woodbutcherbower
Member
Greetings FOG,
After 39 years on the tools – it’s almost time for me to bow gracefully out and say goodbye to professional woodworking. Tomorrow, when my final project is done – I’m also done. In a world seemingly dominated by people doing jobs they hate - I consider myself incredibly lucky to have ended up making a living doing what I love.
I look back with pride at countless photos of stuff I’ve built over the years – but my proudest legacy of all is the lives and careers which my three grown-up kids all now have as a result of their Dad spending almost four decades hacking pieces of wood around. My eldest daughter is a constantly-in-demand professional opera singer, my youngest daughter is a fully-qualified corporate accountant at only 28, and my little baby son (seemingly overnight) became a 6’6” 225-pound tank-like police officer who no-one messes with. I’m so, so, so proud of them – and of the fact that their lives have been at least partially shaped by a monumental pile of sawdust.
I made the decision not to sell my van and my tools – although I’d emphasize that there’s ZERO chance of me ever being tempted back out to do ‘just one more job’. The reasons are firstly that I warranty everything I do for a year, and although I’ve only ever had a tiny handful of callbacks over the years, I want to remain equipped just in case. Customer service has been an absolute priority throughout my entire career, and I’m not prepared to abandon those who’ve spent their hard-earned money with me over the last 12 months. But it’s mostly because there are things I’ve had in my head for years which I finally want to build for me. And of course – my kids have homes of their own, and the list of tasks for Dad to do will now inevitably explode now that he doesn’t have to work anymore. Within an hour of me sharing this news with one of my daughters, she was already leafing through kitchen brochures ……
I’d like to thank all my friends here on the FOG for your kind words, your support, and your encouragement over the years. Most of you are a continent away and you’re folks who I’ll never meet in person – but you’ve all been as real to me as the guy who lives next door. I’d also tip my hat to Peter and Seth for their hidden, in-the-background work as the forum’s mods – a job made far easier, I’m sure, by the fact that the FOG is such a civilised and respectful place. Thankyou.
A few years ago, I sat down and wrote out a bucket list entitled ‘100 things I’m going to do before I die’. So far, I only reached no.11 – but the client handover of this final job signals the dawning of a whole world of new freedoms and opportunities. I’ve cycled at least 150km every week for many years, and another reason for keeping the van is so that I can load up the bike and go further afield, exploring some more of the UK’s hills, mountains, forests and rivers. Back to Switzerland and Scandinavia for sure, and definitely back to the South of France again for the zillionth time. Places I want to go, things I want to see, things I want to experience, and things I want to do.
I wish all of you the very best of health & happiness for your own futures. Carpe diem.
Kevin
After 39 years on the tools – it’s almost time for me to bow gracefully out and say goodbye to professional woodworking. Tomorrow, when my final project is done – I’m also done. In a world seemingly dominated by people doing jobs they hate - I consider myself incredibly lucky to have ended up making a living doing what I love.
I look back with pride at countless photos of stuff I’ve built over the years – but my proudest legacy of all is the lives and careers which my three grown-up kids all now have as a result of their Dad spending almost four decades hacking pieces of wood around. My eldest daughter is a constantly-in-demand professional opera singer, my youngest daughter is a fully-qualified corporate accountant at only 28, and my little baby son (seemingly overnight) became a 6’6” 225-pound tank-like police officer who no-one messes with. I’m so, so, so proud of them – and of the fact that their lives have been at least partially shaped by a monumental pile of sawdust.
I made the decision not to sell my van and my tools – although I’d emphasize that there’s ZERO chance of me ever being tempted back out to do ‘just one more job’. The reasons are firstly that I warranty everything I do for a year, and although I’ve only ever had a tiny handful of callbacks over the years, I want to remain equipped just in case. Customer service has been an absolute priority throughout my entire career, and I’m not prepared to abandon those who’ve spent their hard-earned money with me over the last 12 months. But it’s mostly because there are things I’ve had in my head for years which I finally want to build for me. And of course – my kids have homes of their own, and the list of tasks for Dad to do will now inevitably explode now that he doesn’t have to work anymore. Within an hour of me sharing this news with one of my daughters, she was already leafing through kitchen brochures ……
I’d like to thank all my friends here on the FOG for your kind words, your support, and your encouragement over the years. Most of you are a continent away and you’re folks who I’ll never meet in person – but you’ve all been as real to me as the guy who lives next door. I’d also tip my hat to Peter and Seth for their hidden, in-the-background work as the forum’s mods – a job made far easier, I’m sure, by the fact that the FOG is such a civilised and respectful place. Thankyou.
A few years ago, I sat down and wrote out a bucket list entitled ‘100 things I’m going to do before I die’. So far, I only reached no.11 – but the client handover of this final job signals the dawning of a whole world of new freedoms and opportunities. I’ve cycled at least 150km every week for many years, and another reason for keeping the van is so that I can load up the bike and go further afield, exploring some more of the UK’s hills, mountains, forests and rivers. Back to Switzerland and Scandinavia for sure, and definitely back to the South of France again for the zillionth time. Places I want to go, things I want to see, things I want to experience, and things I want to do.
I wish all of you the very best of health & happiness for your own futures. Carpe diem.
Kevin
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