Mentors.

[Scott B.]

My mentor was/is a cabinet maker at heart. But also a dynamite trim carpenter, framer of unusual things, and good old fashioned handy old timer. His name is Sandy. I met him in the mid-90s when I was in my mid 20s.

I found myself in my first new construction project, where I would be the sole painter, working directly for the homeowners (a repeat customer at the time) who were acting as their own general contractors in the construction of their dream timberframe home on a few hundred acres here in Vermont.

They had the timberframers erect the frame, then hired two carpenters. One to finish the exterior. One to finish the interior. I would be serving as painter to both.

Because exterior dry in was the immediate priority, I was charged with prefinishing the exterior package of heavy trim and spruce siding. I would do this in the basement of the house while rough ins were being completed and drywall hung and finished.

About my third day into prefinishing in the basement, my new mentor showed up. He came down to the basement, took one look around and said: "I can't work like this, I'll be back in a half hour and we'll get this set up properly."

I spent the next 16 months working side by each with these two carpenters. The exterior carpenter, Keith, was convinced that the painter to carpenter ratio was not going to be suitable for anyone involved. I was the young dumbass who knew just enough about painting to be dangerous, but had never worked at that level.

Quick version of the story is that I was willing to work 18 hours a day to get that exterior package done so that I could get to work with Sandy on the interior.

This was one of those rare moments in life where the right mentor comes along at the right time and changes your life forever. I had only done repaint work until that point, with little contact with carpenters. Might cross paths with a handyman from time to time.

I was fascinated by interior carpentry. And I knew little to nothing about how to prep and properly finish newly installed woodwork. Sandy taught me all of that, every day, the right way. And sent me home at night with his cutoffs (which were rarely much more than 6" long) to learn how to glue up wood. I bought glue and clamps, then my first sander, then my first table saw. Every night I would take home about 8 pieces, and glue and clamp. Then, bring it to work the next day and hand it over to Sandy at break time.

One thing a good mentor does is call it straight, and tell you what needs improvement. I learned fast, and I knew how lucky I was to have a master craftsman one on one everyday. My paint work during the day meanwhile, became efficient and tight rather quickly. Sandy, in turn, seemed intrigued that anyone in their 20s would want to learn this stuff.

I remember the first time he invited me to his nearby cabinet shop. A true Shaker style shop, complete with a sign on the door: "Don't ask to borrow my tools and I won't ask to borrow your wife." He showed me the first cabinet he ever made in his life at age 17. It looked as good as the cabinets he was making in his 50s. Some people have that going on. He then showed me how to do dowel joinery and showed me which doweling jig to go by. I went through a doweling joinery era. What an amazing joint. This was all couched by the old school mentality that you shouldn't need too many fasteners.

I learned more about wood and finishing in this 16 months than in any other 16 months of my life. I also learned the value system and pride in work of a craftsman. I retained everything that was ever said to me during that period (cursed by memory) and continue to draw on the period in my decision making to this day.

One day I hope to have time to write a book.

So, who was your mentor, how/when did you cross paths with them, and how much of an impact has it had upon you personally and professionally?

 

[peter halle]

I was 22 and had just returned home from a short stint in Southern Florida.  Ironically, there is a good possibility that I met Sedge way back then - but that is not part of this story.  I was drinking beer and throwing darts with a friend and his neighbor and one thing lead to another and I had a part time job working on construction sites cleaning up, installing door and bath hardware, shoe molding, and doing punch list work.  I had no tools and no experience at all.  I thought construction and woodworking was stupid.

After six months I quit my full time job and was hired full time doing construction.  Terry took me under his wing and showed me how to install trim the old way and why.  He had done trim in some of the fanciest restaurants and had tools I had never seen.  Remember the Delta Sawbuck.  Two years of mentorship and then the Savings and Loan problems of the mid  / late 1980's came along.  I had learned using computers and using spreadsheets and in a shift of responsibilities I had a job and Terry didn't.  I have only seen Terry a couple of times since 1990 but the most recent was just a few months ago and he is working for a large commercial contractor still.

