WHEN I STARTED WRITING this blog, I wasn't completely sure of everything I wanted to include in it but I knew several things for sure. I knew I had over thirty years of working in carpentry and woodwork bottled up inside me in the form of memories, experiences, projects and relationships. Added to that are past employment experiences-mostly bad. I knew I had inside me highly developed opinions about how the work should be done as opposed to how it often ends up. I wonder if some readers will think I'm a little angry about something. I'm not very angry, but I do have some amount of emotion that exerts itself in the form of tangental and ancillary observations. I try to include enough factual evidence to back up my points. Personally, I look for outside validation of these reactions I'm having to a world that's changed and is changing. You can tell in my posts, I am not impressed with the changes I've seen just in my lifetime, which aren't few but are many and wide sweeping. Are you impressed with the world you know? Are you excited or infatuated with the things you've seen change, often quietly and undramatically, in your own lifetime? I don't mind if you are, but I would ask you to explain it. [*see addendum 1 at bottom of essay]
I would have to know how this could be, and how your perspective grants you this feeling and the attitude that not only are things ok, but are in due course getting better. Or have I gone too far in saying that? Maybe you concede things aren't getting better, but still insist that they are not getting worse. Also, I don't really begrudge anyone if they say it's a moot point. They may say "it is what it is and there's little to nothing you and I can do about it".
Wait a second, actually I do begrudge that attitude. I think it's an excuse to let our culture dilute down to nothing but servatude to a nanny state and widening chasm between the highest tiny percentile of wealthy and a vast lower class of citizens robbed of fruitful productivity, meaningful job experiences that create things of enduring value. In short, they are robbed of meaning. In time, the few that will be allowed to live, are meant to maintain the power grid, serve meals to the rich, and perhaps mow the grass (which will eventually be done robotically).
What in the world does all this have to do with the world of woodworking or carpentry, or what does all this have to do with work in general? A lot, and I see it on both sides of the partition I use to divide the craft. I put a wall up dividing the craft into those who have to make their living from it, and those who dabble in it for hobby or recreation. These two sides are not inseparately divided, but rather there are portals that enable some to enter one side from the other, and back again. In fact the divide may not be a partition at all, but more like a thin curtain. Afterall, very few in woodwork ever got rich from it. They mostly did it for the same reason a sailor works on ships his whole life-essential joy in the work and overriding desire to be at sea. This is why anyone does anything their whole life. The only exception I can think of is the person who does something his whole life, while dreaming of another life. Then one day he wakes up, looks in the mirror and says behold, now I am old and this is my life, there is no other. That moment can be explosive in the lives of some people.
On the other side of the curtain is the recreational side. We expect those people to pursue the work for the pure fun of it. I did this for about 5 years when I was young and I stumbled into the portal to the other side as people began requesting I make something for them for a sum of money. Always wanting extra money, I usually agreed. That sent my hobby into overdrive and clouded my vision as to why I ever dabbled in it to begin with. For a while, my woodworking was defined by transactions with customers and dollars and cents and what I didn't have that was preventing me from getting more of both. . It no longer was defined by the joy I derived from the craft. Alas, being a better woodworker than businessman, my joy turned into misery. Gone were the erstwhile things of evenings in the shop, listening to nice music, crafting some little thing, often with a good bit of pleasurable handwork and curiousity about what lay in the wood or in a new species of wood I was experimenting on. Those erstwhile evenings turned into nights spent out in the shop as the ending to a long day in the shop, pressing to make a deadline, to frequently achieve a design I was neither ready to tackle, nor had the space and equipment to do, to get more and more production out of a shop that never was, nor ever could be a production shop. Faster, faster, I must get this done, so I can get paid, so I can get on to the next customer waiting. Dovetails? No way. Half blind router dovetails maybe, but never anything of real craftsmanship. Faster, faster, more power machines, more dust, more noise, wood scraps piled everywhere, stuff piling up in my house and garage. I dare not let my kids near me or the shop for fear of injury. But there was a pot at the end of this rainbow, right? Wrong. Happy customers- yea, I think so without exception, or at least I never had anyone back out of a deal or say anything negative. Out of maybe 120 customers, I think one and all liked their stuff and went on their merry way, and many reordered more stuff. And that was my life for about a year-cranking out stuff, stuff and more stuff (one piece every 3 days). Added to that, I was also working another job, in the construction industry, and chasing an income there (performing rather poorly I might add). One day I said to my wife "enough is enough" and I stopped taking customers and set the tools aside for awhile. I stopped serving two masters for about 5 years and waited until I could go into my own business-still not properly, but serving only one master: me. I really didn't even want the master to be me, but rather me serving God who owns it all anyway, and what I felt was most acceptable to Him. I decided what work I would chase and get, I decided what hours I'd work, I decided what was not right for me and when I was not right for the job. This allowed me to pursue a variety of work, most of it in the way of everyday carpentry, some dipping a bit deeper into real craft and woodwork. The carpentry paid the bills, and the craft kept me interested. I had grown up a little, had less wide-eyed passivity to the whims of whatever a customer wanted, and pursued things overall with more common sense.
