"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!


Don't sell yourself short there guy. The man obviously saw something there.
And you get to work in an environment that is healthy for you. The best of
all worlds.

Congrats. We expect good things from you.

Congratulations. That must feel great.

If you don't mind me asking, about how old are you? I have been
semi-retired from aerospace for about 3 years and continue to do consulting
to keep me in tools and to feed the retirement accounts. However, I have
been thinking about how great it would be to do something truly
'constructive'.

RonB

"Prometheus" wrote in message

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

Congratulations ... my bet is that with your attitude, whatever you do you
will be a success. In a nutshell, that's really what it takes.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 7/23/05

Prometheus wrote:
Greets all,
=20
I've got the mother of all gloats today-
=20
But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)
=20
And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!
=20
=20


Congratulations.

Sounds like the kind of stuff that could be really fun.

Would have enjoyed that myself. Let me know if you get bored... :-)



--=20
Will R.
Jewel Boxes and Wood Art
http://woodwork.pmccl.com
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those=20
who have not got it.=94 George Bernard Shaw

Prometheus wrote:

Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-


And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

Congrats, I'm actually retired and doing the exact same thing. I owned a
cable construction company for 25 years and watched the whole business go
to ****. So one day when a employee of 2 weeks came up to me and said I was
doing it wrong, it was the last straw. I shut my business down and went on
vacation for 3 years. Then decided to open a fix it, handy man service and
been loving it ever since. I do the jobs I want and work the hours I want.
I'm always busy and even get jobs where I build cabinets and furniture.
Most of what I do is renovations, kitchen and baths and enjoy it
completely.

Good luck, there is nothing like doing what you truly enjoy!!!

Rich

Lee Michaels wrote:
"Prometheus" wrote in message


Congratulations Prometheus. Nice to see someone moving ahead in life

I guess it's easier to get a job when you're 4 days ahead of everyone else.
IOW, you might want to check your system clock, so your posts don't stay
stuck at the top of some wreck reading software packages.

BTW, congrats on the job. I've always thought the best job to have is one
that you'd do for free (and then get paid for it).

Clint

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

"evodawg" wrote in message
cable construction company for 25 years and watched the whole business go
to ****. So one day when a employee of 2 weeks came up to me and said I
was
doing it wrong, it was the last straw.

And what kind of answer did you give him?

Prometheus (in ) said:

| I've got the mother of all gloats today-

Congratulations!

Normally I'd say: "You suck!" but this goes way beyond suckage...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html

In article ydwGe.171251$tt5.130684@edtnps90, Clint
wrote:

I guess it's easier to get a job when you're 4 days ahead of everyone else.
IOW, you might want to check your system clock, so your posts don't stay
stuck at the top of some wreck reading software packages.

So THAT"S why some posts are constantly at the top! Duh... I thought
it might be something on my end. Guess not.

BTW, congrats on the job. I've always thought the best job to have is one
that you'd do for free (and then get paid for it).

Clint

Add me to the list of congrats. At 26, you are a very lucky
young man to do what you want, enjoy and collect a paycheck.

Aiming toward your own business is the right direction. A
good reputation means everything.

Best of luck!

Lou

Prometheus wrote:
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!


Good on ya,
Having a job that you like, and it pays the bills, makes getting up in
the mornings so much easier.
Congratulations
John

"Prometheus" wrote in message

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Fantastic news! This is not just a job, but a career. Something you can
truly enjoy doing and doing the right way.

Anybody with a hammer can get a job pounding nails, but, IMO, this is going
to allow you to use your skills and can lead to so many good things.

I'm looking forward to some progress reports. Good luck with your future.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:21:50 GMT, "Clint" wrote:

I guess it's easier to get a job when you're 4 days ahead of everyone else.
IOW, you might want to check your system clock, so your posts don't stay
stuck at the top of some wreck reading software packages.

*sheepish grin* Yep- I made an appointment for something else, and
used the calendar on the system clock to check the date of it- didn't
realize I had changed it until later. Should be all right now.