I then fell under the wing of one of those guys that everyone should have the opportunity to work for.  His name is Dave Timmons.  Dave interviewed me for a position I didn't know I was being interviewed during a day trip to a bank branch while riding in my Astro van.  Dave believed in his employees and did everything for them.  His experience was on the project management side and was an executive for several large department stores.  He was in charge of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade one year  and handled the construction of Mr. Macy's tennis courts and the design of the security features of the flagship Macy store in NY's money room.

When he thought that there was going to be an issue at the Savings and Loan he pulled all his employees together and had a meeting.  He advised us all to get our resumes ready and told us that if we needed time off to go on interviews all we had to do was let him know.  The Savings and Loan was taken over and he and I survived.  We worked together for about another year and he got me involved in CAD and I had time at work to learn on my own.

Unfortunately he was hired away by another retailer who was in bankruptcy and needed his guidance to lead their facilities department and start up a remodeling program.  Six months later he called me and asked if I wanted to work for him again.  I talked with him and then out of the blue I got a call to give my notice and come in.  He was going to be out of town but he arranged for me to be hired on a certain day because the next day my benefits would be less.

For the next three years he taught me about project management and I had a blast busting my ass.  He developed a department that was made up of fabulous people who honestly liked working with each other and respected each other.  We all travelled a lot.  I remember him sitting with me at dinner in a Seattle restaurant and asking me what we were going to do.  He had heard rumors and trouble was on its way.  We recalled the old days.  Two weeks later he called all his department together and had a meeting.  He advised us all to get our resumes ready and...

I was the first to find a job and leave.  But every day since then I have had fond remembrances of Dave and what he taught me thru all those years.

Peter

 

[Jalvis]

Cant say I ever really had a "mentor" in my industry.....but I did work with some good guys.

Started at 13 as a hottie for a local mason.  Worked long hard days in the Sun and Cold without thought since that was my first 'real' job.  Within a short time I was laying stone and brick and was the 'go to' guy.  I wasn't mentored but a worker that got pushed day in and day out.  Thats where I learned about truly working hard and grinding out a long day.

I stayed in the trades but never really had much training.  My first and final finnish carpentry lesson was coping and the miter saw....took about 10 minutes and then it was time to work.  Still cant believe thats how people are trained.  Framing went the same way.....then drainage and mold remediation. 

Its a rocky road and still often is but I'm grateful for an information age.  To me the constant learning is the motivational force behind each day.

This country could benefit from a strong apprenticeship system for all the trades.  Scott was lucky to have such a teacher....hopefully you pay it forward.

 

[danrush]

My Dad.  He was never in the trades and didn't teach me how to use a single tool.  I did that on my own. But he taught me the value of good, honest, hard work. For me,the most valuable tool of all.
Dan

 

[Scott B.]

This country could benefit from a strong apprenticeship system for all the trades.  Scott was lucky to have such a teacher....hopefully you pay it forward.

Working on that. It becomes more important to me every year, and every time I surf youtube. The information age is very much a two edged sword.

 

[Sparktrician]

In a sense, my dad was my mentor in that I learned from his example what NOT to do.  Growing up I thought he could do anything, but that image fell away when he nearly severed a fingertip with a radial arm saw making kneelers for the church.  In another perspective, he did what I thought were some clever things to put lights where my mother wanted them.  Then I went to electrician's school and learned about safety and codes and such.  When I returned home and looked at much of what he'd done with fresh eyes, I was horrified, and set about to correct things before he burned down the house.  There were things he hard-headedly wouldn't hear of from a twenty-something, so I had to enlist the help of a friend of his who was also a very experienced fire captain and investigator.  That gentleman had to really put the fear of God into my dad to get him to accept the fact that what I had been saying to him was true.  Many times I fixed things behind his back to get them right.  I know my mother appreciated the work that I did, even if he resisted the thought that despite my relative age I might have some experiences that he didn't.  In my dealings with my own son, that experience of having a tenuous relationship with my dad gave me an opportunity to break that pattern and teach my son the way I thought a good mentor should.  A former girlfriend's dad was an absolutely wonderful finish carpenter.  I hired him to replace the windows in a former house, and became his assistant and go-fer.  I learned so much from that experience and from just knowing him.  The job didn't last long, but I knew that if I had a question, I could go to him and get a straight answer with an example.  It saddens me to think that I didn't have a really good mentor growing up in the positive sense of the word, but I do have the opportunity to pass on what I've learned with my own son. 

