Creeker (the Neanderthal kind) interviews

[Zahid Naqvi]

I am sure most of you must have read the Creeker interviews Mark has been posting on the turners forum. Is there any interest in doing something similar on the Neander side? There are several folks out here whose advice has been of great help to me and I would love to know more about them. I am willing to manage the stickies if the moderator approves and if there are at least 20 people who voice their approval by posting to this thread. Here is a sampling of possible questions (taken mostly from Mark's), please add/remove/edit as you please.

1. Name (and nick names)
2. Age/DOB
3. Location present and previous
4. Tell us about your family.
5. How do you earn a living, woodworking or other, any interesting previous occupations.
6. Equipment overview (hand tools and other)
7. Tell us about the handplanes you own, and your favorites one(s) to use
8. You favorite chisels.
9. Your favorite handsaw(s).
10. Do you use western tools or Japanese, why do you prefer the ones you use.
11. Describe your shop
12. Do you have a home page.
13. Do you have any influences in your work. People whose work you like.
14. Do you have any ancestors who were woodworkers that served as inspiration.
15. What is your favorite neander project, or part of a project, you have ever done and why.
16. Do you believe there is any spiritual dimension to woodworking with handtools.
17. How much of your work is done by handtools. Do you use what is best for the job or do you use handtools because you just like the sound and feel of creating woodshavings/dust/chips by hand.
18. If you were left stranded on a deserted Island and you could keep only one woodworking tool what would it be.

[John Bailey]

Zahid,

I don't hang out in the Neander forum very much, or the turner's forum, but I love reading the interviews. So, I would encourage you to do them.

John

[Steve Wargo]

I too enjoy reading the interview on the turner's forum. Cool Idea.

[Randy Moore]

I ain't into neander work but that don't keep me from looking. Gotta keep learin' everyday or else you'll maybe go to the spinny side. I would enjoy the talks.

I don't have a spinnin' tool but that don't keep me from lookin'.


Randy

[Roger Myers]

Go for it...love learning more about fellow creekers..especially those that like to use a paddle instead of an evinrude :)

[Dave Ray]

Please go for it. Would be great learning tool. These men/women have years of knowledge/experience we all could gain from.

[Don Baer]

I agree with the others and nominate Alen Turner for one of the first to be interviewed.

[Tom Hamilton]

Great idea. Here's my "yes" vote.

[John Edwards]

Sounds good to me !!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Cast a Yes vote for me too!

[James Mittlefehldt]

I am all in favour of this please do.

Can't think of any other questions off the top of my head but I will consider it.

[Dan Forman]

Thumbs up from me, do it!

Dan

[Karl Laustrup]

I agree and would like to see this carried over to all the forums. We have so many talented and interesting people here.

I really enjoy the spinny interviews. Of course most of them are a little dingy, so I guess it's more morbid curiosity on my part. ;) :D Just kidding guys and girls.

Karl

[tod evans]

i`m all for it. i use both hand and power tools and think each excell at what they do and i wouldn`t want to be without either..02 tod

[John Miliunas]

I've very much enjoyed the ones Mark has done, so far and I agree that, with all the interesting characters we have floatin' around the Creek, I'd love to see the same happen here and even on the other specific forums! Count me "in"!:) :cool:

[Tyler Howell]

Let's Rock!!!:cool:

[Robert Weber]

toolaholic. Actually, I'm not as bad as many on this and other forums. However, I'm willing to be first on the bandwagon...

1. Name (and nick names): Robert Weber - I go by GalootRob, Rob the Poser and raweber on various forums.

2. Age/DOB: 37, Nov 8, 1968

3. Location present and previous: West Peoria, IL. Grew up down the road in Champaign and made brief stints in school in Carbondale, Il and Winona Mn.

4. Tell us about your family: I have a lovely wife of almost 15 years and three beautiful children. The eldest is a daughter, currently nine, who reads everything she can get her hands on and likes making holes in wood with a brace and bit. She also likes to rip oak. Middle child is 5 1/2 and all boy. We built a small table-top workbench for Christmas together and look forward to using it for more projects. The baby is 2 and is totally princess.

5. How do you earn a living, woodworking or other, any interesting previous occupations: I'm a civil engineer, mostly in transportation. I make a little money tunig pianos and selling CDs (www.jlatech.com/rob/COP.htm (http://www.jlatech.com/rob/COP.htm))

6. Equipment overview (hand tools and other): The centerpiece of my shop used to be a 1960 Shopsmith Mk V. I don't turn it on much these days. I have a few user planes, chisels and saws - more on that below...

7. Tell us about the handplanes you own, and your favorites one(s) to use: I have a couple of Stanleys, a #5c and a #3 for bench planes and a LA block, rabbet and a #45 combo, which I mostly use as a plow. The LA block is probably my favorite, and freshly sharpened takes the whispiest shavings of the bunch.

8. You favorite chisels: All I have right now are a set of 4 craftsman and 4 blue chips. I use the craftsman as firmers, and have chopped more than one mortise with them. The Blue Chips are used as parers. They do all right. Really good chisels is on my wish list.

9. Your favorite handsaw(s): I had a saw monkey on my back last year and really boosted my assortment. My favorite is a CE Jennings crosscut with a handle that is a work of art. I've a lot of miles on my Disston D-23 rip saw (the aformentioned oak), and am looking forward to starting a new relationship with my new D-8 thumbhole rip. For backsaws, I've gotten a lot of use from an old Warranted Superior, but have recently aquired a Disston #4 that will be used in future joinery. We'll see how she handles. I'm also rehabbing a Goodel Pratt mitre box right now. Ironically, the longest saw in my shop is now a back saw (from the mitre box)

10. Do you use western tools or Japanese, why do you prefer the ones you use: No experience with Eastern chisels or planes. Like many, my first higher quality saws were eastern. Was wowed by their initial smoothness and speed of cut, but found them difficult to control and consistently broke teeth. After hearing so many people sing the praises of western saws, I picked up a few from the *bay and definitely feel more at home with them.

11. Describe your shop: a 12 x 12 space in the basement. A little tight for a power tool shop, but just about right for a neander shop. Big project on the horizon will be a BENCH! Right now I'm doing all my work on a B&D Workmate.

12. Do you have a home page: not strictly for woodworking. I maintain a link farm over at www.galootcentral.com (http://www.galootcentral.com), and have webpages for my music (www.geocities.com/robntweber) (http://www.geocities.com/robntweber%29).

13. Do you have any influences in your work. People whose work you like: I'm a big fan of A&C furniture, and not because it's easier to make than Federal. I'm not sure about individuals, though.

14. Do you have any ancestors who were woodworkers that served as inspiration: My dad is into carpentry, and has built some utilitiarian sheet goods stuff. Mostly I'm alone in my family as far as hand tools are concerned.

15. What is your favorite neander project, or part of a project, you have ever done and why: That's easy. I've only completed one truely neander project (although a couple more are on the way). A bookshelf for my wife to hold all her homeschooling cirrculum: http://www.jlatech.com/rob/Woodworking/MapleBookshelf.jpg

16. Do you believe there is any spiritual dimension to woodworking with handtools: it's certainly more peaceful than using tailed demons.

17. How much of your work is done by handtools. Do you use what is best for the job or do you use handtools because you just like the sound and feel of creating woodshavings/dust/chips by hand: I will resort to tailed demons when I don't have the correct hand tool for the job or am in a hurry and the power toool will do it faster. I prefer hand tools for more reasons that I think I fully comprehend.

18. If you were left stranded on a deserted Island and you could keep only one woodworking tool what would it be: ?