Hello from the Weaned Pup - RyanC

[DaveParkis]

Hey Ryan,

I doubt you will remember me, but I have a beautiful screwdriver you made for me 8-10 years ago. Glad to hear things are working out well for you.

[RyanC]

I took one of those screwdrivers to the job interview that landed me the job I’m still at. They liked that I could say, “I have tool skills and here’s proof.”

Pretty wild how it all fell into place


My current project that inspired this thread is actually screwdriver handles. There’s a gentleman on YouTube that restores old tools and he’s started making some as well.
I bought one of these massive Perfect Handle screwdrivers he sells and I’m working on making the scales.
https://www.handtoolrescue.com/products/nutreleaser9000

[Mike Brady]

I remember you Ryan....you  and a lot of other good folks.  That was pretty much the golden age of the hand tool revival.

[RyanC]

Do you feel it has tapered off since then? I’m not in the know anymore but I have bought/sold a few tools and they seem to be doing alright still.

Had a corrugated Stanley 5 1/4 that made crazy money a couple years ago.

[Skip J.]

Hello Ryan...... I rarely come here anymore, but saw your name and jumped in. You may remember our swap... I hope that worked out for you...

I still use handtools, but confess to using more powertools when in a hurry to finish a needed project. Balance between the two sometimes is hard to find...

I can say this place doesn't blow up like it used to back then... mostly... we haven't had a complete meltdown since then.

I wonder how many here remember that Ryan dragged us kicking and screaming into Secret Santa????... and that there were nearly a hundred participants back then...

[Mike Brady]

Do you feel it has tapered off since then?  I’m not in the know anymore but I have bought/sold a few tools and they seem to be doing alright still.  

Had a corrugated Stanley 5 1/4 that made crazy money a couple years ago.

Ryan, it is hard for me to say what is going on in the old tool business because I haven't collected for a long time, and I sold off most of my collection a couple of years ago.  I'm working on my first hand tool project of this winter.  

I'm sure there are many more readers here than contributors, for some reason.  There are many more places to gain woodworking knowledge than online forums.  Something you may want to take in would be an event called Handworks that has been held every-other-year in Amana, IA.  It was cancelled this year.  Many of the people you remember from Woodnet could be found there.

[Admiral]

Do you feel it has tapered off since then?  I’m not in the know anymore but I have bought/sold a few tools and they seem to be doing alright still.  

Had a corrugated Stanley 5 1/4 that made crazy money a couple years ago.

Actually, certain things are hot, like router planes; for the life of me I can't understand the prices now asked, and gotten, for fairly rough tools missing irons and fences; there's also a strange fetish for #8s, which can't do anything different or better than a #7 and are just too darn heavy for me.  I've noticed a resurgence in interest in #55s, which are almost impossible to set up and use as intended, but the gizmosity of them is apparently hypnotic leading many to just open their wallets and pay large sums for them.

[Ron Brese]

For a couple years Ryan would come to visit us for a week at at time. Usually about twice a year. He worked with me in the shop. The only person I've known that could text and run a milling machine at the same time. Without even looking at the phone no less. 

Ryan could hold width tolerance of 1/2 thou on plane parts right off the mill. Needless to say the kid was good. No surprise that he pursued mechanical engineering. 

We still talk about how much he loved Julie's biscuits and the peach ice cream we would get at the local Peach Packing shed.

Great to see his post here,

Ron

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Welcome back Ryan and happy to hear things are going well for you. Congrats on your hard work.

[clovishound]

I remember you as well.

BTW, if you are brave enough to wander down to the basement, there are lots of folks interested in firearms down there.