Trading Lingerie for Tools

A couple weeks ago, I bought a skirt and some, er, ladies undergarments. But they’ve been sitting in their bags, tags attached, since I brought them home. I guess I’ve just been too busy to put them away.

Recently, I’ve had to replace a washing machine, have my box gutters relined and have the house painted. But these somewhat-expected expenditures are not what’s undermining my clothes-purchasing habits. Last weekend, I crossed the woodworking Rubicon.  

With just enough discretionary funds to order the apron plane I’ve been wanting from Veritas, I packed up my car and drove to the Woodworking in America conference last weekend. At the first free moment I had, I hustled over to Wally Wilson in the Lee Valley booth and placed my order. Then, I walked back toward the Popular Woodworking booth to check in with Linda Watts, our art director, who was running the bookstore for the weekend. I stopped along the way to say hello and chat with other toolmakers and sellers, and struggled mightily to avoid looking too closely or covetously at the tables full of seductive wares.

Then I got to Dave Jeske’s Blue Spruce Toolworks booth. He had a lovely olive-green lignum vitae-handled fishtail chisel that I simply couldn’t resist. So I pulled out the credit card and scrawled my signature, and said I’d be back on Sunday morning to collect my new tool. So the skirt will have to be returned (it’s olive green, too, so that’s a even trade, right?). Dave also had a couple chisels with blue polymer-infused maple handles that would look great with the mallet I bought from him a few months back. But I already have chisels in both the sizes he had on hand, so I resisted that Siren’s song.

On Sunday, I went back to pick up my purchase. As Dave was wrapping up the fishtail chisel, I picked up the 1/2″ blue dovetail chisel again. Then I pulled out the credit card.

So I guess it’s fair to say that last weekend, Dave Jeske talked me out of my skirt, bra and panties.

– Megan Fitzpatrick