Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin (Voodoo Rat) Hoelting on June 30, 2013 at 4:38am

John, I am going to quit giggling at this point and say I get it. I know exactly what you are saying. Without getting shrouded in term like "spirit of the wood" and other zenlike references, there is an intimate connection to be made with whatever material you are working with.

I had the fantastic opportunity to work 3 years under a master woodworker who had built a reputation as a door and chair maker. Yes, the center of the shop floor was the home of a table saw that appeared to have been built by NASA, but the shelves and drawers were filled with all manners of planes, boring apparatus, chisels, and handsaws. Some were decades old, and all well used and cared for. More significant is that none of them were new.

As we worked, things were said like "I guess this piece doesn't want to be a chair leg.", or "These two won't get along well." It may sound silly to some, but the fact is that a piece of wood is not a piece of wood. If you don't want to grow your hair out, eat bean sprouts for lunch, and begin speaking to your wood, that is great. However, there are things that really shouldn't be ignored.

Wood is cut year around, and from a wide geographic area. Red oak cut during the fall in Northern Michigan is much different than the same species cut during a North Carolina summer. Was it a dead fall? How long was it dead? Limb wood or trunk wood? Kiln dried? Air dried? You go to the supplier and it simply says "Red Oak"

I can hear the keyboards chattering now, so I will put in my disclaimer. NO I cannot sniff a piece of wood and tell you how many kids the guy that cut it had in public school in Ohio. I am just saying there are different characteristics that, while they can be ignored, offer rewards if they are not.

As far as what apparently came across as an attack on the word "Newbie", maybe saying I hate it was too strong. There seems to be an outpouring of support for the term. Support so vigorous that the meaning of the OP may have been lost. I was simply trying to convey the feeling of welcome I had when I first joined this site. I never felt like a "noob", but like a fellow lover of CBGs. Yes, the advice I have received has sometimes been convoluted, self-promoting, and even slightly condescending. More often than not, it has been freely given, extremely helpful, and reflective of the advisors deep knowledge and experience. If I got on some toes, that wasn't my intention. Just a poor choice of words I suppose.

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Permalink Reply by Craig Mayhem on June 30, 2013 at 9:48am

I think the bottom line is that there are many ways to skin a cat. I have made things entirely by hand and will probably do so again. I see power tools as a convenience, not a need. As well I can be more precise when I use them. Can I rip down a board by hand? Sure. Would I rather run it through a table saw and know the cut is true? Yes. I've shaped a bunch of necks with a hand rasp (I don't even have a draw knife), but running my trim router over them with a 1/2" roundover bit saves me a lot of time. Also since my day job is being a computer nerd I have a bit of carpal tunnel so I find any way to avoid repetative stress that I can.

I think my guits have some pretty good mojo, regardless of whether I've used power tools or not. I was joking around when I posted about riding a horse instead of a car. I very much appreciate non-machine hand-crafted items. But if I carve a rod piezo bridge using a dremel I still consider it hand-made.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn Doyle on July 5, 2013 at 1:54pm

Going to pick up a 9" Ryobi band saw tomorrow. Getting it for $65 on Craigslist.

Good thing, too. I just ruined my first attempt at a scarf cut with the back saw.

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Permalink Reply by David McQueen on July 5, 2013 at 2:18pm

Make sure it has a fence and a mitre slide. I picked up an old Black & Decker band saw. It works well for what it is, but ....

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