First Things First

49 years old this year and the proud father of three. Living in
Medford, OR with my college sweetheart, SWMBO, and her two daughters.
=20 Reconnected with her after a twenty year break, but that is a
different story. Moved around the US and Europe for years in
Armyassignments of my own and my ex-wife=92s. Filled the roles of
soldier, single parent, husband, stay-at-home dad, teacher,
professor,realtor at one time or another.

How Did I Get Here?

After months of lurking, I=92ve decided to come out from under the porch
and post a bio. Roy Underhill=92s dedication in The Woodwright=92s Guide
aroused my curiosity about the use of the term Galoot and a search on
the Net led me to the porch. Since then I have enjoyed the banter,
shared wisdom and creativeness tremendously. I=92ve been sliding down
the slippery slope for most of my life. Blame it on genetics.

My dad owned a small welding and machine shop which provided ample
opportunity to learn about using tools and a good dose oftool making to
boot. He grew up on a farm in Kansas during the 1920s and 30s when you
made your own, fixed what you had andlearned to build what you needed.
As a teenager I discovered his homemade lathe, forge and several tools
in the shop at thehome place. My uncle even kept a box of tin cans that
had handles soldered onto them so they could serve as drinking cups.
Nothingshould be thrown away that can be reused, rebuilt or repaired was
an underlying principle for my father. He passed both philosophyand
skill to his children and we have benefited from it our entire lives.
Dad operated a wonderful learning lab, smiling at mysuccesses and
letting me learn by making mistakes. Our family lived on a small farm
too, while the welding shop produced most ofour income. We did most of
our own repair and remodeling on the 100 year old farm house, rebuilt
our main barn after it was destroyedby a tornado, in large part with
hand tools. Working with both of my parents at home and Dad at the shop
I learned a lot of practical problem solving, woodworking, metal
working,mechanical and machine skills which served me well during my
years in the US Army. While the the Army continually moved to morehigh
tech and expensive solutions, the people that could actually fix things
rather than replace a component became rare over time. My years in the
Ordnance Corps were successful, largely in part to the knowledge that
was planted in my brain as a kid. This made mea bit of an oddity as I
was frequently called =93unconventional, independent and opinionated.=94
That=92s ok because I like thinking for myselfand being known as a guy
that can get things to work when others can=92t. At the end of my 24
(combined active and reserve) years I wasglad to have an opportunity to
spend more time with hand tools and build or repair something that
wasn=92t designed to destroy, maim or kill. I=92ve worked in a number of
white collar jobs since hanging up my uniform. Those occupations which
required daily submission to four officewalls and a computer being my
least favorite. Loved teaching at the high school and college levels but
these days I am happy to concentrateon my own lab work with wood and
rusty metal. Currently, the challenge of making furniture, tools and
restoring some antiques fillsmy days; along with spending lots of time
with a local Boy Scout troop as an adult leader. =46rom my point of view
there seems to be something=20 healthy about having dirt under your
fingernails, mud on your boots and sweat on your brow.

While I have had plenty of powered tools at my disposal, I=92ve had a
deep and abiding fascination with the way that craftsmen have used
their=20 own hands to make everything humankind needed. I studied
history as an undergraduate and visited every living history venue that
I couldfind as I traveled the US and Europe. Blacksmiths, joiners and
gunsmiths shops have been my favorites. Being rather frugal, my ex-wife
wouldcall it something else, I love to haunt flea markets, garage sales
and auctions in search of tools that need a little TLC to get them back
to=20 user condition. There is a great sense of satisfaction in taking
another person=92s junk and making it valuable again. I=92m sure you all
understand that. The bonus is being able to peddle my surplus on e**y
from time to time.

In a roundabout way I am back to where I started. It has been great to
find some Galoots with similar interests and I am truly grateful for youron-
line lessons, humor and brotherhood. Thank you for sharing you talents
and knowledge so freely. Hopefully, I will add something ofvalue to you
in return.

