I've written about my entry into the crazy field of auto mechanics before so I'll spare you the details. For those of you who are new here I'll do a brief recap. I grew up in a blue collar family, in a blue collar town and never imagined doing something other than blue collar work. My senior year of high school the guidance counselor pulled me out of class, asked me if I had given any thought to what I wanted to do after high school, I ran through my options and told him I wanted to be a mechanic. Graduated high school, went to tech school and landed my first auto job. Went to the second auto job for more money (I'll never make that mistake again), got fired and took it harder than I should have. Up to date now? Good. On with the ramblings of a slightly drunk mechanic.
Having grown up in a blue collar town I always thought (and still do) that manual labor and the skilled trades were a respectable way to make a living. Somewhere in my youth something got me thinking that certain jobs were things to be ashamed of. A janitor for one. When I was young, my Dad worked at "the plant" which is what everyone in town called the local GM assembly factory. Dad worked on the line, doing various jobs, and ended up as a janitor in the EDS offices. I never gave it any thought until I saw how the janitors at my junior high school were treated. As I passed on through junior high and high school in the late '80s, the term "blue collar" almost became a four letter word. Blue collar parents, which were usually the traditional family of working Dad and stay at home Mom, naturally wanted better things for their children. Emphasis was put on "white collar" jobs such as doctors, lawyers, accountants etc. In large part this was due to money. Overseas labor was cheaper than paying for union labor at home. The bean counters were looking at the bottom line and didn't consider the long term consequences of their actions. America was once the industrial giant of the world and that distinction has evaporated. As have an alarmingly large amount of the skills we (America) once had. The white collar/blue collar pendulum had swung over to the white collar side and the blue collar professions suffered accordingly. The day I told my counselor I wanted to be a mechanic, the move to white collar was already in progress and I didn't know it. The day I got fired from auto job number two devastated me. Not so much from the fact I would have to find another job, but because I had to go home and tell my Dad I got fired. Before I even graduated from high school, my parents had instilled certain values in me. My Dad may not have liked his job at the "plant", but he had a family to provide for, and that was his first (and only, looking back on it) priority. Food on the table, roof over the heads. Dad spent four years in the Navy and when he got out he was unemployed for a short time. When his first child (my dear Sister) was born he didn't have a job. In those days birth certificates had a spot where the Father's employment was written down. My Mom told me that when my Sister was born and Dad had to write "unemployed" on the form, he was devastated. So, getting that "mundane" assembly line job was a gift from God to him. Dad had a union job with good pay and good benefits which allowed him to care for his family. That job put money in the bank with which my Mom could go and buy the food she would feed us with and the clothes she put on our backs. That "shameful" factory job also gave my Dad the option to buy bonds and invest in retirement accounts and life insurance policies. I didn't realize until my adult years that the reason I had to do without certain luxuries (popular brand name clothes, cable TV or even color TV) was because my Dad was socking away money for his family's future. My parents sent all of us to college of some sort. And my Mom? She worked for a short time before my Sister was born, for a few years when I was a teen and a few years after Dad died. But, she didn't have to. Those lowly blue collar jobs allowed comfortable lives for families across this nation. This is the situation in which I was raised. I never expected anything else for myself. But things changed.
I'm the youngest of my siblings. The next youngest being eight years older than myself. The oldest, my Sister, 13 years older than myself. The next youngest (I'll call him Spaz) suffered through the horrible early '80s when it was hard to find a job at McDonald's much less at the "plant". As a kid, I watched Spaz go through some really hard times. He eventually got a job at "the plant" but, unfortunately, it was towards the end of the "happy times". Spaz got a layoff notice more than once. But, he made it in with enough seniority (which unfortunately doesn't mean jack-shit these days) that he was able to support his new family and have a pretty decent future. He's now just a couple of years from being able to get the decent retirement which he has most definitely earned. However, that short time span of eight years between us may as well have been 100 years for me.
In high school my first real job was at a Chinese restaurant. Spaz was the host/bartender there during one of the layoffs he suffered through at the plant. One night as I was eating dinner with Mom and Dad, Spaz called. The guy who was the busboy at the restaurant didn't show up (he was worthless from what I heard) and Spaz apparently told the owner he could get someone in to work that night. My brother thought of me. I showed up, was given the briefest of training and started my new job. The other guy eventually showed up but, from what I gathered, was fired on the spot. The restaurant owner apparently appreciated dedicated employees. I guess he saw that in my brother and assumed that if my brother was recommending me he could expect more of the same. I cleaned tables and poured water and made coffee. Not terribly difficult but it was a job and, for the first time in my life, I had money coming in. Spaz got called back to the plant and when summer came I quit because the fife and drum corps I was a part of was more important to me than money. That was my sophmore year of high school. My junior year I was completely unemployed except for the random baby sitting I did for Spaz. I guess you could say that was my only experience with being unemployed. I applied for a job at a local greenhouse and didn't get it. Failure. Not something that sits well with me. As I began my Senior year of high school I was informed that the restaurant was looking for a dishwasher/side order cook. I hemmed and hawed over it because my pride prevented me from what I thought would be crawling back to the restaurant. A short lesson from my Dad cleared things up. He told me that the restaurant had given me a job, on the spot, before and they were giving me the chance to be employed again. Applying at the green house was one of my first "independent" moments and it had failed. So, I became a dishwasher/side order cook. I don't regret it at all. Then, a bigger leap.
I was expecting to spend the summer after my high school graduation with the fife and drum corps as usual, but things took an unexpected turn. My best friend, Pete, had applied at a grocery store and when they didn't respond quickly (he's a seriously motivated individual) he moved on. The grocery store eventually called him and though he told them he'd moved on he called me to let me know there was a job opening. I applied, interviewed and got hired as a dairy/frozen foods assistant. My first grocery store job. This job was short-lived as the place went out of business a little over a year after I was hired. The things I learned from that job were many. I was given responsibility for certain (though menial) tasks, I learned that I was capable of doing all sorts of things and, most importantly, that when you work with good people a job can be enjoyable. I guess I learned that at the restaurant but, being my first job, I had nothing to compare it to. Sadly, one day my boss called me at home and told me not to come into the store because they were closing for good. I was crushed because the people I looked forward to seeing every day wouldn't be around anymore. Then the things I learned from Mom and Dad kicked in. "I need to find another job. Fast." My brain was screaming "You need to provide, provide, provide!!". I was still living at home and had no debts except to Dad. I borrowed $500 from him to buy my first car. The day my boss told me the store was closing, I went to the store to turn in my shirts and name tag then went directly to every other grocery store in town. I got an application from every store, went home, filled out every application and then went out and returned them. All in less than twelve hours. The next day I went down to the unemployment office. I walked in, got in line, picked up the first form and started filling it out. At some point I thought "This is ridiculous. I need to get a job." I was unemployed for less than a week when another grocery store called. I didn't care what the pay was or what the job was. I took it. Again, I ended up in a great place. New people, new building, but the same "family" atmosphere. Somehow, the manager thought I was responsible enough to be "promoted" in a way. I delivered flowers for them. This was during my second year of tech school, the '91-'92 school year.
