OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

226313 Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> 2012‑01‑29 Bio Post
First things first=85 Glass of water for Mssrs. Eppler, Kasper, Isola,
and Suwczinsky(aka nicknaylo).

I've been successfully putting this off for 13 years now, but as the
Mayans have this year pegged as the grand finale, and as I've pressed
manners the utmost limits as far as introductions go, here is my bio
posting to one of the most valued parts of my life.

Hi, my name is Paul (would have be Katherine if born a girl, more than
you wanted to know I'm sure) and I'm a 41 year old Galoot. I
discovered this invaluable resource back in 1999 and it has been a
consistent and meaningful part of my life since. The now defunct Badger
Pond site also played a big role in my push down the slippery slope, but
the value of the friendships I've obtained and the knowledge I've
gained as a result of this particular corner of the Internet cannot be
overstated.

I grew up in west Los Angeles, a first generation American and son of
British immigrants. I spent most of my youth on the beaches and soccer
fields of southern California, surfing in the morning and soccer in the
afternoons. Both my parents are anomalies in their neighborhood. They do
their own housework, yard work, house maintenance and remodeling,
gardening, cooking, and cleaning. I recognize that among our US,
Canadian, Australian, and English readership (recognizing also our
friends in Germany, Israel, Holland, and elsewhere) cataloging these
things seems a bit like receiving a trophy for showing up and breathing.
But in this day and age they are seen as rare resources with mysterious
talents- the Oracle of Delphi in their locale. A sad commentary of the
modern age that has been retold many a time on this very Porch. I say
all this to only note that as a kid I grew up used to watching the
people closest to me doing things for themselves.

My father is a retired aerospace engineer who has turned his leisure
time over the years to building model locomotives, sail boats and a
stunning 17 year restoration of his MGTF 1955. My mother, when she is
not nursing, turns her attention to fabrics and quilting. Both are
amazing cooks. My Uncle Peter is also very talented with his hands. Far
more prolific (and goal oriented) than dad in the live steam locomotive
hobby, he's built many engines of assorted gauges. My Grandfather had
quite a bit of skill as a woodworker, especially in the area of carving.
It is one of my great sadnesses that some random person in Darfield, S.
Yorkshire benefited from my Grandmother's lack of sentimentality when
she gave the lot of his tools away shortly after his death =96 literally
kicked them to the curb. Despite this foundation of role models, I
didn't show any proclivities toward these pursuits in my early years.

I was 22, recently graduated from University, and recognized I was
depressed. I didn't know why I was depressed other than I felt
useless. But by 24 I was lucky enough to figure out that at least 1/3rd
of my happiness in life necessitated me working with my hands in some
manner. Between 1995 and 1999 I was bumbling and stumbling in the
wilderness until I landed here.

I'm no purist. I have plenty of tailed demons in my shop and truth be
told my interests are ever more veering toward the metal/machining side
of things. But the truth is my most satisfying moments are spent in the
quiet, working with hand tools, making mistakes, fixing them with hand
tools, and moving forward. This won't ever change.

One of the best things to come from the Porch was finding my way to the
company of the BAG's (Bay Area Galoots) and particularly the FleaBAGs
subset. A more generous, good natured, funny, knowledgeable (in many and
varied disciplines), and talented group I do not know of. To paraphrase
Dickens; if you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a group
more blessed in warmth than the BAGs, all I can say is, I should like to
know them too. Introduce them to me, and I'll cultivate their
acquaintance.

My shop is small and is known by my non-tooling friends as Fraggle Rock
for reasons not entirely understood by me. It is located on the ground
level of a typical San Francisco Edwardian row house in avenues of the
Inner Sunset (near Golden Gate Park). My upstairs neighbor is a Saint
and tolerates my frequent incursions into his garage space for the sake
of my hobby. I do all the maintenance for the building, which the shop
plays an absolutely vital role, but this does not mitigate in any way
his sacrifice. Like my mother, who tolerated YEARS of car fenders,
electrical components, and assorted vintage car parts in her formal
living room, these people are to be cherished and frequently
acknowledged for their sacrifice. If you have them living among you,
think yourselves lucky and thank them often.

I am married with 12 and 9 year old girls. All my girls are artistic but
not GITs in nature. Who knows, that all may all change. But I'm not
holding my breath.

Placing myself among the spectrum of brethren on the list, I fall more
towards to tool making side of things than the furniture making side in
terms of interests - although I appreciate it all. I am particularly
partial of tools made by craftsman, although I value any tool of merit
and quality. It will seem like heresy but I do feel like I am
approaching the point of having all the tools I need. I'm sure an
inventory taken over taken over future years will reveal me backsliding
on this bold assertion but I do see myself slowing down in the
'need' to accrue. I don't collect anything, save for planes made
by 'Gardner and Murdock' of Green Street Boston. My wife Heather
being a Murdock and myself being a Gardner, the coincidence is
altogether too juicy to resist.

To earn my daily crust, I work for a small lab at the University of
California, San Francisco Medical Center in the Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit. One of the best parts about my job is that I'm only 8 minutes
from home on the bike.

So there you have it. That wasn't so hard. Don't know why it took
me so long. But then again, it takes a while for people like us to
finish anything.

Best Regards,

Paul Gardner, in San Francisco
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Recent Bios FAQ