Thread: G'day from TJC

G'day all. Name's Tom... the wife calls me Thomas, but she can get away with that.

I've just picked up woodworking for the second time; I was mad about it as a kid, even found a uni course that let me major in woodwork. Problem was that it was an Art Teacher's degree, and not only did I turn out to be rubbish on my teaching rounds (mind you, I was only a few years older than the kids I was teaching!), but I was surrounded by artistic types who thought that how a coffee table looked, was more important than how strong or well put together it was.

See, I like making useful stuff. I like making it properly and, to be honest, I like it to look like what it's supposed to be. That didn't get me very far.

Needless to say, after a couple of years of watching my work getting ripped to shreds while the most ridiculous, flimsy pieces of shayte scored top marks, I dropped out, convinced I was useless.

When I look back now on what I was making then, I can honestly say that it was pretty good work for a young bloke. Sadly it's all gone now... the last thing to go was a box with hidden drawers I made in my first year. It was burnt by a crazy ex-girlfriend about 14 years ago... but that's a story for another day.

So fast forward 19 years, and I'm older and wiser and ready to have another crack. Only this time, the only critique I care about is my own. Oh, and the wife's, of course... mind you, she went out and spent a wad of cash on power tools for my birthday recently, so I don't think that'll be a problem.

What else? I'm in IT, like so many others around here... but if I could make a living breathing sawdust, I'd drop the desk job in a heartbeat. I've got three beautiful girls... thank gawd they look nothing like their old man. And after kicking around here for a few weeks, taking it all in and getting a feel for the place... I think this is one heck of a forum.

It's a pleasure to be here.