Thread: Ladies day at carbatec.

Yep were able to meet the challenge,
can make just as much wood dust,
flatten the batteries in the drill just as good,
use the best pieces of wood,
spend the money just as fast,
even make some furniture just as nice, but best of all, we'll finish that and come inside & make you dinner, wash your clothes, bath the kids, cuddle & keep you cozy......& will continue to do this.......7 days a week.....

BUT

...............WARNING WARNING WARNING..........
DON'T TOUCH MY SANDER...OR YOUR DEAD!

KeKemo - Exactly!!!!!

but for me, it's...
...............WARNING WARNING WARNING..........
DON'T TOUCH MY CHISELS...OR YOUR DEAD!

What In think is sad is the ocupational gender bias that once predominated society and to a certain extent still hangs arround.

And the overtones of sexual preference that came with it.

hopefully we are getting past that these days.


I mean..... dont give a girl any tools you'll make her turn into a lesbian.
or....... he must be queer if he wants to be a florist.

on one level just not so and so what if they are.

when my wife wanted to study science at school and then at uni... one of the FEMALE teaches told her that wasn't appropriate for a girl in no uncertain terms.

ARRRRGH..... Tell em to get a life and wake up to em selves.

I think we are fortunate to live in a time when people are largely free to persue their interests without judgement.

just a few happy stories.
I know some of you saw the article in wood review about significant women wood carvers...of the past... excelent.

in our street there was a bloke called reg...... now reg was a wharfy and as rough and straight as they came.......he made all his wifes clothes and was a mean hand at the sewing machine............nobody ever made fun of him...... he would have smashed their face in.

A friend of mine has two boys and two girls... all grown with families now.... but the girls always got better marks at woodwork than the boys......and when dad need a hand to deliver some speakers it was one of the girls that came.

cheers

And on the other side of the coin...

When I did my degree in Social Work... I started out in the Addictions area and was told firmly and without reservation by both male AND female lecturers INCLUDING the moron that runs the course at the Uni I went through that I as a male would never make it through the course... not only because I wasnt working within the health science areas which was a biggie to them for some reason but also because I was a male and "its well known that females are the best types of people for the social science area professions"

So after an extra year due to my father passing halfway through and some increadible assistance from some fanbloodytastic people mainly my wife and the local GP I got through in the top 3%!!... my main area of focus was... "Womens issues in the Addiction area"... why did I target that particular one? because the bastards said I would never be able to do it! 98% for the final mark thank you very bloody much!

Did it privately and in several companies and govt departments and ended up training new counsellors... so shove that one up yer drain pipe and snorkle it!! which is actually just what I said when I met the professor who told me I would never make it a few years before I walked away

And yet on the other side... when I was younger and MUCH MUCH fitter I worked with a brickie... worked my gronicles off in 38* and 40* heat through summer every day then one day I stood on a nail and was off work for a couple of weeks... so instead of this bloke replacing me my elder by one year sis took it on... so I lobs up for work 2 weeks later and whats this noddy do? "What the hell you doin here? wheres your sister?" "mate shes gone back to her own job as a nurse so Im back" "ah buggar it she was a better bloody worker than you are... sod it" and he was in a mongrel of a mood for the next week

But she kicked my butt something shocking that time

Sheilas if given the right tools an trainin or motivation can do anything us fellas can do... cept drink us under the table an fellas if given the right tools an trainin or motivation can do anything the sheilas can do... except give birth

thank gawd thats all theirs!!!

Originally Posted by Wild Dingo

Sheilas if given the right tools an trainin or motivation can do anything us fellas can do... cept drink us under the table

Dingo, I know a gal who could probably give you a run for your money, I'm sure she got hollow legs

I contracted to supply loaders for a concert tour once.... so I rang arround all the blokes I knew mostly other sound guys....Hmmm.....a week day... lots of the usual suspects wern't available.....so I ring up this girl i know....yeh good she's in.... a sweet girl but also a stocky creature... obviously capable of lifting heavy things....... anyway I get this call from her..... I have a friend who would like to come.....yeh I know her.....crikey shees only 16 and a skinny little just on 5 foot thing.
All right..I need another body... at least I know she can roll cables properly.

any way... 12 of us turn up and start unloading the trucks... 2 semi loads..... it became very obvious very quicly that this " skinny little thing" had hydraulic arms.

So by the time the rest of the touring crew arrived and one of them said to me...."whats the skinny chick doin' here"......... don't worry about her... just try & keep up

these two "chicks" just about ran half the crew ragged.


cheers

Interesting this should come up. Just yesterday the 60-something lady who is co-owner of the local ships chandler and I spent 1/2h doing a compare and contrast on all their epoxies and resins ...

