Chris Swarz surfaced at Highland Woodworking.

[Mark Rainey]

Edwin,

I like the emphasize the absurd with absurdity. And besides, to fan flames there must already be a fire!

The firestarter post #11 “haters love to hate”. An ad hominem attack.

[Pete Taran]

You mean like in post #2? I see now. Appreciate the insight.

[Mark Rainey]

You are welcome Pete. Post #2 shares a professional woodworkers frustration with working under time constraints, and envy of the “celebrity” woodworker. Maybe not nice, but honest. No hate. You are an expert in saws & I value all you bring to the forum. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[steven c newman]

Imagine the fun thread..IF Paul Sellers ever started doing "Demos" at.....Home Depot....

[Doug Hepler]

The Woodworking Forum

This forum’s a place you can go
To find woodworkers, all in the know,
Who can give you advice
How to make your work nice
And get all of your ducks in a row.

But you’ll have to maintain the right slant.
They mean well, but some people can’t
Just follow the threads
Without losing their heads,
And sometimes they’d rather just rant.

One discussion had lasted a while
In classic old internet style
The subject was glue
Opinions just flew
With many OT by a mile.

And then, of course, someone was curt
To another, whose feelings were hurt.
Then counter-attack!
Each had to strike back!
The thread soon descended to dirt.

And so, the point of this rhyme
Is to offer a strict paradigm
While a forum’s not college
It is about knowledge
These fights are a waste of my time.

If you feel in the mood for a spat
Try elsewhere -- we’ve no use for that
Too bad you were dissed
Don’t get your pants in a twist
[Don’t hijack the thread
Send a PM instead]
While we others continue our chat.

All best wishes for peace on earth to men of good will.

Doug

[Jim Koepke]

Very good Doug.

All best wishes for peace on earth to men of good will.

And to all a good night.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

First class Doug!


Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jessica de Boer]

I'm curious, Warren, Jessica, do you refer to yourselves as 'artisans' or is that Mark's word? Is it only the single income stream 'professional', or can people who also make fine furniture be considered 'artisan'? Are there any craftsmen that you respect even if they do not meet the requirement of subsisting solely on profit earned from their woodworking? Do all craftsmen require a formal training to be an 'artisan'? I would like more dialog from the professional crowd about what it means to be professional and why Chris Schwarz doesn't matter.

If I had to put a label on myself I'd say I'm a furniture maker and part time artisan. Like I said, exclusive custom furniture isn't something you can survive on, you have to be willing to take on other jobs as well. They may not be glamorous and sometimes downright boring but you do what you have to do to keep the lights on. That willingness is what separates the professional from the amateur in my opinion. I think a lot of people have this very romantic idea of what it's like to be a professional furniture maker. Like you're working in a candle light lit workshop deep in the woods while you're surrounded by cute woodland critters and fairies who serenade you.

And yes, there are several craftsmen who do other work as well to make ends meet who I highly respect.

Lastly, I never said Swarz doesn't matter. I just pointed out there are craftsmen and women all over the world who have never heard of him. I'm sure he contributed a lot to wood working in the US but that's not the case for other parts of the world. There really is no need to worship him.

[lowell holmes]

I'm sure he contributed a lot to wood working in the US but that's not the case for other parts of the world. There really is no need to worship him.
That statement is balderdash

[Bill Carey]

excellent Doug - Finally a post worth reading in this thread. And I bet Chris has gone thru several tubs of buttered popcorn already.

[Reinis Kanders]

One could argue that if one is going to take on a work that is not that much fun and does it to pay the bills, then it might more efficient to just go out and earn the money in engineering, doctoring, software, etc. Those professions pay enough to make it worthwhile to put up with some "drudgery" and do leave time for hobbies later.

If I had to put a label on myself I'd say I'm a furniture maker and part time artisan. Like I said, exclusive custom furniture isn't something you can survive on, you have to be willing to take on other jobs as well. They may not be glamorous and sometimes downright boring but you do what you have to do to keep the lights on. That willingness is what separates the professional from the amateur in my opinion. I think a lot of people have this very romantic idea of what it's like to be a professional furniture maker. Like you're working in a candle light lit workshop deep in the woods while you're surrounded by cute woodland critters and fairies who serenade you.

And yes, there are several craftsmen who do other work as well to make ends meet who I highly respect.

Lastly, I never said Swarz doesn't matter. I just pointed out there are craftsmen and women all over the world who have never heard of him. I'm sure he contributed a lot to wood working in the US but that's not the case for other parts of the world. There really is no need to worship him.

[Simon MacGowen]

There really is no need to worship him.

Social media have successfully turned many grown-ups (in all kinds of fields, not just woodworking) into reliving their teen years (or teen years they had missed)...in the form of idolization. It is brutal for me to see some of the comments and remarks that those adults (some, of course, are woodworkers) leave in various platforms about their emperors or empresses who have no clothes. To the point that they probably would have believed in any April Fools' joke their masters might come up with as truth. Just in case someone pointed out that the king or queen was naked, they would be immediately banished as trolls!

Simon

[steven c newman]

2 Questions for everyone....

One: How many would even go to a meet & Greet with The Schwarz.......

Two: What happens when we run out of popcorn, trying to even read this thread? Acting like it was Bob Villa doing that Highland Woodworking show......and telling you to do tenons first..

[Bruce Haugen]

excellent Doug - Finally a post worth reading in this thread. And I bet Chris has gone thru several tubs of buttered popcorn already.

Threads like this are why he quit reading woodworking forums years ago.

[Simon MacGowen]

Threads like this are why he quit reading woodworking forums years ago.

He, as well as some other vendors, did not stop reading forums; he has quit participating in forum discussions.

Simon