Mum's & memories

[Glynne]

Having suffered 3 floods and a bout of dry rot (the house - not my Mum), my sister, wife and I have had to throw out innumerable items that Mum wanted to keep. One of these was a clothes horse (or maiden as we called it) that my Dad had made when I was a kid (I'm now 60). Despite convincing her at the time that it was falling apart, mouldy & rotten, she now doesn't remember this and blames me for throwing out a family heirloom! My wife and sister also seem to be forgetting that they agreed at the time........
Despite offers of buying a new one, I am reminded on every visit and phone call of the heinous crime I have committed and so in an effort to redress the situation, I decided to make a replacement one.

In making this, it brought back some amazing memories of my Dad (who inspired me to get into woodworking) who made the original in a tiny 7' x 5' shed on a bench made out of 2 old railway sleepers. As well as being his workshop, it also had to store the lawnmower and garden tools so room was at a premium. He had very limited tools and so all the mortices were cut out by hand (thanks to Dodge for talking me into buying a morticer). He went on to making several small cabinets and furniture and I still have his original tool cupboard in use in my workshop today.
It also reminded me of playing tents as a kid and either getting a clout for dumping the clothes that were drying or getting my fingers caught when it folded down unexpectedly - probably 50 years ago now.
Any way, I'll give it to my Mum next week.

Will she be pleased - absolutely delighted to have me replicate something her husband did all those years ago (my Dad died 32 years ago).
Will she say so - not a chance!!
It will be the wrong size (it's the same as the original), it will be too heavy or too light, it will be the wrong colour and it won't be as good as my Dad's - even with all the fancy tools I'm meant to have!!

But making this has brought back some really great memories and I hope some of your projects do the same.

Glynne

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Excellent Glynne...have your Mum and mine met

My Dad made what functioned as our kitchen table for some 30 years. It was an old beech sciende bench he nicked from a school (he was a teacher) in the 50's. He promptly covered it in the terriblt fashionable yellow formica (in the 70's) and many a family meal was enjoyed there.

Recently, clearing out Mum's house, I rescued that table, stripped the formica and converted it into a massive bespoke chopping board that fits my kitchen island perfectly.

Im sure Dad's looking down puffing on his pipe somewhere approving of its latest incarnation

 

[Glynne]

If your Mum can start a fight in a phone box all by herself - then I'm sure they are from the same mold!
She would give away her last penny to someone who needed it - but woe betide anyone who tried to short change her.

Coincidentally Dad made our kitchen table, again with horrible formica - although fortunately not yellow.
He was also a great pipe smoker (Gallagher's Honeydew) which must have been the thing to do in the 50s.

 

[MARK.B.]

Your mum will love it,she might not say so but just look into her eyes and i will bet they are smiling.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

hehe...my family are from Rotherham....so I reckon she could destroy a phone box with one hand

 

[custard]

Great story!

 

[david123]

I love it Glenne, great job.
I love having jolts in the memory department. Every time I smell apple wood burning I remember my Dad and I sitting in our old orchard burning an old apple tree and sitting by watching it until dusk. One whiff and I back as a boy of 12 years old.

 

[John Brown]

I remember the (home made)clothes horse being set up in front tof the fireplace. If I remember correctly, the "hinges" were actually webbing attached with carpet tacks - they were sort of "double jointed", if you know what I mean.

My father made everything himself, mind you, he grew up in a time when you could make pretty much anything yourself. He even built a setup for making point contact transistors out of diodes, but never got around to testing any, as the govt. surplus "red spot" and "white spot" came on the market.
The one and only time I heard him use the f word was when he accidentally stepped backwards and broke the corner off a large sheet of Formica that was destined to be a kitchen worktop.

 

[Glynne]

John
In turn you've just reminded me that we also had one with webbing hinges.
We had a friend (read lunatic character) who had a stall at Birkenhead Market who supplied us with all sorts of carpets, underlay and generally "hookey" stuff.
It often takes memories to re-kindle memories.

G.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I recall those hinges too. The rungs of the clothes horse had blue plastic ribbing on in an attempt to prevent slip off

 

[Togalosh]

Great story all round.

That generation were very sparing with their praises. They won't say it outright but hopefully through some sort of gesture or an ask for a favour to make something (because they know you will do it & do it well) you will know you're appreciated. I saw something..or did I read it??..anyway it was a Japanese blacksmith making exquisite blades & once one was finished, after days/weeks of very hard work he presented it to his father for his approval with a bow ..the father took a glimpse at it & with a poker faced grunt passed it.

They must be uncomfortable with all of todays hugging, tears & gushing.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

you wanna try living in California if you think we over praise here now

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Excellent Glynne...have your Mum and mine met

My Dad made what functioned as our kitchen table for some 30 years. It was an old beech sciende bench he nicked from a school (he was a teacher) in the 50's. He promptly covered it in the terriblt fashionable yellow formica (in the 70's) and many a family meal was enjoyed there.

Recently, clearing out Mum's house, I rescued that table, stripped the formica and converted it into a massive bespoke chopping board that fits my kitchen island perfectly.

Im sure Dad's looking down puffing on his pipe somewhere approving of its latest incarnation

in fact Ive just found a piccy of that yellow formica table....here is one of the leaves about to be ceremoniously "de-formica'd"

 

[Melinda_dd]

My dad made a chopping board with chamfered edges and these yellow plastic circles inset into it...

My mum used it right up till couple of years ago...... never looked after it, put it in the dishwasher .....the lot
It's now split at the ends in several places and is barely holding in 1bit
I was presented it when I started showing an interest in woodwork and asked to do something with it.
I was thinking snap it at the cracks square up and re glue, re inset the circles

My dad died when I was 2 , 32years ago So I never knew him. He wanted to do woodwork and started an evening course but unfortunately was killed at work before he finished the course. ........ I completed my carpentry course last september and cried when i got my certificate.
There's very little that my dad made still about so I'm determined to fix it..... then keep it!!!

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Thats sad and also rather uplifting at the same time Melinda. Its also how I felt about rescuing that piece. If I'd failed to treat it with respect it would have somehow been tantamount to disrespecting what Dad stood for. So despite the formica being somewhat stubborn, I persisted. Now its a beautiful chopping board that will see my family through til they leave home.

My kids never met Dad but there's a continuity that that piece of beech seems to convey that has a lot of meaning to me. Its kind of silly really...overly sentimental perhaps...but there it is. Wood, much like people...it has personality

 

[Togalosh]

Heirlooms are precious no matter how invaluable or ugly they may be or what they are made of.. it is sentimental but not overly so. Their smell alone can transport you back decades to a sweeter time (?) & are a solid, tactile connection to a loved one & that is a very strong emotion. If that loved one made it then it's even more strongly felt.