You *all* have better shops than I do!

Bill Lantry

Member
Messages
2,663
Location
Inside the Beltway
Forgive any potential unseemliness, but I guess the etiquette is to introduce oneself. My name is Bill Lantry, and I work inside the beltway. A few years ago, Doorlink and I bought a rundown but pretty big house just *outside* the beltway, which backs up on the northwest branch of the Anacostia river, so even if we're in a big city on a foreign coast, it feels like the countryside in the west, where I grew up. I claimed the one car garage as my first shop, and I've been building it on the cheap since then. Just so you know, I have never yet managed to make a square cut in my life, so everything I make is crooked... but they're a little less crooked than they used to be. Doorlink and I have six boys, ranging from 22 to 2 1/2, so there's no shortage of things to be done. Right now, I'm trying to make my first bench... but like I said, it's on the cheap, so I'm making it out of hem fir... in other words, 2 x 4s... ;)

I've spent a bit of time on another forum, but the dissonance there is a bit much for me, so here I am: searching for peace and harmony and a little woodworking...

Thanks,

Bill
 
Hello William! :wave: Welcome.

I, too, came her looking for peace and civility. I do not think you will be disappointed. You will also find a tremendous amount of experience here (something to which I contribute infintesimally) and great people willing to share their time and experience.

Cheap is good! Don't downplay it. My first bench was a 36" x 96" monster with 4x4 legs, 2x4 stretchers and a face-to-face laminated SYP 2x4 top with 3/4" oak T&G flooring for a work surface. It was HEAVY. I built it over 30 years ago and gave it to a friend of mine when I moved west 12 years ago. He still uses it every day.

Where "out west" do you hail from? Why are you 'in the beltway'?

Don't forget to post some pictures of that bench when it's done! :)
 
Welcome

Bill

Welcome! This is a kinder gentler place, but we still like to kid each other so don't hold back.

My first woodworking project was a coffee table built

out of 2x2 that I glued up to make a BIG finger joint to join the top and legs. I was so green it never occurred to me that I had to make sure that the wood was all the same dimension! When I got to joining up the top and legs there was a whole lot of paring and filling that had to be accomplished -- can you say plastic wood?

Anyway, it stayed with us for many years, 20 I think, before it was banished to the scrap pile.

You'll find lots of support here, we look forward to your posts

Jay
 
Welcome Bill...

Not a lot of folks here probably know what "inside the beltway means"...but Denise and I sure do. We had a townhouse in Chantilly and a home in Warrenton before we sold both and moved south to Georgia a little over a year ago. We sure don't miss the urban "sprawl and crawl" of the NoVA/DC area.

But I understand the feeling of countryside near DC if you're on or near the river. I spent many many hours fishing the Potomac...completely forgetting how close I actually was to all that mess!!! ;)

BTW folks...for those that might not know, Bill's referring to the Washington DC Beltway (I-495)...one of the WORST roadways I have ever had the displeasure to commute on! :doh:

Now Bill, as for that first bench, there's nothing wrong with using construction lumber. Heck, my first bench in my big ole shop is made out of pressure treated lumber left-overs. :thumb:

Hope you enjoy your stay. Don't be afraid to ask questions, post pictures, make comments, or just sit back and watch. The choice is yours! Whatever you decide, glad you decided to join us...:wave:

- Marty -
 
Welcome Bill - glad you found the family:thumb:

I've lived inside and outside the beltway for 20 years. Used to live in Bowie, MD and worked downtown, so I probably drove near your place a few times.:rolleyes: Two years ago I escaped to semi-rural New Mexico. The last month we lived there, my wife and I resolved never to go on the Beltway again - wasn't easy, but we enjoyed a few new back roads.

By the way, don't worry about stuff being crooked. I'm taking a Fine Woodworking course in Santa Fe and getting grief because everything I make is square - they want me to be more creative.:dunno:

Anyhow, just jump in - its a good gang here and we are pleased to have you.
Jess
 
Welcome and congrats on the first shop. Don't worry about doing it on the cheap. If I revealed how much some of my tools cost, guys here would be bringing bags of groceries to the house.
And, don't knock crooked furniture. If you try to sell, just mark it several thousands of dollars and call it art. :rofl:
Squared of stuff is ordinary, everybody does that. Not really original. ;)
 
Hey Beltway boys, I lived in Winchester then moved to Falls Church,Va. when I was working with disturbed boys, now I am one.:rofl: :rofl: But I like woodworking, does that count? :D Welcome William!
Shaz
 
Welcome Bill and don't worry we all have to start somewhere and I expect that most of our starts in woodworking were quite humble.

