Welcome John Shaffner: My Mentor!

Ned Bulken

Member
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5,529
Location
Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
John,
Welcome to Family Woodworking.
Folks, John is my Mentor-turned Partner and a super guy. A few years back I was hanging out on on Woodnet and Woodworking.org (still hang out at the WWA, visit very occasionally on woodnet), and I posted that I was woodworking in my side yard building I think it was a set of bunk beds for my kids. John pipes up that he lives nearby and would I like to get together for a cuppa Joe. We meet and have the first of far too many cups of coffee to count. Next thing I'm visiting his shop a few times. I'd never used a tablesaw before and he has this old classic saw set up in a wonderful old carriage house turned shop.
oldreliable.jpg


That barn was well ventilated, with hot and cold running chipmunks and a half concrete, half dirt floor. (depending on which side of the barn you were in).
I learned to use a CMS,(in the background you can see it set up in the barn)
sbarnpiximag0003.jpg

a router table (and how not to use one... going across the shop to look for a workpiece( that the router grabbed and went 'ZING' with) is NOT a recommended activity, DAMHIKT), and eventually I overcame a very strong fear of that little old tablesaw. That venerable craftsman 9" saw will always be remembered and respected. It had a 'fidgety' fence, and no guard.
After a few weeks of visiting, John opened up his shop to me and I started hanging out over there all the time. I saved up some money and bought a new contractor's saw, which put the old craftsman into storage. (I hope you still have that saw John)
we modified the outfeed table and the shop looked something like this:
sbarnpiximag0002.jpg



When I look back at my woodworking 'career' however, John will always be held in high regard as a great friend and teacher who opened up his shop to a newbie, I hope someday I'll be the old vet and can pass along that spirit of sharing our craft with someone who wants to learn.
Thanks bud!

We spent some time shivering in that unheated shop, but we had a blast whenever we were there.

oh and here's our wood rack:
sbarnpiximag0007.jpg
 
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