Take your tools and build

Woodworking, mechanics, and all those other tinkering past-times are often learned best at the feet (or hands) of someone who knows more than you. If you have ever picked up a saw, a torch or a socket wrench, you probably watched somebody else do it first and learned from them.

Most men learned auto-mechanics and woodworking from a father, an uncle, a grandfather or the shop teacher. I learned my mechanics skills from my older brother, Sabino. We worked on his blue on white 1955 Chevy when I was still in junior high. I read the repair manuals, read about the overhaul procedures, went over the timing specs, and tried to decipher the wiring diagram.

He is still passionate about cars. He still tinkers with them, adjusting this or that. I can’t say that I have the same passion, but at least I can make some of my own repairs. A true care lover, though, goes beyond just repairing things. They make them better. Of course, it used to be easier before computers and the emissions systems clogged up the motor.

My brother —- though he probably wasn’t trying to -— taught me about making things better. He could have stayed with the standard equipment the car had, but he wanted something better, something that would make the car go faster, something that would work better. He would adjust the timing, the spark gap, the gas mixture, adjust and adjust and adjust again. It could always be better, he thought.

For me, it was Mr. Soriente, my junior high shop teacher, who got me started on woodworking. For two years, I worked on simple projects. The culmination was a small cabinet that I still have, some 35 years later. I learned about dado joints, butt joints, and rabbit joints.

From Mr. Soriente, I learned the value of using the best wood you can afford, of building something without nails or screws, and of helping someone else build their project.

I can build shelves, tables, cabinets, cases and a host of things. Granted, they generally aren’t square or plum or level. The doors don’t close correctly. The cuts are crooked. The finish is not quite right. The drawers stick, and it takes me forever to finish a project.

I don’t care that I am a bad woodworker. I enjoy it. I like the smell of cut wood. I like the feel of smooth wood. I linger over the tools in catalogs and online. I look at furniture and wonder how it was made. I work at being a better woodworker. I look at the work others do and see what I can learn from them.

Every one has their passion. Each passion generally requires some essential tools. And each passion has its own lessons. It’s the good leader who can take those lessons and apply them elsewhere in their, their family’s, their profession’s, and their community’s life.

What is your passion? What tools and skills does that require? What lessons have your learned? How can you apply all of them to other parts of your life? How can you use that be a better leader?