The company I work for recognizes employees for long service at five year intervals. Recently, they changed from having people choose from a pre-selected catalog to allowing award recipients to choose their award. I'm in for fifteen years, and for my service award was presented with this:
Plus a spare blade, just in case.
Now to plan a project where I can use it! Hmm...
You suck!
The very first REAL Neander woodworking tool I used in earnest, on a coffee table (to round the corners), was a spokeshave, 44 years ago.
Belonged to my FIL at the time, who gifted it to me about 3 or 4 years ago when he closed down his shop in England, at 90 years of age.
Great tool ...
I now have planes and other hand tools from both my grandfathers, and while I love my power tools both the labour itself and the satisfaction with the results moves me to use what they have left me.
One of my grandfathers was a very talented woodworker who was destroyed by his alcoholism. Many of his tools were sold so he could buy his drink and I am lucky to have what is left. He always asked me how many rabbits I'd trapped when we visited, and it was a joke between us that was much loved. He cut off most of the fingers of his left hand with his RAS one day when he was working in his shop drunk. He taught me a lot. I miss him.
My other grandfather was a carpenter. And farmer. At 80, he rebuilt the garage that burned due to an electrical fault basically by himself, using lumber he had in the barn, and the insurance money to buy what materials he hadn't hoarded over the years. He always promised that when I was old enough, he'd show me his rat hole sand pounder, so I could learn to pound sand into rat holes. I never saw that pounder. He never stopped working, so neither did he. He taught me a lot. I miss him.
And now, at 50, I can look back with 20/20 hindsight at these two men, and see their flaws and their strengths, and remember them when I pick up one the tools that they held in their hands and shaped wood with, and honour their memory and be proud to have known them.
We have pretty much the same background ... both my grandfathers were extremely self reliant and managed to raise families during the depression by dint of talent and hardwork, one a blacksmith, the other a carpenter/cabinet maker, plus one great grandfather.
Remember this about 6 years ago?:
Sorry, Dave ... didn't mean to hijack your thread.
I have great uncle who was a blacksmith... wrought iron work. One of my brothers is a blacksmith/farrier/stainless steel welder and high iron worker.
My short term memory isn't what it should be sometimes, but re-reading it, yes I do.
That's what threads is for, right?
Bastid.
;-)
Very nice and a very nice touch by your employer. Mine does the same thing yours used to do. The selection is quite limited. While it is never good to look a gift horse ... it still would be nice to get something that would be truly useful.
Nice tool, hope you enjoy it for many years and make nice stuff with it.
BTW, at 15 years my company sent my wife and me to Italy for two weeks. Next year will be twenty.
At 15 years, we got nothing.
At 20 years, my wife and I each got a piece of luggage (we both work for the same place).
At 25 years, I got a clock, she got a watch.
You done good.
Congratulations
Gifts from employers here in Australia attract a tax ,(Fringe Benefits Tax) , you have to pay the Govt the tax at 40% of the value of the gift. If you have a company car that you are allowed to use for personal use it attracts the same tax.
I'm the person with the most time, aside from the owners. At five years, you get dinner at a nice restaurant, ten years is a trip. The shipper went to spring training for the Red Sox, the maintenance supervisor went to Disney World/Orlando stuff, the production manager did not want a trip so he got a John Deere lawn tractor. Only two of us hit 15 years so far and the secretary took two weeks traveling in California.
In the past five years, only one person has left the company and that was because his wife wanted to move to Florida. No one has asked for a raise. Every employee gladly give an incredible amount of loyalty and will do anything asked at any time. We know our efforts are appreciated and rewarded with profit sharing and bonuses.
Tonight is our Christmas party and yes, another employee will get a trip.
Here in the USA the IRS considers personal use of a company vehicle as income and taxes it accordling.
Back in the mid 80's things were beginning to get out of hand when a company car had risen to about $10/week for tax purposes.
Lew
My partner at work retired last June with over 45 years of service. He was told to leave his company ID on his desk when he left for the final day. Although he did get to pick out a retirement gift from a catalog sent to him by the outfit handling retirements/anniversaries, not even his immediate boss said goodbye to him... not even a phone call.
Back in the early to mid 80's I was paying $150 per month in additional income taxes for the privlidge of driving a company vehicle.
I got one of these:
Sad, very sad. I worked for a big company back in the 60's, but small companies after that.
In the ethics thread, someone mentioned keeping business and personal lives apart. Maybe that works for some, but it is not the way I want to live. All of us know our co-workers, and the names of spouses and kids. The birthday card is a nice touch, the get together at the picnic and Christmas party, of course.
We have a common goal of making good product and keeping the customer happy. It is really that simple and we do it well. It did take a while to get the right people in the right places and we had our share of characters that came and went , but the 15 of us work very well together.
A few years back the two owners were in Europe and we had a flood with 18" of water in the plant. Rain started Saturday morning, flooded that night and was drained out the next day. Lots of damage and disruption, but we started the cleanup Sunday, motors had to be rebuilt and the like, but we were back in production on Thursday. The following Saturday, we were all taken to dinner (with spouses) as a thank you. In a big company, we'd probably wait two weeks just for the insurance adjuster to show up.
Work is not a chore for me, but a nice place to go to. I plan to retire at maybe 70 and work only a few days a week. One lady did retire and she now works only day a week at the age of 72. Another is 71 and is going to retire next May, but also want to work part time.
Needed a different bean counter, maybe somebody like J Carson's "Raoul of Bayonne"
Lew
Well I did get a new car every 6,000 miles and that also included all gasoline, services, insurance AND a private parking spot. ;~)
Pretty much standard except my turn around was 60,000 which was about
25,000 to much for the GM and/or FoMoCo crap were were furnished in those days.Forget Chrysler.
Lew
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