Yours Clay Silsby claysilsby@m...-----------------------------------------------
---------
----------------

On Jan 17, 2011, at 7:44 PM, Clay Silsby wrote:

>
> After months of lurking, I=92ve decided to come out from under the >
> porch and post a bio. Roy Underhill=92s dedication in The
> Woodwright=92s Guide aroused my curiosity about the use of the > term
> Galoot and a search on the Net led me to the porch

  I dunno, you guys think this fella might be a spy or sumptin'?? All
  =20 this hand work stuff makes me a little suspicious, if ya know what
  I mean....................

%^)

Spike Cornelius PDX Crazy for Shavings

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clay, =C2=A0 Welcome to the porch.=C2=A0 We have a lot in common.=C2=A0
I reunited with SWMBO after a 20 year break during which we both
experienced a practice marriage.=C2=A0 I'm nearing the end of a long
career in both active and reserve service (F-16 pilot, and frequently
perceived as excessively "innovative").=C2=A0 And my Dad and
Grandfathers taught me a lot about how to do stuff. And we're about the
same age.=C2=A0 Pleased to meet you. =C2=A0 Rex

--- On Mon, 1/17/11, Clay Silsby  wrote:

From: Clay Silsby  Subject: [OldTools] Galoot Bio To:
oldtools@r... Date: Monday, January 17, 2011, 8:44 PM

First Things First

49 years old this year and the proud father of=C2=A0 three.=C2=A0 Living
in Medford, OR with my college sweetheart, SWMBO, and her two
daughters.=C2=A0Reconnected with her after a twenty year break, but that
is a different story. Moved around the US and Europe for years in
Armyassignments of my own and my ex-wife=E2=80=99s.=C2=A0 Filled the
roles of soldier, single parent, husband, stay-at-home dad, teacher,
professor,realtor at one time or another.

How Did I Get Here?

After months of lurking, I=E2=80=99ve decided to come out from under the
porch and post a bio.=C2=A0 Roy Underhill=E2=80=99s dedication in The
Woodwright=E2=80=99s Guide aroused my curiosity about the use of the
term Galoot and a search on the Net led me to the porch. Since then I
have enjoyed the banter, shared wisdom and creativeness
tremendously.=C2=A0I=E2=80=99ve been sliding down the slippery slope for
most of my life.=C2=A0 Blame it on genetics.

My dad owned a small welding and machine shop which provided ample
opportunity to learn about using tools and a good dose oftool making to
boot.=C2=A0 He grew up on a farm in Kansas during the 1920s and 30s when
you made your own, fixed what you had andlearned to build what you
needed. As a teenager I discovered his homemade lathe, forge and several
tools in the shop at thehome place. My uncle even kept a box of tin cans
that had handles soldered onto them so they could serve as drinking
cups. Nothingshould be thrown away that can be reused, rebuilt or
repaired was an underlying principle for my father. He passed both
philosophyand skill to his children and we have benefited from it our
entire lives.=C2=A0 Dad operated a wonderful learning lab, smiling at
mysuccesses and letting me learn by making mistakes. Our family lived on
a small farm too, while the welding shop produced most ofour income. We
did most of our own repair and remodeling on the 100 year old farm
house, rebuilt our main barn after it was destroyedby a tornado, in
large part with hand tools.=C2=A0 Working with both of my parents at
home and=C2=A0 Dad at the shop I learned a lot of practical problem
solving, woodworking, metal working,mechanical and machine skills which
served me well during my years in the US Army.=C2=A0 While the the Army
continually moved to morehigh tech and expensive solutions, the people
that could actually fix things rather than replace a component became
rare over time.=C2=A0My years in the Ordnance Corps were successful,
largely in part to the knowledge that was planted in my brain as a kid.
This made mea bit of an oddity as I was frequently called
=E2=80=9Cunconventional, independent and opinionated.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0
That=E2=80=99s ok because I like thinking for myselfand being known as a
guy that can get things to work when others can=E2=80=99t. At the end of
my 24 (combined active and reserve) years I wasglad to have an
opportunity to spend more time with hand tools and build or repair
something that wasn=E2=80=99t designed to destroy, maim or kill.
I=E2=80=99ve worked in a number of white collar jobs since hanging up my
uniform.=C2=A0 Those occupations which required daily submission to four
officewalls and a computer being my least favorite. Loved teaching at
the high school and college levels but these days I am happy to
concentrateon my own lab work with wood and rusty metal.=C2=A0
Currently, the challenge of making furniture, tools and restoring some
antiques fillsmy days; along with spending lots of time with a local Boy
Scout troop as an adult leader.=C2=A0 From my point of view there seems
to be somethinghealthy about having dirt under your fingernails, mud on
your boots and sweat on your brow.

