What is this site all about - AWLS7

I grew up with ADHD long before it was a diagnosis.  I got poor grades in school and was treated as if I couldn’t learn.  I soon realized that it wasn’t that I couldn’t learn, it was that they couldn’t teach me fast enough to keep my attention.  When I found something that I really liked I would totally immerse myself in it until I felt a level of mastery and then hold onto that as a tool in my tool box so to speak.  There was no internet in those days so it was off to the library to check out books or find people that new the subject and learn from them, usually by watching and studying how and what they did and then doing it.  By grade school I was a skilled outdoorsman anble to survive on my own for weeks at a time in the woods.  I made intricate carvings, was very skilled at macrame and leather work. Before I graduated from high school I was making a business of crafting silver and turquoise jewelry, woodworking, repairing trucks and autos and was studying electronics and house wiring.  By 18 years old I had a journeyman’s licence as a machinist and was a skilled blacksmith.  None of these things were taught to me through traditional education, these were all things that I pursued on my own and took whatever path I needed to, to master them.

Not wanting to be stuck inside at that age I pursued the construction industry, first as a roofer, then drywaller, lath and stucco, concrete work, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and sheet metal, finish carpentry, cabinetry, tile work, welding and excavation.  I then worked for several remodeling companies where we did all of these trades on each job.  Eventually becoming a general contractor / superintendent and overseeing all of the trades to complete residential and commercial projects.  All the while building up an inventory of tools and maintaining and polishing all of the skills that I obtained in my own workshop.  On most projects I shape multiple materials and am Shifting from one skill to another.  On a remodel I do the CAD drawings and engineering, excavate the footings and pour the concrete, framing, siding and roofing, do all plumbing, electrical, HVAC, insulation, drywall, painting, finish carpentry, cabinetry, lay flooring and anything else required to complete the structure.  On my creative shop projects  I may start out blacksmithing a part, machining another, build some wooden patterns, sand cast some aluminum parts, wire in a motor or some lights for a completed article.

I’m not claiming to be a know it all expert, I just want to share my techniques and methods with others.  I have learned a great deal from others and stumbled upon unconventional ways to accomplish tasks through trial and error.  And believe me I have made many errors.  But I always try to study my errors to learn from them.

Ken H.   WS2