Jesse Thornton
12-09-2006, 5:27 PM
Hello everybody,
I joined SMC a while back, but until recently I didn't have regular access to an internet connection. I've been lurking around a fair bit lately though, so I thought I'd introduce myself.
I had a rather unusual introduction into woodworking, in the rather unusual and remote Dawson City, Yukon. Through a friend, I'd gotten some work helping out a very skilled carpenter and woodworker, Jim Williams, building a fairly simple but attractive observation deck. I had zilch for experience, but I was in the right place at the right time, when a couple of extra hands were needed. I got along really well with Jim, and was a farily quick study, so after the deck was finished he tossed me a few more bones to keep me busy. His method of instruction was very 'laissez-faire', as he would usually give me tasks just a little beyond my experience, explain the basics, and let me go at it and learn from my mistakes - and boy, were there 'lessons' aplenty!
Anyhow, I'd only been working with him for a few months when he landed two sizable contracts for the winter. One was to build from scratch a very extensive custom kitcen for a new, upper-scale (for Dawson anyway) hotel and restaurant. The other was to completely rebuild/restore two turn-of-the-century wooden train cabs for the local museum. He had a fellow working for him who had many years of experience working on historical restorations, so he was to handle the bulk of the train cabs while I, the young and unskilled lackey, helped Jim with the cabinetry. However, in an unexpected turn of events, his train builder was suddenly striken with lovesickness and took off with no notice to chase a woman across the country. This was autumn in Dawson, a time when there is a seasonal exodus from an already small and remote town, and so Jim was left scrambling to find anyone who had the required skills for a job like this. Fortunately for me, he was coming up short. Jim wouldn't have time to focus on both projects without getting seriously behind, so one day he turned to me and asked: "Well, how would you like to try your hand at doing a couple of museum quality train restorations?"
Somewhat dumbfounded, I had to ask, "Uhhh....you do know who you're asking, right?"
"I'm afraid so - but I'm desperate."
Needless to say, the learning curve was extremely steep. These weren't elementary peices either - every joint was mortise and tennon'd, the roofs were made with exposed, profiled, bent-laminated rafters, there were sliding windows and panelled doors on both sides, everything had to fit perfectly with the various intersecting components of the train engine, AND it had to be historically accurate. I struggled through the first one, asking Jim a new question every five minutes or so. And, seriously, I'm talking questions like, "Er...could you show me how to use the router?", or "How can I tell which way the grain is going?" Knowing full well who he had hired for this job, he would patiently put down what he was doing, answer my questions as clearly as possible, and resume his task for another five minutes before being pestered again. However, being that there were two of these train cabs, almost identical, after pushing my faculties to the limit for a couple of months to get through the first one, I was able to tackle the second one almost single-handedly, increasing my skill level and confidence hugely. Now, if you can believe it, my first ever attempts at joinery are in full display at the Dawson City Museum and Historical Society.
Unfortunately I don't have many decent pictures scanned into the computer (yet), but here's a few of the cabs part way through construction:
52149
52150
52153
Anyhow, you probably don't want to read a whole novel here, but I thought some of you might enjoy the story of my humble start at what is surely going to be a lifelong passion. Here's a link to some more recent work I've done:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jessedavidthornton
I've got a helluva lot to learn yet, and I'll probably be mining this place for your collective wisdom on a fairly regular basis - and hopefully I can also pass on what little I do know to those who are just getting their feet wet (or like me, dunking their heads in).
Cheers,
I joined SMC a while back, but until recently I didn't have regular access to an internet connection. I've been lurking around a fair bit lately though, so I thought I'd introduce myself.
I had a rather unusual introduction into woodworking, in the rather unusual and remote Dawson City, Yukon. Through a friend, I'd gotten some work helping out a very skilled carpenter and woodworker, Jim Williams, building a fairly simple but attractive observation deck. I had zilch for experience, but I was in the right place at the right time, when a couple of extra hands were needed. I got along really well with Jim, and was a farily quick study, so after the deck was finished he tossed me a few more bones to keep me busy. His method of instruction was very 'laissez-faire', as he would usually give me tasks just a little beyond my experience, explain the basics, and let me go at it and learn from my mistakes - and boy, were there 'lessons' aplenty!
Anyhow, I'd only been working with him for a few months when he landed two sizable contracts for the winter. One was to build from scratch a very extensive custom kitcen for a new, upper-scale (for Dawson anyway) hotel and restaurant. The other was to completely rebuild/restore two turn-of-the-century wooden train cabs for the local museum. He had a fellow working for him who had many years of experience working on historical restorations, so he was to handle the bulk of the train cabs while I, the young and unskilled lackey, helped Jim with the cabinetry. However, in an unexpected turn of events, his train builder was suddenly striken with lovesickness and took off with no notice to chase a woman across the country. This was autumn in Dawson, a time when there is a seasonal exodus from an already small and remote town, and so Jim was left scrambling to find anyone who had the required skills for a job like this. Fortunately for me, he was coming up short. Jim wouldn't have time to focus on both projects without getting seriously behind, so one day he turned to me and asked: "Well, how would you like to try your hand at doing a couple of museum quality train restorations?"
Somewhat dumbfounded, I had to ask, "Uhhh....you do know who you're asking, right?"
"I'm afraid so - but I'm desperate."
Needless to say, the learning curve was extremely steep. These weren't elementary peices either - every joint was mortise and tennon'd, the roofs were made with exposed, profiled, bent-laminated rafters, there were sliding windows and panelled doors on both sides, everything had to fit perfectly with the various intersecting components of the train engine, AND it had to be historically accurate. I struggled through the first one, asking Jim a new question every five minutes or so. And, seriously, I'm talking questions like, "Er...could you show me how to use the router?", or "How can I tell which way the grain is going?" Knowing full well who he had hired for this job, he would patiently put down what he was doing, answer my questions as clearly as possible, and resume his task for another five minutes before being pestered again. However, being that there were two of these train cabs, almost identical, after pushing my faculties to the limit for a couple of months to get through the first one, I was able to tackle the second one almost single-handedly, increasing my skill level and confidence hugely. Now, if you can believe it, my first ever attempts at joinery are in full display at the Dawson City Museum and Historical Society.
Unfortunately I don't have many decent pictures scanned into the computer (yet), but here's a few of the cabs part way through construction:
52149
52150
52153
Anyhow, you probably don't want to read a whole novel here, but I thought some of you might enjoy the story of my humble start at what is surely going to be a lifelong passion. Here's a link to some more recent work I've done:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jessedavidthornton
I've got a helluva lot to learn yet, and I'll probably be mining this place for your collective wisdom on a fairly regular basis - and hopefully I can also pass on what little I do know to those who are just getting their feet wet (or like me, dunking their heads in).
Cheers,