Shop Culture

To say that I have enjoyed making and repairing things since my earliest days would be a gross understatement. I live and breath this stuff. A day doesn’t pass that I don’t wake up thinking about workshop buildings, tools, and cars that I want to work on.

So imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon a book called Shop Class As Soulcraft.

The author, Matthew Crawford, is a University of Chicago trained philosopher, but don’t let that put you off. He is one of us. Before he got his PhD he worked in an independent Porsche repair shop in Oakland, California and made money on the side repairing vintage motorcycles.

Crawford makes the case that the work that talented craftsmen, mechanics and trades people do is not only indispensable to our economy it is also the source of a kind of practical intelligence that the world can’t do without, a kind of intelligence that keeps us anchored to reality.

Of course, we all knew that, and now science is in our corner. So working on stuff is not only good for you, it is good for the economy and good for the society. So exercise your maker brain. Get a good set of tools. Undertake some serious projects. Hang out with other folks who do the same. And read this book.

This is my roundabout way of saying welcome to my website, WrenchTech Garage. I am a residential construction pro, lifelong gearhead and sometimes woodworker who dabbles in welding, machining, composites, computer aided design and a lot more. I have two classic Toyota 4 x 4 trucks that I am restoring that are featured projects on this website. I am also working on articles and videos about many other constructive projects and tools with an emphasis on skill, determination and cunning as a substitute for money, because I’m all about getting the most bang for my limited dollars.