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I am not a joiner. Well, I am a joiner in that I join pieces of wood. But I don’t join clubs. I dislike clubs. But despite this, I love being a member of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association (MWTCA).
It’s a bunch of the nicest old dudes and women in the world who collect woodworking tools. If you join the organization for just $25, you get its magazine, The Gristmill, plus a reprint of a nice tool catalog every year. This year it was a sweet Stanley catalog. Other years have been catalogs from North Bros., Simonds, Millers Falls and on and on. The membership cost is worth it for the catalog alone.
But the true value of the membership is with the tool meets. The regional and national tool meets are the best place I’ve ever encountered to buy user tools and talk to the people who know about them.
I’ve been to many meets during the last 15 years, and I have always been blown away by the knowledge and generosity of the members. They love young woodworkers and … well just go to a regional meet, join the organization and you’ll be hooked for life. I am.
— Christopher Schwarz
Read Day 1 of the gift guide here: Clauss Scissors.
Day two on a Boot Tray for Sharpening.
Day three on humidity monitors.
If you’d like to read gift guides from past years, check this link.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
