Speaking of Paul Sellers. He has a new series of videos where he builds a Nicholson workbench with very few hand tools and no workbench so to speak. Very inspirational.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiCn...yxjveO2Y90CvD9
Contributor
Speaking of Paul Sellers. He has a new series of videos where he builds a Nicholson workbench with very few hand tools and no workbench so to speak. Very inspirational.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiCn...yxjveO2Y90CvD9
Friend of the Creek
Originally Posted by Mike Cary
You lost my attention right here!
Jim
Last edited by Jim Becker; 03-03-2018 at 8:41 PM. Reason: fixed quote tagging
[OP]
Member
I really wasn’t trying to engage in a metaphysical debate. I was just trying to dial back any notion that I may have conveyed that a craftsman can’t use machinery. Obviously they can and do. And while I hope to get very good with hand tools someday, I will never become an expert because I refuse to grow a long gray ponytail.
Member
I find your post about your personal journey and path perfectly fine. If James Krenov and Tage Frid sat together and talked about woodworking, I don't think they would see eye to eye on everything. Throw in Sam Maloof (who by the way was the most approachable "celebrity" woodworker I've ever come across) and we might have a noisy party, who knows?
Some people would like to "bend" the wood to suit their skills or tastes while others themselves to the wood. I don't think either is an issue if the ultimate goal is to create something that the maker himself or herself is proud of. A perfect dovetail is a perfect dovetail whether you use a Leigh jig or a hand saw (western or Japanese)-- with or without any guide.
Simon
Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 03-03-2018 at 12:34 PM.
Member
That style of bench is not my cup of tea, but what I really liked about his approach was that he is not telling people to spend $2000 or more on a bench before you can do good work. I have seen many high-end pieces done by people whose benches are pretty primitive in comparison to those "advertised" or shared on social media with all the latest bells and whistles.
Simon
Contributor
Mike, that's pretty much a deal breaker, the pony is part of the uniform.
Contributor
Pony tails??
Around here that is "just so yesterday". "Man Buns" are the in thing now....
Last edited by Ray Newman; 03-03-2018 at 7:15 PM. Reason: garmmar
Member
Agreed, but not just ANY man buns. It has got to be stylish and craftsman-like, something like this: https://i0.wp.com/therighthairstyles...pg?w=500&ssl=1
Preferably, handcut, precision knots (joinery) and shellac finish.
Simon
[OP]
Member
Yeah, going to be a hard pass on those too. I’m too busy sitting in Starbucks and working on my screenplay to spend that much time on my hair.
Moderator
I sure miss mine some days. (really... )
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
Well, maybe not. Here's my question for you Mike. Why did you start working with wood? Was it because one day you said to yourself "hey, I want to make something, ANYTHING, out of wood", or was it because you said to yourself "we need a bookcase, I'll build it, should be interesting." If it was the latter (or similar), then no, you probably didn't do it backwards. The need was for a bookcase, and given your skills and knowledge at the time, you satisfied the need as best you could. Sure, Paul Sellers could probably build two of those bookcases in a quarter of the time using a trained, but angry, beaver. Sellers also has a few years of experience to draw on.... In truth, the only thing that you don't "learn" nearly as much with powertools as you do with handtools is grain. Everything else is still relevant, and one can still learn it.
Had you gone the handtool route for that first project, or first few, the project complexity/effort vs skill gap may very well have been enough to put you off woodworking entirely. May. I don't know you, and who you are today is a different person than you were back when you first started butchering wood. But without the early successes, likely less impressive in hindsight than they may have seemed at the time, to encourage continuing, would you have done so? And would you have had the support to continue?
I don't know that there is a "right way" to get started. There are ways of learning that work better for most people, but certainly not for all, and that doesn't even begin to address the wildly differing resources and needs each potential woodworker brings. The most important thing, at least from the perspective of those who want to see the community of woodworkers grow, is that you DID get started, and continued. That you're having more fun with it now is great.
It came to pass...
"Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
The road IS the destination.
Member
Well said.
Simon
Contributor
I think the end product is all that matters. The vision and not the techniques or tools used define a craftsman. CNC machines, tool paths, laser cutters all are just additional arrows in the craftsman's quiver. Keep your hand tools and spend a year meeting a chair, I'll make a set of ten at a price that allows me to share them with the world.
Contributor
I think the cool thing about woodworking is that you never stop learning. The more tools and machines you can use properly the better you can solve problems that arise. Learning to properly tune a block plane and sharpen a chisel made me a way better woodworker. I think the passion for learning and improving skills makes a person a woodworker.
Member
I notice as I’ve grown older that I value the enjoyment of working with wood more important than building something. I used to feel bad if I wasn’t creating something and most of the time the end result showed my impatience. Now I just enjoy the relationship between the tool, wood and me. I like the smell and the touch of freshly milled lumber and it is very relaxing to me.
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