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 21:36:35 -0500, Prometheus
wrote:

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:21:50 GMT, "Clint" wrote:

I guess it's easier to get a job when you're 4 days ahead of everyone else.
IOW, you might want to check your system clock, so your posts don't stay
stuck at the top of some wreck reading software packages.

*sheepish grin* Yep- I made an appointment for something else, and
used the calendar on the system clock to check the date of it- didn't
realize I had changed it until later. Should be all right now.


Yeah, the system clock is a bad thing to use for checking dates. Seems
like a flaw in Billy-boy's system, a system that asks you 5 different ways
whether you really want to delete that file you named "deleteme.txt"
changes date and time with *no* positive entry.




+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

"Morris Dovey" wrote in message
Prometheus (in ) said:
I've got the mother of all gloats today-

Normally I'd say: "You suck!" but this goes way beyond suckage...

Have to agree. Finding a job you enjoy doing with a person you wouldn't mind
working for/with and doing it is way beyond just a simple gloat.

Yup - thats a fair Gloat.. . . .

But, my youngish cobber - beware the dream of making furniture for a living
.. .. . . !

I've been doing it for 17 years now - and it is a good life . . . I even
got to the stage where I thought we could move down to the Southwest (WA)
from Fremantle, and live in what was our holiday home - seeing as now I was
already a multi hundredaire. . . . and slow up a tad . . .

So move we did - and set up a new little Furniture Gallery .. . . Now,
after 3and a bit years down here , I have never been so busy .. . . . I am
running an 11 month waiting list for my work, and turn away as much work as
I accept.

And whats more - having just managed to turn 50 with most of my body parts
still working and present . . .. . I am still a multi hundredaire . .. .

Phil

The Nannup Furniture Gallery
Support small business ~ Save a Species Today ~ ME!
www.swanriverfurniture.com.au



"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:02:57 +0800, "Phil Laird"
wrote:

Yup - thats a fair Gloat.. . . .

But, my youngish cobber - beware the dream of making furniture for a living
. .. . . !

I've been doing it for 17 years now - and it is a good life . . . I even
got to the stage where I thought we could move down to the Southwest (WA)
from Fremantle, and live in what was our holiday home - seeing as now I was
already a multi hundredaire. . . . and slow up a tad . . .

So move we did - and set up a new little Furniture Gallery .. . . Now,
after 3and a bit years down here , I have never been so busy .. . . . I am
running an 11 month waiting list for my work, and turn away as much work as
I accept.

And whats more - having just managed to turn 50 with most of my body parts
still working and present . . .. . I am still a multi hundredaire . .. .

Phil

The Nannup Furniture Gallery
Support small business ~ Save a Species Today ~ ME!
www.swanriverfurniture.com.au



Good to see yer voice, Phully.

And "Amen" to yer thinking on perfeshunnel wooddorking.





Tom Watson - WoodDorker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/ (website)

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 01:28:15 -0400, Upscale wrote:

"Morris Dovey" wrote in message
Prometheus (in ) said:
I've got the mother of all gloats today-

Normally I'd say: "You suck!" but this goes way beyond suckage...

Have to agree. Finding a job you enjoy doing with a person you wouldn't
mind working for/with and doing it is way beyond just a simple gloat.

Top 3 life gloats:

1)The birth of a child
2)Marrying the person you truly love and who loves you just as much.
3)Making a living doing what you love.

Yeah, I'd say Prometheus did OK.

--
-Joe Wells

Phil Laird apparently said,on my timestamp of 30/07/2005 7:02 PM:

Yup - thats a fair Gloat.. . . .

But, my youngish cobber - beware the dream of making furniture for a living
. .. . . !

I've been doing it for 17 years now - and it is a good life . . . I even
got to the stage where I thought we could move down to the Southwest (WA)
from Fremantle, and live in what was our holiday home - seeing as now I was
already a multi hundredaire. . . . and slow up a tad . . .

So move we did - and set up a new little Furniture Gallery .. . . Now,
after 3and a bit years down here , I have never been so busy .. . . . I am
running an 11 month waiting list for my work, and turn away as much work as
I accept.

