My name is Greg Harper and I live in North Vancouver on the beautiful North Shore in British Columbia, Canada. I’m a full time Director of Engineering for a locally headquartered engineering firm, and I’m a part-time Jack-of-all-trades, with a special interest in woodworking.
My journey as a jack-of-all-trades started at a very young age watching my dad fix and build everything that needed fixing and build in and around our home. Everything from the car, to the washing machine, to the roof to the plumbing; it was unheard of in my house to pay for something to be fixed or to frivolously replace something that couldn’t be repaired or cobbled back into use. My dad worked as a sheet metal worker in aviation when he was younger so many repair involved sheet metal and rivets, but he was also experienced in construction and mechanics, and I soaked it all up like a sponge. I loved it.
My Beautiful Family and I visiting The “World’s Largest Burls”, right here in my province of British Columbia.
Once in high school I started on my own path, becoming the go to guy for all my friends fix-it/build-it needs, from car repairs to stereo installation to sub-woofer box building. I became interested in cars at that time and spent many hours reading about engine building, hot-rodding, stereo design, muscle cars, low-riders and the like. Unfortunately my hobbies often took precedence over my studies and I didn’t fair so well in my academic course. But I did excel in auto mechanics, top of my class. So that led me to BCIT, a local technical college, where I first studied Heavy duty mechanics, then after working for a year I went back and studied industrial maintenance mechanics. That ultimately led me to my current job, where I have been for 19 years! But in the background I always had a love for working with my hands, being creative, problem solving, learning new skills and of course buying new tools! I always looked for opportunities to do something new, often for friends or family, as a helping hand or by making a gift.
In recent years I’ve struggled to find a balance between work, family and my hobbies and interests; nothing unique in that, I’m sure. I’ve explored different aspects of running a side business doing kitchen remodels and small jobs, but its tough to make the time, especially when you have a family that needs your attention and a customer waiting!
One of the ways I’ve continued my hobby is by learning and sharing through Social media, including IG and Facebook. You can see many sample of my work there.
My personal woodworking pages:
The page affiliated with this Website:
So that is what brings me to this website and blog. It’s an opportunity to continue to do my hobbies, still do some side jobs where I can fit them in, and use my experience to provide some value to those of you out there looking to tackle some of those home handyman tasks you have been putting off. What I plan to offer are honest reviews and recommendations of tools, processes and techniques I have used in my own work.
Always happy to hear from readers so please reach out with questions, comments or feedback directly – toolsandtutorials@gmail.com
Thanks for reading,
Greg
