For the love of old tools.

I have always chosen to own tools that have been lovingly used by generations of craftsmen and women. New tools are soul-less, I prefer those that are battered and scarred from years of use, their handles worn smooth by other hands. I hope that in my inexperienced grip they will retain a memory of their past lives and guide me to do a better job. In the second week of Somerset Arts Weeks I visited this exhibition of the work of one family through different generations which featured the tools originally used by the grandfather to build his own house and after passing through the hands of the father, who painted them in beautiful watercolour, are now the inspiration of the grandson who makes exquisite furniture. He also made these stunning sculptures of his grandfather's tools. The extra pic shows the cabinet of original tools