Craft Traditions - Wood

[Travis]

Steve Good shared this on his blog, but it was so wonderful, I had to share it here too. This is a documentary made by BBC Ireland where they follow several craftsmen as they transform a blown down oak tree into art. They delve into their philosophies and their love of wood. Wonderful documentary. It features a pole-lathe turner, furniture maker, wood carver, a sculptor and timber truss maker that uses no mechanical fasteners.

 

 

 

[blame]

this was a good viewing thanks for sharing it Travis

 

for the life of me in that first vid when they cut the log off the stump, why did he leave 2 foot of log on it?

[Christina]

This video has bugged me ever since I first saw it on Steve Good's site! I wanted to watch it soooo bad lol. Well I broke down today and downloaded it................took me 6 hours!!!!

 

But oh my was it worth it. I so thoroughly and completely enjoyed it.......I watched it three times lol. Thank goodness you can replay it without having to download it each time!

 

Then I got my hubby to come watch it and he thoroughly enjoyed it too. Dang I hate having to use dialup. Wish I could just download them to my computer and be able to watch them. It wouldn't take so long I don't think.

 

Isn't that a nifty way she turned the legs on that stool?! I've never seen a lathe done quite that way before.

Thanks Travis for sharing this with us.

Christina

[blame]

after seeing Christina's post i watched these videos again and in the last one at the end the contractor that did the post and beam construction was saying that if some one wanted to buy a table and chair there going to buy one but at a price that no craftsman could make one for.

 

it got me to thinking about the difference of the eras, and why! IMO it was in the start of our down fall. faster construction means more profit at what costs thou..... take it as you will but i feel quality took a back seat to quantity along time ago and Our throw away society is paying the price

along with mother nature.

[Travis]

Yup, it's the Bic Lighter era. Get what you need out of it, then toss it. I bought some furniture for the house 4 years ago. My end tables are completely trashed because they're veneered and chip easily. Granted my son is pretty rough on them, but I'm sure I spent several hundred dollars on 2 end tables and a coffee table! My shop is starting to get to the point where I can build some of my own furniture. I think I need a few more essentials, though. But once I get to that point, I'll slowly replace my stuff with solid wood furniture. I can buy a lot of beautiful solid wood for almost the same price as buying new furniture.

 

Quality of craftsmanship is going down, and most people don't care because that's what they expect and they work that in their budget. Buy a new bedroom set every 10 years; replace the sofa ever 8, etc. But there are a handful of folks who recognize what handcrafted, high quality furniture (or whatever) really means. Luckily, they're also willing to pay a premium price to have a craftsman build these items.

[Christina]

I have to agree with you too Blame.........it is a throw away society. When I was growing up if we wanted something we had to figure out how to make it...........there was no money for extras and we barely survived at times.

 

Kids nowadays are given just about everything they want and aren't made to work for it and as a result they don't value things like we did. No one seems to be interested in teaching young people the old arts/crafts anymore.........so as a result many of the old ways of doing things are being lost. And alot of the reasons are that their parents/grandparents are too busy making a living to worry about passing on the knowledge. I think children of the last few generations really are missing out on a lot of things as a result.

 

And few have any interest in learning old ways.........it's new technology or nothing. Technology is a wonderful thing....when it works. But it's not always the best way. I think society needs to find a way to blend the old with the new.

Christina

[greasemonkeyredneck]

All this hurts craftsman like ourselves the most I think though. A while back I sat on the side of a local county road that is popular with crafts vendors. One of the nicest pieces I carried that day was a cradle I had recently built. Now this was a solid hardwood cradle with rockers, turned foot spindles, and a wooden canopy. The canopy alone on that thing took for what seems like forever to sand and shape to make it all blend. Anyway, this was a wonderful heirloom piece. With very little care, it could last multiple generations. I had $100 on it just because I needed the money bad. I had several people comment they could buy a cradle at Wal-Mart for X amount of dollars. I found myself defending my craft by explaining the downfalls of particle board production line crap at places like Wal-Mart.

Another thing is that I'm asked on a regular basis why I don't buid pic-nic tables, a popular item around here. I have plenty of 3/4 material, but I can't rush out and by 2by material to build a quality table when most people would rather buy the $79, made in Mexico ones they have down at the Home Depot.

And don't even get me started on tools. I have enough tools collecting dust to set any of you up in a decent shop if you needed it. The problem is, they're old tools, like my old Sears and Roebuck bandsaw. All it needs is a motor and belt. You can't hardly find stuff like that around here anymore. Replacement parts can't be found so the salesman can try and sell you the new, often overpriced, plastic moded tool on display. I have a nice Sears joiner. All it needs is an obsolete brass bushing. It's rediculous.

 

Wanna talk about the new multi million dollar park they just redone near the Mississippi River? All the "wood" is plastic. I was told that they couldn't think of wood that would hold off rot for ten years like the plastic would. Cypris can be buried without rot for decades. Maybe those "craftsman" never heard of that though.

 

I deeply apologize. I'll get off my soapbox now. This is a subject that really hits home with me though. For all who care to know, there are some of us around these days that still care about quality. I'm talking about true craftsman who refuse to build with inferior methods. We go out of our way to make things that last. We asnwer our customers honestly and stand behind our work. We judge the quality of our work in the fact that the finished item does not need to be replaced in our lifetime. We build heirlooms. We build toys that can be passed down. We build furniture the old way that last for longer than a year. We don't skimp on material to save a dime. We put out sweat, our love, and yes, sometimes even our blood into our craft. Yet, the majority would rather pay more money through their nose to support countrys like China that knowingly send toxic materials to our homeland.

 

I'm sorry. I said I'd get off.........

