Humble Opinion

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Russ and Cav both have valid points. On a personal note, I have been turning pens for over 5 years now, and have been a wood worker all my life. ( God am I that old ). When I first came across IAP I stayed in the background for a long time. When I did finally respond to something I did not introduce myself to the group. I just posted a response. I was reluctant because I have read how some new members whether experienced or new to the ART of pen turning were treated and was unsure if I wanted to stay around. I still on occasion feel that way.
Most of us started school in the first grade, went to high school, some went to college some to grad school and more. The point is that if our teachers did not answer the same questions over and over again we would all still be in the first grade. Now having said that, we were also taught how to use the library at school. If a question has been asked many times over don't discourage the student give them the link, point them in the direction. Don't dismiss, you stifle the thirst for knowledge instead of quenching it. As for having a bad day everyone does at some point. Be a person of value as we all I hope are and keep the bad day to yourself.
just me and i will leave now if you want me to.
 
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Originally posted by MichaelS

Russ and Cav both have valid points. On a personal note, I have been turning pens for over 5 years now, and have been a wood worker all my life. ( God am I that old ). When I first came across IAP I stayed in the background for a long time. When I did finally respond to something I did not introduce myself to the group. I just posted a response. I was reluctant because I have read how some new members whether experienced or new to the ART of pen turning were treated and was unsure if I wanted to stay around. I still on occasion feel that way.
Most of us started school in the first grade, went to high school, some went to college some to grad school and more. The point is that if our teachers did not answer the same questions over and over again we would all still be in the first grade. Now having said that, we were also taught how to use the library at school. If a question has been asked many times over don't discourage the student give them the link, point them in the direction. Don't dismiss, you stifle the thirst for knowledge instead of quenching it. As for having a bad day everyone does at some point. Be a person of value as we all I hope are and keep the bad day to yourself.
just me and i will leave now if you want me to.
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No, hang around. Anyone who mentions my name in the same sentence with Russ' name is my hero!!:D
 
One of my favorite threads on IAP was when Skiprat posted a pen and said tell me how I did it. There were a lot of guesses (I was way off) a couple of which were very interesting. It really made me think about how to approach a project. Some folks want to be spoon fed either from a lack of time or initiative. I feel sorry that they are not getting the most out of the experience. The fun is in the discovery, the search for a new method or technique. Looking through past posts and the photo album has provided me with many hours of enjoyment. My daughters and I will sit together and go over the members albums looking for ideas or new materials to try. That time is priceless. Don't rob youself of the experience. Do a little digging you'll probably enjoy it and you might even find what you were looking for.
 
Originally posted by RussFairfield


You are offended by getting a link when you wanted an answer? Well, I will join you because I am offended by those who expect a detailed answer each and every time the same question is asked, and are complaining when they only get a link to the answer. Many of our answers are long and detailed explanations because there is no other way to answer the question. There is no way that I or anyone else is going to rewrite a message that took over an hour to compose each and every time the question is asked. You are going to have to give us a little slack here, or you aren't going to hear from us at all.
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AMEN.

All we expect is a little slack as Russ said. Especially when we phrase our answer a little off from what you want. ;)

Though (I believe) my English is acceptable, it is actually my second language. I can get my thoughts across but sometimes it may sound a bit "rough". Please know that it is not meant to be, I just don't have the finesse you expect. ;)
 
As a noob, let me say that I am not offended by getting a link in response to my questions, simply because that link most probably contains the answer to the question. However, I do think that it is unfair to assume that I have not already searched for that link myself, because I usually have. I have found the search functions to be... errrr... difficult at times, particularly if I want to go back more than a year. I appreciate that more experienced members may be better with it than I, and I am thankful when a more specific link is offered.

I also sympathize with advanced users who tire of hearing the same questions over and over, but please try not to take it out on the noob, if the question was put in a civil manner. Everybody was a beginner once. Condescension is not useful, and if it makes you feel good, then you have greater issues to deal with. I like the earlier suggested idea of a forum for noob questions. That way, when a senior member is in the mood to help somebody dumber than he, he can go there and contribute, and when he's not in the mood, he can avoid it with little or no effort. I can assure you all that I will be more than happy to contribute in that way, once I have enough answers and experience to be useful.

Thanks for indulging me, now and in the future.
 
Originally posted by bettyt44720

i agree. i'm mostly afraid to ask questions as a "newbie" myself. as i ponder attending the "mpg" in champaign next saturday i wonder if i would fit in or just be in the "pros" way. considering the cost of fuel and an eight hour drive from northeast ohio.
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You would most definitely be welcomed at the MPG! We have all skill levels represented, but our goal it to make sure EVERYONE leaves learning something they didn't know before they came. Whether it's a new way to do something, or learning how to do something completely foreign to them.

I hope we'll see you at the MPG, but we can understand the $$ issue for travel.
 
I'm a stubborn SOB, I guess. I don't think I've ever asked a "how do you" question here. I read just about everything and make ALOT of mistakes. Finding my own way is half the fun FOR ME. I LOVE to go into the shop not knowing how to do something and coming out with an answer. For me the journey is what it's all about...:)
 
I agree with you Rick. When you are reading, the posts, or the library you can learn a lot,
and not have to ask a lot of questions. My problen is keeping on track and not going off in another
direction which can happen very easily to me.
 
I've only been making pens (or something resembling them anyway) for a little over 3 months. I found this website and downloaded a bunch of articles from the library, printed them out and stuck them in a binder. I have read most of them and refer to some over and over (especially the ones from Russ on finishing pens). I have also used the search function many times (maybe not as many as I should) and can agree with the one comment about getting a server timeout from time to time. When I get a response to a post that includes a link I am very thankful for that link and also usually a bit chagrined because I should have been able to find that link myself using the search function and not bothered anyone with the question. However, more than once, I have gotten additional info that was very helpful and that I never would have asked for. That is nice. I also have had comments from people who were just out to have some fun and that is also a blast. It helped make me feel more comfortable with joining in. Those types of comments help make this a community. At times it feels like a few folks are just sittin' around a table at a coffee shop jawin' with each other. My wife is a woodworker and had told me about how helpful most woodworkers are and when I actually experienced it here and at a show or two, I was absolutely amazed. I've been told my interpersonal skills are not exactly one of my better traits. I tend to be blunt and have said many times that there is a reason I work with inanimate objects (I am a computer analyst/consultant). I am very thankful that there are so many people on this site who are more than willing to help. I have never received a reply giving me a link and berating me for not finding it myself. Now, if they are not eloquent and gracious in how they direct me to the link, that's fine. I don't take offense. The mere fact that they gave me the link showed that they are trying to help and I got some direction. In fact, I feel better when the link is provided rather then have the person writing the answer all over again, taking up time that didn't need to be used for that. In at least one case I wasn't sure what keywords to use for a search. The ones I used resulted in a timeout, so I just asked the question. I have been absolutely amazed that most times my posts get a reply within an hour. The responses I get usually go in many directions (as one person said here, there are many ways to skin a cat). So, thanks to all who have helped me, and my apologies if I have posted anything that was less than gracious.
 
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