They ain't cowboy boots, them is brogans!

Spring brings out the farmer in me so I've spent some time setting up a vegetable garden and cleaning up the yard around my house. The annual ritual of renewal always grabs me. Bulbs breaking the ground. Leaf buds appearing on what look like dead twigs. The passing of the finches on their long flights.

Around the shop I've been doing some of the same thing. Repairing tools and re-organizing to improve working space and hopefully making it easier to find a particular tool when I need it. With help from a friend, I straightened the 5" Iron City leg vice, re curved the spring, wire brushed the whole thing and waxed it. I'll build a portable stand for it and put it into service. Up til now I've made due with machinist vices of various sizes. The spring loaded jaws of the leg vice are really useful with hot work.

It will be very hot here soon so I'm taking advantage of the moderate temps (upper 80's) to get as much of my outdoor work done as I can.