2004 in Review
Brad in Ottawa
>I know it is a little early but I thought I would share some of the highlights of my 2004 and see if anyone else had anything to share!
GLOAT (Highlight of 2004 Category)
This October, Ellis came up to Ottawa for a whirlwind two-day tour. Thanks to Denis Chenard for organizing a dinner and a chance to meet with Ellis, Rob Lee, Jack in Nepean, Norm in Metcalfe, Terry McClean, Bob in LaChute and Louis G. As was said of our mugshot on the main board� a fine group of reprobates.
MOVING VIOLATION (Most Fun Category)
A Roadtrip with Gump in Renfrew, Bob and Terry to the Tools of the Trade show. This show is the largest of its� kind in Canada and a great chance to buy hand tools.
Who knew a 4 hour drive at 5:30am could be so much fun? The car ride turned out to be just as much fun as the show itself. It was a great chance to talk about tools and wood with someone who actually understood what you were talking about!
The Runner Up was Central Santa, thanks to Ernie and all participants!
BEST 2004 ACQUISITION (Not necessarily a gloat!)
I�m not a big rust hunter and I don�t do candy cane drive bys, so that limits my ability to gloat. :P What I can say is that I am pretty happy with my new Crown Plane Panel Raiser, exactly what the doctor ordered! My raised panels never looked better!
HIGHER LEARNING (AKA The Moment of Zen)
I was at the Ottawa Woodworking Show watching Rob Cosman while trying to keep my wallet shut. (I kept my wallet shut but come March I might open it up a little much to my wife�s horror.) Rob was busy sharpening when something clicked. Something has to be said for watching someone in person versus on video. It just clicked.
Before the show my sharpening skills were good and I could sharpen in a decent amount of time. Now my sharpening sessions produce great results and are fast(er).
I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER (Homer Simpson D�Oh Category)
When using my newly acquired Scrub plane this year I learned just how quickly these mow through wood. Instead of the 7/8� I was shooting for I wound up with a �� board. It could have been worse, I could have cut a tenon too short resulting in further redesign opportunities!
FAVOURITE 2004 THREAD
Not hand tool related but the recent thread on Frame and Panel doors that led to a discussion on Column Orders. BTW, Carving Architectural Detail in Wood is a decent book explaining Column Orders. I thought Adam and Leif�s posts were excellent material.
http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/handtools.pl?read=54557
WHAT I WILL DO IN 2005(What I will do in 2005 Category)
Complete the constantly interrupted Cherry Dry Sink Project� I think my Honey Do list has shrunk enough that there should be minimal interruptions this year!!! My small projects and home improvements are great but this is the one I want to complete!!!
Hope everyone had a great 2004 and will have an even better 2005!
Brad