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Down memory lane.

Hang up your Chisels and Plane blades and take a load off with a recently turned goblet of your favourite poison, in the lounge of our Gentlemen's (and ladies) Club.

Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 19 Jul 2018, 20:19

During the last few weeks, I've been reflecting back to school & college days. The last theory exam at school was O'level woodwork. I remember going back to school to sit the theory after completing the practical and then that was it, school days were over! As woodwork theory was the last exam to sit, I officially left school mid July 1981 and within a week, I started my apprenticeship with three years block release college ahead of me. :|

Looking back, I feel so privileged to have entered the woodworking craft before today's modern methods took hold. The first 2 years of my apprenticeship were in the joiner's shop and the two main joiners who taught me were close to retirement - Ernie & Bill. These guys served their apprenticeships during the 1930's - old school. Beautiful 8-)

I remember cutting twin tenons for mid & bottom rails of doors using a rip saw; cleaning up the haunches using a homemade 'old woman's tooth' from an old piece of teak bannister; boring the sash cord hole in a sliding sash using a brace & bit (long one!); scribing the shoulder of the tenon over the ovolo profile.

Handmade profiling planes were in regular use and the only power tool in the workshop was a bulky orbital sander. At the close of every day, the caretaker chap (another Bill, and he was a wonderfully funny character) swept all the wood shavings from the workshop floor.

I also remember spending much of my time in the Town Hall joiner's shop too (down in the basement); making up oak profiles to match damaged architraves, skirting boards and other mouldings in the old Victorian building, and then scarfing them in. I remember the joiner chap John who was also close to retirement (old school), shooting a bevel down a long piece of heavy pine using a trying plane whistling all the way and covering the floor with wood shavings. I can still hear the sound of his boots on the floor as he whistled the plane along the length of timber. Such lovely memories. 8-)

Screws were slotted and the fast action screwdriver was the pump screwdriver - no cordless drill/screwdriver jobbies back then. Us apprentices weren't allowed to use one until we had received proper training. They were banned from college. I still have one, although not my first ever, but still pretty old.

It was from these experiences where my love for woodwork really started to grow and now I'm retiring from the pressures of the professional world of woodworking, my small home hobby workshop is going to be hand tools only and all methods are going to be traditional old school - the same as when these old chaps passed on their skills to me.

Beautiful. 8-)

Just thought I'd share my little trip down memory lane with some very fond and beautiful memories.

Today is so different and that's in just roughly 35 years. I guess it's called 'moving with the times'.

Well I'm sorry world... I'm not going to - so there!

Oh no, I'm going back to my fondest times when I originally started out.

I'm feeling rather excited about the prospect.

:text-bravo:
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Malc2098 » 19 Jul 2018, 21:22

Bl00dy good show!!
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Rod » 19 Jul 2018, 21:42

Good luck with your new future Paul.

I did O levels, A levels, Degree then The Institution of Civil Engineers exams and interview to become Chartered Engineer when I was about 25 or 26. So I studied for quite a long time.

Woodwork was mainly DIY though I did get an O level in it (and Metalwork) but as I got older and had a bit more time started making more exotic stuff out of real wood!
I retired at 60 then worked part time and started buying bits of machinery to process my own timber and for a while bought lots of unnecessary tools :)
Strangely my Fathers’s hobby was messing about with wood but I don’t ever remember him teaching me anything.
When I first started work I was placed under a terrible example of an Engineer and who haunted my career for a number of years but that’s a long story. Everybody was called by their surname and your superiors were called Sir. When the big boss entered your room you stood to attention. No lady Engineers but a few female secretaries and Tracers.
Sports jacket and ties were the expected dress and as you progressed up the ranks a suit was the approved attire.

Those were the days, thankfully no longer.

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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby fiveeyes » 20 Jul 2018, 00:34

Bravo Mr Pinch, bravo.
Please do more reminiscing, all of us, I am certain, will appreciate that. You were fortunate to learn from your mentors, and we here on TWH2, have learned from you. Heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes, the only way the old school ways are passed on, is thru stories. Tell more, hell, write a book!

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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby RogerS » 20 Jul 2018, 04:47

Rod wrote:......
When I first started work I was placed under a terrible example of an Engineer and who haunted my career for a number of years but that’s a long story. Everybody was called by their surname and your superiors were called Sir. When the big boss entered your room you stood to attention. .....

