About ten years ago Lie Nielsen's travelling road show came to a local wood working supplier and I went along to see their outstanding product line. At the time I was just beginning to set up my shop and didn't have the money to buy what I needed at the premium quality level. However I wanted to support the local effort and hoped that it would be successful enough that Lie Nielsen would visit again in a couple of years.
Moral support is nice but financial support is nicer. I bought two things at the show. I bought this dowel plate what was expensive though not as much as now. Also Canadian money was at a better exchange rate in those days.
I use the dowel plate fairly often. I keep my chop sticks from restaurant meals and use the dowel plate to make 3/16 dowels. The bamboo chop sticks make really strong dowels. Recently I have made 24, 1 1/2 inch 3/16 dowels for the wooden train planter project. The hopper car is finished and the coal tender is nearly done too. I began the steam engine today by cutting wheels and gluing up the base plate.
The other thing I bought was a plane makers float. It hardly even gets used. I have quite a few good files and rasps and this one doesn't fill a special need, at this time. I am still glad I bought it, I hope that someone else will take on the responsibility of inviting Lee Nielsen back to Ontario for a show.
cheers ianw
