Showing Quality in everything

[Daniel]

When I was young much of what my father had in the way of tools where home made, He woudl buy a hand saw and then make a new handle for it. But if you want to visit his Grandfather you could not find a store bought tool of any kind. I remember my grandfather throwing away a screwdriver saying he would not be caught dead using it. I asked him why. He explained to me that any tool he used was going to be an example of the quality of his work. I have since learned a lot more about this sort of thinking. It used to be that if you wanted someone to work on your house, repair a fence, build you a barn or anything else, you would look in there tool box to determine what the quality of there work would be. since most tools where hand made, craftsmen would put all their knowledge and skill into making there tools. this then became there business card and references so to speak. To this day my grandfather throwing that screwdriver away has a big impact on what tools etc. I even want in my shop. I don't hand make my tools but that does not mean I don't want them to be quality. even if I do make a tool for something I tend to want to go for a little flare and fanciness.

This topic is meant more for reflecting on changes in "Craftsmanship" Feel free to add to the topic as it goes on.
This is also in no way directed at those that say something like "Grab any old block of wood and make do". This is only my experience and what has influenced my thinking about doing a "Good" job.

Do any of you have reflections from earlier days that you think influence what you consider a good job today? What sort of things would you like to see a child watch in you and have it influence their thinking?

 

[Dario]

Mine is probably the opposite.

My dad taught me to make do with what I have. To be honest, I still re-use bent nails, even if I have thousands of good/new ones on a container next to me.

I treat tools the same way, I have HF turning tools and use it more though I also have Crown, Sorby and Glasser. I will (in most likelihood) die before I use up my better tools but that is who I am...saving the best for last.

On quality, I believe you get what you put into it. Sure, better quality tools may take you to new heights where cheap ones cannot take you but I am not at that level yet to notice it anyway.

Same with my blanks...half of the pens I turned are from scraps that I cannot throw away. They still came out good IMHO.

To some degree I agree with you so it really depends. A "cheap" lathe, for example, is one I cannot tolerate.

 

[Daniel]

Dario, what is funny is that you probably have better "Quality" turning tools in the HF models than my Great Grandfather ever had. My grandfather discovered craftsman. Would buy there tools then take off the handles and make his own. My father did this some but not nearly everything. I am pretty picky about the handles that come with my tools but will keep them. Of course this has more to realizing I could not come close to outdoing the quality in the materials tools are made in today.

 

[Dario]

Daniel, my dad built our 1st house with nothing more than a few machete (made from truck springs), ax, hand drill, saw, hammer and a wood plane. Some relatives and friends helped and a lot of carabao (water buffalo). I watched them collect all the trees and bamboo and finish it in a few days.

Minimal lumber was used, a few nails but a lot of galvanized tie wires for the bamboo. Funny how I remember these things because I am no more than 5 years old then.

It was left/"abandoned" later on because we moved to the city but it is still standing last I heard on 2000....that is at least a 30 year old "nipa hut" that survived countless typhoons (hurricane). Maybe the fact that my father is an engineer helped :biggrin:

 

[Chasper]

My dad was a "bigger hammer" mechanic and carpenter. If something wouldn't budge or fit you just needed to hit it a little harder with something bigger. He was a wizzard at changing old style split rim truck tires and he brought meaning to the word "rough," as in rough carpentery. Almost 60 years ago he built a two story three bedroom house with a basement over a summer, he did about 95% of the work himself at nights and over the weekends.

He used nails with heads on them for the trim work because they were free, he pulled them out of the used lumber that he built the house out of. The hammer marks are still in the woodwork because he was in a hurry. He didn't have much of an eye for craftsmanship, but he built things quick and sturdy.

He has been gone for four years and I moved away from home 42 years ago, but I think I'm still rebelling and trying for perfection in the things I make, just to show him what craftsmanship looks like. I dis-assembled and sanded off the finish on a pen this morning because of a tiny imperfection and I was thinking that he would have said "good enough."

