I worked for my father for fourteen years. He owned his HVAC/electrical business. We also built closets to house the systems, when they did not have any. We installed disappearing folding stairways, etc. What ever needed to be done to do the job,we did it.
My father told me one day that if he did not do A/C work he would have been a trim carpenter. He really was an excellent trim carpenter. He taught me so many things about construction. I asked him where did he learn all of this stuff. He told me that he
took woodworking shop classes in high school. I met one of his shop teachers years later, we were installing an A/C system in his house. He told me how talented my father was in doing his work. He said it is an art, and it is something that takes time and
patience to master. My father had both of those qualities. One of his favorite sayings were,"that joint needs to be so tight you can't blow smoke through it". I did not understand at first. Then I realized that he meant, existing structures move, are not perfectly square, therefore you have to custom fit it. He was always saying things to make you think about it.
All of the approaches that he taught me during those years helped me in ways I could not have dreamed of when it came to woodworking. I would not like to be a trim carpenter, I can but to me it is more of a passion that I do not have. I enjoy building projects
and upgrades but that is enough for me. I have found my passion now, it is woodworking!
Thanks for the post Ken, it made me reflect on some good memories.
Ellery Becnel
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Originally Posted by Robert Parent
