I see the troll "Man In The Doorway" aka "Dump In The Doorway" is back from a several year hiatus. You should have stayed away. I'll respond anyway.
None of that. I think we just like to make things.
When I buy tools I expect them to work well, for as long as I care to own them. B&D and Craftsman usually don't fit those requirements. I've had several Craftsman power tools go up in smoke during use.
Who cares what others think? I build for my satisfaction. And to have things that fit my particular need/use or are simply not built commercially because a market for such a thing is too small for any manufacturer to build one.
I've owned enough Black and Decker power tools to never buy another one. They don't last, even under hobby use. (I won't buy any more Craftsman power tools, either, because they always seem to have non-standard sized accessories.) I'm going to try it the other way for awhile and see how it goes. So far my Porter Cable and DeWalt tools are doing the job, but it's too early to pass judgement on them.
I think it's ignorance, not insecurity that drives me to buy tools I don't have a use for. I start out thinking I'll use them, find out that they don't do the job I'd hope they'd do, and then they languish.
As for the projects, I make what I can't buy (i.e. custom jobs), or can't afford to buy. Even after paying for the tools and wood, for large scale items it's definitely cheaper to make than to buy (factoring out the time cost, of course). What I make fits, and I can service it myself if it needs fixing or changing.
One of the surgeons who did my latest hip replacement is a top amateur. When I first went to his office they parked me in a small conference room for a while. Room contained a really well constructed conference table which looked custom built. By the time he showed up I was on my hands an knees under the table looking at the joinery. He joined me to point out some of the problems he'd had and how he'd solved them. Right then I knew I had the right guy to do the hip.
I am a common woodworker. Come from a long line of them. You, on the other hand are not even a decent hobbyist woodworker. If you were, you'd understand what drives us very well. I had no problems with the father. Always love in daddy's hands. If I'm viewed as the alpha male by those around me it's simply because the quality and creativity of my work warrants that respect. That, and the desire to foster other woodworkers skills without downgrading their work. As far as being "non-intellectual blue collar common man" I think you better watch your mouth. Just because a man doesn't wear a suit and tie to work does not mean that he is non- intellectual. I gobble up books, magazines and other sources of information constantly. Although I cannot quote "great literary novels" or solve physic equations, I have no desire to. I instead chose to utilize what talents God has given me. I read about and learn what I know is valuable in my life, I have no time to waste on what I deem as useless information. Calluses on my hands are part of who I am, not something to show off to my friends. As far as being "insecure" I think YOU don't have a clue whatsoever. I am a professional carpenter and avid woodworker who makes a modest living and am quite happy with it. The only thing that would make me insecure in life is knowing that I have to rely on so many others to exist. If the world took a change for the worst today and money became worthless, I know I can survive with my skills and what I have here on my land. Moreover, my whole life's work cannot be summed up into a couple of files on a hard drive somewhere. What these calloused hands create will outlive me for generations. Whether I choose a Craftsman or Powermatic tool is irrevalent, as it is for any real woodworker. The proof is what the craftsman can do with that tool, how it complements his/her talents. Buying the most expensive tools -at least in your case- would be to show off how much money you have and not to complement your talents as a craftsman, as I suspect you really have none. If you have to question why someone would ever build their own furniture or etc, instead of buying it, you obviously have never tried creating anything you were proud of and enjoyed making.
Or maybe you did try....Maybe you thought you could make anything better than that "non-intellectual blue-collar common man " if you bought the best tools money can buy, and found out he could kick your ass with less expensive tools. Maybe you lack imagination. Maybe you lack common sense. Maybe you are the insecure non intellectual factor here.
"Man In The Doorway" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
What drives the common woodworker? A deeply suppressed desire to please
A desire to create something tangible. Why do some people learn to paint, or to draw, to play the piano, or to cook? It's the same thing.
(grunt grunt)
The thing wrong with most Craftsman and B&D tools is that they aren't very much cheaper than real tools, they are less effective, and they break a lot sooner.
Well, most of us don't get into woodworking because we aspire to build some butt-jointed, screwed together, MDF desk covered with cheap plastic laminate.
Sun, Oct 24, 2004, 1:44pm snipped-for-privacy@iosphere.net (Owen=A0Lawrence) says: I've owned enough Black and Decker power tools to never buy another one. They don't last, even under hobby use.
Damn, right, they don't last any time at all. Why my B&D sabre saw only lasted 25-26 years. Pitiful. And, my B&D 21-22 year old circular saw is probably gonna die any day now. Shameful. Not to mention my almost 30 years old B&D drill. Disgusting.
JOAT Eagles can soar ... but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
An intellectually conceited troll person who probably won't be able to learn anything from even the clearest responses (I'm inclined to agree with Sidney Lanier's observation that "Swinehood hath no remedy," but will suggest:
A desire to have or give something more beautiful and/or more functional (or both) than would otherwise be possible.
A desire to create - to convert a personal vision into reality; and by so doing to enrich one's own life and the lives of all others touched by that reality.
For the same reason that you don't own a Yugo. As with other products, experienced users recognize a spectrum of quality; and discover that higher quality products deliver the greatest amount of satisfaction.
You may not care what other people do - but your caring isn't particularly important. My SO is particularly pleased with her new light table (that masquerades as a living room end table when not in use) which allows her to trace her drawings onto fabric for quilting. Where would you buy such a thing (at /any/ price)?
Next time you're out shopping, take a gander at your options for heating systems and let me know what kind of prices you find on furnaces that come with a lifetime supply of free fuel. I doubt you'll find one for less than what it costs me to build one in my shop.
Sorry to hear that - you might build self-confidence and become more secure if you spent a bit of your leisure time creating a few useful and beautiful objects in your own workshop.
A 40 year old B&D drill will run forever. A 30 year old one will last for as long as you can get spare gearbox pinions. A 3 year old one is probably dead already.
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