Remember getting the Sears Christmas catalog as a kid?

[Gary Cunningham]

Yesterday I recieved the 'grown adult' version: A Lee Valley Fine Woodworking Tools catalog.

LV has stuff I have never knew existed, but darned if I don't want some of it.

[David Dalzell]

When I was a kid (long, long time ago) we got the Monky Wards (AKA Montgomery Wards) catalog every year. We lived in the mountains of Northern California. I camped, hunted, rode horses, and generally had one hell of a good time. I used to order leg hold traps which I used to trap fox, rabbit, raccoons, etc. I would exchange the pelts with Monky Wards in exchange for .22 long rifle cartridges for my Stevens single shot rifle. Great times, but gone forever.

[george wilson]

That catalog was the most studied book in the house!! I don't think I ever shot more than a .22 short until I got my first "real" job as a shop teacher (which did not include sanding furniture out of doors all day,or working in the Dairy Queen).

[William Adams]

yeah, I've always regretted that my catalog collection got pitched when we moved up here.

[Kevin Womer]

I remember looking at both the Sears and Penny's catalogs for hours at toys. Only difference now is I look at tool catalogs much the same way now when I have the opportunity.

[Dave Beauchesne]

We only got the Sears catalogue on the Canadian prairies.

I'll never forget the year they came out with a TI calculator on the back page. Add, subtract, multiply and divide is all it would do. $99.99. That would have been about 1971.

Ah, the good old days.

[Thomas L. Miller]

Dave,
I remember lusting after that TI Calculator. One kid in our advanced physics class came back from Christmas holidays (in 1971 btw). The professor wouldn't let him use it in class or on tests. Everything was geared for slide rules which was all any of us had. The fact that the thing could "float" a decimal point was just too much to wish for! Of course when we sent our kids off to college, they both took state of the art computers with them to their WiFi enabled dorm rooms. Boy, time sure has flown by.
Regards,
Tom

[James Pallas]

I remember the catalogs very well. Better yet was a trip to the store. By the time I was 7 or 8 mom and dad would just leave me in the tool department (when you could do things like that). I was absolutely fascinated with the tools. To be able to touch them was magic. It was even better when I was able to get some of them. I think I new the name of every tool and its purpose by age 10. Tools were what I wanted for gifts. My friends thought I was a little off. I guess that part never goes away. Im talking about the tool part not the off part. I can see the front of the LV catalogue from where I sit.
Jim