Dear New User,
** Welcome to rec.woodworking, known locally as the wreck **
This is an informal group with users of all levels of knowledge, from those
who have yet to pick up a tool, professional woodworkers, authors of books
on woodworking, woodworking magazine editors, principals of tool companies,
and every level in between.
One of the traditions of Usenet Newsgroups (NG) that is encouraged, is the
tradition of "lurking", or hanging around for a while, taking in the local
culture before posting to the NG. While not mandatory, it is asked that you
just sit back and read the NG for a short time before your first posting.
This will allow you to become familiar with how things are done in this neck
of the woods, become familiar with the locals, etc.
This group is a collection of people with a common interest in woodworking
(ww'ing), and as such the topics discussed sometimes wander away from
strictly ww'ing. Think of this NG as if you were having a number of friends
over to your shop to discuss ww'ing, 90% of the discussion will revolve
around ww'ing, but you will also discuss other things going on in your life,
like your shop dog dying, gloating about the vintage minty fresh Unisaur you
just got for $100, just got a new job, etc. That is what we do in this NG.
Please DO NOT post off topic. If you *MUST* make an off topic post, please
preface the subject with "[OT]", so those who are not interested in OT posts
can skip them..
NOTE: I have recently been receiving a lot of flack from the cabal regarding
the preceding paragraph. Apparently, a few of them think I am encouraging OT
posts, I am not, I am simply providing a way of distinguishing them so those
who want to skip them can, or even put OT in their kill file if they wish.
If you find yourself being referred to as a "newbie", don't take offence; it
is not a derogatory term, but a statement of fact.
Sometimes some members of this NG can be a little harsh, take it in stride,
put on your Nomex underwear and fire back. The timid don't survive NG's for
very long. But be polite, this is one of the few NG's left on Usenet where
decorum is still the common practice rather than the exception.
One resource that is even greater than this NG is this NG's archives. Every
message posted here is stored on Deja.com (now http://groups.google.com/).
Many knowledgeable wreckers no longer post on topics asked every other day,
because of the repetitive nature. If you want the most in depth answer to
your question, check Deja, if you do not get all the information you
require, then post your question to the NG.
Another useful Search Engine is Usenet Replayer,
http://usenet-replayer.com.
People, when will you learn, *PLEASE* do not reply to the trolls, leave them
under their pitiful bridge to starve. And they will starve, and go away if
you stop feeding them with your replies.
See the "Troll Control" article for details.