Do I really want Lie Nielsen?

[Michael Gibbons]

Geez, good thing I got to put my answer down for the original question early. I think we might run out of hard drive space.

Do I do a whole lot of work with my tools? NO

Do I spend a lot on tools? YES

Am I a member of the Black Hole (general wwing) club? YES

Am I a member of the Vortex club? YES

Am I a member of the Slippery Slope club? YES

Do I usually buy the best available or the latest hot gadget? YES

Do I need the best available or the lastest hot gadget? NO

I realized not too long ago that I might just be buying tools for the sake of buying tools and that getting to the point of having a seperate stand alone shop behind the house, ( hopefully in the next couple years), and having the best tools available, ( in my opinion) , just might be the final goal. Don't get me wrong, I love woodworking and making firewood. I don't believe that there are two members here that have the same financial, marital or WWing situation as the next one. The LOML lets me get new stuff within reason because I don't cheat on her, gamble (except at Superbowl time), drink, smoke or do drugs and hunting season is only a few weekends per year for me. We both work making a decent living. In a situation like that, I'll take her up on her generosity everytime. And when I do, I won't go buy used anything. She's come around to my way of thinking since we got married. I've only bought one used car and really hated it. It was always something. I have better things to do than to work on other peoples problems whether it's a #5 or a car. Next time you go to your local Woodcraft, ask to see a Stanley and a same size Lie-Nielsen at the same time. Look at the machining and feel the handle, Look at the tolerances. I guarantee you'll notice the differences and if you can't then your senses are seriously impaired. And if you can and the differences aren't that important to you, then by all means get the cheaper one. It's your cash. On Rob Cosmans Handcut Dovetails video, he talks about the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. He says it's incredible because all the things you would need to do to get a cheap saw working properly is already done. Ready to go right out of the box. How much is your time worth??