While I have had plenty of powered tools at my disposal, I=E2=80=99ve
had a deep and abiding fascination with the way that craftsmen have used
theirown hands to make everything humankind needed.=C2=A0 I studied
history as an undergraduate and visited every living history venue that
I couldfind as I traveled the US and Europe.=C2=A0 Blacksmiths, joiners
and gunsmiths shops have been my favorites.=C2=A0 Being rather frugal,
my ex-wife wouldcall it something else, I love to haunt flea markets,
garage sales and auctions in search of tools that need a little TLC to
get them back touser condition. There is a great sense of satisfaction
in taking another person=E2=80=99s junk and making it valuable
again.=C2=A0I=E2=80=99m sure you all understand that.=C2=A0 The bonus is
being able to peddle my surplus on e**y from time to time.

In a roundabout way I am back to where I started.=C2=A0 It has been
great to find some Galoots with similar interests and I am truly
grateful for youron-line lessons, humor and
brotherhood.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0Thank you for sharing you talents and
knowledge so freely.=C2=A0 Hopefully, I will add something ofvalue to
you in return.

Yours Clay Silsby claysilsby@m...---------------

weclome, friend!!!!

Arch near NOLA


--- On Tue, 1/18/11, Rex Carpenter  wrote:

> From: Rex Carpenter  Subject: Re: [OldTools] Galoot
> Bio To: "Clay Silsby" 
> Cc: oldtools@r... Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 7:53 PM Clay,
>     =C2=A0 Welcome to the porch.=C2=A0 We have a lot in common.=C2=A0
>     I reunited with SWMBO after a 20 year break during which we both
>     experienced a practice marriage.=C2=A0 I'm nearing the end of a
>     long career in both active and reserve service (F-16 pilot, and
>     frequently perceived as excessively "innovative").=C2=A0 And my
>     Dad and Grandfathers taught me a lot about how to do stuff. And
>     we're about the same age.=C2=A0 Pleased to meet you. =C2=A0 Rex
>
> --- On Mon, 1/17/11, Clay Silsby  wrote:
>
>
> From: Clay Silsby  Subject: [OldTools] Galoot Bio To:
> oldtools@r... Date: Monday, January 17, 2011, 8:44 PM
>
>
> First Things First
>
> 49 years old this year and the proud father of=C2=A0 three.=C2=A0
> Living in Medford, OR with my college sweetheart, SWMBO, and her two
> daughters.=C2=A0 Reconnected with her after a twenty year break, but
> that is a different story. Moved around the US and Europe for years in
> Army assignments of my own and my ex-wife=E2=80=99s.=C2=A0 Filled the
> roles of soldier, single parent, husband, stay-at-home dad, teacher,
> professor, realtor at one time or another.
>
> How Did I Get Here?
>
> After months of lurking, I=E2=80=99ve decided to come out from under
> the porch and post a bio.=C2=A0 Roy Underhill=E2=80=99s dedication in
> The Woodwright=E2=80=99s Guide aroused my curiosity about the use of
> the term Galoot and a search on the Net led me to the porch. Since
> then I have enjoyed the banter, shared wisdom and creativeness
> tremendously.=C2=A0 I=E2=80=99ve been sliding down the slippery slope
> for most of my life.=C2=A0 Blame it on genetics.
>
> My dad owned a small welding and machine shop which provided ample
> opportunity to learn about using tools and a good dose of tool making
> to boot.=C2=A0 He grew up on a farm in Kansas during the 1920s and 30s
> when you made your own, fixed what you had and learned to build what
> you needed. As a teenager I discovered his homemade lathe, forge and
> several tools in the shop at the home place. My uncle even kept a box
> of tin cans that had handles soldered onto them so they could serve as
> drinking cups. Nothing should be thrown away that can be reused,
> rebuilt or repaired was an underlying principle for my father. He
> passed both philosophy and skill to his children and we have benefited
> from it our entire lives.=C2=A0 Dad operated a wonderful learning lab,