Tech school, of course, helped get its students into the jobs for which they had been training. My two professors, Mike and Bill, knew their jobs well. Still do. They had the the know-how to place their students in jobs that were appropriate. I didn't go searching for my first auto job, Mike told me about the opening and suggested to me that I apply for it. Mike knew me better than I did. Interviewed, hired... Food on the table. I still remember asking the manager at the grocery store for a minute of his time. I still feel the shame of telling Ken I was leaving for another job. I was raised to be grateful for a job, any job, that allowed you to provide for your family. Job hopping was frowned upon. If someone gave you a job, you showed that employer some respect by staying with them and giving them your all. So, having only been at this second grocery store about four or five months, I felt horrible telling Ken that I was leaving. Ken being older and therefore wiser than the 19 year old me, therefore, knew that I was trying to begin a professional career. He understood completely and even gave me his blessing. I still felt terrible for leaving. But, I did move on. I won't rewrite my experiences with what happened next. It's all in the "Career Blues" series of posts I have on here. I will, however, fill in the blanks.
I went to the first auto job, went to the second and got fired. The day I got fired I went home, early, and walked in to the house. Mom and Dad were eating dinner at the kitchen counter as I walked in. Neither of them were expecting me for another three hours. They both stopped eating, at the same time, and stared at me. Probably trying to figure out why I was home at that time. With my parents I never really tried to cushion things. I simply looked at them and said "I got fired." I don't remember what happened after that. The incredible shame of having to tell my parents that I was fired from a job must have been so great that I've blocked it from memory. I was a product of my parents, however, and the next day I was out hunting for a new job. Gotta keep that money coming in so you can provide for your family! Here's the twist to my story. Just after I started auto job 2, the first grocery store I worked for had reopened under new owners. My former manager had called me, along with other former employees, asking us if we were interested in coming back. Prior experience = less training. I thought about it and politely declined. I had changed jobs so frequently (restaurant, grocery 1, grocery 2, auto 1 and auto 2) within the past three years that I didn't want to change yet again. Besides, I was just starting out on my chosen career. I thanked Dave for even thinking about me for the job. A few months later I got fired from auto 2. I weighed my options. Barely one week passed before I went back to grocery 2 (I'll call it grocery 3 from now on) and asked if I could meet with Dave. I was honest with him and told him about being fired from auto 2. I told him that I needed a job and if he had one available would he please consider me. He hired me on the spot. I told him that my intentions were to get back into auto and he was understanding. I put in four years at grocery 3.
Though I hadn't planned on staying at grocery 3 for four years, it just worked out that way. The shame I felt from being fired from auto 2 was so great that I thought I wasn't good enough. Why would any shop hire me after finding out I had been fired? I dealt with this while I advanced through grocery 3. So many things happened in that time. Dad died. Dave came to the funeral and gave my family a card, signed by every single one of my coworkers. What a great place to work! People cared about one another. Why would I leave that kind of environment? Most of my coworkers were from grocery 1, who had come back, and the business was in the same building. I started as a third shift stocker and was quickly moved to second shift supervisor. I had no clue how to run a store but Dave saw something in me that I wasn't able to see in myself. I alternated between dairy/frozen manager and second shift supervisor for most of my time at grocery 3. They eventually moved me into the meat department. I did NOT want to go there, but I did because I wished to remain employed. Reluctantly, I started in the meat department. Long story short, if the shit hadn't hit the fan, I would be a journeyman meat cutter right now. I eventually liked the meat department and the guys I worked with in that constantly chilly environment. It wasn't going to last.
Having been through one failed grocery store, I started to see the writing on the wall for grocery 3. Nobody wanted to admit it because those of us still there loved that place, but the ship was sinking. My Sister had talked to me about an opening at the daycare center she worked at, for a "maintenance man" i.e "janitor" and I told her I had no interest in commuting or cleaning toilets. Three months after that conversation I finally realized that grocery 3 was as good as gone and I had better jump ship before it sank. On a lark I called the administrator of the daycare. I explained who I was and inquired if the job was still available. It was. I drove up there and interviewed. Honest as always, I said that my current employer was sinking fast and I needed a job. Period. Pretty much got hired on the spot. I'm a lucky son of a bitch aren't I? So began another career path.
Again my best friend, Pete, came to my rescue (see the Career Blues series) and I'm back in my chosen career. But, at the daycare center I was ashamed of what I did. Think of how janitors are looked down upon. My official title was "Maintenance Supervisor" but I knew, as did everyone else, that I was a glorified janitor. I cleaned toilets and floors for a living. I decided early on that I wouldn't try to bullshit anyone. When asked was I did for a living, I came right out and told them I was a glorified janitor at a daycare center. Then, finally, things started to change.
I got back into auto repair and started to respect myself more. There was never any reason to not respect myself. I have never, ever received unemployment compensation from the government. Still, I felt ashamed to be working a blue collar job as a mechanic.
Thank you, Alabama! The band, not the state. I first heard Alabama's song "40 hour week" when I was cleaning toilets at the daycare center. At the lowest point of my life (up to that time anyway) hearing that song started to give me back some of my pride. Sure, I was cleaning toilets and changing light bulbs but I had a job. I was providing for my (non-existent) family and doing something somewhat useful for society! Then I moved on to auto 3 and auto 4. Mike Rowe had his "Dirty Jobs" show on TV. For the first time I felt no shame in being a blue collar professional. Sad that it took 40 years to get to this point but I'm here. When you get down to the bones of it, there's no shame in being blue collar or white collar. What matters is providing for your family and those who depend on you. I don't care if you're digging ditches, vacuuming the shit out of porta-johns or crunching numbers. Family is what matters. Feed them, shelter them and clothe them. The rest is immaterial.
In my relatively short life I've seen America swing from blue collar to white collar and back towards the middle. Jobs are coming back from overseas because the bean counters are, I hope, finally starting to realize that you can't get quality products made overseas. Here, in America, were able to be both concerned with providing for our families AND providing quality products and services. I hope things keep going for the middle. Blue collar or White collar, we both have red blood. Red, White and Blue!
05 June, 2013
16 March, 2013
Professional athletes
It is my opinion that the majority of pro football players are in it for the ridiculous amounts of money they get paid. "It's all about the game. The money isn't that important." Bullshit. I'd like to see how many of them would still play if their salary was put on the same level as the average professional worker. There's always going to be the argument that they have to stay in top form, have to travel extensively, have to stay on top of the game etc. What about an airline pilot? They have to travel extensively, constantly learn new things to stay current and, despite what you may think, aren't paid very well. Many airline pilots have second jobs! If an airline pilot fucks up, people die. If a football player fucks up they only have to deal with an overpaid coach and face paint wearing fans.
What about a diesel mechanic who's been busting his ass 12 to 15 hours a day, five days a week, for months on end only to be yelled at for "not getting everything done"? That mechanic doesn't have an off-season to look forward to. That mechanic is also just barely above what is considered a poverty wage. No sponsors, no million dollar contracts, no glory, just the desire to keep a roof over his family's head and food on the table.
Who's more important, the mechanic or the professional athlete? Think about the uniforms, shoes, balls, fertilizer for the field, the paint used to mark the field, the programs, the band, the team's transport to the field... Who do you think keeps the trucks, cars and buses running? Certainly not the athletes. When a "professional" football team flies to another city, think about the woman standing outside in freezing temperatures, in a little basket on the end of a boom truck, spraying deicing fluid all over the "professional's" airplane. That woman serves a purpose. She's helping to keep the "professionals" inside the aircraft safe. That woman probably earns less than an eighth of what the "professionals" inside the aircraft are raking in. All she wants to do is give her kids a good home. What are the professionals doing for their fellow man?