Rod


My old MD amazed us with a story from his working career at a similar company by the sounds of it. He'd been promoted and was entitled to an office. There he was, sitting back in his chair, contemplating his lot when the door opened without so much as knock or a bye-your-leave and a maintenance man walked in, whipped out a Stanley knife and proceeded to cut a foot off of the carpet all the way round the perimeter of the room. My MD asked him what did he think he was doing. The reply was that his grade didn't entitle him to an office with wall-to-wall carpeting.

When I worked for the ghastly KPMG, I was pushed onto an internal project where I was expected to work on databases of which I had scant experience or knowledge. The working area was dire, I was hacked off and then :idea: I was also responsible for a demo area on another floor which came complete with a kitted out 'Partner's office'. It was my personal fiefdom. So I went there and carried on working. Then they found me :cry: That's when I decided to quit. The attitude of the partner's was 'I own that table. I own that chair. I own that carpet, I own you'.
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Andyp » 20 Jul 2018, 07:22

Pinch wrote:Screws were slotted and the fast action screwdriver was the pump screwdriver - no cordless drill/screwdriver jobbies back then. Us apprentices weren't allowed to use one until we had received proper training. They were banned from college. I still have one, although not my first ever, but still pretty old.



My father has a couple of those pump action screwdrivers, probably my grandfathers. I have tried using them but a long time ago now. All I can remember is how dfficult they were to control. Jumping out of the screw slot and leaving a horrid dent in the wood.

Interesting that you had training on how to use them. Exactly how should they be used?
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Woodbloke » 20 Jul 2018, 09:08

Andyp wrote:
Pinch wrote:Screws were slotted and the fast action screwdriver was the pump screwdriver - no cordless drill/screwdriver jobbies back then. Us apprentices weren't allowed to use one until we had received proper training. They were banned from college. I still have one, although not my first ever, but still pretty old.



My father has a couple of those pump action screwdrivers, probably my grandfathers. I have tried using them but a long time ago now. All I can remember is how dfficult they were to control. Jumping out of the screw slot and leaving a horrid dent in the wood.

Interesting that you had training on how to use them. Exactly how should they be used?


My old dad who was in the Fleet Air Arm mentioned severial times that pump action 'Yankee' screwdrivers were banned when working on aeroplanes, for the simple reason that the bit could too easily slip and puncture the aluminium skin. Not only embarrassing but an extremely spendy mistake to fix :shock: - Rob
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Rod » 20 Jul 2018, 10:15

The offices had vinyl floors but when you became a Section Engineer you were given a small piece of carpet to stand on. You didn’t get your own office until you were a Group Engineer.

I’ve got a couple of pump action drivers but I very rarely use them. The risk of them slipping out was heightened by the fact that screws back then were all slotted ones.

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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 11:50

Malc2098 wrote:Bl00dy good show!!


Indeed Sir... indeed. :lol:
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 12:02

Rod wrote:Good luck with your new future Paul.

I did O levels, A levels, Degree then The Institution of Civil Engineers exams and interview to become Chartered Engineer when I was about 25 or 26. So I studied for quite a long time.

Woodwork was mainly DIY though I did get an O level in it (and Metalwork) but as I got older and had a bit more time started making more exotic stuff out of real wood!
I retired at 60 then worked part time and started buying bits of machinery to process my own timber and for a while bought lots of unnecessary tools :)
Strangely my Fathers’s hobby was messing about with wood but I don’t ever remember him teaching me anything.
When I first started work I was placed under a terrible example of an Engineer and who haunted my career for a number of years but that’s a long story. Everybody was called by their surname and your superiors were called Sir. When the big boss entered your room you stood to attention. No lady Engineers but a few female secretaries and Tracers.
Sports jacket and ties were the expected dress and as you progressed up the ranks a suit was the approved attire.

Those were the days, thankfully no longer.

Rod


Thanks Rod, it's all moving in the right direction, but the training and waiting is slow going at the moment. It's going to suddenly speed up very soon. 8-)

I remember you posting up some of your Father's woodwork which was very impressive.

