Pass the screwdriver
Established Member
If you find yourself in a position where your very survival depends on making a hunting tool that will put food in your mouth, you WILL make that Bow or Spear to the very best of your ability.
That's it. We all have that primal understanding in our DNA.
When I was an apprentice it was drummed in to me. Take the time to do it right because nobody else's wants to come behind and fix your fck up !
Do it right and you sleep well at night.
It's not pride or ego. It's not vanity.
The real value in working wood is that it's a natural product that connects you with nature.
It teaches you so many useful skills in the process too.
But most people shuffle paper and digits. There is nothing tangible at the end of their desk job that reflects their own journey through life.
So men build sheds in the back yard and do stuff. I think this is a great thing. A very necessary antidote.
If anyone asks me for advice on how to learn woodwork I only have one strong opinion. Don't waste this valuable material doing a half arsed job. Take the little extra time to do proper joints. The fundamentals are not hard to grasp or learn.
You will thank yourself for it when you do.
Out there we are often forced to lie, pretend, take short cuts and short change people.
But doing an honest piece of work no matter how simple ? Feels good.
I was when I was an employee amazed at just how low my skills were valued in the job market. The guy flipping burgers earned more than me. The Hookers working the strip earned more in an afternoon than I did in a week.
We joked about getting fckd for free by our boss four days out of five.
So I posted the "amazing picture" just to display the irony of the situation. I'm going to change it to something entirely my own work next week.
Do I feel bitter about it ?
No. I just accepted that the price was worth it for the experience. It was.
The Brits understand the value of honest quality work more than most. Unlike other nations we don't take ourselves to seriously though and that I believe is a good healthy thing.
Certainly I can do exotic work but it's the simple things that bring me real pleasure. Woodworking is a strange business. It requires so many tools. It can get insanely expensive. But it doesn't have to be.
That's it. We all have that primal understanding in our DNA.
When I was an apprentice it was drummed in to me. Take the time to do it right because nobody else's wants to come behind and fix your fck up !
Do it right and you sleep well at night.
It's not pride or ego. It's not vanity.
The real value in working wood is that it's a natural product that connects you with nature.
It teaches you so many useful skills in the process too.
But most people shuffle paper and digits. There is nothing tangible at the end of their desk job that reflects their own journey through life.
So men build sheds in the back yard and do stuff. I think this is a great thing. A very necessary antidote.
If anyone asks me for advice on how to learn woodwork I only have one strong opinion. Don't waste this valuable material doing a half arsed job. Take the little extra time to do proper joints. The fundamentals are not hard to grasp or learn.
You will thank yourself for it when you do.
Out there we are often forced to lie, pretend, take short cuts and short change people.
But doing an honest piece of work no matter how simple ? Feels good.
I was when I was an employee amazed at just how low my skills were valued in the job market. The guy flipping burgers earned more than me. The Hookers working the strip earned more in an afternoon than I did in a week.
We joked about getting fckd for free by our boss four days out of five.
So I posted the "amazing picture" just to display the irony of the situation. I'm going to change it to something entirely my own work next week.
Do I feel bitter about it ?
No. I just accepted that the price was worth it for the experience. It was.
The Brits understand the value of honest quality work more than most. Unlike other nations we don't take ourselves to seriously though and that I believe is a good healthy thing.
Certainly I can do exotic work but it's the simple things that bring me real pleasure. Woodworking is a strange business. It requires so many tools. It can get insanely expensive. But it doesn't have to be.
