"I learned ergonomics from my Dad and Granddad," he says. "They
had never heard of the word, but they were skilled in finding easy and
efficient ways of doing things. They were jacks-of-all-trades in the
woods. They were self-employed, so had great incentive to get work
done quickly, but they didn't have much in the way of health insurance, so
couldn't afford to get hurt in the process.
"I learned that before you do anything, you think about it. You
tug your ear, rub the back of your neck, then take three steps back and
figure out a friendly way of getting the work done. They invented
all kinds of tools and contraptions to make their work better.
"The best story about backwoods ergonomics is when my Granddad had to
put some piling in a creek bed to support a small bridge. He didn't
have a pile driver, so he cut screw threads into the logs, and just
screwed them into the ground with a lumberjack pick. Now that's
creative.
"My Grandmother had a similar mentality. She used to always say,
'Use your head, not your heels.'"