 

[greg mann]

In a sense, my dad was my mentor in that I learned from his example what NOT to do.  Growing up I thought he could do anything, but that image fell away when he nearly severed a fingertip with a radial arm saw making kneelers for the church.  In another perspective, he did what I thought were some clever things to put lights where my mother wanted them.  Then I went to electrician's school and learned about safety and codes and such.  When I returned home and looked at much of what he'd done with fresh eyes, I was horrified, and set about to correct things before he burned down the house.  There were things he hard-headedly wouldn't hear of from a twenty-something, so I had to enlist the help of a friend of his who was also a very experienced fire captain and investigator.  That gentleman had to really put the fear of God into my dad to get him to accept the fact that what I had been saying to him was true.  Many times I fixed things behind his back to get them right.  I know my mother appreciated the work that I did, even if he resisted the thought that despite my relative age I might have some experiences that he didn't.  In my dealings with my own son, that experience of having a tenuous relationship with my dad gave me an opportunity to break that pattern and teach my son the way I thought a good mentor should.  A former girlfriend's dad was an absolutely wonderful finish carpenter.  I hired him to replace the windows in a former house, and became his assistant and go-fer.  I learned so much from that experience and from just knowing him.  The job didn't last long, but I knew that if I had a question, I could go to him and get a straight answer with an example.  It saddens me to think that I didn't have a really good mentor growing up in the positive sense of the word, but I do have the opportunity to pass on what I've learned with my own son. 

Did you ever ask him why his daughter didn't like you anymore?  [poke]

 

[Sparktrician]

In a sense, my dad was my mentor in that I learned from his example what NOT to do.  Growing up I thought he could do anything, but that image fell away when he nearly severed a fingertip with a radial arm saw making kneelers for the church.  In another perspective, he did what I thought were some clever things to put lights where my mother wanted them.  Then I went to electrician's school and learned about safety and codes and such.  When I returned home and looked at much of what he'd done with fresh eyes, I was horrified, and set about to correct things before he burned down the house.  There were things he hard-headedly wouldn't hear of from a twenty-something, so I had to enlist the help of a friend of his who was also a very experienced fire captain and investigator.  That gentleman had to really put the fear of God into my dad to get him to accept the fact that what I had been saying to him was true.  Many times I fixed things behind his back to get them right.  I know my mother appreciated the work that I did, even if he resisted the thought that despite my relative age I might have some experiences that he didn't.  In my dealings with my own son, that experience of having a tenuous relationship with my dad gave me an opportunity to break that pattern and teach my son the way I thought a good mentor should.  A former girlfriend's dad was an absolutely wonderful finish carpenter.  I hired him to replace the windows in a former house, and became his assistant and go-fer.  I learned so much from that experience and from just knowing him.  The job didn't last long, but I knew that if I had a question, I could go to him and get a straight answer with an example.  It saddens me to think that I didn't have a really good mentor growing up in the positive sense of the word, but I do have the opportunity to pass on what I've learned with my own son. 

Did you ever ask him why his daughter didn't like you anymore?  [poke]

Let's just say she didn't make it through my twit filters all the way.  Nonetheless, we parted friends and retained the friendship until she married someone else (WHEW!).  Better than the alternative, I suspect. 

[thumbs up]

 

[Tinker]

I had the good fortune to have worked with many experienced tradesmen who were also great teachers.  When i was young and living with my parents, I was witness to many an epic battle. During that period, i tried many times to go into my dad's workshop to see what he was doing. He was a very meticulous man and his work showed it.  In later years, some people tried to talk him into putting some of his stuff into a museum. During my time with him as a child, he would almost immediately kick me out of his shop as I was ruining his concentration, or whatever.  when i was 8 or 9, my mom and dad decided they had had enough of each other and decided something had to be done with their lives other than being with each other.  My mom dropped my brother and me off at our uncles farm to stay for a couple of weeks.  By then, I was a pretty mixed up kid and plainly headed for trouble. Possibly serious trouble.

