"D-unit" cof42_AT_embarqmail.com wrote in message
...

"Delburt D" wrote in message
news:mEU7j.8048$581.4742@trnddc04...

"D-unit" cof42_AT_embarqmail.com wrote in message
...

"Delburt D" wrote in message



I have built huge curved free standing stair cases and many large and
complex feature details in many high end homes in our area,


I would be MOST interested to see some photos of your staircases!!!!

The boat is amazing.


cof42- AT - embarqmail.com


Don

When I built the big curved staircase years ago all that was available
were
the old film cameras. I shot about twenty pictures of the project when
completed and left the job site. It took a week to get film processed
way
back then. When I got my film back there were no pictures at all. My
own
camera was being repaired and the loaner pentax they gave me had an issue
with the film advance so I had no pictures at all. About four weeks
later I
got my Yashica 35 mm back tested it on some mundane subjects and
satisfied
that it was working well contacted the builder to see if I could make
arrangements to take more pictures. I was floored when I was told they
had
a huge fire and the home was totally gutted. It seems the home owner was
a
bit of a hobby mechanic and he was working in one of his jalopy's when a
parts run became necessary. He had not noticed that the electric fuel
pump
just installed was dripping gasoline from the tank side fitting. The
house
was up in the rural hills west of Portland and his favorite parts store
about 45 min away. Well as most of us do he started to shoot the breeze
with some of his cohorts. All the while gas was dripping and building up
vapor in the garage. Unfortunately the house was heated by an oil furnace
located, you guessed it in the garage right next to the vehicle he had
been
working on. I think the rest of the story is self explanatory. Several
hours later he arrived home to find several fire trucks and a structure
engulfed in flames.

Bummer Huh? He could have at least waited to burn it down until after I
had
taken some pictures.


Of all the nerve...

Im sure it broke your heart (in a way) when you first learned about it.

I hate to sell houses I've worked on for 4-6 months. When I meet
prospective
buyers, Im in effect interviewing them and deciding whether I want them
to have the house or not.

My Dad is a great cabinet builder and carpenter. He once said he
would jump at the chance to be Norm's helper. Im no where near as
skilled as he but I'd love to start a project like that sometime. I wish I
had
the time/skill/patience for it.



db



Well I only had about five months in that house. I really felt sorry for
the homeowner. He built the place on a shoestring and ended up going
bankrupt. He had insured it only for the loan amount and he had performed a
lot of sweat equity. He barely ended up breaking even in the long run.

I have been working with wood since 1976. I started out selling industrial
electronics. I was involved when the Intel 4004 was considered Hot.

I got an opportunity to work with a friend working on a stereo speaker
project as a technician and ended up making some test boxes for our initial
production run. I got bit by the sawdust bug and have been seriously
infected ever since. The bigger the challenge the better I like it.

My first experiance with boats was with a local yacht builder. I ended up
doing all the pilot houses with some real trick details.

As for Mr. Abrams, I could show him a thing or three. He can be my
assistantG

Tom