> smiling at my successes and letting me learn by making mistakes. Our
> family lived on a small farm too, while the welding shop produced most
> of our income. We did most of our own repair and remodeling on the 100
> year old farm house, rebuilt our main barn after it was destroyed by a
> tornado, in large part with hand tools.=C2=A0
>
> Working with both of my parents at home and=C2=A0 Dad at the shop I
> learned a lot of practical problem solving, woodworking, metal
> working, mechanical and machine skills which served me well during my
> years in the US Army.=C2=A0 While the the Army continually moved to
> more high tech and expensive solutions, the people that could actually
> fix things rather than replace a component became rare over
> time.=C2=A0 My years in the Ordnance Corps were successful, largely in
> part to the knowledge that was planted in my brain as a kid. This made
> me a bit of an oddity as I was frequently called
> =E2=80=9Cunconventional, independent and opinionated.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0
> That=E2=80=99s ok because I like thinking for myself and being known
> as a guy that can get things to work when others can=E2=80=99t. At the
> end of my 24 (combined active and reserve) years I was glad to have an
> opportunity to spend more time with hand tools and build or repair
> something that wasn=E2=80=99t designed to destroy, maim or kill.
>
> I=E2=80=99ve worked in a number of white collar jobs since hanging up
> my uniform.=C2=A0 Those occupations which required daily submission to
> four office walls and a computer being my least favorite. Loved
> teaching at the high school and college levels but these days I am
> happy to concentrate on my own lab work with wood and rusty
> metal.=C2=A0 Currently, the challenge of making furniture, tools and
> restoring some antiques fills my days; along with spending lots of
> time with a local Boy Scout troop as an adult leader.=C2=A0 From my
> point of view there seems to be something healthy about having dirt
> under your fingernails, mud on your boots and sweat on your brow.
>
> While I have had plenty of powered tools at my disposal, I=E2=80=99ve
> had a deep and abiding fascination with the way that craftsmen have
> used their own hands to make everything humankind needed.=C2=A0 I
> studied history as an undergraduate and visited every living history
> venue that I could find as I traveled the US and Europe.=C2=A0
> Blacksmiths, joiners and gunsmiths shops have been my favorites.=C2=A0
> Being rather frugal, my ex-wife would call it something else, I love
> to haunt flea markets, garage sales and auctions in search of tools
> that need a little TLC to get them back to user condition. There is a
> great sense of satisfaction in taking another person=E2=80=99s junk
> and making it valuable again.=C2=A0 I=E2=80=99m sure you all
> understand that.=C2=A0 The bonus is being able to peddle my surplus on
> e**y from time to time.
>
> In a roundabout way I am back to where I started.=C2=A0 It has been
> great to find some Galoots with similar interests and I am truly
> grateful for your on-line lessons, humor and
> brotherhood.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0Thank you for sharing you talents and
> knowledge so freely.=C2=A0 Hopefully, I will add something of value to
> you in return.
>
> > Yours Clay Silsby claysilsby@mac.com----------------------------------------
-----------
> --------------------- OldTools is a mailing list catering to the
> interests of hand tool aficionados, both collectors and users, to
> discuss the history, usage, value, location, availability,
> collectibility, and restoration of traditional handtools, especially
> woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r... http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r... http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>



------------------------------------------------------------------------