Hi Tony,
Your dad sounds like me!
Having spent my working career from 16 until I was 37 and joined GW, I was full time in woodworking.
There have been some massive changes, in that time not only in skills available, but also attitude.
I've managed to stay away from the shoe box building sites all my career, although I have been out on site commercially working, along with long stints in joiners shops.
When I first passed myapprenticeship everything seemed to be done at a pace where although time was money, the job had to be done correctly, not thrown up and bashed in. Despite being involved in some pretty prestigious jobs in the late 80's early 90's, the one thing that it moved on to was profit and cut throat tactics, the bod on the tools bearing the brunt when it all goes wrong...
I speak from experience, being self employed and having lost about £10000 in a two year period by having a conscience and pride in the work I was doing.
Each time I was working away from home, but wanting to get the job done, only to find myself at the wrong end of a 'liquidation' when arriving back, with invoices to present. The companies in question then restart under a slightly different name, same staff etc, but with myself and others carrying the can.
Landing the job here at GW sounds ideal, but to be honest, I could earn far more back on the tools. Don't be fooled, it's not high salaries, free tools and glamour!
One of the main reasons I took the job was because I needed a more financially stable position as my wife and three kids needed a steady income, and not being out in all winds and weathers getting stitched up is nicer!
I mentioned earlier about skills available, and it's become more apparent with the decline of the apprenticeship scheme.
When I was apprenticed it was as a carpenter and joiner. You took both standard City and Guilds along with Advanced Craft once you had passed the first part.
I was taught every aspect of woodwork, shuttering, roofing, all types of joinery, you name it, we were taught it.
I now see loads of people claiming to be carpenters, joiners, call them what you will but they 'don't do roofing' or 'don't hang doors', the favourite one where I live is 'i'm a shutterer'. I've actually fitted a kitchen and hung a load of internal doors for one of them, and he went through college so say doing a course designed to offer the same level of skills I took!
Over the years I've learnt far more than I did at college, (and I still am...)but the ground work was done by them, so I can make furniture, do joinery, carpentry at all levels, 1st, 2nd fix, shuttering etc, plus I've worked on a replica of a 15th century ship. Admittedly, some of these jobs I like better than others, but it's an adaptation of your own skills that gets you there.
At base level, woodworking is an assembly of components, scaled and jointed appropriately to the job in hand.
OK, I'm no David Charlesworth, and not up to the level of some of the posters here either, but I can do it to a decent standard.
Sounds like a rant! It wasn't meant to be, honest...
Andy
