Neat story

[Bob Hallowell]

A few months ago I was given some wood by another member at my church. He owns a country craft store and uses only pine and had some oak and cherry he did not want. When I went to pick it up I tuned up and sharpened an old #5 plane and gave it to him for giving me the wood. He said he would never probally use it but you never know.

I had a meeting yesterday a chuch and this same man said I made a miricle for someone. I had no clue what he was talking about. He runs mission trips to Jamacia and helps out a community there. A week after I gave him the plane someone called him and asked if he would send them a #5 plane. Henry said he didn't even here of a plane being called a #5 til I gave him one. So he mailed it out and it was just what the guy wanted.

The guy down there builds furniture and such but the have no power tools and every thing is done by hand. I told my friend to get a list of hand tools he needed and I will find them for him..

Bob

[Jeff Horton]

Just proves God works in strange ways huh? ;) :D

[John Kempkes]

Aren't "Godincidences" great? Too cool to be just a coincidence.

[Eddie Darby]

Nice story Bob!!!
It is better to give than receive! Thanks for sharing it, put a smile on my face.:D

I can remember a few years back, when Leonard Lee ran Lee Valley tools, there was an appeal for hand drills to build crutches for amputees in war torn countries. Woodworkers of the world unit!....in Love!
That last part was missing from the Russian Cold War slogan.

[Alan DuBoff]

I don't know how God works, but the person you gave the plane to obviously didn't appeciate that you gave it to him or he wouldn't have sent it to someone else.

Yeah, maybe God works in strange ways, but so do people.:p

[Mike Henderson]

I don't know how God works, but the person you gave the plane to obviously didn't appeciate that you gave it to him or he wouldn't have sent it to someone else.

Yeah, maybe God works in strange ways, but so do people.:p
I believe that when a gift is given, the person who receives it may do whatever s/he wants to with the gift - the giver loses all control over the gift, even "moral" control. The person who received the plane obviously felt that the best use of the plane was to send it to the person in Jamacia. If I had given the plane, I'd be glad that it went to someone who will use it.

BTW, Bob, when you get the list, please post it. Some of us may have "user" planes we'd be willing to donate.

Mike

[Alan DuBoff]

I believe that when a gift is given, the person who receives it may do whatever s/he wants to with the gift - the giver loses all control over the gift, even "moral" control.And this is a difference in the way I think. I don't give tools to anyone that I don't feel they wouldn't appreciate and be able to use. It's not that I'm against giving something to a person in Jamaica, that all has no bearing to me. The fact is that if I take the time and thought to give a tool to someone, I would hope they would use it. If I give a tool to someone to use and they give it away to someone else, I have not thought out my gift properly, since it is someone else's charity at that point, and I don't feel compelled to give charity in that manner. I give thoughtful gifts to people I know and consider friends.

[Mike Henderson]

And this is a difference in the way I think. I don't give tools to anyone that I don't feel they wouldn't appreciate and be able to use. It's not that I'm against giving something to a person in Jamaica, that all has no bearing to me. The fact is that if I take the time and thought to give a tool to someone, I would hope they would use it. If I give a tool to someone to use and they give it away to someone else, I have not thought out my gift properly, since it is someone else's charity at that point, and I don't feel compelled to give charity in that manner. I give thoughtful gifts to people I know and consider friends.
Alan, I understand your position. For me, a gift is either a gift or it's a control mechanism (if it comes with strings attached). Sometimes people give a "gift" when they are really trying to say something else. For example, I have a friend who only works with power tools. I give him a hand plane because I think this might encourage him to do more work with hand tools. He's perfectly happy with power tools, and gives the plane to someone else. I'm disappointed, but I don't have any control once I gave the gift. But the reason I'm disapointed is that I gave the gift to try to control (or change) my friend - it's wasn't a true gift.

That's just the way I feel and what I believe.

Mike

P.S. If I gave a gift with a good heart and my friend gave it away because he didn't want it, I would be disappointed in myself that I didn't know my friend better and made a wrong choice in a gift for him. But I would not be disappointed in him.

[Alan DuBoff]

P.S. If I gave a gift with a good heart and my friend gave it away because he didn't want it, I would be disappointed in myself that I didn't know my friend better and made a wrong choice in a gift for him. But I would not be disappointed in him.We're on the same page here, most certainly. The OP failed if that was his intent.:(

[Mike Henderson]

And just to highjack this post a bit more...

Although I believe a gift is a gift, I do have a strong sense of "obligation". That is, if you come to me and ask for a favor - maybe to teach you something, or to do some work for you - you better do something to thank me - take me to lunch, give me a box of candy, something - or the next time you come to me, I'll be too busy.

Again, just what I feel and believe.

Mike

[Matthew Springer]

Well, our (or at least mine) Lord and Savior _was_ a hand tool carpenter after all.

Guess He's also a galoot.

[Bob Hallowell]

well, I was very happy it went to someone who would put it to good use and love it. I feel it was they way it was to suposed to happen. Thanks for the interest. I am to get the list in a week or two so I will post it if anyone is interested.

Thanks,
Bob

[Alan DuBoff]

Well, our (or at least mine) Lord and Savior _was_ a hand tool carpenter after all.

Guess He's also a galoot.Not sure who you're referring to exactly, but I don't think he's a savior of mine. Which is why it's best to leave religion off public forums. Thanks for adding "or at least mine", some folks prefer to think their beliefs are those of all.

I'm always glad to see people looking up to the jews, if you're referring to Jesus. While I don't know too much about him, I heard he was a jewish carpenter. This might help to show why religion doesn't belong on a woodworking forum, since there is more than one interpetation of the books people read in regard to it..;)

As far as donations go, I do help people out when I can, and one of the galoots in my area has a cause to gather tools for a small woodworking community in Mexico, through a good friend of his. I have a box of tools I'm donating to that cause as I feel it is also worthwhile to help others. And the cause in Jamaica sounds good also.:)

If anyone is interested in helping Bay Area Galoot, Roger Van Maren, feel free to contact me and I'll provide his email for you. At a recent BAG-A-THON, there was quite a box of decent old hand tools which the local BAG-people donated for the cause. Even some cool, and old english pig stickers. Good to see some tools going to folks that will appreciate them, always, as the Jamaica cause looks to be as well.

[Tony Zaffuto]

DuBois, PA???? Where is DuBois, PA???? Oh yeah, I live here!

Send me a private message for the next time tools are going to be sent-I have some that I don't want to sell, but I'd certainly give.

[Bart Leetch]

I fully believe the man that gave the plane away made the very best use of the plane. He obviously didn't need it (& it would have just been wasted setting on a shelf full of dust) & he may not even know how to use it. But by extension put it into the hands of some one that doesn't have electricity & knows how to use it & will make the very best use of it.

So through his hands if only in passing it is being put to the very best use.

It the though that counted with the original giver of the gift.