Real nice friendly talk between to people with mutual interests, I felt privilaged to sit and listen. Thank you.

I've admired Lie-Nielsen tools for years but have no formal woodworking training.I would love to own some of their beautiful hand planes and would welcome the opportunity to visit their shop and learn the use and care of their planes. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Craig,

Great interview, this has been a really interesting glance at some luminaries in the field. Do you have any more planned and if so how many? I would love to hear how you got these interviews as well. Like you I have been fortunate to try out a lot of LN tools. In my recent trip to ME I saw the factory and was amazed at the chisel line and just how much space it took up and how much hands on work is required to make them. It is definately not all CNC machines stamping them out.

It was just a passing mention, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to hear Thomas mention progressive pitch tenon and panel saws! Especially panel saws as there is a real paucity of anything other than backsaws on the market now and so many of us are intimidated by the restoration and sharpening of saws that LN would be a great alternative. (WIA will hopefully cure me of this since I am taking a saw sharpening class).

One thing I am really interested in with these guys like Thomas is what kind of work they do in their shops. I know John Economaki has the sawdust allergy so making tools is what he does, but I didn't get that impression from Thomas. If you can somehow get a follow up question in to him I would love to hear his answer on this topic. Is it all about making the tools, or does he actually use them for personal projects?

Great show can't wait for more!

Shannon
"The Renaissance Woodworker"

Shannon,

Thanks for your email, and for your kind words about the interview. Thomas was a lot of fun to talk with. I thought I should get to know the person that I send my paycheck to each month!

I too was excited to hear about the progressive pitch panel saw. I got a chance to use the progressive pitch dovetail saw at The Woodworking Show in Atlanta this past spring and it was impressive. It took half the strokes to cut to the line as with the Independence saw that I own.

If you're not cranking out dovetailed drawers all day that may or may not be a big deal to most. However, if you're crosscutting just a few boards, a progressive pitch saw can make your life a lot more enjoyable.

I do have several more interviews already complete, with plans to do more. The next one should be on the website next week, so stay tuned.

Your follow-up question about whether Thomas actually uses his tools to make furniture is a good one. I'm not sure if this happened off-line but we did talk about that. He told me that he uses the tools his company makes a lot, but it's mostly in testing them for quality assurance. Most of his time is spent in running the business and developing new tools.

Thanks again Shannon, and nice woodworking site! Check it out everybody:
www.rogersfinewoodworking.com/blog

Craig

Craig,
Just got a chance to listen to Lie-Nielsen and I'm not much of a hand tool person but do use them once and awhile. Isn't it amazing to do something you love to do and make a business out of it.
Also liked your article on bookcases. I started a Quaker style cabinet in July. The pipes broke in the bathroom and now the bathroom is being remodeled and the cabinet is still started or under a plastic. Keep the interviews.

Rik