Yes, the work place/attire/attitudes are much more relaxed now. I wish it could be somewhere in the middle. Since deciding to start my coach driving career, I've been making a deliberate observation on our coach drivers' attire and they're all smartly dressed with ties.
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 12:09

fiveeyes wrote:Bravo Mr Pinch, bravo.
Please do more reminiscing, all of us, I am certain, will appreciate that. You were fortunate to learn from your mentors, and we here on TWH2, have learned from you. Heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes, the only way the old school ways are passed on, is thru stories. Tell more, hell, write a book!

bill


Thanks Bill, very kind of you. 8-) A book could be potentially embarrassing... I would end up going off on tangents and ramble into a world of imaginative woodland creatures of mystical beings and large breasted fairies. :lol:

But, who knows.... :eusa-think:

:text-bravo:
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 12:13

RogerS wrote:
Rod wrote:......
When I first started work I was placed under a terrible example of an Engineer and who haunted my career for a number of years but that’s a long story. Everybody was called by their surname and your superiors were called Sir. When the big boss entered your room you stood to attention. .....

Rod


My old MD amazed us with a story from his working career at a similar company by the sounds of it. He'd been promoted and was entitled to an office. There he was, sitting back in his chair, contemplating his lot when the door opened without so much as knock or a bye-your-leave and a maintenance man walked in, whipped out a Stanley knife and proceeded to cut a foot off of the carpet all the way round the perimeter of the room. My MD asked him what did he think he was doing. The reply was that his grade didn't entitle him to an office with wall-to-wall carpeting.

When I worked for the ghastly KPMG, I was pushed onto an internal project where I was expected to work on databases of which I had scant experience or knowledge. The working area was dire, I was hacked off and then :idea: I was also responsible for a demo area on another floor which came complete with a kitted out 'Partner's office'. It was my personal fiefdom. So I went there and carried on working. Then they found me :cry: That's when I decided to quit. The attitude of the partner's was 'I own that table. I own that chair. I own that carpet, I own you'.


My dyslexia initially read KPMG as KBG. :lol:

Like you, I would have walked. Who do they think they are! Swines! :x
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 12:19

Andyp wrote:
Pinch wrote:Screws were slotted and the fast action screwdriver was the pump screwdriver - no cordless drill/screwdriver jobbies back then. Us apprentices weren't allowed to use one until we had received proper training. They were banned from college. I still have one, although not my first ever, but still pretty old.



My father has a couple of those pump action screwdrivers, probably my grandfathers. I have tried using them but a long time ago now. All I can remember is how dfficult they were to control. Jumping out of the screw slot and leaving a horrid dent in the wood.

Interesting that you had training on how to use them. Exactly how should they be used?


I used to love using the pump screwdriver. I had both the medium and large. The training was basically an in-house practical lesson on how to respect the tool as it was (as we all know) a potentially lethal weapon. We were taught the fundamental do's & don'ts and how to look after it. 8-)
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 12:23

Woodbloke wrote:
Andyp wrote:
Pinch wrote:Screws were slotted and the fast action screwdriver was the pump screwdriver - no cordless drill/screwdriver jobbies back then. Us apprentices weren't allowed to use one until we had received proper training. They were banned from college. I still have one, although not my first ever, but still pretty old.



My father has a couple of those pump action screwdrivers, probably my grandfathers. I have tried using them but a long time ago now. All I can remember is how dfficult they were to control. Jumping out of the screw slot and leaving a horrid dent in the wood.

Interesting that you had training on how to use them. Exactly how should they be used?


My old dad who was in the Fleet Air Arm mentioned severial times that pump action 'Yankee' screwdrivers were banned when working on aeroplanes, for the simple reason that the bit could too easily slip and puncture the aluminium skin. Not only embarrassing but an extremely spendy mistake to fix :shock: - Rob


The 'Yankee' - that was it - Stanley. I started out with a Yankee and ended up with two Talco drivers - I think they were. I still have them in the workshop - one still good and the other not. I''m going to clean up the good one and try to source new bits for it. 8-)
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Woodbloke » 22 Jul 2018, 13:39

Pinch wrote:
The 'Yankee' - that was it - Stanley. I started out with a Yankee and ended up with two Talco drivers - I think they were. I still have them in the workshop - one still good and the other not. I''m going to clean up the good one and try to source new bits for it. 8-)


A friend of mine, Paul Chapman who will be a familiar name to Rod, has a 'collection' of these things. I haven't seen or heard from Paul for several years now, but I remember he was forever on the lookout for different variations of drivers and bits - Rob
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 22 Jul 2018, 16:02

Woodbloke wrote:
Pinch wrote:
The 'Yankee' - that was it - Stanley. I started out with a Yankee and ended up with two Talco drivers - I think they were. I still have them in the workshop - one still good and the other not. I''m going to clean up the good one and try to source new bits for it. 8-)


A friend of mine, Paul Chapman who will be a familiar name to Rod, has a 'collection' of these things. I haven't seen or heard from Paul for several years now, but I remember he was forever on the lookout for different variations of drivers and bits - Rob


Cheers Rob. The same Paul Chapman who was also active on WUK?
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Woodbloke » 22 Jul 2018, 16:51

Pinch wrote:
Cheers Rob. The same Paul Chapman who was also active on WUK?