That two weeks stretched into 6 years that turned out to have been the most influential years of my life.  Almost as soon as i had arrived, i took a liking to, and became very close to my Uncle (actually, the aunt was my father's cousin, but aunt and uncle are easier to explain.).  He allowed me to go with him into the cow barn at milking time.  He "allowed" me to help with the young stock as well as working in the fields.  He took me fishing and taught me about hunting. (I took my first shot with a gun, a 12 ga shotgun at about 10 or 11  and was knocked on my butt.)  Above all, he showed that i could be trusted.  he taught me personal responsibility.  Folks used to call me his shadow.  Where ever he was on the property, there was this little tyke just about three steps behind.  Those three steps were not because of any sort of decree, but it was about as fast as i could keep up with him. 

The man, even tho i was somewhat a very angry, and i suppose, frightened kid who often made certain erroneous decisions of attitude and action that others might have deemed worth severe punishment, never punished me.  he never raised his voice at me.  He never talked at me; not did he ever talk down to me.  He had a rather unique way of "discussing" such occasions with me that led me to think there was not much sense in argueing a point. He would just pick me up with one hand and hold me, by the top of my head, nose to nose while we "discussed" the matter.  I think it was a matter of pride to me that I warranted such "punishment".  I had been used to the razor strap and upon a couple of occasions, a broken chair leg in my earlier life. 

my "Uncle" passed away while i was i Korea on vacation with a more famous uncle.  i was not known as a cry baby during that little trip and, in fact, did the job i was there for with no complaints.  The fact that i was able to take care of that business was a direct credit to my "uncle" back on the farm. My entire life is a direct credit to that man.  I cried long and hard the day i got the news of his passing. His son and i are, to this day, best friends.  I was his best man and he reciprocated when i married.  He has been married for 51 years and my wife and i are still happy after nearly 47 years.  I think we both owe our lives and outlooks to the man who took me in at a time when the world was a very bleak place for a young kid.
Tinker

 

[Scott B.]

Really enjoying the posts in this thread everyone, thank you. Hope more will chime in. Kreg?

 

[mopowers]

I was fortunate enough to be an apprentice right out of high school in the late 90's. It started when a neighbor who was a builder needed help for two days on a roof. I was a young kid with a strong back and that's all he needed. Those two days turned into two years. Those two years were probably the most influential of my life. I was a kid with no skills a poor education (my own fault) and no direction in life. Jim taught me a trade, taught me about integrity and gave me a career and a life long friend.

Work became slow after those first two years, i was a young kid who wanted to work and be right in the action. I eventually flew the coop and got a temporary job with a local cabinet shop that made and installed office cubicles in Boston among other things. That temporary job again ended up being 7 years. My new employer was known for being the very best builder in the area. When they decided to keep me on after my stint in Boston i knew it was a great opportunity. For those seven years i was fortunate enough to work on a small crew on some amazing big money projects alongside the very best carpenters around. And Peter, they had two Delta sawbucks ; )

For the last six years i have been back working with my original mentor. The difference nowadays is that he is usually helping me. He does bring in most of the jobs but i run with them.

As i am sure you know Scott B it is so important you pass on your craft. I admire what you do. From what i see the painting trade suffers from a loss of craftsmanship more than any other trade. It is so difficult to find a master painter. I have a relationship with only one and he is rarely available as travels and works all along the east coast. The painting industry is full of fly by night outfits that lack in skill but are still successful because they are good salesmen.   

 

[tjbnwi]

Both of my parents, I wouldn't be the cook I am without my mothers guidance, nor the tradesman I am without my fathers tutelage.

My first career was in the automotive field. My father taught me well. I became an NIASE Certified Master Automotive Technition at the age of 15. Taught my first automotive collage class at the age of 18. As I said, dad taught me well. This allowed me to teach others.

Got bored one day 25 years ago and changed careers. Without mom and dad teaching me to think, I probably could not have just changed my path in life. I'm proud to say, I raised my children the same way, taught them the importance of thinking over just being educated.

If I get bored with this trade, I think I'm going into brain surgery. Figure I can take the Sally Sthurters corrispondance class.
(the older members will get it)

Tom

 

[Kev]

My father taught me about safety ... I just watched him do dangerous things and learnt from them  [sad]

 

[Sparktrician]

If I get bored with this trade, I think I'm going into brain surgery. Figure I can take the Sally Sthurters corrispondance class.
(the older members will get it)

Tom

[thumbs up] [popcorn]