Bill Hewgley
As my sixth decade is rushing past, the memories of my early years and the extraordinary experiences that were thrust upon me are all starting to make sense out of my life’s path. We don’t know how or why we are being imprinted as little children with ideas, principles, likes, dislikes, fears, prejudices and our overall view of the world and humanity by our parents and the village in which we live. Sometimes, a good village can overcome the lack of guidance at home; sometimes the guidance at home can overcome the influences of a bad village. The guiding principle for those of you with a chance to influence a child is to instill the right messages and thought processes to help them become healthy, productive, thoughtful citizens who can appreciate their families, love each other and pass on good traits to our villages of the future.
Here is a key principle taught to me at five years of age, during the year I spent helping Dad in his furniture shop, because back then, kindergarten cost money to attend. Burned into my brain the first day was his credo “measure twice and cut once” – Bill (Estes) Hewgley, Sr., circa 1957. His other twin motto was about safety: “Your fingers only need to go in your nose or your ears…remember that and you may keep them on your hand”. Dad’s messages, lessons and parables always had several levels of meaning; some of them, it took years to be in the right situation to fully understand his truths. I tell stories loaded with metaphors, just like he did so long ago, with the hope that the hidden meanings will emerge for young people, at those times when they need it most in life.
Dad made the finest handcrafted, Early American reproduction furniture available in the South, perhaps in the U.S. A lot of his customers were from Lookout Mountain, Sewanee, Stevenson and Huntsville. His drop leaf tables, corner cupboards, sideboards, chairs, sugar chests, cobbler’s benches, cannonball beds and various other custom pieces are now heirlooms of the families who purchased them. Everything he made was from the finest local cherry, black walnut and maple wood, along with imported mahogany. These materials were always relatively scarce and his time was precious, so “measure twice and cut once” was a very important rule to him.
Dad stressed the value of buying the very best tools available, learning the craft fully, taking care of those tools religiously and never stop learning new skills to truly be a master craftsman at whatever you endeavor to do. Being mediocre at something was an abomination to him, unless you had reached the limits of your God given abilities. He then would be the most supportive, giving, loving person in the world to those who drew an unlucky hand in the DNA sweepstakes. He loved an underdog who tried his or her best most of all. When he taught school, he took an entire science class of 8th graders out onto the football field to tell them about the life they would face and how to make the best out of not going to college. He taught them how to read a ruler, learn personal hygiene, how to shake hands and look people in the eye, how to be on time, hardworking, dependable and honest. He taught them how to be master craftsmen of that which they were capable of doing in life. He told them to be proud of who and what they were and always remember that someday, the person with tools will make as much money as the person in the suit behind desk. He taught them the thought processes, skills and ideals to make it! His greatest joy late in life was when some of that class visited him to thank him for believing in them and giving them a foundation upon which to build a good life for their families. They would hold up check stubs from Combustion Engineering and other places where they had made a lot of money as a result of his lessons.
Everything in life fits under the “measure twice ad cut once” umbrella. How many times have you gotten in a hurry and made a stupid mental error as a result. It happens in the workshop, at the office, in romance, in sports and with your children. Take the time to consider a decision or action twice before pulling the trigger – it will cost you nothing, but might save you everything.
The final thought on this: “Don’t blame the tool for your mistakes”. The tool sits patiently waiting for a true craftsman to pick it up and create something of value. This applies to wood, metal, cloth, food, leather, computers or any intangible trade.
I played golf for several years with a guy before I realized he was not playing with a full set of golf clubs and balls.
It’s not the tool’s fault.
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Bill Hewgley is president, Metalworking Solutions, LLC, a company he founded after retiring as president of American Manufacturing Company. One of his chief priorities is to mentor this upcoming millennial generation, while honoring those who helped him find his own way in life, by passing it on.
You can contact Bill at mailto:Bill@metalworkingsolution.com and visit Metalworking Solutions at www.metalworkingsolution.com.