Tuesday 3 July 2007

A conversation with Riley


A few years ago I was lapping a plane and brushing off the dusty lapping surface with a rather filthy cloth. Then Riley came into the shop. This was our conversation;

"Hey Riley."

"Hey Dad. What are you doing?"

"Cleaning off the dust from lapping this plane"

"Is it steel?"

"yes"

"Why don't you use a magnet?"

As I was standing there rather stunned, Riley went downstairs to the bandsaw, peeled off a piece of magnet (used on the seams to aid in dust collection), walked back upstairs and proceeded to remove all the dust in two quick swipes.

He looked at the magnet... then me, smiled, and left.

I keep the magnet upstairs.

3 Comments:

Blogger Gabriele said...

Hi Konrad,
many times I think we forget to consider easier solutions.. perhaps because too much things we have in mind than a simpler mind has not.
Let me say I appreciate a lot your neat hand work.

Many cheers
Gabriele

6 August 2007 at 03:23  
Blogger Konrad said...

Hi Gabriele,

I totally agree. It requires a lot more effort to keep something simple than to make it complicated. Kids are perfect at keeping things basic - I wish I could return to that thinking more easily.

Warm regards,
Konrad

6 August 2007 at 07:12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm surprised Rob Lee hasn't introduced you to magnets - he's obsessed!!

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=3&p=32072&cat=1,42363,42356&ap=1

I use a small rare earth magnet inside a plastic spray can cap as a cheap version.

It picks up the swarf and shavings when I scary-sharpen a treat.

BugBear

17 January 2008 at 08:39  

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