[Christina]

You get on your soapbox all you want Greasemonkey...........I think all of us here agree with you. I know I certainly do. This is a throw away society anymore and it's just sad. No one seems to care for heirlooms......just the crap you can buy cheap. I don't think I would have defended my work though.......$100 is an indecent price! I would have lost my temper and told them if they could buy a cradle, that would last a lifetime and more, for that kind of price.........then go for it. You do quality work and if they don't like it tough.........there are plenty out there that will! I get so angry with some people.....it wouldn't do me to try and do shows these days lol. I'd probably get booted out!!!

You are carrying on traditions that are all but lost.........and you do it with pride in your work. I wish I had half your talent and know how!!!

Christina

[blame]

All this hurts craftsman like ourselves the most I think though. A while back I sat on the side of a local county road that is popular with crafts vendors. One of the nicest pieces I carried that day was a cradle I had recently built. Now this was a solid hardwood cradle with rockers, turned foot spindles, and a wooden canopy. The canopy alone on that thing took for what seems like forever to sand and shape to make it all blend. Anyway, this was a wonderful heirloom piece. With very little care, it could last multiple generations. I had $100 on it just because I needed the money bad. I had several people comment they could buy a cradle at Wal-Mart for X amount of dollars. I found myself defending my craft by explaining the downfalls of particle board production line crap at places like Wal-Mart.

Another thing is that I'm asked on a regular basis why I don't buid pic-nic tables, a popular item around here. I have plenty of 3/4 material, but I can't rush out and by 2by material to build a quality table when most people would rather buy the $79, made in Mexico ones they have down at the Home Depot.

And don't even get me started on tools. I have enough tools collecting dust to set any of you up in a decent shop if you needed it. The problem is, they're old tools, like my old Sears and Roebuck bandsaw. All it needs is a motor and belt. You can't hardly find stuff like that around here anymore. Replacement parts can't be found so the salesman can try and sell you the new, often overpriced, plastic moded tool on display. I have a nice Sears joiner. All it needs is an obsolete brass bushing. It's rediculous.

 

Wanna talk about the new multi million dollar park they just redone near the Mississippi River? All the "wood" is plastic. I was told that they couldn't think of wood that would hold off rot for ten years like the plastic would. Cypris can be buried without rot for decades. Maybe those "craftsman" never heard of that though.

 

I deeply apologize. I'll get off my soapbox now. This is a subject that really hits home with me though. For all who care to know, there are some of us around these days that still care about quality. I'm talking about true craftsman who refuse to build with inferior methods. We go out of our way to make things that last. We asnwer our customers honestly and stand behind our work. We judge the quality of our work in the fact that the finished item does not need to be replaced in our lifetime. We build heirlooms. We build toys that can be passed down. We build furniture the old way that last for longer than a year. We don't skimp on material to save a dime. We put out sweat, our love, and yes, sometimes even our blood into our craft. Yet, the majority would rather pay more money through their nose to support countrys like China that knowingly send toxic materials to our homeland.

 

I'm sorry. I said I'd get off.........

 

I'm right there with you William i dont get the out look that most have about throwing things away. look at the forestry industry most in the biz look at the forest as a renewable source but its not IMO sure we can grow pines and other softwoods on plantations and in 40 to 50 years harvest the 18" to 20 " trees but the old growth timber that actually has structural strength is all but gone and will never been seen in our lifetimes unless it reclaimed from 100+ year old buildings. a sign of the times!

 

 

have you thought about trying to track down the specs on that bushing? and having a local machinist machine it out

[Barry5180]

William, I could be right up there on the soapbox with you. Not only is my woodworking devalued by the automated, particle board crap you find at all the box stores, but I hear everyday at work, "I could get this cheaper down the road." Sure, poorly made garbage that won't last and might not even be correct for your needs.

 

I wish I could say that I am surprised people said they could get that $100 cradle for less at Wal-mart. If they could only see the two products being made side by side, then they would realize the difference.

 

Barry

[greasemonkeyredneck]

 

I'm right there with you William i dont get the out look that most have about throwing things away. look at the forestry industry most in the biz look at the forest as a renewable source but its not IMO sure we can grow pines and other softwoods on plantations and in 40 to 50 years harvest the 18" to 20 " trees but the old growth timber that actually has structural strength is all but gone and will never been seen in our lifetimes unless it reclaimed from 100+ year old buildings. a sign of the times!

 

 

 

My grandfather was a logger. I was steering log trucks out of the woods by my eleventh birthday. I grew up learning the different trees and being able to see the difference between quality lumber and what my grandfather called crop lumber. I walk through most woods these days and feel like crying. On that same note, in the rafters of my shop, I have a good supply of wood I saved from a burn pile. It's antique heart pine. It came out of a house that was over 150 years old. I got it from a man who was cleaning out his shed and was going to burn it all. I've removed all the square head nails (and saved them) and plained it all down real pretty. My plan for that wood is to one day make an heirloom cradle for my first grandchild.

[blame]

thats cool nothing wrong with being in the logging industry just they needed to think ahead rather then just using up everything they could grab. i had reclaimed some cherry wood from a 150 year old house that i torn down made my daughter a cradle for her baby dolls from it. only house i ever seen that was built almost completely from native oak.

[Barry5180]

That will make one beautiful cradle one day William.

 

You guys are right about the old growth lumber. I was in an antique shop a little while back and was looking at some early Pennsylvania tables and large dressers. The tabletops were made from only two pieces of bookmatched lumber while the dresser sides and tops were each a single piece. You just cant find quality wood like that anymore unless as you say, you reclaim it from a very old house or something of the sort.

 

Barry