And whats more - having just managed to turn 50 with most of my body parts
still working and present . . .. . I am still a multi hundredaire . .. .



Hehehe! Looks like things are still as hectic
as before, eh Phully?

Good to hear from you, ya old ratbag!
50 eh? Welcome to my decade...

--
Cheers
Nuno Souto
in sunny Sydney, Australia
am

"Phil Laird" wrote in
:

Yup - thats a fair Gloat.. . . .

But, my youngish cobber - beware the dream of making furniture for a
living . .. . . !

I've been doing it for 17 years now - and it is a good life . . . I
even got to the stage where I thought we could move down to the
Southwest (WA) from Fremantle, and live in what was our holiday home -
seeing as now I was already a multi hundredaire. . . . and slow up a
tad . . .

So move we did - and set up a new little Furniture Gallery .. . .
Now, after 3and a bit years down here , I have never been so busy ..
. . . I am running an 11 month waiting list for my work, and turn
away as much work as I accept.

And whats more - having just managed to turn 50 with most of my body
parts still working and present . . .. . I am still a multi
hundredaire . .. .

Phil

The Nannup Furniture Gallery
Support small business ~ Save a Species Today ~ ME!
www.swanriverfurniture.com.au



So, are you up to the challenges of an apprentice or three? ;-)

Of course, sometimes more people on a project just means a longer
process.

Congratulations on your success.

Patriarch

In article ,
Prometheus wrote:

[snipperized for brevity]

Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

The Dutch have a saying: "met je neus in de boter vallen."
Literally translated: "falling with your nose in the butter."

That doesn't translate very well, but you get the picture, right? G
Congratulations. Nothing better than a gig that flexes your skill-sets;
variety is a spice indeed. You'll learn something new every day.
Then, just when you think you've gathered a lot of know-how...SURPRISE!!!

I hope that 30 years down the road, when you are interviewing some
wide-eyed kid, you remember this opportunity given to you.

Good luck, bro'.

Prometheus,

Congratulations!

It's always great to see another woodworker join the ranks of
full time professional.

Best of luck with the new position,
Ed

http://profit.profitfromwood.com

Congratulations on the new job. Best of luck.


"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

Upscale wrote:

"evodawg" wrote in message
cable construction company for 25 years and watched the whole business go
to ****. So one day when a employee of 2 weeks came up to me and said I
was
doing it wrong, it was the last straw.

And what kind of answer did you give him?


I had a cable contracting constuction company. He was an employee of the
Cable Provider. Charter Cable. I went to management and it was told to me
there was nothing they could do about it. Believe me this had been boiling
for sometime, other problems but this one just pushed me over the edge. I
had made plenty of bucks in the business for the last 25 years and was
ready to give it up. It was fun for about 15 but the last 10 was misery.
Besides in Southern California cable contracting is done by illegal aliens,
and you get what you pay for.

Rich

On Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:52:04 -0500, Prometheus wrote:

Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

that's GREAT news!!
Hope the job is and stays as advertised and you enjoy it for however long you
choose to do it...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:23:07 -0400, loutent wrote:

In article ydwGe.171251$tt5.130684@edtnps90, Clint
wrote:

I guess it's easier to get a job when you're 4 days ahead of everyone else.
IOW, you might want to check your system clock, so your posts don't stay
stuck at the top of some wreck reading software packages.

So THAT"S why some posts are constantly at the top! Duh... I thought
it might be something on my end. Guess not.

BTW, congrats on the job. I've always thought the best job to have is one
that you'd do for free (and then get paid for it).

Clint

Add me to the list of congrats. At 26, you are a very lucky
young man to do what you want, enjoy and collect a paycheck.

Aiming toward your own business is the right direction. A
good reputation means everything.

Best of luck!

Lou

Let me jump in here on Lou's post and suggest taking a few business courses
while you're building your reputation...
Very frequently, good craftsman doing good work lose their ass financially
because they just aren't business folks... and not everyone is..