All of you fuckers who might bring up the whole "Oh, they might get hurt because they have to work so hard playing their game..." thing. Fuck you. I cut my head open on a truck and bled until the emergency room staff stitched me up. Did my pay go up for getting hurt? Fuck no! I was expected to be at work the next day.
"But what about the professional's donations to charity?" Fuck you. Deep down you know it's only them jerking you off. They'll pick a charity and donate pittance to make it seem like they're not the money-grubbing sons-of-bitches that they are. The salt in the wound is some of the people who actually make this country go 'round are relying upon those charities.
I went to school to learn my trade. I've spent years and years improving my skills. I'm ASE certified. I have to buy my own tools. I provide an useful service to society. I'm sure most athletes couldn't do my job and I'm sure I couldn't do their job. Why is the pay scale so lopsided?
What about a diesel mechanic who's been busting his ass 12 to 15 hours a day, five days a week, for months on end only to be yelled at for "not getting everything done"? That mechanic doesn't have an off-season to look forward to. That mechanic is also just barely above what is considered a poverty wage. No sponsors, no million dollar contracts, no glory, just the desire to keep a roof over his family's head and food on the table.
Who's more important, the mechanic or the professional athlete? Think about the uniforms, shoes, balls, fertilizer for the field, the paint used to mark the field, the programs, the band, the team's transport to the field... Who do you think keeps the trucks, cars and buses running? Certainly not the athletes. When a "professional" football team flies to another city, think about the woman standing outside in freezing temperatures, in a little basket on the end of a boom truck, spraying deicing fluid all over the "professional's" airplane. That woman serves a purpose. She's helping to keep the "professionals" inside the aircraft safe. That woman probably earns less than an eighth of what the "professionals" inside the aircraft are raking in. All she wants to do is give her kids a good home. What are the professionals doing for their fellow man?
All of you fuckers who might bring up the whole "Oh, they might get hurt because they have to work so hard playing their game..." thing. Fuck you. I cut my head open on a truck and bled until the emergency room staff stitched me up. Did my pay go up for getting hurt? Fuck no! I was expected to be at work the next day.
"But what about the professional's donations to charity?" Fuck you. Deep down you know it's only them jerking you off. They'll pick a charity and donate pittance to make it seem like they're not the money-grubbing sons-of-bitches that they are. The salt in the wound is some of the people who actually make this country go 'round are relying upon those charities.
I went to school to learn my trade. I've spent years and years improving my skills. I'm ASE certified. I have to buy my own tools. I provide an useful service to society. I'm sure most athletes couldn't do my job and I'm sure I couldn't do their job. Why is the pay scale so lopsided?
Dear Vatsim Pilots
Dear Vatsim Pilots,
As a Vatsim controller, there are some things I would like to say to you. These mostly involve misunderstandings due to lack of information.
1.) Air traffic control services on Vatsim are "top down". This means a controller works all positions that are under them. For example, an approach controller provides not only approach and departure radar services to all airports within their airspace, but also tower, ground and clearance delivery services for those airports. A lone controller working center has a LOT of airports to provide services for.
2.) Flight plan clearance is the LAST thing on my priority list. A lot of you new pilots are very impatient and it drives us controllers nuts. If center is the only controller on when you call for clearance and the controller tells you to stand by, STAND BY. Don't badger us every two minutes. Airborne aircraft have priority over an aircraft sitting on the ground, safely at a gate or on a ramp. We will get to you when we can.
3.) If you are told to stand by, do not use the amount of radio traffic as a gauge to figure out how busy a controller is. If you don't hear much radio traffic and are waiting for flight plan clearance, chances are we're coordinating with another controller. Again, we will get to you when we can.
4.) Don't file flight plans that you don't completely understand. Controllers have absolutely no way to know what your limits are until you exceed them. I you file airways, know how to intercept an airway. If you file VORs, know how to fly direct to them and how to fly on specific radials. If you file all GPS waypoints, expect to be told to go direct to any of them.
5.) Learn what an equipment suffix is. It's very important.
6.) When departing an airport and are told to go direct to a navaid or waypoint, it means direct FROM YOUR CURRENT POSITION! DO NOT intercept the pink line on your damned GPS. The pilot should be in control of the aircraft, not the othe way around.
7.) For chrissakes, learn how to use the "direct to" function on your GPS unit.
8.) Your first flights should NOT be in a 747 out of a major airport. If you're new to flying it's probably a good idea to learn the basics of flying and aerial navigation offline. A green pilot, at a major airport, in a large airliner that they do not know inside out is a major source of frustration for controllers. We will not let our frustration come over the frequency but, trust me, we're cursing you six ways to Sunday off frequency. Stick to smaller, easier to fly aircraft at small airports where you won't get in the way of people who know what they're doing.
9.) Pilots in the real world start in small aircraft to learn the very basics of flight. Just because you're in a flight sim doesn't mean you shouldn't do the same.
10.) Pay attention when a controller is issuing you your clearance. The controller may have changed your route (usually to comply with traffic volume, facility procedures or Letters of Agreement with neighboring ARTCCs). When we read you a clearance that differs, even slightly, with what you filed and you read back "Cleared to XXXX as filed...." We start pulling our hair out because we will then have to reissue the clearance until you read it back correctly. This is a huge waste of time.
11.) If you are given an instruction that you do not understand, tell the controller "unable". If we tell you to do something and you read it back to us, you have just agreed to a verbal contract and we EXPECT YOU TO FOLLOW THAT INSTRUCTION! We would much rather have you admit you don't understand what we told you. We can then find another way to do things. If we tell you to go direct to some point in order to keep you clear of conflicting traffic, you read it back and then don't go direct because you don't know how... Again, we will be cursing your name off frequency.
12.) DO NOT FALL ASLEEP DURING FLIGHT! I generally don't send "contact me" messages unless you're going to be in conflict with other traffic, but if I send a "contact me" and you don't answer, the first thing I'm going to do is find a supervisor and start the process of getting you booted off the network. If you're sleepy, disconnect from the network.
13.) The Golden Rule of interacting with ATC is "Aviate, navigate, communicate." That means if I tell you to fly a certain heading you should start turning towards that heading FIRST, then read the instruction back to me.
14.) When reading instructions back to a controller phraseology is everything. If I say "Cessna34A turn right heading 100." and you read back "one zero zero for Cessna34A" I have no idea if you are turning to HEADING 100 or are maintaining 100 KNOTS". Pay attention. Altitudes, headings, speeds etc should all be read back exactly as the controller issues it so we know you understood. Altimeter settings don't need to be read back.
15.) Eliminate the words "Roger" "10-4" and "wilco" from your vocabulary. Anytime I hear those words it is like you raising a huge "noob" flag and waving it proudly.
16.) Despite what you've already read, controllers are not pissed at you. If we sound like we are, you probably picked the wrong situation to try something new or ask for help. Controllers are more than willing to help you become a better pilot WHEN TIME ALLOWS. The middle of an event is not the time to ask for help. Look for a controller who's not busy or has no traffic.
