OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

81962 "James R. Canning" jcanning@r... 2000‑08‑07 bio, late but here 'tis
Hi,

I've been very remiss about posting a bio. maybe a little shy, more lazy.

My great -grandpappys on both sides were carpenters. This is what most
great-grandpappys in West-Central Pennsylvania did, I think. I remember a
basement full of power tools in my maternal grandparent's, however I was
strictly
banned from entering 'cause Grammy thought I'd lop something
off, and I likely would have!

I picked up some carpentry from my dad, not at all professional
level, but I think I got the satisfaction he felt at successfully making
something.

Then thru HS and college (1960, incomplete) I went into technical fields
namely
chemistry, then fine arts, namely oil painting. Also did a lot of
photography "on the side".
I returned to college life in 1988 in Rochester at Rochester Institute of
Technology
via the support programs at the National Terchnical Institute for The Deaf.
Graduated cum laude in 1993 with a BFA in illustration, not the fine arts
painting
I started with.

pfui.

Just as the computer revolution was making mothballs out of too
many traditional arts techniques.

I remember the fun I had in 3D Design, which involved quite a bit of
wood shop work as well as clay, plaster and so on.

Profound deafness, which has been my lot since I was 8, is not fun
to deal with, most of all, it suffocates hopes for a successful career.
After college, I got going learning computer-ese on my own,
sadly forgetting most of my interests in hands-on fine arts.

I eventually recognized this wasn't fulfilling either, and started pooting
around
with bits of wood and some hand tools I had.  Hey, that was fun!

Eventually I decided to test the depth of my interest
(impulsive is my 2nd, 3rd and 4th middle names) and paid a small
buncha bucks for a Skil table saw. Been going on since then!

It's funny how quickly I fell into the plane-collecting frenzy so many
of you seem to feel! Clever/sexy/super little things, aren't they?.

Still think this is fun.

Judy, my hearing SWMBO, is invaluable while discussing tool prices
at flea markets. It's tough to talk to people on my own, so it takes 
me a bit longer to learn some basic things. This mailing list and the
rec.woodworking newsgroup are gold mines of info!

Thanks for tolerating this babble, galoots!

James
jcanning@r...
aka 'broccoli puffs'





Recent Bios FAQ