SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Lindy Carpenter is one of Yellowknife's most resourceful salvagers and imaginative craftsmen and now he has the hardware to prove it.
Lindy Carpenter stands beside his award-winning bandsaw, made entirely out of material he recycled from the city dump. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo
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He was recently given a recycling award by the City of Yellowknife's Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee for his innovative approach to recycling.
Carpenter won the award for building a bandsaw out of materials he found in the dump. The only metal parts on his wooden creations are the motors, the bolts and the pieces used for cutting, such as drill bits and saw blades. He even uses a small magnet to collect bolts from out of piles of scrap metal.
Making a buzz saw out of wood, using only recycled material found in the dump would be an impressive feat for most people. However, Carpenter's achievement is all the more impressive because he has done it with the use of just one arm.
"I was talking to somebody about it, and I said 'I could build that with one hand tied behind my back – so to speak,'" he said with a chuckle.
Indeed, the aptly named Carpenter has been working with one arm ever since a train accident at the age of five left him with a small stump where his left arm used to be. Carpenter said because he lost his arm at such a young age, working with one hand comes naturally to him.
"It was almost like I was born with it," he said.
Although building elegantly-crafted tools out of wood is now second nature to him, when he took the hobby up after retiring 15 years ago, he had to start from scratch.
"When I started I couldn't do anything," he admitted.
Over time he honed his trade and educated himself.
"You keep picking up tips from guys, and I do a lot of reading," he said.
Carpenter, who has lived in Yellowknife for more than 20 years, was first inspired to make his own bandsaw after seeing a video on YouTube.
"I wouldn't say it was my idea," he said
However there is no denying the impressive craftsmanship that went into making and assembling its wooden parts.
"It does everything that a normal bandsaw will do," he said, as he brushed the sawdust off the freshly shaped piece of wood.
Although he earned the award for for his bandsaw, Carpenter has been using recycled wood from the dump for nearly 15 years, and his shop out by Kam Lake is full of immaculately-designed power tools, including a pantorouter, a spiral cutter, and a skill saw, among others.
When asked how he works with one arm, he said he has had to learn to use his imagination and adapt along the way.
"I do use the stump sometimes," he said. "There's not a part on my body that I haven't used for another hand."
Carpenter has been handy all his life. Before he retired, he spent 40 years working as welder.
Carpenter said he was honoured to be recognized for his achievements by the city and described the award ceremony as "pretty unique."
Apart from a few volunteer projects, Carpenter continues to work with salvaged wood because it's what he loves to do. "I got to keep myself busy," he said with a smile.
For someone who considers himself retired, Carpenter keeps a pretty busy schedule. He usually spends seven days a week at the shop, working from 5 am until 7 pm. He doesn't have time for things such as TV and he said he is lucky that his wife, who still works, doesn't mind him spending long hours at the shop.
Working at that pace, it only took him six weeks to build the saw, but he said he "probably could have done it in two," if he didn't have to continually return to the dump for parts.
Although it may slow down the completion of his projects, Carpenter said he feels the dump and the culture of recycling is what makes Yellowknife such a great place to live.
"That's the reason I like Yellowknife," he said. "To me, if they took the dump from here I probably won't enjoy this place, and I probably won't stay."