My tools aren't the best, but they are a lot better than he would have used. My skills are not up to the same level as the best of what I see here, but they are improving.

 

[L1Truckie]

Daniel, and all,

As far as turning and stuff goes I only have very limited experiences. Im your run of the mill weekend garage guy basically. You know, typical doghouse, house repairs, kid projects, fencing, lattice, powerwashing, oil change etc stuff weekend guys like myself do. While carrying on a fulltime job.

My grandfather however was a woodworker. You name it he did it. He mostly hand carved bowls (not on a lathe) and spoons, but did frames, furniture (refurbished antiques and built new) etc etc. My grandmother did chair caning...so that all went hand in hand. On weekends as a kid I would hang out in grandpas workshop and build/destroy things!! He had an antique pedal lathe that you pumped with your foot....that I would "turn" things on. I made a few "spindles" and carved a few bowls etc etc. Basically, I just enjoyed hanging out with him and building/making stuff with him. Well I lost him about a year ago and now my house has not only stuff that he made for my family (wife and two kids) through the years, but stuff he and grandma passed on to us as well now (ie a Stanley 45 plane in the original box, pie press, picture frames, bowls, spoons, chairs etc ). So as I look at it everyday I believe it has given me the drive and want to get out in the garage and do some good craftmanship....stuff to pass on, small bowls, pens, game calls, fishing lures, bottle stoppers, etc. And try to do good quality and craftmanship like I know he did. (I do good work now, but to me its not meaningful stuff) Maybe bigger stuff later on, but for starters, this hobby is great, its leading me in the direction of our forefathers in craftmanship instead of a family handyman with a "Lowes" points reward card.

 

[TellicoTurning]

My dad was a journeyman carpenter when he died. I've seen him do more with a double bladed axe than many can do with power tools. He used to cut cord wood with an axe.

When I was really young up through about the time I was in 3rd or 4th grade, he was a share cropper. Until we moved to west Texas and he worked for a man that owned a tractor for him to use, he farmed with mules and most of the time, they were young green broke mules that he used for a season to break them, then returned them to their owner.

When he died, my step-mother told me to come up and go through his work shop and take what ever I wanted. At the time I wasn't into woodworking much, I did household repairs and that was about it. His tools were all old and well used. He used the same Skil saw for probably 30 years... he would just rebuild it if something broke on it... new brushes, etc.. I don't know how many cords he put on it.. he would use it on a job and someone would set it down still turning and set it on the cord... he sharpened his own blades. I told my step-mom that they were old and mostly worn out, so I didn't take any... kick myself every day for that.. even if they weren't useable, they were his and worth saving.

Usually when he built something, it stayed built. I remember he built a dog house and a chicken house from green oak lumber. The dog house was huge, about 5' wide x 8' long... probably could have housed Sgt Preston's entire sled team. The chicken house was about 10'x10'x10' in front sloping to 8' at the rear and with a 3' wide door.. but without a floor. Every time we moved, and I seem to remember it was often, he moved both of those houses too... just tipped them back on edge and backed his trailer under and hauled it away. The last time I saw the chicken house, it was still as solid as the day he put it together. I don't know what happened to the dog house.. I think he stopped worrying about it when his last dog died.

His philosophy was, the tools don't make the man, it what the man does with the tools that's important. He learned how to use the tools he had and to use them well. I may not ever be the craftsman he was, but I have a target to shoot for.

 

[Daniel]

Dario, a 30 year old Nipa hut!! I moved to Reno 31 years ago. My first job was hanging drywall in some new homes. Those houses are barely standing today. the fences around them have fallen and basically the neighborhood looks like a slum.

Thanks for the stories everyone. it is interesting to hear what has influenced each of you.

 

[Grizz]

We all come from diverse backgrounds with many different personalities. We can take a dozen guys/gals from here and work on a project and you'll find 20 different ways to do it. None of them wrong, none of them right... just different.

Yet, while doing this project all 12 will come away by watching the others and pick up on something new or something they like better. And none of those 'picks' will be the same.