Retired!

[Eddie Watkins]

As of 4:00pm yesterday, I am officially retired or, as my nephew pointed out, unemployed. I'm not sure reality has set in yet. At any rate, I received a very generous gift certificate from Woodcraft from my coworkers and am looking for ideas on thing(s) to buy. I have all the major tools (TS, BS, lathe, jointer, planer, DP, etc.) I'm thinking possibly the Fein Multimaster and/or maybe the new Festool Domino even though I have a biscuit jointer. My vacuum is the Fein but I doubt that is an issue. I would also like to get a better general purpose router table. I have also been thinking about getting more into handtools so a selection of some basic handtools will be helpful. I've asked Steve Wargo for some help in the area of handtools but all suggestions will be appreciated. LOML wants me to get a CNC router so, while cost is always a concern, it's not the primary decision point and I have spousal support (who also has a long list of items she wants made ).

Eddie

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Eddie! Enjoy your retirement!

[Bruce Page]

Congratulations Eddie, that’s a major milestone.
I’m no help on what to get.

[Tyler Howell]

Congrats Eddie,
Don't linger in the doorway I'm right behind you.
Enjoy

[Nancy Laird]

Congrats Eddie,
Don't linger in the doorway I'm right behind you.
Enjoy

Me too, Eddie. Enjoy your "leisure!!"

Nancy (139 days)

[Stuart Johnson]

Congratulations on the retirement. A few things to remember:
1. No paid vacation days.
2. No paid sick days.
3. No personal days.
4. If the comics are printed in color it is Sunday.

One thing you should never, never do is suggest helping your wife organize her day so she has more free time.

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Eddie!! (I can only hope to be able to retire someday...)

I vote for hand tools with your gift. Even for a tailed-woodworker, there are so many ways to enhance projects and project steps through their use. That's pretty much what I'm buying at this point...

[Eddie Watkins]

Thanks all!! Wow, it sounds like a stampede behind me with Nancy and Tyler. I have kept my watch set by logging on th NIST time at least once a week for years, now I'll be setting my watch by the color of the comis in the paper, that will be a change!!
Jim, I think you're right, I tend to be leanning in the direction of handtools.

Eddie

[Vic Damone]

The first thing I noticed about retirement is that you wake up in the morning with little to do but by noon your an hour behind. it's probably just me.

Vic

[David Wilson]

Eddie
Congrats on your retirement. I did it the first of november last year and havn't regretted it for a second.

[Ken Werner]

Eddie, first of all congrats and best wishes for too much fun.

As for the gift, seems to me it ought to be special, wonderful and last for as long as your retirement does. To me, that means no tail. How about some really fine hand tools - a Wenzloff or LN saw? A LN plane? A LV plane? Some really nice chisels and stones to hone them? Something that won't burn out or go obsolete because a new and better one has been developed....

Just my $.03 [accounting for inflation]

[Eddie Watkins]

Eddie, first of all congrats and best wishes for too much fun.

As for the gift, seems to me it ought to be special, wonderful and last for as long as your retirement does. To me, that means no tail. How about some really fine hand tools - a Wenzloff or LN saw? A LN plane? A LV plane? Some really nice chisels and stones to hone them? Something that won't burn out or go obsolete because a new and better one has been developed....

Just my $.03 [accounting for inflation]

Ken,
That's my thinking also, if you have any particular models please let me know. I've always told people I was more a technician than a craftsman, I know how to run the power tools. I'm wanting to get more into the handwork and craftsmanship.

[Brett Baldwin]

Eddie, since you've got some time on your hands now (congrats) you might want to look at a few books and maybe a class or two and find out what sort of things you might like to do. Almost every different type of woodworking has a different set of tools it uses so that might be the guide you need to choose which tools. Bench chisels and a block plane are probably the most universal hand tools so you can look into those and see what you like. Go to the stores and try some out, read what people are saying about them, maybe hunt the flea markets for some good finds. You're retired now! No need to rush into it. Enjoy the hunt for them and the using will be even better.

[David G Baker]

Eddie,
Before too long you are going to find that you will have the meanest boss you have ever had. He will make you work long hours with out pay. He will make you do things that you couldn't pay anyone else to do. He will cost you more money than you have ever dreamed of. You will be your own boss. I have never worked harder in my life since I retired in 2000 and it sure has been great.
I retired at 55 because many of the guys in my profession had an average of 19 month life expectancy after reaching the retirement age of 65. I couldn't stand the thought of giving the best years of my life to the "Company".
Congratulations and enjoy all of those things you dreamed about doing after retiring.

[Greg Crawford]

Eddie,

I would suggest treating yourself to something you'd never get otherwise, and like Ken said, something that will last for generations.

Enjoy!