my father drilled out a large piece of truck axle, and made us a cannon that you could hear for miles when we set it off down on the Common...Oh to be a kid again

Oh, to be a kid with a father like that!
Mind you, we do have 5th November (Bonfire Night) round these parts, which involves a lot of similar family fun

Regarding chatter marks, I'm full of admiration for people with that sort of knowledge or vision - I mean, recognizing the type of tool used to produce a particular piece of wood (or whatever) is pretty impressive. In a way such people live in an enriched world, even if it is enriched only in a limited area.

The best of such specialists, of course, can communicate what they see - which brings us neatly back to the power of words.