11-06-2012, 06:26 PM
Hi,
Many thanks Gary for your well reasoned reply to which I in general agree with.
Irrespective of upbringing or background I think Gary you summed things up perfectly in two words “Wants to”.
I hated woodworking at school and detested the woodworking teacher; the last thing I would consider doing upon leaving school would be to do anything with wood. Taking this into account is the reason I stated if I could do woodworking then anyone could and I still stand by this.
Marrying Bronwyn 36 years ago changed my outlook on woodworking. We took on a huge mortgage and part of this mortgage was being withheld until the rotten timbers to the front room bay window had been replaced to the satisfaction of the building society inspector. We could not afford to pay anyone to do the work so all we could do was to attempt the repairs ourselves. It took a few weeks to gather enough money to buy the planed softwood and I bought a meagre kit of tools including a single speed B&D drill together with a miniature circular saw attachment called a “Record Corrucut”. I needed this saw to cut the shallow rebates. A hammer and wood chisel was used to cut the mortices and a very cheap tenon saw was bought from the market. The old glass panes were leaded and with a great deal of patience these were removed one by one allowing the wooden frames to be changed; the glass was re-installed bedding in putty and the frames painted. To our surprise they passed inspection easily and the remaining funds were then released.
I didn't want to do this work and dreaded the prospect knowing my history of woodworking but needs must. We had nothing to start our married life with other than the huge mortgage but from successfully repairing the bay window little by little I began to buy more tools doing even more difficult jobs around home and with only a handful of tools I installed a fully fitted home made kitchen. The work was carried out in the spare bedroom on a very rickety kitchen table. I'll never forget on each wage day calling in to a local DIY store on the way home and buying one length of timber at 50P each time; it took a very long time to put this kitchen together but I'm not one to give up easily; 50p per week was all the spare cash we had.
I didn't have the tools given nor did I have the necessary woodworking skills; I was desperate though.
I accept that I now have a workshop and garage fully kitted out to die for but it has taken me a lifetime to reach this happy position. I've produced some top class work even with very basic tools but applied with a great deal of patience.
I'm still not in the position to throw a log into my machines and let them produce finished items although many of our visitors appear to think this is what happens as they look around our home. I would never expect anyone unfamiliar with woodworking to produce first class work right from the start but I maintain if the desire or drive is there in the person he or she will succeed.
It is now much easier for people to take up woodworking because power tools are readily available and can be bought extremely cheaply. With practice these power tools will give excellent results but I must stress here that safety precautions must be adhered to at all times. Too many people leave B&Q with a beautiful shiny power tool that sends them directly to A&E the first time they attempt to use it. Any power tool operation which feels wrong is wrong.
There appears to be a tide change as more guys tend to laze around at weekends whilst their girlfriends/wives or partners are now taking up much more DIY and I say well done to these lasses and shame on the guys.
My education didn't give me a lead either regarding woodworking in fact until I reached 11 years old I missed a lot of my schooling due to severe asthma. “Want to” are two very powerful words and those who “Don't want to” never will. I'm hopelessly colour blind and because of this I was always scared of electricity but over the years I've picked up working knowledge of electricity to the point I'm no longer scared but treat it with the utmost respect. I've learned to use electricity to my advantage by restoring scrap machinery. I've read extensively over the years on all aspects of woodworking and now have my own collection of books on the subject this also applies to books on mechanical engineering. I now surf the Internet for information but one way or another I can tackle anything with confidence; what I don't know I will find out. Why am I so different to anyone else; a normal person has two hands and a head? Practice will bring these together and the more practice and the more mistakes made will pay dividends long term. To say “I can't do that” is in my opinion just a cop out.
I found it extremely hard trying to learn veneering and French polishing; no one taught me in fact I didn't know anyone who had these skills. The materials didn't drop into my lap; I had to spend ages tracking them down then even longer learning to work with them. I now get told “its a gift” if it is indeed a gift why the heck did I have to make so many mistakes?
