Once again, I couldn’t sleep last night. I went from thinking about that harlequin set of hollows and rounds, to thinking about which tools were earning their keep in my shop. Finally, I hit upon it, the hull in the oatmeal: It was time to say goodbye to my 6″ jointer.
In August of last year, I made a conscious decision to focus on improving my hand tool skills, with the aim of reducing my dependence on machines. One of the first skills I chose to focus on was crosscut sawing, since my radial arm saw was taking up so much space. By the first of the year, I had let go of the radial arm saw. Along the way, I was continuing to practice other hand tool skills as well, particularly jointing by hand.
So last night, When midnight came and I couldn’t sleep, I cleaned off my jointer, photographed it, and posted advertisements, offering it for sale. It was scary, giving up that crutch, but liberating at the same time. Selling it will make room in my garage, and will free up some cash for future hand tool purchases.
My goal in the next eighteen months is to win back enough floor space for an Anarchist’ Tool Chest. It feels like I’m getting close. It’s time to start thinking about the machines I have left, their uses, and the possible alternatives. Stay tuned.
life, revisited 