Olde Tool Workshop

A few Saturdays ago, I attended the Midwest Tool Collector’s Association (MWTCA) tool meet, and finished acquiring all the tools listed in The Anarchist’s Tool Chest (ATC) book, yea! I can fit almost all of my tools in my traveling version of the ATC, except my saws. So I got to thinking that I currently did not have a good way to store or transport my saws. During the MWTCA tool meet, I saw an old military ammo crate that would have almost done the trick. I did not buy the crate…because I thought it would be more fun to build my own!

On Saturday the 15th of September, my brother, Berry, and I went to the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association annual tool meet here in Raleigh, NC. This is one of my favorite meets as it is not far from my home, the weather is usually not too hot, and there are tons of tools and experts to tell you all about them.

Here are some of the highlights of this years meet:

It all started when I followed Chris Schwarz’s advice and bought the Glen-Drake Tite-Mark marking gauge.

The Tite-Mark gauge has been as useful as Chris described it, and I love this gauge! It is not the problem. I also have a 90’s version of the Veritas marking gauge from Lee Valley tools[1]. This is a nice gauge also, and I have used it for years without a problem; however, after seeing how useful it was to fully retract the blade into the body of the Tite-Mark gauge, I came up with what seemed to be, a brilliant idea: I would drill out the body of the Veritas so I could fully retract the cutter in it. It is brass and easy to work … right?

Here is my new workshop. It is glorious! I now have tons of room, great light, and a comfortable environment to work in. The white oak floor is so much better on my back than the concrete in my garage. As this is in my house, my family visits more frequently and gets more involved. I would like to thank my wife for suggesting this; she knows this was the right choice every time she sees the joy on my face while I am working here.