A TREASURE TROVE OF HISTORY
Radical work space takes care of bicycles, vintage rides and Stampede’s Show Band
Mike Siewert is a handy man around cars, bicycles and the Calgary Stampede Show Band.
With three Model As, cars are a hobby that would have been hard for him to ignore. His dad, Don, was building hot rods as early as 1954. Don’s work was recognized in 2009 when he was inducted into the Canadian Street Rodding Hall of Fame.
Bicycles, from vintage rides to modern machines, have long been of interest to Siewert. And the Show Band? That happened when his son Robert took up an instrument, joined the band and Mike started volunteering. Now, in his oversized garage in Calgary, Siewert repairs or builds whatever the band needs to keep its show on the road.
“There was always a big garage in the backyard,” Siewert fondly recalls of his childhood. “My mom worked a night shift, and my dad worked days — so he’d call a babysitter to look after us while he was in the garage. When we got older we’d go out there with him and I remember Kub Kars, go karts, and sitting in his 1928 Ford Phaeton project that he bought in 1962.”
Don — who was a mechanic by trade first, and then an autobody man — kept Mike and his brother Rob entertained by paying them to do minor prep work.
“He gave us the whole attitude that you can build it or fix it yourself; you don’t have to find someone to do it for you,” Siewert says.
Siewert and his family have been in their house for 30 years, but his own 24-foot by 30-foot garage has only been up for 18 years.
“The delay just made it better,” Siewert says of getting his own workspace.
Prior to the garage, he had a tent on the driveway tucked up beside the house. Under the tent, he parked the 1928 Model A that he built with his dad. In 1991, Siewert and his wife Susan and their two young children drove that Model A across Canada to Prince Edward Island.
At that time, Siewert mostly had hand tools around, but he could access bigger tools at his dad’s place. When Don died six years ago, many of his tools went to Mike.
What follows is what we learned about Siewert and the tools he uses on the projects in his garage.
Q What tools are in your collection and where did they come from?
A They’re mostly family tools. Of course, I’ve still got tools like my first socket set, etc., but I’ve also got a tool box my dad had that belonged to my great grandfather. A bunch of the larger tools, such as the compressor, welder, band saw for cutting steel — those were all my dad’s. A lot of hand tools were his, and he always put a mark on the tool, sometimes initials or a phone number. When he was really having fun, he’d write ‘Stolen from Don Siewert’ or ‘@&#$ off ! This is Don Siewert’s’. Now it’s cool to pick up one of those and see that on there and feel connected to him.
Q Which tool or tools do you use most often?
A The thing I use most often as a tool is a bench. It’s got a 20-inch by 30-inch cast-iron top, it weighs a lot and if you’re mocking something up you can clamp stuff down to it. It’s great for working on welding projects. The top is a piece my brother Rob had, and I built the stand. It’s on bottle jacks and castors so it’s easy to move around, and I’ve got a receiver set up to attach a vise or a ring roller. I used to attach an anvil, but now I have a big mobile anvil that was dad’s.
Q How did you learn to use the tools? Did you go to school, did someone teach you, or do you watch YouTube videos?
A Mostly it was coaching from Dad and then trial and error. Dad was a really good teacher. I went into electronics and now am an IT guy, so the tools in the garage are a world apart from my day job. I think it makes working in the garage even more enjoyable.
Q What’s the most important project in the garage right now?
A Right now, with Stampede on, my main thing this week is keeping it empty because when the Show Band breaks something I have to fix it. I’m ‘on call’ for repairs. Just before Stampede I built the colour guard ‘chuck’ and it’s used to haul around all the flags and props. I’ve got Dad’s 1928 Phaeton, and while it’s an important project it’s also a bit of an irritant. I’m wobbling on a precipice: Do I really need three Model As? I have a hard time driving the two that are there (the ’28 I built with Dad, and his ’30 Highboy Roadster hot rod). If I dive into the Phaeton, I’ll have parts everywhere. I inventoried and photographed every piece I’ve got, and for now I’m letting it stew. I might abandon the path Dad was on (to restore it and make it factory correct) and turn it into a hot rod.
Q Is there anyone else in the house or in your life interested in working in the garage?
A My son Robert is starting to mess around with tools, but he’s more a social work kind of guy. He was recently over here working to build some yard games for the kids at Hull Services. His patience and ability to stay calm is just astounding. When he was younger, he’d come out if we were working on a project or work on his own bicycle, but he was more into social sciences and music — I sometimes thought there’d be a jazz band out in the shop instead of cars and tools. He’s definitely picked up some talents, and he told me he could have bought the toys for the kids but that would have been harder on the budget and there’s a respect that comes from the kids because he built them.
If you have a workspace filled with tools, projects or memories and are willing to share, let me know; I’d be pleased to write it up. Email me at gregwilliams@shaw.ca. Driving.ca