joey

I come from a family of artist and craftsman. I started on my my path some 30 years ago (wow) as a carpenters helper. Worked as a carpenter on and off between a stint in the Army, 3 years with the Forest Service. Then I Got Married and took up the hammer full time. Got a job working for the University of Cincinnati as a carpenter (no small feat) with over 500 applicants and a rough testing process and only three postings. One of the benefits to the job was free classes and everyone kept telling me I was smart and needed to become and Engineer so I sign up for classes and start on my path to a college diploma. right from the beginning things went bad cause one of classes was right next to the cabinetmaking shop, now I didn't know they had a shop not alone offered cabinetmaking as a degree well, I went right down to the registers office and switched. Since then I then I have done commercial trim and cabinets for places like Macy's, Tennessee Aquarium, Saks Fifth Ave, And many more. I have worked in multi million dollar homes.I took four years off from all of that and taught woodworking at a summer camp in CT where I was the care taker in the winter an experience I treasure. Then I returned to Ohio and I started My own shop and trim business and all was going really well til I injured my back, I spent six moths not being able to walk and the doctors all agreed I could never work as a carpenter or cabinetmaker again. So I went to school for computers did real well, finished top of my class,
just in time for there to no jobs in the computer field. well now here I am, I have had a few surgeries on my back I am doing things the doctor told I would never do and all my tool are out of storage. my shop is coming together I am back enrolled in school this time in the fine arts program and minor in education figure maybe I can teach if nothing else. and I am going to start looking at my work as art in instead of dollars to me made, and as my wife has pointed out to me that after 25 year of marriage and her watching me build stuff for others all she has is a small end table that I build the first quarter of cabinetmaking class all them years ago and I have some making up to do...I suspect it will be a labor of love!....so this is my story.....Joey

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/