I would say to anyone go out and buy a few tools and a few lumps of wood and get to know them; you will surprise yourself if you stick with it. Both Gary and I have not tackled a basket case woody radio cabinet as a first attempt but we can both make a lovely job of them now and the only inspiration I had was to see Gary's exemplary work in the Bulletin to get me motivated; I could only aspire to such workmanship but with a lot of practice I gained the knowledge and experience required to carry out such workmanship. Knock up a workbench or put some shelves up but don't say “I can't” just do it.
I agree with you Gary that some people have a natural leaning to certain skills but this has never been the case with me because you wouldn't believe the stupid mistakes I've made over the years and in fact still make; no it certainly isn't a gift I possess as I've fallen down every black hole possible but I stuck with it to the point I now enjoy myself tremendously playing with all my toys and still making the stupid mistakes.
At the risk of boring everyone please let me tell you a true story.
A few years before I retired; one day at dinner time I was walking through an adjoining department at work and noticed a group of guys standing around some were crying with laughter. As I approached the group I noticed a guy (lets call him Jim) and Jim was standing on an upturned dustbin lid whilst trying to lift it with both hands? I was appalled by this as Jim was considered to be “slow on the uptake” and these guys were taking the Mickey out of him which was a regular occurrence. I requested Jim be transferred to my departments and put the word out that such pranks would not be tolerated in future.
Jim was employed as a sweeper up so I set him on sweeping the departments but as the weeks and months passed by I kept working with Jim time permitting. I found out Jim was a handy guy with a paint brush and enjoyed such work so he was given the job of painting my three offices both inside and out. I taught him to uncouple the waste compactor then put him in charge of it. Little by little I taught Jim to remove bar code stubs from motors to be despatched; scan them with a bar code reader then use the computer to print off the consignment notes adding the correct notes to the correct consignment. Yes it was slow going but on a personal level to me very worth while. Not only did Jim and I become friends but I could trust him to get on with any job I assigned him to knowing he would do the job well without skivvying off.
Jim had the last laugh on his previous tormentors because he was such a good worker I would allow him to work weekends on overtime putting him with another guy to do jobs such as painting the factory floor and once my departments were sorted I then loaned both out to other departments; Jim worked and worked hard for more hours on overtime but I bet his take home pay was more than the guys took home who had tormented him.
Without the will to succeed or desire to do so Gary I feel people are beaten before they even make a start. I accept some people are genuine and will never even consider doing certain work. One of the guys on my team was terrified of machinery; he would have packed the job in before attempting to run the overhead cranes or drive a fork truck. He was a top guy at attaching nameplates to motors though and this he did full time. During my working life I've found the average guy to be like a sheep; turn up for work and go through the motions with little interest in what was going on around; it wasn't hard for me to easily gain promotion over such guys who had worked at the various companies for many more years than I had then when I did gain promotion; yes they resented me for it. Tough old life isn't it when they can't be bothered to better themselves then turn on someone who can. It's this attitude that prevents so many from achieving what they are actually capable of; it's not a case of training or skills but one of sheer laziness.
I know severely disabled people who never moan but get on with their lives and are a true inspiration to others like me who can only moan about the weather. Bron and I were once at a timber yard near Ripon and there was a guy in a wheelchair negotiating the rough ground and going in and out of the timber storage sheds. We came across him in one of the sheds and he was throwing big lumps of oak around as easily as I could whilst still seated in his wheel chair; I mentioned to him if he wanted a hand to give me a shout; he thanked me but assured me he was OK. I later was informed by the yard owner this guy in the wheel chair was a top class wood turner and was selecting timber for demonstrations in his wood turning classes; yes he was the teacher and I take my hat off to him.
As Gary inspired me into tackling radio cabinets I hope my ramblings inspire other to have a go; not only at woodworking but any task or job starting small and working up. Did I mention I love woodworking?
