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[Eric Fuller]

Found this picture on my computer and thought you guys might get a kick out of it.  My first shop:

[Eric Fuller]

First set of burr puzzles drying.  I had no way to make square sticks, so I bought poplar sticks from Home Depot and stained them.  They were made with the miter saw and chisles.

[Canuck]

That is cool, you've definitely come a long way from those days!!!!   

[Peter Wiltshire]

Wow! your first shop had a Bar!    I knew my first shop was missing something

[Robert Yarger]

Youv'e come a long way baby!!!

[Kerry Verne]

I'm impressed. I even like the vacuum cleaner dust-collector rig. Is that a beer bottle collection though?

[Robert Yarger]

I'm more interested in what appears to be an extra long skate board resting agains the wall.  Was Eric ever a skate punk!!!  (I almost went into making skateboards, you can make a killing off of it for very little time and resources.)  As far as the vacuume, Eric always did like to keep a clean shop.

[Eric Fuller]

Heh, that's my gravity longboard - made with pride in Encinitas California.  Bought it right at the factory.  I used to tool that thing all over town when I lived in California...I'd ride it down to the coffeeshop to play chess sitting around the firepit.  That same group of friends at the coffeeshop was also my puzzle prototype test group. 

Still have the board and sometimes if I leave my truck at Glenwood South after having a few drinks I'll ride it down to go pick it up.  I get quite a few stares from the rednecks as I roll down the hill noseriding or walking the board   It's also done double duty as a dolly more than once.

[Robert Yarger]

I have a new level of respect for you.  (The man of many talents). 

Still, I m suprised that the board has lasted so long.  It must be of superb quality.  My son goes through 5 boards a year, but then again you probably don't take a longboard onto a half pipe or down a grind rail. 

Just as a point of interest, most boards are made of maple plys, but the best board my son ever had (he says) is the one I made him out of holly plys.  It had more bounce and strength than maple versions, but cost about 10x the cost to produce.

As a side note:  Riding a skateboard to a coffeeshop to play chess around the firepit.  Wow, that is like a ton of multiculture in a single sentence.  You have perfectly blended skatepunk, yuppie, upperclass, and hippie in a single outing.