17.) Controllers are REQUIRED to meet a minimum of standards set forth by Vatsim before they earn their ratings and are allowed to control live (meaning you) traffic. Pilots have no such restrictions. An alarmingly large amount of pilots simply keep clicking the "next" button when signing up for Vatsim until they receive their pilot ID number and password. New pilots are SUPPOSED to read the Code of Conduct (CoC) and the Pilot Requirements, but there is no way to verify a new pilot has actually read those documents. A simple check box at the end of these documents would solve a large majority of problems, but it isn't so.
18.) READ THE PRC (Pilot Resource Center) BEFORE YOU TRY TO FLY ON THE NETWORK!! Sooo many problems I see with new pilots would never have happened had they actually read all the information in the PRC before flying on the network.
19.) In US airspace, eastbound IFR flights (0 to 179 degrees MAGNETIC heading) should be cruising at ODD altitudes. 11000, 9000, FL210 etc. Westbound flights (180 to 359 degrees MAGNETIC heading) should be cruising at EVEN altitudes. 12000, 10000, FL220 etc. VFR cruise altitudes are much the same except you would add 500 feet. Eastbound 11500, 9500 etc. Westbound 12500, 10500 etc.
20.) THE HIGHEST VFR FLIGHT ALTITUDE IS 17,500!!! Anything above that is IFR territory and requires clearance and contact with ATC.
21.) Class B airspace is sacred!! When flying VFR Class B airspace requires explicit permission from a controller to enter, leave or transition. Default flight sim GPS units depict Class B and Class C airspace. Even if you do not use charts there is NO excuse for you to be violating Class B or Class C airspace.
22.) Learn the US airspace system.
23.) Learn how to turn your damned transponder on. Personally speaking, if you don't squawk the proper code and turn your transponder on (for IFR flight) I will NOT let you depart until you comply.
24.) If I assign you a heading or altitude I expect you to fly it. If you do not comply, you are in violation of the pilot requirements. I will have you booted off the network.
25.) If you are being an idiot by not complying with Vatsim requirements or by not following a controller's instructions, we (controllers) WILL fuck with you and you won't even know it.
26.) According to Vatsim, you are allowed to simulate emergencies, but we all know you're faking it. If I hear the stupid "mayday, mayday..." bullshit (usually new, teenaged pilots) I'll give you lip service, but that's it. I'm secretly hoping you'll just disappear and let me get back to helping pilots who give a damn.
27.) Using the callssign "AIRFORCEONE" or "AF1" will make controllers fuck with you. Again, using either of those two call signs, though it may seem cool to you, just let us know you're a noob and are most likely not going to have a clue what you're doing.
28.) Ask for progressive taxi and you're almost guaranteed to get the scenic (read longest) route to your parking spot. Airport diagrams are plentiful and free. There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have one ready for your departure and arrival airports. Same for sectional charts, low altitude and high altitude enroute charts and approach plates.
29.) Learn the difference between controlled and uncontrolled airports. Ask for taxi instructions, take off clearance or landing clearance at an uncontrolled field an you will either get vectored around the "scenic area" or will have your departure release revoked. Try me.
30.) As queer as it seems, a "visual approach" is an IFR procedure. If you're flying VFR you'll be told to enter the traffic pattern.
31.) We're air traffic CONTROLLERS. Not air traffic SUGGESTERS.
As a Vatsim controller, there are some things I would like to say to you. These mostly involve misunderstandings due to lack of information.
1.) Air traffic control services on Vatsim are "top down". This means a controller works all positions that are under them. For example, an approach controller provides not only approach and departure radar services to all airports within their airspace, but also tower, ground and clearance delivery services for those airports. A lone controller working center has a LOT of airports to provide services for.
2.) Flight plan clearance is the LAST thing on my priority list. A lot of you new pilots are very impatient and it drives us controllers nuts. If center is the only controller on when you call for clearance and the controller tells you to stand by, STAND BY. Don't badger us every two minutes. Airborne aircraft have priority over an aircraft sitting on the ground, safely at a gate or on a ramp. We will get to you when we can.
3.) If you are told to stand by, do not use the amount of radio traffic as a gauge to figure out how busy a controller is. If you don't hear much radio traffic and are waiting for flight plan clearance, chances are we're coordinating with another controller. Again, we will get to you when we can.
4.) Don't file flight plans that you don't completely understand. Controllers have absolutely no way to know what your limits are until you exceed them. I you file airways, know how to intercept an airway. If you file VORs, know how to fly direct to them and how to fly on specific radials. If you file all GPS waypoints, expect to be told to go direct to any of them.
5.) Learn what an equipment suffix is. It's very important.
6.) When departing an airport and are told to go direct to a navaid or waypoint, it means direct FROM YOUR CURRENT POSITION! DO NOT intercept the pink line on your damned GPS. The pilot should be in control of the aircraft, not the othe way around.
7.) For chrissakes, learn how to use the "direct to" function on your GPS unit.
8.) Your first flights should NOT be in a 747 out of a major airport. If you're new to flying it's probably a good idea to learn the basics of flying and aerial navigation offline. A green pilot, at a major airport, in a large airliner that they do not know inside out is a major source of frustration for controllers. We will not let our frustration come over the frequency but, trust me, we're cursing you six ways to Sunday off frequency. Stick to smaller, easier to fly aircraft at small airports where you won't get in the way of people who know what they're doing.
9.) Pilots in the real world start in small aircraft to learn the very basics of flight. Just because you're in a flight sim doesn't mean you shouldn't do the same.
10.) Pay attention when a controller is issuing you your clearance. The controller may have changed your route (usually to comply with traffic volume, facility procedures or Letters of Agreement with neighboring ARTCCs). When we read you a clearance that differs, even slightly, with what you filed and you read back "Cleared to XXXX as filed...." We start pulling our hair out because we will then have to reissue the clearance until you read it back correctly. This is a huge waste of time.
11.) If you are given an instruction that you do not understand, tell the controller "unable". If we tell you to do something and you read it back to us, you have just agreed to a verbal contract and we EXPECT YOU TO FOLLOW THAT INSTRUCTION! We would much rather have you admit you don't understand what we told you. We can then find another way to do things. If we tell you to go direct to some point in order to keep you clear of conflicting traffic, you read it back and then don't go direct because you don't know how... Again, we will be cursing your name off frequency.
12.) DO NOT FALL ASLEEP DURING FLIGHT! I generally don't send "contact me" messages unless you're going to be in conflict with other traffic, but if I send a "contact me" and you don't answer, the first thing I'm going to do is find a supervisor and start the process of getting you booted off the network. If you're sleepy, disconnect from the network.
13.) The Golden Rule of interacting with ATC is "Aviate, navigate, communicate." That means if I tell you to fly a certain heading you should start turning towards that heading FIRST, then read the instruction back to me.
14.) When reading instructions back to a controller phraseology is everything. If I say "Cessna34A turn right heading 100." and you read back "one zero zero for Cessna34A" I have no idea if you are turning to HEADING 100 or are maintaining 100 KNOTS". Pay attention. Altitudes, headings, speeds etc should all be read back exactly as the controller issues it so we know you understood. Altimeter settings don't need to be read back.
15.) Eliminate the words "Roger" "10-4" and "wilco" from your vocabulary. Anytime I hear those words it is like you raising a huge "noob" flag and waving it proudly.
