Craftspeople accumulate tools and supplies, and some of us could use the help of the tool police to keep us in line with purchases of new bits and pieces. But the current project on my bench proves I eventually use all I accumulate.
The carving currently occupying my workbench is of the schooner Ada Bailey*. As depicted, she is on a starboard tack and is slightly heeled over to port. This means that the observer can view parts of the inside of her starboard ( right side) rail.
It’s straightforward to portray a hull flat on the water, and most times, that is the favored view. In this case, I have to show that rail which adds depth to the carving ( about an eighth of an inch) and makes it necessary for the groundwork behind the vessel to be cleared even deeper. Fussy, fussy, fussy! And a bit of a pain to carve. Out come all the little U-shaped veining tools that hardly ever get used and the tiny rifler files to clean up the odd whisker of wood.
Shaping the sails and hull? No problem. Getting this little bit of perspective correct? Well, it’s getting there.
*Little survives of Ada Bailey. Built in 1884 in the Sewall yard in Bath, Maine, for the A. Sewall Company she foundered ( probably ran aground) in 1894 – location unknown. I’m basing this carving on the 1888 portrait of the vessel by Antonio Jacobson. It seems to be the only rendering that’s survived.
The tool police are definitely in need over here
No, No! Not the tool police! We’ll behave…for a while.
Lol
Not a craftsman by any stretch, though my “tool police” often finds one of my tools has mysteriously landed on the dining table. I rummage a kitchen drawer periodically to retrieve it. It helps me not go purchase another!
My husband decided he could fix the problem with our kitchen faucet, but he needed a special wrench. He bought it. Didn’t need it because the fix turned out to be simpler than he thought. He had tossed the receipt so might as well keep the wrench…. I think he planned that all along.
You guys and your tools…
Well, I can’t buy anymore because Xenia came into the shop the other day on a periodic inspection tour and found that her bed had been moved to make room for a tool. I have been ordered to clean up and make amends.
I’m all for good tools. A person is only as good at what they do if they have good tools. I have power tools with thread and lots and lots of tools of every kind too. Don’t let the tool police know where I live. I came home with vise grips and a hack saw this week. My son said he had tools if I needed them. They do me no good in his shed so I buy my own. 🙂 I’m that kinda girl. 🙂
When you need it you need it! asking someone to fetch to over holds up the process. You are absolutely correct!