Here is where my ship really came in, right? Wrong. I still chased dollars and cents, and was always chasing my next customer. I had to be salesman, designer, estimator, professional craftsman, close out person, and bill collector. I know I am just one of many who work this way everyday and work as hard or harder than I did. They too know it's hard and the work is usually hard. The difference is when you take charge of yourself and befriend truth and reality. If you do that, you won't hate it, and you may even like it. When you wake up and realize soberly and calmly, "I will never get rich at this, but I can make a living, and do something I and others can be humbly proud of ...this is my reasonable service to God and others" ...that is a good day for you. There are other versions of this statement that would be equally beneficial to other craftsman at a slightly different stage or level or oriented in a slightly different direction. For most, it might be to say this: "I will never make a living at this, but I can make something for me and my family that is carefully made, that will last, that has value, and that I can be proud of and that I enjoyed making". I will make the startling assertion that 90% of craft-types that you see on youtube, blogs and elsewhere at large, need to get over into this category, and get in it in such a way as that they can make that last statement. They need to stop all the madness of clamoring after machines and power tools, huge shops, giant roubo benches costing thousands, and other high-end tools that many commercial shops (which are shops that exist to make money) don't even have. They need to let their passion for the craft be what it should be- and what they sought after in the first place, and that is the pursuit of the joy of genuine skills, patient steady creativity and creation, and continual discovery. I wish they would stop the madness of the quest for more machines, more ease, more speed, and instead seek more true hand skill, economy and thrift (which are real virtues). Ironically, I should add regarding economy, I see no end to the number of ways guys are trying to make one thing be another, in the interest of saving big money, but still cheating themselves. Suddenly a router becomes surface plane, a drill press becomes a sander or something, something else becomes a lathe, a tablesaw becomes a dovetail machine and every other machine that the user assumes he needs, and on and on with jigs and fixtures all designed to fill the interim until the guy can get the tool he covets. How can I not like all this? Well, despite the loud squealing, and mountains of dust, I actually do like a decent small router and a few jigs. But here's the problem....it wouldn't take 1/3rd the effort expended, 1/10th of the creative energy, and probably about the same or less cost, to achieve better results by forgetting about both the clever inventions and the proper machines they are intended to replace or postpone. Just simply and deliberately learn the actual hand skill required and acquire the few and modest hand tools needed for the task. You want nice through dovetails? Then get a little saw, a vise or some clamps, a chisel and a pencil and get to it. What is it about that which makes so many reject and go the other way? What do they find so repulsive in the simplicity of that approach? Want more tools? Well follow those instructions first, and then we'll find or make any tools you want such as a marking gauge, knife, etc etc. And we'll find you some more nice chisels in several sizes as well. What is so repulsive about this to so many guys? Mind you, I'm talking to a million men not making a dime from the craft but supposedly doing it for a "hobby". Mind you, I am also talking to a million guys who love reproducing a period piece, but care nothing for the period it came from! Just imagine such a mindset! Again, to my question, what is repulsive about the simplicity I speak of?
You can't tell but I paused a long time to let them answer. What I heard them say is all manner of excuses and perplexing arguments: "Hand work is for fools", "doing it by hand is antiquated and old fashioned" , or another says..."Hand work isn't up to today's standards" . Or they say "doing it by hand is too much work!" "doing it by hand takes too long" It goes on and on and on. Not an honest one in the bunch... except two sheepish fellows way in the back who quietly say two different statements that are linked in a way. The one says "I am a commercial guy,... I have to make a living if I can, and I can't do very many things by hand, but I sure wish I could.... I look all the time for ways I can incorporate hand work and still make my margin or increase the value of the item" The other fellow says this "my hand skill isn't too good, but I would like to learn , ...would you show me how?" I can accept gladly these two guys. A third guy I have in mind is barely tolerable, but I guess I have no choice. He says "what I do is for my own pleasure and I like machinery, so leave me alone and shut up!" I say to him: Ok, fine....make sure you have on your safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs, dust mask, head covering, proper clothing, goggles, facemask, safety toe shoes, and cell phone just in case. Oh, and don't forget to put all blade guards back in place because they were "removed for clarity."
*addendum 1: Early on in this essay, I am asserting that I am confounded and disgusted with changes to the world I know, and work in, just in my lifetime. There is a certain vagueness that appears to me as I read that, and I am assuming older readers know exactly the kinds of things I'm alluding to, but younger readers may not. Young readers up to say the age of late thirties, may be puzzled as to what I could possibly be ranting about. If that is you, consider for example the following facts to add context to my assertion:
My memory is strong and accurate as far back as the late '60s, and in my midwestern US experience I have seen the following in just the last 20 years...
1. Gasoline and Diesel fuel quadrupled in price, 92 cents in Mar '99 up to $4 in 2013 ( way back in '69 it was 30 cents!) The price has dipped lately but we've been promised a big rise later on.