16.) Despite what you've already read, controllers are not pissed at you. If we sound like we are, you probably picked the wrong situation to try something new or ask for help. Controllers are more than willing to help you become a better pilot WHEN TIME ALLOWS. The middle of an event is not the time to ask for help. Look for a controller who's not busy or has no traffic.
17.) Controllers are REQUIRED to meet a minimum of standards set forth by Vatsim before they earn their ratings and are allowed to control live (meaning you) traffic. Pilots have no such restrictions. An alarmingly large amount of pilots simply keep clicking the "next" button when signing up for Vatsim until they receive their pilot ID number and password. New pilots are SUPPOSED to read the Code of Conduct (CoC) and the Pilot Requirements, but there is no way to verify a new pilot has actually read those documents. A simple check box at the end of these documents would solve a large majority of problems, but it isn't so.
18.) READ THE PRC (Pilot Resource Center) BEFORE YOU TRY TO FLY ON THE NETWORK!! Sooo many problems I see with new pilots would never have happened had they actually read all the information in the PRC before flying on the network.
19.) In US airspace, eastbound IFR flights (0 to 179 degrees MAGNETIC heading) should be cruising at ODD altitudes. 11000, 9000, FL210 etc. Westbound flights (180 to 359 degrees MAGNETIC heading) should be cruising at EVEN altitudes. 12000, 10000, FL220 etc. VFR cruise altitudes are much the same except you would add 500 feet. Eastbound 11500, 9500 etc. Westbound 12500, 10500 etc.
20.) THE HIGHEST VFR FLIGHT ALTITUDE IS 17,500!!! Anything above that is IFR territory and requires clearance and contact with ATC.
21.) Class B airspace is sacred!! When flying VFR Class B airspace requires explicit permission from a controller to enter, leave or transition. Default flight sim GPS units depict Class B and Class C airspace. Even if you do not use charts there is NO excuse for you to be violating Class B or Class C airspace.
22.) Learn the US airspace system.
23.) Learn how to turn your damned transponder on. Personally speaking, if you don't squawk the proper code and turn your transponder on (for IFR flight) I will NOT let you depart until you comply.
24.) If I assign you a heading or altitude I expect you to fly it. If you do not comply, you are in violation of the pilot requirements. I will have you booted off the network.
25.) If you are being an idiot by not complying with Vatsim requirements or by not following a controller's instructions, we (controllers) WILL fuck with you and you won't even know it.
26.) According to Vatsim, you are allowed to simulate emergencies, but we all know you're faking it. If I hear the stupid "mayday, mayday..." bullshit (usually new, teenaged pilots) I'll give you lip service, but that's it. I'm secretly hoping you'll just disappear and let me get back to helping pilots who give a damn.
27.) Using the callssign "AIRFORCEONE" or "AF1" will make controllers fuck with you. Again, using either of those two call signs, though it may seem cool to you, just let us know you're a noob and are most likely not going to have a clue what you're doing.
28.) Ask for progressive taxi and you're almost guaranteed to get the scenic (read longest) route to your parking spot. Airport diagrams are plentiful and free. There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have one ready for your departure and arrival airports. Same for sectional charts, low altitude and high altitude enroute charts and approach plates.
29.) Learn the difference between controlled and uncontrolled airports. Ask for taxi instructions, take off clearance or landing clearance at an uncontrolled field an you will either get vectored around the "scenic area" or will have your departure release revoked. Try me.
30.) As queer as it seems, a "visual approach" is an IFR procedure. If you're flying VFR you'll be told to enter the traffic pattern.
31.) We're air traffic CONTROLLERS. Not air traffic SUGGESTERS.
15 February, 2013
Just Build Stuff
I promise I won't be too long with this post. I just read this blog post from Popular Woodworking Magazine.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/screw-this-anarchists-tool-chest-stuff/comment-page-1
A version of a traditional tool chest made from plywood and screws instead of the traditional wood and dovetails. A comment from a gentleman named Kenny got me a bit riled up. Kenny wrote "Looks like a comparison of fine woodworking and Ikea. A keepsake and a throwaway. I guess to each their own." Maybe I'm not reading it as he intended it to be read, but my first thought was "Jeez, man, don't scrape your nose on the ceiling." Firstly, I found the Ikea crack to be uncalled for. If Ikea sold tool chests (which makes me laugh just thinking about it) they would be made out of the same laminated particle board they use to make everything. A homemade tool chest, even a tool chest out made out of boring 'ol birch plywood, is still going to be better than a store-bought tool chest. It's effectively someone flipping the bird to corporations. I don't care what someone builds their stuff from as long as they're building stuff. Anyone looking down on the plywood and screws crowd is missing the point. It's all a matter of context. For example, if I had wanted to build a tool chest five years ago, it would have been plywood, screws and rabbets because I couldn't make a dovetail to save my soul. I hadn't the skills, nor the tools, to make a dovetailed tool chest out of solid wood. I have both the skills and tools now, but is a traditionally built chest worth the effort for a hobbyist such as myself? I don't think so. I got over my snobbery period a long time ago. A friend had me over to his house one day to show me the sliding pantry shelves he made. I saw the chop saw and Kreg jig he used to build them and thought "Oh God, a Kreg jig? Really?" I corrected myself immediately by reminding myself that my friend had needed something then went out and made it with what he had available. That's awesome! I can appreciate the woodworker who wants to use walnut and blacksmith made hardware to build something with only hand tools. If they have the budget, resources and time to do it that way, do it. Just don't be a snob about it. Some woodworkers have a family to attend to. Don't look down on the guy for using screws and power tools if that's all he has. I commend Christopher Schwarz for taking all woodworkers into consideration. He prefers traditional methods, but is wise enough to realize that not everyone can use traditional methods. He knows the goal is to get people building their own stuff. That's why I continue to support him, his company (Lost Art Press) and also Popular Woodworking Magazine. So, if you're a woodworker and one day someone proudly shows you the bookshelves they made with particle board and L brackets, don't diss them. Say something like "Good job! Let's go out to the garage and I'll show you a little trick for the next one." Then teach them something. Don't forget, you were a noob once too.
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/screw-this-anarchists-tool-chest-stuff/comment-page-1
A version of a traditional tool chest made from plywood and screws instead of the traditional wood and dovetails. A comment from a gentleman named Kenny got me a bit riled up. Kenny wrote "Looks like a comparison of fine woodworking and Ikea. A keepsake and a throwaway. I guess to each their own." Maybe I'm not reading it as he intended it to be read, but my first thought was "Jeez, man, don't scrape your nose on the ceiling." Firstly, I found the Ikea crack to be uncalled for. If Ikea sold tool chests (which makes me laugh just thinking about it) they would be made out of the same laminated particle board they use to make everything. A homemade tool chest, even a tool chest out made out of boring 'ol birch plywood, is still going to be better than a store-bought tool chest. It's effectively someone flipping the bird to corporations. I don't care what someone builds their stuff from as long as they're building stuff. Anyone looking down on the plywood and screws crowd is missing the point. It's all a matter of context. For example, if I had wanted to build a tool chest five years ago, it would have been plywood, screws and rabbets because I couldn't make a dovetail to save my soul. I hadn't the skills, nor the tools, to make a dovetailed tool chest out of solid wood. I have both the skills and tools now, but is a traditionally built chest worth the effort for a hobbyist such as myself? I don't think so. I got over my snobbery period a long time ago. A friend had me over to his house one day to show me the sliding pantry shelves he made. I saw the chop saw and Kreg jig he used to build them and thought "Oh God, a Kreg jig? Really?" I corrected myself immediately by reminding myself that my friend had needed something then went out and made it with what he had available. That's awesome! I can appreciate the woodworker who wants to use walnut and blacksmith made hardware to build something with only hand tools. If they have the budget, resources and time to do it that way, do it. Just don't be a snob about it. Some woodworkers have a family to attend to. Don't look down on the guy for using screws and power tools if that's all he has. I commend Christopher Schwarz for taking all woodworkers into consideration. He prefers traditional methods, but is wise enough to realize that not everyone can use traditional methods. He knows the goal is to get people building their own stuff. That's why I continue to support him, his company (Lost Art Press) and also Popular Woodworking Magazine. So, if you're a woodworker and one day someone proudly shows you the bookshelves they made with particle board and L brackets, don't diss them. Say something like "Good job! Let's go out to the garage and I'll show you a little trick for the next one." Then teach them something. Don't forget, you were a noob once too.
