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Finally an Organization thinking of old men about time.

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Rob Keeble

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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
So i was delighted this am to see for once, not a this charity for that cause or another for this or that female group like m2 but this time some acknowledgement that us old geysers actually do exist and have a need for a place like a workshop to see out our days.

Note i am particularly sensitive to this issue given my past run in with the NNs that could not understand why we want a shed and a few tools to mess with. Actually these days i am more peeved at the authorities that stood by the idiots.

If you interested here is the article should be compulsory reading for town authorities.

Heres the article about whats going on in Scotland.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-39871206
 
I AGREE.

Right now I have my 71 year old retired friend coming to my house once a week, just to give him something to do. He also volunteers at Herrshoff Musuem building boats. He does not want to sit around doing nothing.

I also have a 76 year old friend that I am working with once a week to teach him CNC routing, Vectric programming and just woodworking on CNC in general.

I guess that is part of my calling. Never really thought about it much. Maybe we can all expand on that approach.

After I retire, (2Y4M) I can set up a weekly program to share my space with other retirees.
 
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Rob Keeble said:
... Note i am particularly sensitive to this issue given my past run in with the NNs that could not understand why we want a shed and a few tools to mess with. Actually these days i am more peeved at the authorities that stood by the idiots. ...
Click to expand...

Forgive my tendency to state the obvious at times, but one has the option to buy a house in a location that allows a shed (or more). HOAs exist for a reason: to protect a neighborhood from helter-skelter developments. If one wants the freedom to have a shop, one must deal with rules.

In my case, we lived in an HOA neighborhood in Florida when I got the real burn to do serious woodworking. As I expanded my array of tools, the only rule I had to comply with was we had to be able to park at least one car in our 2-car garage. Over a period of a few years, I had acquired enough tools to count as a fully equipped woodworking shop. All of it fit into half of our garage at the end of the day. Noise? I was consideration enough not to start running my planer at 6am on Sunday morning, so all was well.

When we decided to relocate to Thomasville, GA, we considered quite a few properties. My wife especially liked one house, but the neighborhood did not allow additional structures to be built on a property. So, a few more places along the way, we happened onto where we now live. I expanded an existing shop building and can add more, if I choose. We have to comply with county building rules, but if I'm doing the work myself (i.e., no contractor) I can pretty much do what I want.

Bottom line, we all have options.
 
I too considered WHERE we live. I never wanted any HOA rules. I'm just too independent for any of that, too cheap to pay for it too.

My take is a little different. I have a full blown fully equipped shop and live in an area where all the neighbors make a little noise from time to time. They are not all that close anyway.

No - my take is what can I do to help out a little. I know my friend enjoys it.

The senior center is .2 miles away - easy walk distance.

I can offer a weekly workshop to the seniors. I think it could be fun. Maybe I can give them something to do. Whatever they want. Gives them something, and expands my social envelope. Who know - it could turn into something.
 
Bill i don't think you know the details I am referring to in my dealing my ex Nns (north neighbours

I did not live in a Hoa. I did get an architect to draft plans and did have a contractor build my (workshop) shed.
I spent a small fortune on insulating it and soundproofing it and yes it was permitted and a permit taken and inspected to the mm .

But when u have a clash of culture and harassment which is a criminal offence in our neck of the woods I expect due process from civil servants and police not bowing to political correctness.

I agree with your point but not applicable to my case hence my peeved nature towards them.

But thats off the off topic point of this post.

To add to my original post and pick up on what Kerry commented I personally believe so much in our neck fo the woods is spent on facilities of all kinds yet nothing except a general gym and pool exists for retired men. Note i am not retired men. I know this is a gross generalization but its just how i personally feel that once we kind of reach the 55 yr old mark guys get kicked to the kerb and hung out to dry in society these days. So it was heartening and encouraging to see something like this "Shed" org being given light of day.

Not every man has the fortune or place where he can have a shed or afford one and the tools.

Good to see acknowledgement that men are human and have needs too.

We not all serial killers or pedophiles or some other negative connotation.

Heck the cub scout movement i was part of a few years back collapsed because of these implications.
Had to have three leaders just to have a meeting. One to watch the kids. Two to escort a kid to washroom if needed. One of the two Leaders had to stand outside washroom with the other leader watching him stand there while kid went and made pee in washroom.
Was a nuts arrangement. I get why it was setup this way but now there is no scout group. Parents in any case treated it more like a baby sitting service so what the heck.

Anyhow good to see mens sheds in news.

Good for you Leo. You probably give that guy reason to get out of bed in the morning.
 
It's a great idea, but wonder whether our litigious society would prohibit that kind of thing from happening here. Municipalities would require huge amounts of insurance to allow such activities and have lots of noise and traffic restrictions. The "shed" administrators would surely get sued by someone who gets hurt for any reason and that would be the end of the movement. Having said that I know there are cooperatives that allow craftsmen to use shared space and tools. I just don't know how they do it.
 