Thumbs down on this score goes to my local Bunnings where I have stood for simply ages at the tool shop counter waiting for the (male) staff behind the counter to stop gossing about the footy (or whatever) and realise I am a customer ...

Or the day I went in there about 5m preggers with my wheelchair-bound Other Half looking to spend some $$$ on a sander and they waltzed up to *him* and said "yeah mate can I help you" - he just looked the guy straight in the face and said "do I look like I can use power tools? why don't you talk to my wife" ...

I have asked for aluminium oxide paper in most of the local hardware stores and the losers try and sell me garnet paper !

Steph

Go Steph's Husband!!!

I've had an interesting time with some of the men at the woodwork stores in Toowoomba over the past 3 years.

One was naturally reticient until I proved to him that I was the genuine woodworker and then I find out that he's naturally reticent with everyone

The Mitre 10 staff are great, always interested to hear what I'm up to next. Makes a huge difference as I'll keep going back even though prices are a little higher than the big B.

The Big B - the guys there, well, that are still there after 3 years know me and are good. There are some that I steer away from and some that I'll go out of my way to catch up with. And as for the one of the guys that used to be in the power section grrrrrrr

Still, it's fun watching their faces when the realisation hits that I know what I'm talking about, I know what I want and I know what I don't know and need to find out.....

My main prob is that my local hardware only 5km away is one of the smaller stores in an ACT-based chain. I want to spend money there since we have a discount card that gives us 4% off lots (but not all) of things and it's a locally-owned business.

But their range simply does not compare to Bunnies. My closest Bunnies is more than double the distance but open till 9pm weekdays plus another one probably a similar distance (but heavier traffic) away.

The local chain does have a mega-warehouse store but it's the other side of town .

Steph

Only too true, if I go into the big B, Mitre 10 or anyother wood supply or support store I find to get the right response I must be in my working gear.... recently I was going out, yep had the glad-rags on, hey, I don't scrub up too bad at all.......went up to the counter where I've previously had great assistance before they know me pretty well......buggers didn't recognize me, two of the usually guys made dumb asses of themselve and the other one kept saying "gee you really do look different" I swear I'm going to wear a bloody chicken outfit next time.....

But....if they keep putting on staff that are mindless sponges I will soon get known as the dragon lady, I breathe bloody fire down their necks soon....
its true if I dont see the name badges I want I dont ask.....yep down here in MANDURAH ....ask only for TONY....getting that way I ring to check first before I walk in the store.......few weeks ago I actually sat down in the BBQ area on the nice seats and phoned them to find out where a product was....not walking miles when the phone can do it for me.....the phones on a cap plan... legs ache after walking 20klms around Bunnings! Need the energy to carry all that wood!

Think that the coffee shops should have more interesting magazines.....& thought Big B would try for better customer relations...tried to get them to recognize a LadyWoodworker, think they have dumb arses on computers that send messages back without knowing what the term LADY Wooderworker means..........to them it should mean $$$ but couldn't get through to them, their loss...
So now don't go in dressed up, waiting for my chicken suit....wonder if that will work better....

Guess it depends on the staff & their attitude...we cant all get the best stores & the best help...BUT wish we could!

If thats all that I have to complain about then I really should hush up & be satified....
OK, I'll try, but not promising!

Hey that is a great idea - phoning from the BBQ seating .

I didn't even know my nearest Bunnies had a coffee shop and play area until a friend told me. Geez I didn't even discover the toilets until I went there with HWMNBO a couple of days after my due date to get handles for the laundry renovation that was only just finished...

Bunnies Fyshwick - we went there about 3pm on a Sunday and promised 3yo she could have a babycino but the coffee shop was SHUT - and the play area is at the other end of the store from the coffee shop ...

Hey Kekemo I know what you'll be doing during your 4w ban from the workshop - racking up massive posting numbers on here .

Steph

Trying to keep from going insane ....opened up the little shelf cupboard to dust the inside...& found my Christmas voucher to Bunnings...$100.....
So tomorrow I will just walk around slowly an hover.....yes right near the Festo...stuff....
think that I should not take my credit card with me....just in case.......

Think wood sends me wonkie....when it comes to rational thinking......
It was supposed to buy me a wheel barrow....but decided the old one will do.....til it falls apart....

URGENT URGENT
SOS
Need a farmer from the Mandurah....Pinjara area...to help me....any around IM me please....??????

Sanders more important...3 weeks still.....
You know I am actually going to go down & tidy up tomorrow....
ok I wont lift the heavy stuff just blower vac over that....
LOL...........catch you later..alias KEKEMO

LUCKY FIND HEY!

No lifting Kekemo - I'd leave the voucher at home too!!

I've got to go and get more sanding discs today - remind me again why I'm building my first piece of furniture out of blackbutt!?

Steph