Purism and Pragmatism

Correction

Dan CLermont in Burnaby

>Hi Denis,

Derek's Bedrock was not part of his review when compared to the Veritas. It was a Stanley 4 1/2 with an )1 Clifton blade.

Derek's Bedrock 604 has an A2 blade

Dan CLermont

It's my party and I'll plane if I want to

Nemo Tools

>I'm just out to have a good time. Right now, a good time consists of learning to replicate the work methods of the old craftsmen. Making a lot of stuff is secondary. Being efficient is secondary. That's my hobby and that's what I do.

Thinking hard about sophistercated issues is what I do at work. This ain't fer work.

Like Cindy Lauper sang, "Geezers just want to have fun!"

By the way, does it violate purism to use tightbond instead of a glue pot? I really hate those damned glue pots. What a hassle! And ripping! I hate ripping! What a pain! Next time I have to rip a bunch of stuff, I swear I'm taking the T.V. off the tablesaw and flipping a switch.

Re: It's my party and I'll plane if I want to

Charles

>Get a big ECE rip bowsaw and see how easily it goes.

Ditto

Steve Kubien

>My hobbie. My way. Now, I often ask for advice, receive it, muddle through it and try to decide which piece of it makes the most sense. That usually works for me, especially the time it was suggested that I sharpen my irons with an angle grinder. Didn't sound like a good idea at the time but I tried it and by golly....

Let's all have some fun and make some shavings.

Kindest regards,

Steve Kubien

Wondering, if Bil had said.....

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>"Query for non sandpaper users" how these two threads would of gone.

There was no doubt in my mind that Bill meant no ill-will, jabs, or cheap-shots towards anybodies when he said "Purists". I believe that it was only an attempt to use a few words as possible in his thread title. My inital reaction was to simply use a scraper, but that reply had already been given a few times, so I didn't post it again.

Got to say that I throughly enjoyed these threads and may have even learned a thing or two from them. The differences between Purist and Pragmatist is something that I had never considered comptemplating before. Since I have never established a "time period" form which to work in I guess I am a Pragmatist, but than again, since I am working in 2005 with both hand and p@wer(tho very few) tools perhaps I am a Purist for this time perid. I'll have to think on it some more. I think my goal is to become a Handtool Purist, but I guess now I have to decide a Time period. 1500's? 1600's? 1700's? 1800's? 1900's? 2000's? Think it will be the 2000's.

Several trains of thought where brought out as well.

-Do you need a whole bunch of tools to do good work? IMO No, I don't think so, I just like having a bunch of(old) tools.

-Do high dollar tools perform better than cheaper ones? IMO,in some cases yes, but for the most part no, but I like my LN's nontheless.

Bill, in the Future could you stick to easier questions such as "What do you think of Private schools"*

* for those that don't know, this simple question caused what has got to be not only the longest, but the hottest thread to date. Wooooooooo Weeeeeeeeeeee that was a wild one.

At any rate, I really enjoyed reading and learning from this conversation so far.

Seems to me that there is probably some good magazine fodder in it as well.

Todd O.

Wondering how the "Oilstones" thread above is going to go. ;~)

Re: Wondering, if Bil had said.....

Frank D. in Montreal

>"At any rate, I really enjoyed reading and learning from this conversation so far."

Same here! I didn't contribute because nobody had a screw for me to measure.

The whole idea of having fun makes me both a purist and a pragmatist. I like having pure fun and I'll do whatever it takes to get it in short order.

Correction

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>There is another group of purists - those who, for religious or cultural reasons, have chosen not to incorporate newer technological solutions. The Amish are the most obvious example of this group, but there are, of course, others as well.

I often wonder.....

A.J. Byrd

>what pre electron craftsmen would make of these conversations, something tells me that they would think we are more than a little bit daft. At the time that 18th century furniture was being produced I would figure that the sawing, planing and finishing techniqes being used in the finest shops were considerd to be cutting edge (no pun intended). I have a sneaking suspicion that given the choice between using a hand powered rip saw and a well tuned table saw with a quality fence and a Forrest WWII carbide blade to machine Hard Maple you might be suprised at the number of "Old Masters" who would commit heresy and choose the electron burner.

Re: I often wonder.....

Joel

>I can almost tell you a little of what a master 18th century craftsman would say about power saws and planers. In the late 1840's Henry Mayhew interviewed hundreds of craftsman for his work in the Morning Chronicle. which later became (greatly edited) "London Labor and the London Poor". One master craftsman with IIRC 40 years expericnce - putting him pretty darn near the 18th century - was asked about the effect of power tools on cabinetry. At the time planers were coming in and saws and saw mills were reasonably common. Almost no wood used by regular carpenters and cabinmakers was rough saw by hand anymore. The cabinetmaker responded that the speed of work was about the same, but with machines less skill was needed and less experienced hands were typically employed.

I will say that today I needed to so some rip sawing and I don't have a table saw and it took far less to just rip and plane the board to with with some tools in the showroom than it would have been to locate an extension cord, find the saw and set up the cut safely.

Re: I often wonder.....

mikew

>Hi Joel,

While I don't entirely agree with the speed issue in my own case--I am faster with a table saw--the sentiments are there.

I presently have a very small shop (12 x 12). While I was very tooled up in my former shop, and fit it all into this shop somehow, much of it is going up for sale. The PM jointer and PM mortiser first. Well, and one router went. But even some hand tools (an infill and some Knight smoothers, saws and a few other various tools).

In part it is to make the small shop a bit more comfortable to work in. But also it is in response to memories of my grandfather who did much with fewer tools. And did fine work. He used handsaws, braces and bits on the job up into the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Much of what I do in furniture making is accomplished as quick with only handtools. But it wasn't always that way. I think when I started I lacked confidence and experience. And what isn't as quick...who cares? It is pressure (mostly internal) which has driven a reliance on the 'lectric tools to get work done. Faster, faster. In the bigger scheme of things, I'll probably produce nearly as much work in the present year as last year.

Well, back to my glue-up.

Mike

Tools and their users

HC Sakman

>I am going to say what I always say:

"The way a horse runs, depends on its jockey."

Chico...

MikeW, send me your email address

Steve Kubien

>