a blog dedicated to vintage tool use in the modern shop

We all love to spend time in our shops..cleaning, rearranging, crafting or enjoying a beer, pop, wine etc. just staring at our domain and pondering our next earthshattering creation. Hello, My name is Mike Evens, and like all of you, find joy in making things using a variety of wood, techniques, equipment and finishes. I come from a family of craftsman, cabinet makers, builders, carpenters……except me. I make my living working for a municipality. My forte for over 25 years was building race cars. Steel instead of wood, welders instead of glue, speed was the goal. working wood gave me the break from fast pace life, to enjoy some peace and quiet, and run my hands over a freshly sanded tabletop. As you know quality tools in any form, new cost a lot of money. I inherited many old tools, and with a little time and effort, as well as a new found enjoyment, they became great users. from hand planes, to table saws and workbenches..old tools…vintage tools …built the world. I would put my Bailey 4 1/2 up against a Lie Neilsen any day. don’t get me wrong, if I had to buy a new plane it would be a hard choice between Veritas, and LN..but I love MY tools…paid for, maintained , restored, by my hands. I made this blog to give advice, receive new ideas, help others make the most of there tools, tips on upgrades I have found that are awe inspiring and upgrades that are not so great. feel free to email me questions and I will answer them the best I can

Mike