10 January, 2013
The Handyman
It is quite unfortunate that the skills of the "handyman" are almost gone in our modern world. Fathers used to fix their own cars and lawnmowers, Mothers used to sew and knit clothes for the families, people used to sharpen their own saws, build toy boxes for their kids... the list goes on and on. It doesn't help any that a lot of tools available to us these days are, quite simply, crap. It may seem that I'm wandering off the "handyman" subject, but worry not. Everything will be tied up quite nicely in the end. Hang in there. Hand saws for example. What does the average Joe do when he needs a hand saw? He goes to the big box store or the hardware store and buys a saw. I've certainly done this myself because I didn't really know any better. My father taught me about tools when I was a child so I knew there were cross cut saws and rip saws. Each was used for a specific task; cutting across the grain and cutting with the grain. As I wrote that last sentence, I realized that a lot of people have no idea what wood grain is. That's sad. Anyway, the rip saw my parents gave when I was a child (a long time ago) had become dull and I needed a new saw. I had just moved into my home and finally had a garage to use as a woodworking shop. I had been breaking down long boards into rough length with a circular saw, which worked well, but I thought it a pain to drag out an extension cord and then have to put it away when finished. So, I figured I would just run down to the hardware store and pick up a cross cut saw. I was a little confused when I got there. There were no rip saws and no cross cut saws, just "hand saws". They had teeth like you would find on a Japanese style pull saw and those teeth were hardened. I picked out a 26" saw with a wood handle that was labeled "finish cut". I get a good laugh these days when I see the "finish cut" or "fine cut" labels on those saws. The saw works well enough; it cross cuts and rips but does neither of them as well as a saw filed for ripping or cross cutting. This new saw also had a handle which was designed for what is called a "four finger grip". The four finger grip is all sorts of wrong, but we'll get into that later. First, I need to write a little about my own journey through woodworking.
Dad is responsible for me being a woodworker, mechanic and handyman followed closely by my grandfather. As I am apt to mention time and again, Dad and Grandpa taught me about tools and their uses as I worked alongside them. One Christmas, my parents gave me my own desk. A rite of passage in our family. All of my siblings were given a desk at some point and my turn had come. My parents, however, thought that a desk alone was enough, but a child want's something fun for Christmas. Getting a desk is akin to receiving a sweater. Practical, but not fully appreciated at the time. So, Mom and Dad also gave me a few other things that year. They got me the rip saw mentioned earlier, a small claw hammer, a try square, a tape measure and a huge box of wood scraps from the local lumber yard. The desk was cool (I still have it), but the tools stole the show. Save for the tape measure, I still have all of those tools. Immediately I was down in the basement making all sorts of crappy things. No glue, no real joinery, just butt joints and nails. I was in heaven. I was also experiencing some of my first disappointment. Dad had a block plane and one wood chisel. Both were dull as can be. The chisel was sharpened on the grinder and the plane iron? I didn't think to sharpen it at all. Consequently, my experience with those two tools was not good. My, how things have changed. Bad experiences aside, I knew what my tools were and knew how to use them. Something too many children these days lack. Enter the "New Yankee Workshop". I watched that show regularly until it ended along with "This Old House" and any other home improvement show that I could watch. When I was in my mid-twenties, the building bug struck again. I started paying more attention to Norm Abram. I would have also watched "The Woodwright's Shop" hosted by Roy Underhill but my local PBS station didn't have it in their programming. Before the "Big Moment!" I had built a few things that were somewhat noteworthy. My parent's basement got wet whenever the rain got too heavy and consequently my drum set would get wet and require a lot of maintenance. I went out and got a sheet of cheap plywood and some 2x6s along with a box of common nails, some hooks & eyes, and some plastic furniture feet. I built my own drum riser. The power tools available to me at the time were my Dad's old table saw, jig saw and what I loving referred to as the "suicide drill" (electric, either on or off - no variable speed and a LOT of torque). I had to cut the plywood into thirds in order to get it into the basement and then cut the 2x6s to length in order to make frames for the plywood to sit on. A circular saw would have been ideal for that job, but I didn't have one nor did it cross my mind to go and buy one. I went down to the basement and got the tools my parents had given to me many years before. They had been hanging on the nails where they had always been. I measured, marked, cut and nailed with those simple tools. My drum riser turned out well. In fact, having sold the drum set years later, the riser remained in the basement and eventually was left for the new homeowners when Mom sold the house. I hope they found a good use for it. The next thing I did was for some friends. We had begun using their old barn as a car/tractor shop. The two piece walk-in door (I think they're called Dutch doors) was all rotten and was in dire need of replacement. The original door had been made by my friend's grandfather and was, of course, not something one could buy in a store. A new door would have to be made to fit the opening. My friend and I didn't so much as bat an eye. We went to the lumber yard, got some boards, nails and built a door. It's still there and doing quite well. Clenched nails and all. It was all simple skills with a very basic tool kit of saw, hammer and tape measure. Stuff we had learned as kids in Cub Scouts and/or school. Not exactly fine joinery, but butt joints, nails, screws and glue can build an awful lot of stuff. Then came the "Big Moment".