The very same fella, but as I said, he appears to have dropped off the grid - Rob
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby fiveeyes » 22 Jul 2018, 21:36

Pinch wrote:
fiveeyes wrote:Bravo Mr Pinch, bravo.
Please do more reminiscing, all of us, I am certain, will appreciate that. You were fortunate to learn from your mentors, and we here on TWH2, have learned from you. Heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes, the only way the old school ways are passed on, is thru stories. Tell more, hell, write a book!

bill


Thanks Bill, very kind of you. 8-) A book could be potentially embarrassing... I would end up going off on tangents and ramble into a world of imaginative woodland creatures of mystical beings and large breasted fairies. :lol:

But, who knows.... :eusa-think:

:text-bravo:

Had a good laugh with that!!
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Malc2098 » 23 Jul 2018, 12:12

We've 'ad a meetin' of the committee and a motion 'as been passed for Mr Pinch to write a book about large breasted fairies.
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby RogerS » 23 Jul 2018, 12:39

Malc2098 wrote:We've 'ad a meetin' of the committee and a motion 'as been passed for Mr Pinch to write a book about large breasted fairies.


And we already know the title ;)
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby selectortone » 23 Jul 2018, 15:18

Pinch wrote:I remember cutting twin tenons for mid & bottom rails of doors using a rip saw; cleaning up the haunches using a homemade 'old woman's tooth' from an old piece of teak bannister; :


Lovely memories!

When I did my guitar building course at the Totnes School of Guitarmaking the onus was on hand-tools and tradional luthiery methods. I used a "witches tooth" router plane for the bottom of small channels (for soundhole binding for example). The blade was improvised from hexagonal steel rod (an allen key I think!).

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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby selectortone » 23 Jul 2018, 15:32

My first experience of woodworking was in the first year of grammar school. My dad was the classic all-thumbs when it came to any kind of DIY. We didn't have a tool in the house. He was an RAF officer and if anything went wrong in our married quarters he called an oik to come and fix it. So my first experience of woodworking was turning up, all wide-eyed and expectant, at the woodwork shop of grammar school.

On the first day the woodwork teacher, a VERY nasty piece of work who delighted in hitting us with a piece of batten, gave us all a block of deal (remember when we called pine "deal"?) and told us to plane it down to a specified thickness. I'd never even seen a plane before, never mind used one, and of course I make a complete c_ck up of it. The teacher screamed at me that I was completely useless and mentally scarred me for a long time. After that woodwork classes were purgatory.

It was only in my twenties, when the necessities of young married life and a decrepit terrace house forced me to learn some DIY, that I discovered that I wasn't completely useless. Teachers eh.
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 23 Jul 2018, 19:29

Woodbloke wrote:
Pinch wrote:
Cheers Rob. The same Paul Chapman who was also active on WUK?

The very same fella, but as I said, he appears to have dropped off the grid - Rob


I'm connected with Paul on fb. I'll ping a message over to him soon and hopefully he'll pick it up. 8-)
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby Pinch » 23 Jul 2018, 19:30

fiveeyes wrote:
Pinch wrote:
fiveeyes wrote:Bravo Mr Pinch, bravo.
Please do more reminiscing, all of us, I am certain, will appreciate that. You were fortunate to learn from your mentors, and we here on TWH2, have learned from you. Heartfelt thanks.
Sometimes, the only way the old school ways are passed on, is thru stories. Tell more, hell, write a book!

bill


Thanks Bill, very kind of you. 8-) A book could be potentially embarrassing... I would end up going off on tangents and ramble into a world of imaginative woodland creatures of mystical beings and large breasted fairies. :lol:

But, who knows.... :eusa-think:

:text-bravo:

Had a good laugh with that!!
Well said


Cheers Bill - you've got me thinking now.

:text-bravo:
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Re: Down memory lane.

Postby RogerS » 23 Jul 2018, 19:32

selectortone wrote:.....

On the first day the woodwork teacher, a VERY nasty piece of work who delighted in hitting us with a piece of batten, .....


It must go with the job. Ditto. Our woodwork master - George Love - had 'Black Rod'. The headmaster also couldn't have asked for a better surname. Dr Birchall.
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