My wife works for a large local contractor that needed his business organized
and made more profitable... after a few weeks she realized that he was losing
money on almost every job he did... (some were gross bids of over 500k)

He basically was the best metal stud and texture guy in the area and bought the
company that he worked for when the owner retired... no background in
management, no business training..
hell, his wife even had to balance his personal check book for him..

Fortunately, he has enough employees and jobs scheduled that he can afford
"middle management" and my wife can pull him out of debt in about 2 years..



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 01 Aug 2005 10:23:11 -0700, mac davis
wrote:

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

that's GREAT news!!
Hope the job is and stays as advertised and you enjoy it for however long you
choose to do it...

Thanks for all the congrats, guys. Figured I'd follow up on it, as
it's the end of my first day. For once, it turns out the job is just
like I hoped it'd be... We were working on expanding a garage on a
house that looked like an old Engish Manor (must of had at least 7
bedrooms) and the emphesis was consistantly on doing things correctly-
not just wacking them out as quickly as possible. Tools were
top-notch, materials were top-notch, and the guy I work for is a nice
fella. Asked about the attached shop at home base a little, and it
turns out that it's not only possible but likely that there'll be
times where my job is building cabinetry and custom furniture for
months straight, where the job needs it. Busted out concrete for a
good hunk of the day today, but tomorrow it sounds Iike I'm going to
be refabricating old custom woodwork in a kitchen at another site.
From the way it sounds, this company is sort of the unofficial
caretaker of the old lumber barons' mansions in the old money part of
town.

Excellent stuff- there's always a bit of disbelief on my part when
someone describes a new job to me, but it looks like these guys were
right on the level.

(And it pays better than steel work!)

g'day Phully!

Glad I caught your post - 50 huh? Ya old bugger!

I'm still trying to get down your way but seem to be travelling the
Gippsland/Sydney/Brisbane route at the moment. Maybe next year.

Say, are ya still using the chocky starfish stamp on yer furniture?

:-)

cheers,

Groggs

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:02:57 +0800, "Phil Laird"
wrote:

Yup - thats a fair Gloat.. . . .

But, my youngish cobber - beware the dream of making furniture for a living
. .. . . !

I've been doing it for 17 years now - and it is a good life . . . I even
got to the stage where I thought we could move down to the Southwest (WA)
from Fremantle, and live in what was our holiday home - seeing as now I was
already a multi hundredaire. . . . and slow up a tad . . .

So move we did - and set up a new little Furniture Gallery .. . . Now,
after 3and a bit years down here , I have never been so busy .. . . . I am
running an 11 month waiting list for my work, and turn away as much work as
I accept.

And whats more - having just managed to turn 50 with most of my body parts
still working and present . . .. . I am still a multi hundredaire . .. .

Phil

The Nannup Furniture Gallery
Support small business ~ Save a Species Today ~ ME!
www.swanriverfurniture.com.au

Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

I was looking to get back into construction, and things were looking
ok as far as finding a job went, but I was finding that a whole lot of
the guys doing it were (to put it very bluntly) sort of hacks. You
know the deal if you've ever seen it- wet pine timbers nailed together
in the quickest half-assed manner possible, with clumsily hacked
sheets of OSB sorta stapled on the frame, and the whole deal wrapped
in Tyvec to hide the shoddy workmanship. Lots of caulk and shims-
anyhow, you get the picture.

But, I did find one contractor that looked like he was worth working
for- an older fella whose crew specializes in renovation of historical
properties, and the job included not just your standard hack and nail
framing for the lowest bidder, but historical research, fabrication of
historically accurate mouldings and fixtures, nice classic wooden
staircases, masonry work, you name it- they do it for a premium, and
do it right. It was the only place I saw that had a wood shop- a
fully stocked cabinet maker's style shop, no less, and not much of an
office (that's a bonus in my book- it means they're working out of the
shop, and that's always a good situation for the guys on the ground!)

Having been doing renovations on nights and weekends for myself for a
long time, I didn't think I had a chance- most of them are looking for
someone who has gotten a paycheck from company XYZ for X number of
years. But I figured the worst he could do was tell me no- so what
the heck.

