This is a bit of a philosophical musing that I wanted to throw out there and get some input on.
I have a ton of hobbies and passions, and I like to compare different approaches.
In fact, I'd say I'm not really a "woodworker" per say, rather, I just like making things out of wood, and learning the traditional skills that go with the craft. But, I couldn't just be a woodworker. Periodically, I also need to find time for pursuing all manner of other interests such as Martial Arts, Computer Programming / Electronics, Metal Working, Leather Craft, Bushcraft and Primitive Skills, and various aspects of Military History and Living History, as well as more academic interests.
As such, I'm really good now at being an amateur, and have a sort of methodology or approach that I tend to take towards any skill. And I see other amateurs and professionals alike, with similar, or very different approaches.
It seems there are four basic ways to achieve any goal, and the prominence of these vary somewhat depending on the nature of the beast in question. But basically, something like this:
1. Knowledge
Knowledge is about "what you know in your head." Knowledge of this sort can be thought of as "book learning" and may be replaced by good instruction, but it's essentially not being ignorant of how to do X and the facets surrounding it. It does not require experience, but some knowledge does come only from experience. Knowledge is knowing what to do, but does not necessarily mean you can do it.
2. Skill
Skill is distinct from knowledge in that you don't merely know something, but you have the ability to perform it. In fact, you may not know what you are doing, or how you are doing it, but you can do it. It is something ingrained and automatic, whether that be muscle memory, intuition, or similar. It's often easy to "know" something, but far more difficult to apply it. It can be thought of as "habit." This sort of thing is extremely important in physical arts and the mechanics thereof. Examples would be, for instance, free-hand sharpening. In arts where one doesn't really have time to think and is under pressure, such as in Martial Arts, this is the single most important factor for success: you must program your body and mind to perceive, and respond intuitively and automatically and with good form, positioning, and body mechanics.
3. Effort
Plain and simple, effort is putting in the time and work to do something. One of the great things I've realized with woodworking is that, perhaps more than many other crafts, patience and effort go a really long way. Lately, I've been taking on somewhat more ambitious projects, and also watching very skilled craftsmen making very intricate furniture far outside of what I would have considered to be my "ability." But in watching them, I realized that it is more a matter of simply putting in the work: that I have all of the basic skills, and that I could in fact do work of the same caliber if I just put in the time. It would take me much, much longer as I lack some knowledge and equipment, but I can make up for that with effort, skill, and research (including asking a bunch of questions to super helpful communities like this one!).
4. Equipment / Tooling
Equipment can reduce either the skill or time and effort required for a task, and occasionally can even reduce the knowledge required to perform a task by abstracting it completely. Equipment is surprisingly unnecessary, and necessary all at the same time. Our stone-age ancestors, through knowledge, skill, and an enormous amount of effort alone, produced truly amazing stone work across the globe, from early American civilizations, to the Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and many other cultures -- often utilizing absolutely huge stones that would be difficult to move even with today's technology and equipment, and cut and fit with surprising precision. Native peoples were able to travel and survive in the wilderness with next to no equipment, enjoying quite casually what would be a life or death situation for a modern outdoor enthusiast.
However, needless to say, in the modern day, because of a variety of constraints (environmental, social, or time wise), many completely primitive methods are not only inefficient, but nearly impossible and impractical due to a lack of space, freedom, or social acceptance and modern standards; others are doable, but require a level of time and devotion that the modern hobbiest cannot often dedicate. And some things are obviously not doable to modern standards without more modern and refined tooling: I can make an incredible bow and arrow with just stone tools, but perhaps not a cabinet that would be allowed to adorn the kitchen or living room
Different arts, and different people within the same art or craft, place a different emphasis on each of these four aspects.
For instance, I quite enjoy bushcraft and outdoorsy pursuits for the skill and knowledge I gain. But some people prefer to abstract all knowledge and skill out of the process, and just rely completely on modern equipment, often not even touching much of anything which is not some synthetic plastic material on their hurried march through the woods. I much prefer to improvise a hammock, start a fire with primitive methods, and enjoy carving and crafting around camp, or foraging and identifying plants and animals on the trail -- a slower, less goal oriented approach, but one in which the journey is more important than the destination.
In Martial Arts, I'm also less concerned with the goal than the process. Some people narrowly limit their practice to the very narrow confines of what works in a competitive, sportive context. I prefer to take a much wider approach, and while I appreciate what one can learn from sports, I recognize that there's much more to it than that, and that a sports based approach is not the right answer for everything. Therefore, I intentionally unspecialize, and practice some things in such a way that is not the most optimal for the ring, but may be of vital importance in other contexts. This sort of point, when it comes to skills and habit, is very often missed in the modern world.
I tend to prefer to rely on acquiring skills and knowledge over equipment, and make up for my lack of experience with lots of effort and time. I'm always doing things "the hard way." In some cases, that way is actually quicker and easier than the generally accepted wisdom; other times, it's harder only until you gain proficient skill. And in some cases, it is, indeed, difficult and time consuming no matter how good you are, though this is not the case nearly as often as people generally think.
Lately, though, as I have far less free time than I did in the past, I've had to confront one truth about all of my work: I am really, really, really slow at any and everything I do. I met a traditional Japanese joiner (sashimono) who impressed upon me the importance of working both to a high standard, and in a timely and efficient manner -- the latter being very important for a professional. People who can work in this way, producing incredible work with only hand tools and traditional methods, but do so in a timely and efficient manner, really, really impress me. I may be able to do the same work, but it would take me a year to do what he could likely do in just a month or even less.
Lately in building my workbench, which I estimated I could do within 3-4 weeks, I have again come to appreciate just how incredibly slow I am. It's taking more like 3-4 months. Even most of you here could have, I'm sure, done the work to both a higher standard, and in far less time!
But, this thread isn't about me lamenting my "slowness" at everything I do. That's just an example, and something I was wondering about (am I too unspecialized? Do I lack the skill required and organization required to be quicker, or the equipment, or perhaps both, and how much can one make up for the other? etc.) What I really mean to talk about is just the different aspects that go into learning and practicing a craft, and the different approaches that people take.
Did I miss anything besides these four points? And what do you emphasize the most? How do you work with your own limitations (be they time, skill, or space/money/equipment)?
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Originally Posted by Luke Dupont
