The other day Mary came by and brought me some new tools (new to me) she found in her parent’s antique shop. I had asked her to put aside anything she might come across that looked like it could be in that book she gave me, and said I mostly wanted axes, drawknives, chisels, slicks and most of all a boring machine.

She asked her dad about the machine and he said he had the chassis for one, but no handle assembly. Luckily for me, he was mistaken. Mary found the complete machine, and it works awesome. It’s missing auger bits, but I might have a few I can use. I really wish I had something to make right now so I could use it, or even a scrap timber so I could practice with it.

Mary also found me some other highly useful antique tools, including: a hollow shave, a chamfer knife, and a drawknife. All of them need some work before I can use them, but I look forward to sharpening and oiling them and seeing how well of a job I do, and then how well of a job they do.

I wish I lived in the woods. I’d go chop a tree right now and start building. Maybe instead I’ll go steal something already chopped at the Gorge later.