Rob Keeble said:
... Not every man has the fortune or place where he can have a shed or afford one and the tools. ...
Click to expand...

I certainly have no "fortune" of any kind. What my wife and I have is a realistic view of life: We earned what we have! Again, no "fortune" by any means, but we have a nice life because we don't put on a show for the rest of society.


Ted Calver said:
It's a great idea, but wonder whether our litigious society would prohibit that kind of thing from happening here. ...
Click to expand...

Another good point, Ted! I help my neighbors anytime I can, including what I might be able to do in my shop. Example: A couple years ago, one of my neighbors was ripping a 2x4 in his carport with his circular saw. I walked over to be sure of what I was seeing. Yep, that's what he was doing! He knows exactly what I have in my shop but didn't want to be a bother. I took his board and told him to bring the others over. I set up my table saw, fed his 2x4s through while he caught them. This man had helped me build my shop but didn't want to bother me with his little task. That's the way people are around here. Now, saying that, he's the only one I'd allow in my shop to do anything without me right there doing the work with them. That's the nature of our society now.
 
Bill Arnold said:
I certainly have no "fortune" of any kind. What my wife and I have is a realistic view of life: We earned what we have! Again, no "fortune" by any means, but we have a nice life because we don't put on a show for the rest of society.
Click to expand...

Sounds exactly like Mida and I. We're living a good, but not pretentious lifestyle.

Bill Arnold said:
Another good point, Ted! I help my neighbors anytime I can, including what I might be able to do in my shop...
Click to expand...

Again, like us. In the past month or so I've cut down bifold doors for one neighbor; cut and trimmed shoe molding and made flooring transition strips for another, and just yesterday, trimmed a countertop section for the guy across the street.


OTOH, last month, while I was visiting Allen, Tom, Larry, & Rennie in Shipshewana, a neighbor called to tell me a tree had fallen across my driveway. Four of my neighbors had it cut up and removed from the driveway within a couple hours, and I came home the next day to a clear driveway.


That's what GOOD NEIGHBO(U)RS do!
 
I met a bunch of old guys when I was going to physical therapy. I am almost 68 and I am the whippersnapper of the bunch. The rest of our quartet are 85, 86 and 91 We all go to the gym at 6 in the morning and work out for an hour. Like all guys we talked and soon we became friends. We started going to lunch on each other's birthday.

Then we decided to go to lunch once a month and formed an exclusive club, the ROMEOs, Really Old Men Eating Out. I am the designated driver and we find new or unusual restaurants all over eastern North Carolina and I drive us to lunch. We sometimes spend hours just driving through parts of the country down east and I get to hear the stories these men who all started out on farms can tell. These farm boys grew up to be a prominent lawyer, a bank president and the founder of a large restaurant chain. Me, I was a working stiff. When I am with them in the car I am reminded of the movie Driving Miss Daisy.

I think the four of us are all better off for our friendship. It has been very rewarding to swap stories with these guys and see the world from the perspective of men who fought in WWII and the Korean War. We sure have a good time and I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to share some time with these men. My father and grandfathers are all gone and I guess these men sort of take the place of and fill the hole for me left by those men.
 
Just turning the corner of youthful old. In California I learned all the odd woodworkers are frustrated IT guys. It's very satisfying knowing I didn't have to work for the man except for a 3 year period.
I'm grateful for why I'm blessed with and share where I can. A lot of times I don't care if it costs me a little money. Customers becoming friends hanging out. Getting a little shot time. I don't let them use tools that can put a burden on them. I or one of the guys will pre for them and then let'um do there thing.
A number of times some person who I can tell doesn't have much of a means to repair a piece and will do with taking anything specially if it's small repair and can be done on the set. These are often done for the elderly living on a very fixed income and still driving, which scares me, and out on s Saturday. It's all good.
 
I frequented an Australian woodworking forum while my son and his family were temporarily living there. The shed idea is very common there for a large variety of avocations. Common to most of the shed is a sitting area and a refrigerator filled with beer. I do like the idea as they can be a place for guys with common interests to gather. As for living in a HOA community, the idea is, to me, horrific. I want to do what I want when I want. Where i live we cannot see another house, the backyard is a virtual wildlife sanctuary. If I want to harvest some venison all I have to do is open the door and shoot. (that's not hunting and I haven't done it, but could) I fly a flag and will never get on TV for defending my right to do so. Could go on but will end rant.
 
That is great to see. Here in the U.S. we've got a large workforce coming up on retirement. Would be great to see not only a place for those folks to have someplace to mingle and enjoy, but also to share with the younger generation and get them interested in doing things that schools just don't teach anymore.
 
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