1. Name (and nick names)
Louis Bois
2. Age/DOB
44 years young July 9th, 1963
3. Location (present and previous):
I was born in Grand-Falls, New Brunswick and went to college in Moncton. From there, I moved to Quebec City, where I lived for about 7 hours (I was hired to work for an Engineering/Consulting firm that was moving the same day they hired me) and went from there to Ottawa, where I lived for 6 years. From there, I moved to Toronto...where I have resided ever since.
4. Tell us about your family:
I'm a 9th generation Canadian with French roots in both Brittany and Normandy. I lost my father to cancer when I was 16 and my mom is still a gardening wonder at 75. I have 2 younger brothers and an older sister. I've been married to the same lovely lady for 20 years and we have a 3-yr old son (the only 10th generation male in the Bois lineage).
5. How do you earn a living, woodworking or other, any interesting previous occupations.
I'm a mechanical designer by trade and sometimes do some illustration work on the side. I've also done a fair bit of computer related stuff such as: build them, maintain networks, etc... I've recently experienced a mid-life crisis...sort of...and since flashy cars are too expensive, I've taken up one of my childhood passions...Skateboarding, or in this case, Longboarding. Yes, I am a middle-aged fool..and loving every minute of it!
6. Equipment overview (hand tools and other):
As is the case with most people on this forum, I have more tools than I can use! No, really. I have a plethora of bench planes (with a penchant for Millers Falls), some combination planes, LV tools (bench planes, shoulder planes, a block plane, etc...), a few LN tools (saws and block planes), a bunch of old 19th century saws, Auriou rasps and carving tools, drawknives, spokeshaves, braces, drills, assorted chisels...you name it, I've probably got one in some form or other. I seriously need to thin the heard...anyone looking for something?!?
Oh yes, I also have a few power tools, most notably a TOTL 12-yr old Craftsman table saw...and a 14" bandsaw by same. I have a router, but it scares the be-jeebers out of me...those suckers really spin fast!
7. Describe your shop:
I do all of my work in a basement space of about 300 sq.ft. (and that's being generous). All of my work revolves around my bench. Needless to say, stuff gets shuffled around quite a bit.
8. Tell us about the hand planes you own, and your favorite one(s) to use:
I like the LV bench planes and use their versions of the 4 1/2 and 5 1/4 quite a bit. I also love their shoulder planes...very effective planes. I do most of my final smoothing with Infills that I've built or acquired, but my favourite is a Wayne Anderson smoother that I received in trade. It truly is an amazing tool and a joy to use. A few of my other favourites are two instrument maker's planes by Christopher Laarman. They just feel right in the hand and are a perfect blend of form/function.
9. You favorite chisels:
I'd probably have to say my Berg chisels.
10. Your favorite handsaw(s):
This is a toughy, but I'll have to go with a nice little 24" Disston #12 - Crosscut, from the turn of the century. It always steers true...I don't even have to try and hold a line.
11. Do you use western tools or Japanese, why do you prefer the ones you use:
I use mostly western tools...they're easier to find in the wild. I'd like to try "Eastern" tools someday...but first, to thin the heard...mooooo...
12. Do you have a woodworking home page:
I've had an operational webpage in my head for years!! LOL...but in practice, the time just isn't there for me to put it together the way I'd like to...yet.
13. Do you have any influences in your work? Certain styles or designers you follow/prefer:
I don't prescribe to a specific style, but rather an agglomeration of many differing elements. I'm a big fan of the Shaker philosophy and love many Craftsman pieces (as well as "Glasgow style" work from Charles Rennie Mackintosh, etc...), but I'll pretty much go with anything that catches my eye or inspires me in some way.
14. Do you have any ancestors who were woodworkers that served as inspiration?
I guess the closest relative that serves as inspiration would be my maternal grandfather. Unfortunately, I never really met any of my grandparents as they all passed away before I reached my first year...but I apparently share some traits with this man who was a carpenter/tinkerer/inventor. I sometimes feel a bizarre connection to the past as though I was born in the wrong era...strange.
15. What is your favorite neander project, or part of a project, you have ever done and why:
That's an easy one. The rocking horse I made for my son's 3rd birthday is at the top of the list. The self-imposed deadline was hairy at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process...though I must say, the painting part still disturbs me a bit...but it's grown on me. Every time I put tool to wood (mostly handtools as witnessed in my account on this forum), I would envision my son (and future generations thereof...) riding this steed. It's the most satisfying feeling to walk into his playroom and see "Gabriel" proudly perched on his rocking stand.
16. Do you believe there is any spiritual dimension to woodworking with hand tools:
Next question....that's a tough one to peg. I'll admit that some moments could be defined as spriritual. I've often had an eerie feeling that a mallet...or chisel...or carving tool is being guided by unseen hands. It's as though I'm not really in control of the work unfolding in front of me. But then I have a cup of coffee and the feeling goes away.
But seriously, the spiritual aspect is most prevalent during those pensive moments, working with hand tools...when everything else just ceases to be. I'm completely in the moment...lost in it. That's an enormously satisfying feeling. It's very difficult in this day and age to achieve this mindset with all the thoughts of everyday life plowing through the brain. Let's call it meditation and leave it at that, shall we?
17. How much of your work is done by hand tools. Do you use whatever is best for the job or do you use hand tools even when they are less efficient:
Let's face it, time is probably one of the biggest constraints we all have to deal with when it comes to woodworking. We either have limited time in the shop or we're making something with the intent of turning some sort of profit. To that end, power tools are used for most of the grunt work if possible. Though I can romanticize ripping 20'x10"X4" thick boards down the middle...the sight of a bandsaw will quickly snap me out of my reverie. I will use handtools for most every other aspect of a project...and by the end, most surfaces of a piece will have seen sharpened steel.
18. What is your single most favorite tool, and why.
It's difficult to pick just one, but the first that comes to mind (this week) is a little carving knife that was made by Eric Seguin from Quebec. It just flows as an extension of the hand and is a complete joy to use...something that is often overlooked by commercial makers.
Bottom line? Any well-made hand tool, past or present, that performs the task it was assigned to do...and does it well...is a winner in my book.
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I've wanted to know more about you for a while since I found out you were doing illustrations for PWW. glad you found the time. Thanks.
