Cheshirechappie
Established Member
All the really skilled people I've met in life had no need to boast - their skill was obvious. I've also met very few indeed who felt the need to denigrate the skills and abilities of others. When you develop skill in something, it sort of dawns on you that there are an awful lot of other skills in the world of which you know very little.
My ex-next door neighbour packed in his job in a woodyard to set himself up fitting out steel narrow-boat hulls, starting from an empty shell. He now has more work than he can handle, just by word of mouth. He's completely self taught. Very nice guy, too.
For anybody who might be under the illusion that David Charlesworth's furniture is 'simple rectilinear', I'd invite them to do some research - then try to replicate some of the pieces David has made over the years, using the woods he tends to use, and to the standard of fit and finish he achieves; you will find they're not that simple. Chris Schwarz would probably not claim to be a skilled woodworker (though he's certainly not completely incompetent); his real skill lies in finding good information and presenting it to others - running a publishing house is a different sort of skill, but it's one that has been of great benefit to many woodworkers, amateur and professional.
As for 'just having a bit of fun', since when has going around gratuitously insulting people been regarded as acceptable social practice?
Bob - you did the right thing. Discussing ideas - even unfashionable or unpopular ones - is fine, but that can be done without recourse to rudeness.
My ex-next door neighbour packed in his job in a woodyard to set himself up fitting out steel narrow-boat hulls, starting from an empty shell. He now has more work than he can handle, just by word of mouth. He's completely self taught. Very nice guy, too.
For anybody who might be under the illusion that David Charlesworth's furniture is 'simple rectilinear', I'd invite them to do some research - then try to replicate some of the pieces David has made over the years, using the woods he tends to use, and to the standard of fit and finish he achieves; you will find they're not that simple. Chris Schwarz would probably not claim to be a skilled woodworker (though he's certainly not completely incompetent); his real skill lies in finding good information and presenting it to others - running a publishing house is a different sort of skill, but it's one that has been of great benefit to many woodworkers, amateur and professional.
As for 'just having a bit of fun', since when has going around gratuitously insulting people been regarded as acceptable social practice?
Bob - you did the right thing. Discussing ideas - even unfashionable or unpopular ones - is fine, but that can be done without recourse to rudeness.