Kind regards, Col.
Many thanks Gary for your well reasoned reply to which I in general agree with.
Irrespective of upbringing or background I think Gary you summed things up perfectly in two words “Wants to”.
I hated woodworking at school and detested the woodworking teacher; the last thing I would consider doing upon leaving school would be to do anything with wood. Taking this into account is the reason I stated if I could do woodworking then anyone could and I still stand by this.
Marrying Bronwyn 36 years ago changed my outlook on woodworking. We took on a huge mortgage and part of this mortgage was being withheld until the rotten timbers to the front room bay window had been replaced to the satisfaction of the building society inspector. We could not afford to pay anyone to do the work so all we could do was to attempt the repairs ourselves. It took a few weeks to gather enough money to buy the planed softwood and I bought a meagre kit of tools including a single speed B&D drill together with a miniature circular saw attachment called a “Record Corrucut”. I needed this saw to cut the shallow rebates. A hammer and wood chisel was used to cut the mortices and a very cheap tenon saw was bought from the market. The old glass panes were leaded and with a great deal of patience these were removed one by one allowing the wooden frames to be changed; the glass was re-installed bedding in putty and the frames painted. To our surprise they passed inspection easily and the remaining funds were then released.
I didn't want to do this work and dreaded the prospect knowing my history of woodworking but needs must. We had nothing to start our married life with other than the huge mortgage but from successfully repairing the bay window little by little I began to buy more tools doing even more difficult jobs around home and with only a handful of tools I installed a fully fitted home made kitchen. The work was carried out in the spare bedroom on a very rickety kitchen table. I'll never forget on each wage day calling in to a local DIY store on the way home and buying one length of timber at 50P each time; it took a very long time to put this kitchen together but I'm not one to give up easily; 50p per week was all the spare cash we had.
I didn't have the tools given nor did I have the necessary woodworking skills; I was desperate though.
I accept that I now have a workshop and garage fully kitted out to die for but it has taken me a lifetime to reach this happy position. I've produced some top class work even with very basic tools but applied with a great deal of patience.
I'm still not in the position to throw a log into my machines and let them produce finished items although many of our visitors appear to think this is what happens as they look around our home. I would never expect anyone unfamiliar with woodworking to produce first class work right from the start but I maintain if the desire or drive is there in the person he or she will succeed.
It is now much easier for people to take up woodworking because power tools are readily available and can be bought extremely cheaply. With practice these power tools will give excellent results but I must stress here that safety precautions must be adhered to at all times. Too many people leave B&Q with a beautiful shiny power tool that sends them directly to A&E the first time they attempt to use it. Any power tool operation which feels wrong is wrong.
There appears to be a tide change as more guys tend to laze around at weekends whilst their girlfriends/wives or partners are now taking up much more DIY and I say well done to these lasses and shame on the guys.
My education didn't give me a lead either regarding woodworking in fact until I reached 11 years old I missed a lot of my schooling due to severe asthma. “Want to” are two very powerful words and those who “Don't want to” never will. I'm hopelessly colour blind and because of this I was always scared of electricity but over the years I've picked up working knowledge of electricity to the point I'm no longer scared but treat it with the utmost respect. I've learned to use electricity to my advantage by restoring scrap machinery. I've read extensively over the years on all aspects of woodworking and now have my own collection of books on the subject this also applies to books on mechanical engineering. I now surf the Internet for information but one way or another I can tackle anything with confidence; what I don't know I will find out. Why am I so different to anyone else; a normal person has two hands and a head? Practice will bring these together and the more practice and the more mistakes made will pay dividends long term. To say “I can't do that” is in my opinion just a cop out.
I found it extremely hard trying to learn veneering and French polishing; no one taught me in fact I didn't know anyone who had these skills. The materials didn't drop into my lap; I had to spend ages tracking them down then even longer learning to work with them. I now get told “its a gift” if it is indeed a gift why the heck did I have to make so many mistakes?
