Wow, I feel like I just had a "Come to Jesus" meeting. As a relative
newcomer to the porch, let me welcome you.
> Good morning, gentlemen...
> I am greatly encouraged by the content of your Old Tools network. I
> would like to add my name to your roster, and herewith submit the
> following biography for your perusal. I have more than forty years
> vested at working wood...so, I realize I know nothing...apprenticeship
> is a lifelong pursuit for knowledge and understanding.
> I began as an architectural designer for a third-generation store
> fixture manufacturer, employing union cabinetmakers in a fully modern
> facility of its' day. The router was an experimental tool, and I was
> there the day they dropped the first bunk of particle board. The
> carpenters hated the intrusion of these modern technologies, but being
> young, I adapted easily and readily. Fixtures needed to be glitzy,
> shiny and modern. Our clients wanted the newest technologies. Plastic
> laminates only came in a dozen colors or patterns, and had to be clamped
> to the substrate with conventional glue...it was the beginning of an era.
> Being a young pup, the union men would not suffer any transgression in
> the proper design and structure of the fixtures they would build. I had
> to learn to build correctly on paper first. We fixtured banks and
> jewelry stores, the movie theaters, the airport, the courthouse, grocery
> stores...and then became involved in a new concept...the shopping
> mall. But after time, and the stubbornness of the men, I tired of
> listening to their criticisms and picked up the hammer for myself. Once
> I had bridged the gap between men who used tools and those who do not, I
> burned the bridge without regret.
> There are a lot of ways to work wood. I have built 12,000 square foot
> houses and commercial buildings to 120,000 square feet. My kitchens and
> stairways have been on the covers of national magazines. I have been
> involved in historical preservations. I hand-carved an eighteen foot
> wide reredos, the high alter wall for a chapel. I have employed
> hundreds of carpenters and cabinetmakers in shop and field, and have
> found no two men have the same knowledge and understanding of working
> wood. The material remains infinite as each man must find his own way...
> Yet, regardless of technology, the first principles of working wood...to
> cut, to shape, to fasten...are the same as they have always been. And,
> today, the finest detail in wood, still, may only be accomplished by
> hand with a single edge of steel. I am here to discuss the philosophy
> of working wood, because I believe the gap that exists today is not
> between man and tool, but between man and his material. And, I believe
> the future of working wood is in the past.
> My objective is to establish apprenticeship in an academic
> environment...I am going to talk about that, and I hope that you will
> allow me to pick your collective brains on that subject. Together, we
> can discover the principles of living trade...by the tools that men have
> used...and the projects they have made.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://people.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://people.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|