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
>



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