And Marty, thanks for the explanation of what the beltway is. I did not have the fainest idea (even though I did live in the USA for almost seven years).
 
Forgive any potential unseemliness, but I guess the etiquette is to introduce oneself. My name is Bill Lantry, and I work inside the beltway. A few years ago, Doorlink and I bought a rundown but pretty big house just *outside* the beltway, which backs up on the northwest branch of the Anacostia river, so even if we're in a big city on a foreign coast, it feels like the countryside in the west, where I grew up. I claimed the one car garage as my first shop, and I've been building it on the cheap since then. Just so you know, I have never yet managed to make a square cut in my life, so everything I make is crooked... but they're a little less crooked than they used to be. Doorlink and I have six boys, ranging from 22 to 2 1/2, so there's no shortage of things to be done. Right now, I'm trying to make my first bench... but like I said, it's on the cheap, so I'm making it out of hem fir... in other words, 2 x 4s... ;)

I've spent a bit of time on another forum, but the dissonance there is a bit much for me, so here I am: searching for peace and harmony and a little woodworking...

Thanks,

Bill

Man have you ever come to the right place. This place is great. I have said this before, but joining a woodworking forum is like a group of like-minded people coming into an old hardware store, pulling up an old spike keg and having a seat around the pot bellied stove with a cup of coffee in hand and talking about woodworking. Just like at a hardware store there are other side conversations going on (sub-forums) where people chat about lathe work, old iron and finishing projects. I think as long as people keep that general idea alive, and even though it is all done online, things are gentele and civil.

As for not having much of a shop, I think there are plenty of us in the same boat. I know I have a tendency to get by without a lot of great tools. At the same time I think I make some pretty cool projects.

As for the beltway, my sister used to live in Fairfax Virgina. I spent a whole month down there in 1998 fixing up her house and building her a great shed.
 
Welcome Bill! :wave:

Your shop may not be much now, but give it time, it will flesh out.

I might have a bit more in my shop now, but I'll will guarantee you this, you have MUCH easier access to your shop than I have to mine :D

Again, "Welcome" and post pics if you got them!

Cheers!
 
Welcome Bill. I spend about a week a quarter up there dealing with the agencies. It feels good to get on the plane to come home every time I am there. The one trip that was not long enough, was spring last year when I hit as much of the Smithsonian as time would allow. I needed another 3 days (spent 2) to see it correctly. This is a very friendly forum that is run by the membership, so any suggestions or gripes will be taken seriously.
 
Hey, folks,

Thanks for the warm welcome. This is just the kind of place I was looking for... but I'll probably get kicked off when you see the substandard quality of my woodworking... ;)

Spent most of the morning working on the bench. Took a bunch of pictures, so if I can figure out how to post them I'll put em up this evening. It's amazing what an adventure it is for such a simple project... I've got four or five pretty funny anecdotes just from building the base... ;)

The good news: I got a kerosene heater the other day, so at least I'm not shivering, and can do glue-ups. It's supposed to be below 0 centigrade for several days next week, here in the frozen north. Not only that, but I can blame those really awful tenons on all the carbon monoxide the heater's producing... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Bill if we kicked people off for lousy woodworking, we have to start with me, I've done my fair share for sure! :rolleyes:

Pics are easy to do, look here........

Vaughn's Pic Posting Tutorial <-

Careful with them kerosene heaters, they are warm, but they sure do eat up the stuff that let's you keep breathing :eek: (DAMHIKT!!)

Stay warm, keep at it, and I'll look forward to your pics!
 
Hey, folks,

Thanks for the warm welcome. This is just the kind of place I was looking for... but I'll probably get kicked off when you see the substandard quality of my woodworking... ;)
Hi Bill,
Hope I speak for the majority in saying "substandard quality" may be rephrased as " pre great craftsmandship":D . Few are truely gifted, most of us just like woodworking and work at it and fully intend to do better on our next piece. You are welcome at whatever level of competency you put yourself in. :wave:
Shaz




Bill[/quote
 
Hi Bill -

Let me add my welcome (again, since we met via e-mail), and also reiterate that it's not the skill level, it's the spirit that counts. All of us are continually improving our skills, and you'll find all levels here. Everything from real masters to guys like me. ;)
 
Top