On Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:54:02 +0000, Steve Walker
wrote:

snip

For the first time ever, I've had someone in to do work in the house
(other than having new gas or electricity meters or sorting out phone
line faults), but in my defence, it was installing granite worktops.

I have given some IT help to a granite worktop Co and that including
the setting up of the PC part of a pretty large flat-bed CNC cutter /
mill.

They were making their first sink hole cutout with it and it it made
two perfect hole outlines, cutting the hole out perfectly ... then the
mill exited the hole area without lifting ... Doh (someone had
forgotten to put that in the code but to be fair to them it was second
hand and they got little in the way of training). ;-(

With anything else, my father used to help,

My Dad *never* helped me but I was often asked (expected) to help him.
I did learn a lot though (carpentry).

It was my Uncle who was more interested in doing stuff *for / with*
me, building my first 'soap box cart' that I put to great use for a
couple of years (even getting fridges and the likes for Mum). ;-)

although these days my
eldest son (17) does.

Yeah, the Mrs was my 'mate' and still helps where she can (arthritis).

My middle son (15) actually asked for tools and
his own workbench for Christmas.

Excellent.

We're heading the right way here.

Yup, and encouragement is important as we all like to know what we do
is good / appreciated (only when it's worthy of such of course) so
making / repairing things for others can give a big boost.

It was my Uncle who bought some of my first tools and I've still got
and use many of them.

It was lovely to be able to pay him back when someone backed into his
Reliant Robin front wing, putting a fist size hole in it and for him
to come back after a weekend away with his sister, to find the hole
gone and it all painted. ;-)

Or when the Mrs said to him ... 'So if you could wave a magic wand and
your tiled fire surround and hearth was gone and the fire on the wall
and it cost you nothing, you would do it ...?

Him, 'Erm yes?'

Her to me, 'Right let's pop home and get the tools ... ' ;-)

Cheers, T i m