Originally Posted by
Warren Mickley
A lot of workers today concentrate on having flawless execution while neglecting the weightier matters of style, charm, daintiness, gracefulness and the like. Their dovetails are tight, but their mouldings are bland. Their sanding is flawless, but their turnings are doughy. Their staining is uniform, but it obscures the liveliness of the wood. If a piece has no life to it, is that shoddy work?
I was looking at a moulding recently. It was made in 1752. There was tearout in two places in a 20 inch moulding. But the moulding had the kind of style and exuberance that is almost never seen today.