I would say to anyone go out and buy a few tools and a few lumps of wood and get to know them; you will surprise yourself if you stick with it. Both Gary and I have not tackled a basket case woody radio cabinet as a first attempt but we can both make a lovely job of them now and the only inspiration I had was to see Gary's exemplary work in the Bulletin to get me motivated; I could only aspire to such workmanship but with a lot of practice I gained the knowledge and experience required to carry out such workmanship. Knock up a workbench or put some shelves up but don't say “I can't” just do it.
I agree with you Gary that some people have a natural leaning to certain skills but this has never been the case with me because you wouldn't believe the stupid mistakes I've made over the years and in fact still make; no it certainly isn't a gift I possess as I've fallen down every black hole possible but I stuck with it to the point I now enjoy myself tremendously playing with all my toys and still making the stupid mistakes.
At the risk of boring everyone please let me tell you a true story.
A few years before I retired; one day at dinner time I was walking through an adjoining department at work and noticed a group of guys standing around some were crying with laughter. As I approached the group I noticed a guy (lets call him Jim) and Jim was standing on an upturned dustbin lid whilst trying to lift it with both hands? I was appalled by this as Jim was considered to be “slow on the uptake” and these guys were taking the Mickey out of him which was a regular occurrence. I requested Jim be transferred to my departments and put the word out that such pranks would not be tolerated in future.
Jim was employed as a sweeper up so I set him on sweeping the departments but as the weeks and months passed by I kept working with Jim time permitting. I found out Jim was a handy guy with a paint brush and enjoyed such work so he was given the job of painting my three offices both inside and out. I taught him to uncouple the waste compactor then put him in charge of it. Little by little I taught Jim to remove bar code stubs from motors to be despatched; scan them with a bar code reader then use the computer to print off the consignment notes adding the correct notes to the correct consignment. Yes it was slow going but on a personal level to me very worth while. Not only did Jim and I become friends but I could trust him to get on with any job I assigned him to knowing he would do the job well without skivvying off.
Jim had the last laugh on his previous tormentors because he was such a good worker I would allow him to work weekends on overtime putting him with another guy to do jobs such as painting the factory floor and once my departments were sorted I then loaned both out to other departments; Jim worked and worked hard for more hours on overtime but I bet his take home pay was more than the guys took home who had tormented him.
Without the will to succeed or desire to do so Gary I feel people are beaten before they even make a start. I accept some people are genuine and will never even consider doing certain work. One of the guys on my team was terrified of machinery; he would have packed the job in before attempting to run the overhead cranes or drive a fork truck. He was a top guy at attaching nameplates to motors though and this he did full time. During my working life I've found the average guy to be like a sheep; turn up for work and go through the motions with little interest in what was going on around; it wasn't hard for me to easily gain promotion over such guys who had worked at the various companies for many more years than I had then when I did gain promotion; yes they resented me for it. Tough old life isn't it when they can't be bothered to better themselves then turn on someone who can. It's this attitude that prevents so many from achieving what they are actually capable of; it's not a case of training or skills but one of sheer laziness.
I know severely disabled people who never moan but get on with their lives and are a true inspiration to others like me who can only moan about the weather. Bron and I were once at a timber yard near Ripon and there was a guy in a wheelchair negotiating the rough ground and going in and out of the timber storage sheds. We came across him in one of the sheds and he was throwing big lumps of oak around as easily as I could whilst still seated in his wheel chair; I mentioned to him if he wanted a hand to give me a shout; he thanked me but assured me he was OK. I later was informed by the yard owner this guy in the wheel chair was a top class wood turner and was selecting timber for demonstrations in his wood turning classes; yes he was the teacher and I take my hat off to him.
As Gary inspired me into tackling radio cabinets I hope my ramblings inspire other to have a go; not only at woodworking but any task or job starting small and working up. Did I mention I love woodworking?
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
