’t sold? Easy. I’ve created a category for that on this blog. Click here and bookmark that page. When you visit that link, you’ll see only the tools that haven’t been sold.
While you can ask me all the questions you like about the tool, the first person to send me an e-mail that says: “I’ll take it,” gets the tool. Simple. To buy a tool, please send me an e-mail at christopher.schwarz@fuse.net.
Payment: I can accept PayPal or a personal check. As soon as the funds arrive, I’ll ship the tool using USPS. If you want insurance, let me know. I’m afraid I can only ship tools in the United States. Shipping internationally is very time-consuming and paperwork-heavy. My apologies in advance on this point.
If you don’t like the tool when you get it, I’ll be happy to refund your money if you return the tool. But postage is on you.
SOLD: This is the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw but filed with a 16 ppi crosscut configuration. The saw was sharpened this way at the factory and is stamped to that effect on the brass back. It is ideal for fine crosscuts, especially in thin work.
Some woodworkers use this saw as an “all around” saw and cut dovetails and crosscuts with it. There is considerable historical precedent for this (see “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker.”)
I have lots and lots of saws. Time to thin the herd.
Retail price: $125.
Price: $95 plus $7 shipping.
About Tool Sales on My Blog
Please read this if you are interested in buying a tool. Why am I selling these tools? Read this entry before you freak out. There is no “master list” of tools that I can send you. I am working through several piles of tools and will list them when I can.
Want to see only the tools that haven’t sold? Easy. I’ve created a category for that on this blog. Click here and bookmark that page. When you visit that link, you’ll see only the tools that haven’t been sold.
While you can ask me all the questions you like about the tool, the first person to send me an e-mail that says: “I’ll take it,” gets the tool. Simple. To buy a tool, please send me an e-mail at christopher.schwarz@fuse.net.
Payment: I can accept PayPal or a personal check. As soon as the funds arrive, I’ll ship the tool using USPS. If you want insurance, let me know. I’m afraid I can only ship tools in the United States. Shipping internationally is very time-consuming and paperwork-heavy. My apologies in advance on this point.
If you don’t like the tool when you get it, I’ll be happy to refund your money if you return the tool. But postage is on you.