If money was no object

MarkDennehy · 17 Dec 2017

Ah, those are just steampunk record planes

Whereas the UG-1 is new. And a gadget. And shiny.

You utter sprouts.

AndyT · 17 Dec 2017

I can't decide if those Bridge City tools sell to people who use them to make stuff or only to people who like shiny collectables and hope that future unavailability will make them valuable - the dubious premise of the Franklin Mint and similar.

So, has anyone ever read about someone exploiting the claimed ergonomic advantages of Bridge City tools? Any "woodworkers who value their time" who have ever shared a project build story on line? Any reviews after actual use?

ED65 · 17 Dec 2017

Paddy Roxburgh":20hqtc0z said:
If money were no object I would learn about the subjunctive, but then again perhaps all that money would cure me of my pedantry.

Or to keep it simpler, the conditional tense. Also far more useful in day-to-day language, given it is common to eschew subjunctive entirely and not notice its absence.

memzey":20hqtc0z said:
Starting a sentence with “And”? Tut tut.

I too was taught in school not to begin a sentence with and or but, or with a preposition. This was wrong then and is still wrong now. These are not grammar rules, no matter how much our teachers wanted us to believe they were. It's a style thing, so open to cultural differences, context of use (formal/informal writing, not forgetting 'house style'), is subject to changing modes/tastes and eventually comes down to nothing less than individual preference which, as Shakespeare long ago set the precedent for, trumps all.

D_W · 17 Dec 2017

AndyT":2clm1ngt said:
I can't decide if those Bridge City tools sell to people who use them to make stuff or only to people who like shiny collectables and hope that future unavailability will make them valuable - the dubious premise of the Franklin Mint and similar.

So, has anyone ever read about someone exploiting the claimed ergonomic advantages of Bridge City tools? Any "woodworkers who value their time" who have ever shared a project build story on line? Any reviews after actual use?

They're intended to be used (I don't know what the franklin mint made other than a bunch of small cars), but I'm sure there's some of that limited run kind of thing there. That's a pretty easy model to find all over the place. If you have something that would sell, but maybe not sell that well, constantly introduce limited run things and get a group of collectors interested in it.

In terms of who uses and who doesn't over here, I would imagine the majority are gotten and set aside (unused or not, I don't know). There was a collector local to me who had two of each of everything until he died. He had other stuff, too, but an entire (american sized) basement full of mostly bridge city stuff. Multiple copies of each to ensure that he had at least one of each item in unopened condition.

He died, and a dealer bought his collection. I'll bet his spouse lost a lot.

Konrad Sauer · 20 Dec 2017

This is a really difficult question to answer without some additional information. What type of work are you currently doing? What type of work do you aspire to do in the future? The planes and chisels you are currently using... how are they not living up to your expectations... or put another way - how are they falling short (assuming they are they falling short)?

The work I do tends to be quite precise, and I need tools that will enable me to work accordingly. For me, that means very finely tuned planes and chisels capable of precise work. Some tools are simply not capable of doing what I need them to do - so as my skills improved, I replaced my tools accordingly. I let the level of my skills and work requirements determine the tools I use. Let the work guide your purchases... that approach has worked well for me over the years.

shed9 · 20 Dec 2017

Konrad Sauer":2xv1iwkn said:
This is a really difficult question to answer without some additional information. What type of work are you currently doing? What type of work do you aspire to do in the future? The planes and chisels you are currently using... how are they not living up to your expectations... or put another way - how are they falling short (assuming they are they falling short)?

The work I do tends to be quite precise, and I need tools that will enable me to work accordingly. For me, that means very finely tuned planes and chisels capable of precise work. Some tools are simply not capable of doing what I need them to do - so as my skills improved, I replaced my tools accordingly. I let the level of my skills and work requirements determine the tools I use. Let the work guide your purchases... that approach has worked well for me over the years.

I agree, there are just as many variables to the question as there are opinions. A lot comes down to value and what part of that value you can use from that tool. Financial cost shouldn't really play a part if (ironically) it's no object in the first place.