Enforced absence

[Benchwayze]

Hi folks.

I have been absent for a number of weeks now, due to a brush with Cellulitis; a nasty skin infection, which attacked the tissues surrounding my artificial knees, and lower legs; taking me off my feet completely. I am reliably informed it could have been far worse, but luckily I am still here to tell the tale. Two weeks in hospital and four (so far) in rehabilitation learning to walk again.

When I get home, I shall have to dispose of my machines (Most of them) and concentrate on hand working. No great worries there, but I shall have to re-develop my patience from scratch!

There is a collection of Festool stuff here, most of which will be disposed of and some of which has never been used because of other happenstances that took me out of the shop. I shan't be able to do much intense planing either, so it looks like using PAR timber will be the answer.

Sooner or later I shall be holding a 'Garage Sale', which seems the best way to do this and possibly the odd item collected in person
So I will be itemising stuff in the For Sale section.
Much depends on what I feel capable of managing.

Woodwork is a wonderful endeavour and it's been a fantastic ride over the years, but its time to slow down and re-commission the Record planes etc.; right back to my roots as it were. Never fear. I am not giving up completely until I really have to!

Regards
John (hammer)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Speaking as one with no lower legs I hope all goes well for you.

 

[sammy.se]

Sorry to hear that - I hope you have a speedy recovery!

 

[toolsntat]

Welcome back John, sad to hear that you need to change your direction in the workshop but glad you are resolute in carrying on.
Cheers Andy

 

[John15]

Good you are on the mend John, and welcome to the Hand Tool brigade.

John

 

[MusicMan]

And as one with two artificial knees, thanks for the cautionary tale, I wish you well, and admire your spirit!

Keith

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks for the support folks. I do appreciate the replies.

Having thought on a little I need to concentrate on finishing the workbench I started before my 'normal world' came crashing around my ears! I wanted it to be the 'Roubo', but I think a more sensible starting point now will be Paul Sellars's bench; I have enough Yellow Pine. But using hand tools? Oooh Now let me see! (hammer)

John

 

[Noel]

John, I'm glad you are on your feet again, literally and figuratively. I wish you well.

 

[Lons]

Sounds pretty nasty John hope the recovery progresses quickly going forward.

 

[Bm101]

Look after yourself John and take care.
Chris

 

[thetyreman]

Hi John, sorry to hear about the health issues, SYP will make a great bench, take it easy

Ben.

 

[Benchwayze]

Latest developments.

I actually walked again to day; using the Zimmer, but a big step in recovery! :lol:

John (hammer)

 

[ColeyS1]

Slow and steady wins the race John. Keep the cogs turning !

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Woodchips2]

Well done John on the road to recovery and the desire to carry on woodworking. Maybe delay the garage sale until you're really, really sure you won't need the power stuff.
Regards Keith

 

[Eric The Viking]

I wouldn't give up the power tools too quickly, John.

You need your knees for hand tool work like planing and sanding, and sawing to a lesser extent, and there will be quite a lot of standing if you go the 'normal' route. So things that minimise stress on the knees are probably worth keeping, for now at least.

My own knees are finally going: I'm 59 and I've had chronic rheumatoid arthritis since I was about 26, so it's pretty impressive that they have lasted this long. have my annual appointment next week, coincidentally, so will be asking about the op, as I really caught the left knee joint this week going upstairs with a very small tray of tea and biscuits!

Point being that I couldn't cope without powered things like electric screwdrivers, the bandsaw, drill press, etc., and of course the PT and the router table. Like you I will have to give up eventually, but not yet!

E.
(with great sympathy!)

 

[RobinBHM]

My sister had cellulitis last year, and its still ongoing.

Ive seen the pics of her feet -its nasty stuff.

I hope you get better soon.

As others have said, I would suggest thinking hard about selling power tools -I actually think they may be easier to use than hand tools -hand planes need a lot of balance shifting in the body and maybe harder on the legs.

 

[AndyT]

Sympathy from me too - getting older has its challenges.

Thinking about your bench project - one thing that doesn't get mentioned often in videos is how heavy big lumps of timber can be.
I upgraded my bench top a few years ago with bits of 3x2 glued together to make a slab. It's not the full depth but even so I found it really difficult to lift and move around on my own. So if you have any abler bodied friends and neighbours around, now's the time to cash in the favours they owe you!

 

[RogerS]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, John. Like the others have suggested...go easy on getting rid of the power tools. For my part, I know that my hands- especially my CMC joints - are on borrowed time.

 

[Benchwayze]

Would you believe it?
I had a relapse and this pesky infection took me back to square one. So another five days in hospital!

Still, I am now back in Rehab, and on my feet once again; shuffling, but on the mend.
Should be home by Christmas! :mrgreen:

Much to my daughter's impending dismay I have had second thoughts about selling my Festool gear and so on. I think I can manage the domino for instance, and the SCMS. I just have to make sure I am supported so I don't topple!
I am looking forward to giving my daughter the good news! :twisted:

Be well folks.

John (hammer)

 

[Benchwayze]

Sympathy from me too - getting older has its challenges.

Thinking about your bench project - one thing that doesn't get mentioned often in videos is how heavy big lumps of timber can be.
I upgraded my bench top a few years ago with bits of 3x2 glued together to make a slab. It's not the full depth but even so I found it really difficult to lift and move around on my own. So if you have any abler bodied friends and neighbours around, now's the time to cash in the favours they owe you!

Indeed Andy. There are quite a few too!

Cheers for the comment.

John (hammer)