2. Other energy costs tripled in price,
3. Lumber has remained stable, but cabinet grade sheet goods are about 30% higher and all other bldg materials have quadrupled, In 1982 nearly any tool I could buy in the US was US made. By 1992, that would be more like 50% of the tools would be US made, and now, nearly any tool I buy is NOT US made. The tool from 82 (or '92) costed less and was made better compared to now.
4. From 22 years ago until now, my wage in the const industry has been essentially frozen... and back then I got good health insurance provided, company truck and fuel, and other benefits. I earned $22/hour in 1992 and earned 23/hr in 2008, with no benefits and a struggle to get even legit mileage reimbursement. The taxes on the later earnings compared to early '90s were in many categories double. I kept alot more of the paycheck in '92 and dramatically more back in '82! In '86 I bought a new ford ranger for 8k. Try to find a good used one today for about 5-6k. I have not bought a new vehicle since 1991 for myself, currently borrow a vehicle for work, and the last new car for my wife was a leased minivan in 1999.
5. From the mid to late '90s until now food prices have quadrupled. So if you look at a frozen wage/earnings in light of the income actually buying 1/3rd to 1/4th of what it used to buy, we've been squeezed from both ends!
6. In companies I worked for in the '90s a worker might be rewarded with some paid time off or cash bonus. Lately the only rewards of any kind are your photo for 'employee of the month" on the website, or the possibility of getting a little overtime!
7. In as recent as '97, my portion of health insurance cost in my pay was $71 dollars a month and it was great insurance that really helped a guy with wife and kids. At present, I haven't even had health insurance for over 8 years and during times of self employment there's absolutely no way to afford it. Many times you would assume I qualified for medicaid, but actually the rules only allowed for some of my children to be covered,intermittently, and they skunked me and my wife because my income was just a tad too high. ( and I dared not accept the rare opportunity for overtime, though I desperately needed the money, because it would tip the balance in my income and cause me to loose medicaid on my children, including a special-needs child that needs coverage the most). Now don't think for a minute I support Obamacare, because I don't. The US healthcare insurance/care cost&delivery system is BROKEN, and Obamacare will only make it worse in my judgment and understanding of the complexities of the situation.
8. The facts I'm stating here are just a tiny slice of the total rotten pie, and I am mostly mentioning something usually called INFLATION, but is more accurately called DEVALUATION OF OUR CURRENCY chiefly done by a central bank called the Federal Reserve System, which has secret, private ownership over the issuance of our currency, that is, our currency has not been controlled by the US citizenry via elected representation (as required by the original US Constitution) since 1913. The so called "gold standard" ended shortly thereafter by 1933, but wasn't complete until two more events, the silver legislation ending silver after 1964 and the conflict with France over gold in 1971 during the Nixon administration. If you want to talk devaluation of currency, consider that a nickel bought in 1912 what a dollar bought in 2012! And whatever that 5 cent item they bought in 1912 was, it was undoubtedly US made, tasted better, lasted longer, looked nicer, worked better, and benefitted our homeland more, than the "comparable" item bought in 2012! Here again, I'm talking about "inflation", but I could as easily be talking other problems in our land such as : IMMIGRATION ABUSE, NARCOTIC AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE/PUSHING, CONSTANT ATTEMPT TO DISARM U.S. CITIZENS WITH GUN CONTROL LAWS, DETERIORATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION (we're 26th in the world folks! and we historically were 1st or 2nd), 51 MILLION BABIES ABORTED SINCE 1973, THE EMBRACING OF ISLAM AND OTHER FOREIGN RELIGIONS AND CULTURES WITH ATTENDING REJECTION OF OUR HISTORIC JUDAEO/CHRISTIAN CULTURE & VIEWPOINT, RISE OF LEGALIZED PUBLIC GAMBLING AND ATTENDING RISE OF NUMEROUS CRIME SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL DISEASES SUCH AS BANKRUPTCY AND DIVORCE, PORNOGRAPHY ADDICTION OF 20-30% OF ALL U.S. MALES AGE 15-45, GAY/LESBIAN AND MANY OTHER ACTIVIST MINORITY GROUPS THAT ARE SEIZING MAJOR CENTERS OF CULTURE WHETHER RELIGIOUS, CIVIL, JUDICIAL, EDUCATIONAL, OR POLITICAL CENTERS OF POWER THROUGHOUT THE U.S. ....Am I done, well I could go on to other things such as abolition of posse comitatus, loss of constitutional right to security in your person, papers and property, loss of general property rights and usage of property, Loss of right to due process if the gov't labels you a terrorist, loss of privacy rights, misuse of IRS power and abuses aimed at individuals and organizations if they oppose the gov't, voter fraud and criminal vote tampering in every U.S. major election of senators, reps, and presidents since 1948, well documented as far back as the Box 13 scandal with LBJ for Texas senator. If I haven't convinced you by now with these notes that the world we know in the USA is CHANGED AND CHANGING MORE, and not for the better, then I don't know what you need to read or see to agree.
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