A Charming Film About Furniture

I came across this on the interwebs... very charming, and well done.

Yet another seredipidous quote

"It would be about time for folks at Harvard's Project Zero, the brainchild of Howard Gardner, to take an interest in the maker culture and in what making does to the mind and character of a child. They've done so in this article: Harvard Wants to Know: How Does the Act of Making Shape Kids’ Brains? Harvard most often takes interest in things when they've been invented by Harvard, or when the overwhelming evidence sweeps their minds into a corner. Howard Gardner in Project Zero came up with the idea of multiple intelligences, which would have been a thing any machinist or wood worker would have understood beforehand, hands down, and could have told about if asked. Still the idea of multiple intelligences can help us to be more cognizant of the value of doing real things. In the wood shop, a craftsman uses musical intelligence as he or she listens to the application of tool to wood, whether that tool is powered by hand or by the grid. The craftsman uses math, connection to culture, sense of partnership with others, sense of one's own body, and each and every known form of intellect specifically identified by Gardner, but without it having to be prescribed and identified. I think one term that Harvard would have trouble identifying would be the academic dumbass. We are diminished in character and in intellect when our hands are stilled. Put a man solely behind a desk, or at a lectern and without great effort to overcome his natural proclivities he will become out of touch. One of the precepts of Educational Sloyd was the movement in learning from the concrete to the abstract. But reality does not lose its meaning for the intellect once it has escaped into abstraction. Like a humming bird returning to the feeder, an active mind returns again and again to what's happening in the real world. That is why students and professors at all levels and in all disciplines should be making things (even unrelated to their fields of study) and engaged in field work and application of what they are in the process of learning to real life. Real life is not administered in doses, prescribed for specialties of learning and intelligence, as in Gardner's work. The failure of the multiple intelligences theory to be utilized in modern education results from the difficulty and complexity that each teacher faces in taking time to prescribe lessons personalized for the smarts of each child. The next thing of course for Harvard might be for Howard Gardner to discover a new form of human intelligence we can call, Maker Smart. The only thing is, however, maker smarts is not really a separate form any more than any of the others are, but rather, the summation of all other forms of human intelligence. There is a simple solution to the problem of education and the recognition of all forms of human intellect. Ask our students and teachers to do real things. Making things in a wood shop may be the best place to start." From "Wisdom of the Hands", the blog of Doug Stowe

'Nother quote

Another quote from Doug Stowe: "As we become a nation of well entertained nincompoops, many may never know the pleasure of having made something beautiful and useful of their own design with their own hands. I can't think that would be a very good thing. In fact, shameful, me thinks."

`Nother Quote

Don't know who he is, but I came across this quote today.... I like it:

“A test of what is real is that it is hard and rough. Joys are found in it, not pleasure. What is pleasant belongs to dreams.”

Simone Weil

Another interesting quote

"...These are questions I continually mull over myself, puzzling the connections between culture and the material objects it produces, and the approach to workmanship bound up in the choices made. Why, for instance, is North American culture so preoccupied with producing mountains of crap, and almost nothing of lasting value for future generations to appreciate? Don't we care about our kids, and their kids? Why, despite the fabulous quantities and qualities of materials and products available here, is the quality of work done upon them often so abysmal, and how is it that cheap prices have come to trump almost every other concern in consumer's minds?..."

From Chris Hall's Blog "The Carpentry Way"

Another quote from Paul Sellers

Seems he's got a lot of good to say lately:

"Yesterday I found myself in a group of people from mixed backgrounds: An MP and his wife and daughter, a clothes designer/manufacturer and his wife and daughter a retired dentist and his friend, also a retired dentist. I began asking a question I ask many people at least once a day. What did it take for two of the most productive nations on the face of the earth to relinquish their titles as industrial powers manufacturing all they needed to thrive and become totally consumerist? I mean take a look at all you buy, walk in, walk on, look at, look through, pack in, unpack. Everything you are standing on and wearing , from the soles of your feet to the very tippy-top of your head was made on another continent and we sold the equipment, designs and techniques and technologies that make that possible. Moreover, we sold our children’s birthright to work creatively and put them on the dole (unemployment benefit). Until we answer this and recognise the failed governance of our economy and education of young people we cannot really move forward."

Found here: http://paulsellers.com/2011/10/sometimes-i-panic/

Holy Weirdness

Sorry for letting other people talk so much lately, but they just say it better. Here's another one, from Church of the Beloved:

Holy Weirdness

A quote from Paul Sellers

"Someone once told me that I could never compete with Walmart and Ikea. I asked, “How so?” They answered that the prices were so low I could never produce my work as cheaply as theirs. “Well,” I said, “Surely competition depends on the rules of how you compete and the fact that before the race begins all competitors are fully appraised of and agree with the rules.” The man agreed. I went on. The assumption here is that I want to produce cheaper priced products so as to become a mass maker to supply cheap goods in a store like Walmart or Ikea. The reality of course is that I would never ever want to do such a thing, no matter how much money I might make. Further more, the truth is that Walmart and Ikea cannot compete with me. Neither of these companies could ever produce hand made furniture for the White House Permanent Collection, or have their designs in President Bush’s or Senator Phil Gramm’s home. They couldn’t make the first wall shelf I made for my mum and dad back in 1963 and neither could they make my son and daughter in law’s walnut bed and bedside tables as their wedding present. How could they ever compete with my making my daughter’s rocking chair and my five grandchildren’s dovetailed boxes with their names carved in the lids. I feel sorry for my competition. They never ever win. They just make money."