The two previously mentioned projects had reignited my long dormant interest in woodworking. I started watching the woodworking and home improvement shows on PBS more often. Then I saw "the" episode of the New Yankee Workshop that set me on my path. Norm built a big table for a portable Delta Sidekick table saw that made the portable saw much more useful. He also built a couple of saw horses for the whole works to sit on while in use. Like a lot of Norm's projects, he gave just enough information for a person to build without having to order the "measured drawing". I never got the table built, but I did buy that specific brand and model of table saw and made two saw horses. That led to building a lot of what I call "Norm drawers" and a lot of frame and panel things. Then I started buying woodworking magazines. I have always been a voracious reader and a very curious person. Whenever I needed to learn something I bought magazines or books so I could teach myself. The time I started buying woodworking magazines was about the same time Chris Schwarz started at Popular Woodworking. Though I preferred Popular Woodworking, I bought every woodworking magazine that was on the stand. With the exception of a few years living in an apartment, I haven't stopped learning and building. Like a lot of woodworkers, I was a power tool person. I didn't know any other way. Besides, the previous experiences with Dad's dull and poorly set block plane didn't help things. It also didn't help when my brother decided to "help" me. I had designed and built a nice box with a little drawer for a friend's black powder pistol. Rabbets, nails, grooves and dados, but it had a sliding top and I was darn proud of it. My brother wanted to help me trim the lid to length. He took his #4 smoothing plane, which was not sharp, put the lid in his vise and proceeded to run his plane across the end grain. You woodworkers out there can figure out what happened. For everyone else, a dull plane does not cut end grain. I ended up with a huge chunk of wood that had to be glued back on. I was pissed. That was not helping to reinforce hand tool usage. So, I kept drinking the kool-aid and used power tools for everything. Bought a crappy dovetail jig and router bushing kit so I could make high-falootin' dovetailed drawers. It did not work well so I kept using rabbets and dados. However, the magazines were starting to show a small amount of articles on hand tools. I eventually bought a Record #4 smoothing plane (because I didn't know any better) and a set of fairly decent chisels. The plane started not as a good experience, but not a bad experience either. The chisels were a similar situation. My problem was knot knowing what "sharp" was. I had Dad's old oil stone and that was it. I simply couldn't get the plane iron and the chisels sharp enough with that old stone. So, I didn't use edge tools very much. Years later I eventually found a sharpening method that worked and the light went on. By this time I was a home owner. I had a new Delta contractor saw, a second-hand chop saw, a hollow chisel mortising machine, a biscuit joiner, jig saw, sanders... I had a miniature version of Norm's shop. I ventured into hand cut dovetails with horrible results. I tried a bunch of different saws from the box stores and they didn't work for shit. I didn't know any better. Through the monthly writings of Saint Schwarz, I began learning the difference between good and bad tools. The tool acquisitions continued. A marking gauge, a dovetail marker, a honing guide, I rebuilt what was a shitty butt jointed and screwed table into a fairly decent workbench. Then the shit hit the fan. I bought Saint Schwarz's book "The Anarchist's Tool Chest". I had kept up with his blogs and kept learning about hand tools but never really crossed the threshold until "The Anarchist's Tool Chest". I decided to add a jack plane to my collection. By then I knew I would never find a decent jack plane in a big box store so I signed up at Ebay. I picked out an old Craftsman jack and won the auction. I cleaned and oiled all the metal bits, ground a radius into the iron and honed it as good as I possibly could. I took a board, put it on the bench, clamped it down and (as I learned from Saint Schwarz) pushed that jack plane ACROSS the grain. Oh. My. God. I instantly realized my workbench was in a bad way. Within a couple of weeks I had a tail vise, bench dogs, dog holes in the bench top and a shooting board. I flattened a board and then planed it to a specific thickness. Everything, and I mean everything, fell into place. A whirlwind of tool purchases followed. Jointer plane, router plane, decent block plane to replace the home center piece of shit I already had, tongue and groove plane, hand drill, decent Disston panel and back saws... I learned how sharpen saws and started sharpening my new-old saws. As winter settled in, I moved to what I call "Winter Wood Shop", i.e. my basement. I've built quite a few things with only hand tools. I have never felt such satisfaction before. Just a few years ago I would have laughed at the idea of building stuff with only hand tools. I would have thought that it was impossible for mere mortals to be accurate enough with hand tools. After all I had tried cutting dovetails many times with mediocre results. But after making a few changes in the work bench and acquiring a small amount of decent tools, not to mention simply know the difference between good tools and tool shaped objects, made all the difference. My projects still aren't all that great, but they're worlds better than they had been. The core of it all is the skill set I acquired as a boy. Those skills have been the foundation everything else has been built upon. Finally(!) all the skills I've learned have come together and I can see how they're all integral with one another. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world when the smoke clears and everything falls into place.
I would like to say the last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place and I'm completely independent, but that's not true. Though I rarely have to call on others to do things for me, I still have a lot to learn. I still don't know how to replace windows, replace water heaters and furnaces, rewire a house etc. But, I'm proud to be a "handyman". I enjoy doing things for myself and I also enjoy passing the things I've learned on to other people so they too can gain some independence. Most people used to have these skills, but they've disappeared in recent decades. With people like Saint Scwarz, Roy Underhill (who's been carrying the banner for hand tools on his show for 30 years and counting), Peter Follansbee, Megan Fitzpatrick, Robert Lang, Glen Huey and so many others, the "do it yourself" skills are making a comeback. It's about time, too. It's also great to see people paying attention to these skills and thinking that they have value in our modern age. Now, to get a tool chest built, and finish that bookcase for my sister... and those cabinet doors for Mom's kitchen... a new work bench....
I suggest you get some tools and start building your own stuff. Don't make it complicated. Start with simple tools. A decent hand saw, a hammer, a chisel or two, a tape measure, a couple of screw drivers... Make your own tool box. Build a saw horse or two. Replace your own lamp cords. Sharpen your own lawn mower blades. Watch videos, read books, magazines and blogs. Learn. Don't set your expectations too high. Believe me, I built a lot of crap and made a LOT of mistakes before I started getting better. Most importantly, pass what you learn on to other people, especially kids. We'll all be better for it.
Dad is responsible for me being a woodworker, mechanic and handyman followed closely by my grandfather. As I am apt to mention time and again, Dad and Grandpa taught me about tools and their uses as I worked alongside them. One Christmas, my parents gave me my own desk. A rite of passage in our family. All of my siblings were given a desk at some point and my turn had come. My parents, however, thought that a desk alone was enough, but a child want's something fun for Christmas. Getting a desk is akin to receiving a sweater. Practical, but not fully appreciated at the time. So, Mom and Dad also gave me a few other things that year. They got me the rip saw mentioned earlier, a small claw hammer, a try square, a tape measure and a huge box of wood scraps from the local lumber yard. The desk was cool (I still have it), but the tools stole the show. Save for the tape measure, I still have all of those tools. Immediately I was down in the basement making all sorts of crappy things. No glue, no real joinery, just butt joints and nails. I was in heaven. I was also experiencing some of my first disappointment. Dad had a block plane and one wood chisel. Both were dull as can be. The chisel was sharpened on the grinder and the plane iron? I didn't think to sharpen it at all. Consequently, my experience with those two tools was not good. My, how things have changed. Bad experiences aside, I knew what my tools were and knew how to use them. Something too many children these days lack. Enter the "New Yankee Workshop". I watched that show regularly until it ended along with "This Old House" and any other home improvement show that I could watch. When I was in my mid-twenties, the building bug struck again. I started paying more attention to Norm Abram. I would have also watched "The Woodwright's Shop" hosted by Roy Underhill but my local PBS station didn't have it in their programming. Before the "Big Moment!" I had built a few things that were somewhat noteworthy. My parent's basement got wet whenever the rain got too heavy and consequently my drum set would get wet and require a lot of maintenance. I went out and got a sheet of cheap plywood and some 2x6s along with a box of common nails, some hooks & eyes, and some plastic furniture feet. I built my own drum riser. The power tools available to me at the time were my Dad's old table saw, jig saw and what I loving referred to as the "suicide drill" (electric, either on or off - no variable speed and a LOT of torque). I had to cut the plywood into thirds in order to get it into the basement and then cut the 2x6s to length in order to make frames for the plywood to sit on. A circular saw would have been ideal for that job, but I didn't have one nor did it cross my mind to go and buy one. I went down to the basement and got the tools my parents had given to me many years before. They had been hanging on the nails where they had always been. I measured, marked, cut and nailed with those simple tools. My drum riser turned out well. In fact, having sold the drum set years later, the riser remained in the basement and eventually was left for the new homeowners when Mom sold the house. I hope they found a good use for it. The next thing I did was for some friends. We had begun using their old barn as a car/tractor shop. The two piece walk-in door (I think they're called Dutch doors) was all rotten and was in dire need of replacement. The original door had been made by my friend's grandfather and was, of course, not something one could buy in a store. A new door would have to be made to fit the opening. My friend and I didn't so much as bat an eye. We went to the lumber yard, got some boards, nails and built a door. It's still there and doing quite well. Clenched nails and all. It was all simple skills with a very basic tool kit of saw, hammer and tape measure. Stuff we had learned as kids in Cub Scouts and/or school. Not exactly fine joinery, but butt joints, nails, screws and glue can build an awful lot of stuff. Then came the "Big Moment".
