A Long Way From Thomas Edison

Well the weather has made a turn here in Wisconsin this week with temps up into the 40's. We are talking about a 60 degree turn around from the -20 below temps we were sporting the week before. How could I stay away from the shop with the weather so balmy and beautiful. (I know some of you from the more southern areas are cringing to hear me talk about 40 degrees as comfortable and balmy, but after a while at -20 degrees I was ready to break out the shorts . . . almost.)

Maybe its just the change in weather, maybe its a wish for an early spring, maybe it was just the giddy happiness that sometimes accompanies the time I get to spend making sawdust, but I decided to peel back the tarps I have covering a lot of my tools (protection from condensation and a leaky roof) and use the video feature on my little digital camera to record a quick tour of my shop. The whole thing was done as a one take deal. I resolved to confine my perfectionist was to working off the cuff and keeping what I recorded, in the order I recorded, however I recorded it, so you will have to excuse some of the jumpy nature of the production and editing.

I love to look into other people's shops, When we go rummage sale shopping here on weekends in the summer I'm not looking for that 25 cent bargain Harley Davidson T Shirt that's two sizes to small. I'm looking into the garages to see the way someone will have it set up, what tools the might have and the layout they use, those kinds of things. I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just looking for ideas. There are all kinds of shops, just like there are all kinds of woodworkers, and I think there's always something you can learn looking into someone else's shop. So you are welcome to sit right there and take a quick look into mine.

As a side note, I had a funny kind of epiphany while I was editing the video and putting things together. For some of the editing I turned the sound off to just watch and see if there were other tweeks I needed to make to it before I put it up on YouTube. Watching yourself move and talk with the sound off is an interesting exercise. I could not help but realize just how many manerisms I had that were the mimic of my father. From the turn of my head a certain way to the way I shrug my shoulders when I make a joke. I could sit there and watch and see my father coming through in the things I was doing. I wonder if he'll see the same thing when he sees this video...will he see himself, or just me? I almost can't wait to find out what he thinks.

Cheers
Oldwolf