Pro vs Hobbyist Furniture Makers

[Patrick Olguin]

I dunno that I can separate the sizzle from the steak. That is, the attributes of a particular project and the customer's views on them are all part of a continuum that makes it desirable. For myself, when I'm doing something commissioned, I do what meets the customer's requirements. If I exceed them, it's at my own volition. For my own personal stuff, the entire thing is of my own volition and so I do what I damn well please.

In one of my other professional venues, I work with musicians of all kinds of levels, and believe me - a great many have work-related toys that have nothing whatsoever to do with said toy's profitability and everything to do with what pleasure the tool/instrument/what-have-you gives the user in the course of his/her work.

The accomplished professional can do whatever it is the customer requires, and still keep the lights on.

O'Deen

[Buttonhole McGee]

I wonder if I can get Mrs. McGee to cross-stitch me a copy of this for the car hole^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H shop?

Nicely done, Tom.

"[W]ho but thou could be the workmaster of such wonders?"

-Augustine, Confessions, 9.6.14

[Andy Dingley]

The Pro makes six at a time, even if they've only sold two so far.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Mike]

True, but they might have reserved their hammers only for carpentry work. But that wasn't really my point. I have no aversion to nails/brads and such, as long as that's the best technique to use. By "best" I mean the technique that is the best compromise between quality and ease of implementation.

I live in the land of shiny-and-new-is-better (aka SoCal) so my exposure to antiques is limited. But, of the antiques I've seen, the parts that were nailed together are usually the parts that are loose

100 years later. That's based on limited exposure so I don't mean it to sound like it's a rule of thumb, especially since you can fit all that I know about antiques in a thimble.

I think a similar thing happened to Bob Dylan so you're in pretty good company.

Good advice; but some of those stiff necks know a heck of a lot more than me about crafting things from wood so I'll keep listening but will not take anything as being written in stone.

Cheers, Mike