The two previously mentioned projects had reignited my long dormant interest in woodworking. I started watching the woodworking and home improvement shows on PBS more often. Then I saw "the" episode of the New Yankee Workshop that set me on my path. Norm built a big table for a portable Delta Sidekick table saw that made the portable saw much more useful. He also built a couple of saw horses for the whole works to sit on while in use. Like a lot of Norm's projects, he gave just enough information for a person to build without having to order the "measured drawing". I never got the table built, but I did buy that specific brand and model of table saw and made two saw horses. That led to building a lot of what I call "Norm drawers" and a lot of frame and panel things. Then I started buying woodworking magazines. I have always been a voracious reader and a very curious person. Whenever I needed to learn something I bought magazines or books so I could teach myself. The time I started buying woodworking magazines was about the same time Chris Schwarz started at Popular Woodworking. Though I preferred Popular Woodworking, I bought every woodworking magazine that was on the stand. With the exception of a few years living in an apartment, I haven't stopped learning and building. Like a lot of woodworkers, I was a power tool person. I didn't know any other way. Besides, the previous experiences with Dad's dull and poorly set block plane didn't help things. It also didn't help when my brother decided to "help" me. I had designed and built a nice box with a little drawer for a friend's black powder pistol. Rabbets, nails, grooves and dados, but it had a sliding top and I was darn proud of it. My brother wanted to help me trim the lid to length. He took his #4 smoothing plane, which was not sharp, put the lid in his vise and proceeded to run his plane across the end grain. You woodworkers out there can figure out what happened. For everyone else, a dull plane does not cut end grain. I ended up with a huge chunk of wood that had to be glued back on. I was pissed. That was not helping to reinforce hand tool usage. So, I kept drinking the kool-aid and used power tools for everything. Bought a crappy dovetail jig and router bushing kit so I could make high-falootin' dovetailed drawers. It did not work well so I kept using rabbets and dados. However, the magazines were starting to show a small amount of articles on hand tools. I eventually bought a Record #4 smoothing plane (because I didn't know any better) and a set of fairly decent chisels. The plane started not as a good experience, but not a bad experience either. The chisels were a similar situation. My problem was knot knowing what "sharp" was. I had Dad's old oil stone and that was it. I simply couldn't get the plane iron and the chisels sharp enough with that old stone. So, I didn't use edge tools very much. Years later I eventually found a sharpening method that worked and the light went on. By this time I was a home owner. I had a new Delta contractor saw, a second-hand chop saw, a hollow chisel mortising machine, a biscuit joiner, jig saw, sanders... I had a miniature version of Norm's shop. I ventured into hand cut dovetails with horrible results. I tried a bunch of different saws from the box stores and they didn't work for shit. I didn't know any better. Through the monthly writings of Saint Schwarz, I began learning the difference between good and bad tools. The tool acquisitions continued. A marking gauge, a dovetail marker, a honing guide, I rebuilt what was a shitty butt jointed and screwed table into a fairly decent workbench. Then the shit hit the fan. I bought Saint Schwarz's book "The Anarchist's Tool Chest". I had kept up with his blogs and kept learning about hand tools but never really crossed the threshold until "The Anarchist's Tool Chest". I decided to add a jack plane to my collection. By then I knew I would never find a decent jack plane in a big box store so I signed up at Ebay. I picked out an old Craftsman jack and won the auction. I cleaned and oiled all the metal bits, ground a radius into the iron and honed it as good as I possibly could. I took a board, put it on the bench, clamped it down and (as I learned from Saint Schwarz) pushed that jack plane ACROSS the grain. Oh. My. God. I instantly realized my workbench was in a bad way. Within a couple of weeks I had a tail vise, bench dogs, dog holes in the bench top and a shooting board. I flattened a board and then planed it to a specific thickness. Everything, and I mean everything, fell into place. A whirlwind of tool purchases followed. Jointer plane, router plane, decent block plane to replace the home center piece of shit I already had, tongue and groove plane, hand drill, decent Disston panel and back saws... I learned how sharpen saws and started sharpening my new-old saws. As winter settled in, I moved to what I call "Winter Wood Shop", i.e. my basement. I've built quite a few things with only hand tools. I have never felt such satisfaction before. Just a few years ago I would have laughed at the idea of building stuff with only hand tools. I would have thought that it was impossible for mere mortals to be accurate enough with hand tools. After all I had tried cutting dovetails many times with mediocre results. But after making a few changes in the work bench and acquiring a small amount of decent tools, not to mention simply know the difference between good tools and tool shaped objects, made all the difference. My projects still aren't all that great, but they're worlds better than they had been. The core of it all is the skill set I acquired as a boy. Those skills have been the foundation everything else has been built upon. Finally(!) all the skills I've learned have come together and I can see how they're all integral with one another. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world when the smoke clears and everything falls into place.
I would like to say the last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place and I'm completely independent, but that's not true. Though I rarely have to call on others to do things for me, I still have a lot to learn. I still don't know how to replace windows, replace water heaters and furnaces, rewire a house etc. But, I'm proud to be a "handyman". I enjoy doing things for myself and I also enjoy passing the things I've learned on to other people so they too can gain some independence. Most people used to have these skills, but they've disappeared in recent decades. With people like Saint Scwarz, Roy Underhill (who's been carrying the banner for hand tools on his show for 30 years and counting), Peter Follansbee, Megan Fitzpatrick, Robert Lang, Glen Huey and so many others, the "do it yourself" skills are making a comeback. It's about time, too. It's also great to see people paying attention to these skills and thinking that they have value in our modern age. Now, to get a tool chest built, and finish that bookcase for my sister... and those cabinet doors for Mom's kitchen... a new work bench....
I suggest you get some tools and start building your own stuff. Don't make it complicated. Start with simple tools. A decent hand saw, a hammer, a chisel or two, a tape measure, a couple of screw drivers... Make your own tool box. Build a saw horse or two. Replace your own lamp cords. Sharpen your own lawn mower blades. Watch videos, read books, magazines and blogs. Learn. Don't set your expectations too high. Believe me, I built a lot of crap and made a LOT of mistakes before I started getting better. Most importantly, pass what you learn on to other people, especially kids. We'll all be better for it.
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