But today, I got the call- looks like I'm starting Monday, and I'm
even making more money than my crappy steelworking job. Words can't
even describe it- looks like all the time I put into my hobby is
finally paying off in spades! (80% of my resume was "additional
qualifications" related to woodworking)

And, the day job is now going to actually be helping me reach my goal
of making furniture for a living someday, instead of putting me at
risk of being crippled just to pay the bills... Guess I can join JOAT
now in saying that life is basically good!

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:02:37 -0500, "RonB" wrote:

Congratulations. That must feel great.

If you don't mind me asking, about how old are you? I have been
semi-retired from aerospace for about 3 years and continue to do consulting
to keep me in tools and to feed the retirement accounts. However, I have
been thinking about how great it would be to do something truly
'constructive'.

Nah, I don't mind- I'm 26. Young enough to still be a framer if I had
to, but with 15 years of manual labor under my belt already, I'm
starting to feel the faint echoes of what it'd be like in 20 years if
I tried to keep doing the bull work as a long-term career. This way
(with the finer, more involved work) is actually sustainable, and it
makes for a much more satisfying career in the long run. Been doing
construction since I was 19, and that's pretty much all I actually
like to do- I was only a steel worker because the morgage companies
seem to like jobs like that better (read, one constant location and
year-round work guaranteed) when they're deciding whether or not you
get a home loan. But now I've got my house, and I can return to what
I like!

FWIW, I know a lot of retired engineers and computer programmers seem
to enjoy plumbing (for whatever reason, that seems to be the big one)
as well. It's not as rare as you may think for a guy to go into the
buidling trades a little later in life, and they often do better work.
It's especially worthwhile if you're retired- then you can really take
the time to pick and choose who you work for, or just do cash work for
homeowners by putting a little ad in the paper.

Congratulations on starting your new career. Don't forget to give the
woodworking gods a sacrifice so they smile on you and give what you need not
what you want. Larry
"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Greets all,

I've got the mother of all gloats today-

On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 19:01:33 -0400, "larry's lair"
wrote:

Congratulations on starting your new career. Don't forget to give the
woodworking gods a sacrifice so they smile on you and give what you need not
what you want. Larry

Always make my weekly sacrifice each weekend. Wouldn't want to offend
the big guys!

"Prometheus" wrote in message
Always make my weekly sacrifice each weekend. Wouldn't want to offend
the big guys!

Did you start the new job? Details?

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Prometheus" wrote in message

Always make my weekly sacrifice each weekend. Wouldn't want to offend
the big guys!


Did you start the new job? Details?

You missed it. He responded last night. After the second day, he's
probably too high to answer you now. Looks like he found that "perfect
slot"

On Wed, 03 Aug 2005 02:01:52 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
Always make my weekly sacrifice each weekend. Wouldn't want to offend
the big guys!

Did you start the new job? Details?

Yep. It's going great- Looks like most my work is going to be
high-end trim and cabinet fabrication, though the last three days have
been slightly heavier framing because the other guy that does the
detail work has been having back problems. Of course, I'm finding
that it's *all* detail work there- learned quite a bit already that I
had never even considered when working for myself, like pouring
foundation footings, crowning studs to get a perfectly flat wall, and
a bunch of other neat little tricks. It's like working at home, only
I get paid for it. Co-workers and the boss are all nice guys, too.
Never had a job where I even considered hanging around off the clock
before, but I do at this one- good stuff!

"Prometheus" wrote in message
Yep. It's going great- Looks like most my work is going to be
high-end trim and cabinet fabrication, though the last three days have
been slightly heavier framing because the other guy that does the
detail work has been having back problems. Of course, I'm finding
that it's *all* detail work there- learned quite a bit already that I
had never even considered when working for myself, like pouring
foundation footings, crowning studs to get a perfectly flat wall, and
a bunch of other neat little tricks. It's like working at home, only
I get paid for it. Co-workers and the boss are all nice guys, too.
Never had a job where I even considered hanging around off the clock
before, but I do at this one- good stuff!

Great. When you like your job, life is basically good. JOAT know his stuff.