- from blog post "Competing with Walmart and Ikea" by Paul Sellers

Latest Project Completed

Here's a pic of my latest project, I'll have more info coming, for now please enjoy the picture:

"The Moral Implications of Craftsmanship"

"We tend to think of organized religions as the source of human morality, and yet, the crafting of an object is an expression of moral structure that likely predates any commandment or moral precept. Objects are made with care or they are not. Objects are made with an eye toward useful beauty, or they are not. Objects are made to last, or they are not. If we were truly concerned about building a society in which people care for each other, there is no better way than to engage our children in craftsmanship."

-Doug Stowe

This made me think.

New Toy

Well, after a fair bit of work, it's finally done! My newest toy:



This is my efforts reporducing an 1959 Fender Deluxe guitar amp. This amp is revered by many as being a "tone machine", and I would agree. My guitar has never sounded so good. I procured the amp in kit form from Trinity Amps along with a Tone Tubby 12" Alnico speaker. The circuit board needed to be populated, all the components soldered into place, and installed into the chassis. The kit was first rate, and that part went fairly fast. Then I needed to build the cabinet. That part was a little more involved because that was my own design. But it went reasonable well. The finish is one that I borrowed from Peter Galbert who writes the Chair Notes Blog.

Here's a few more pics:

Are you afraid of heights?

Here's a neat little video of a repairman climbing a radio tower. Now here's the thing, I like climbing. I like heights. This made me feel queezy.

I'm serious, I started feeling dizzy. I'd like to say "Sure, lemme at it, I'll do it!" But watching the video, I'm not so sure.

A New Toy

Hey, here's my newest toy. I built it over the past few days, bit by bit. It came in kit form, from Trinity Amps in Toronto. It's a clone of the '57 Fender Deluxe guitar amp. Now all that's left to do is to build a cabinet for it to be in. But for now, testing is more or less complete, and I love the tone. Here's the pics:







Please ignore the mess, remember, I was working. I love the pic of the tubes glowing... ahhhhhhhhh.

A Message to the General Public

Before things get moving a little too fast, and before I get to this too late... I'd like to take this opportunity to say to anyone that happens to read this blog:

Merry Christmas!
God Bless you as you spend time with loved ones.

Cool Video

Here's a cool little video. The song is good, but the animation is fan-diddly-tastic. The style is called Kinnetic Typography, and the guy who did it does it really well. Like I said, it's fan-diddly-tastic.

Awareness Test

Great little test to see if you can count.

OK, take a look at this...

Usually, there are few things that have my jaw drop to the floor. The following link had me picking up my jaw. I really enjoy woodworking. A major watershed moment for me was when I finally got a hand plane tuned up nicely that it was enjoyable to work with. I mean, I really like hand planing, it's a good thing. But if you follow the link and watch the video that was posted in the Benchcrafted Blog, what can I say? Amazing, simply amazing. If you have ever used a hand plane, you'll understand what I mean when you see the video.

http://benchcrafted.blogspot.com/2010/03/effortless-workholding-meets-effortless.html

Modern Trappers

How I ever missed the original episode, I'm not sure. But I'm glad I finally found this online:

An Update

So, it's been a while hasn't it. I might as well update you on what's been keeping me busy. Well, I suppose that there's been a lot. Early last year, I ended up taking up a new hobby of sorts. It's something I've wanted to try for a long time, since I was a kid really. I've taken up fly fishing, and I must say I really enjoy it. Not only that, but I'm catching more fish too! When I was a kid, I'd spend most of my summers fishing. This fly fishing thing is really cool though. The scientific approach, the skill, the presentation. Everything is just more involved, and I find that it's almost a form of meditation. You're so focused on what you're doing, you're not thinking about much else. It's relaxing. I might post some more about this later.

The next thing? Well well, which one to choose? Well, ok, it's time to quote the title of one of my favorite films: "And now for something completely different!" This past fall, our church was going to have a missions emphasis service and the plan was to have everyone dress in the national dress of your heritage. Now here's the thing, I don't have any traditional Estonian clothes. But there was one guy at our church that I really wanted to encourage to dress in his own dress... almost literally, he's from Scotland. He said he'd only get and wear a kilt if he wasn't the only one. So, I got this ready:

 

 Yup, that's me, clean shaven (not something that happens often at all) and in a kilt. Now, for those wondering how I can get away with this, not being Scottish and all. The tartan is the Provincial Tartan for Ontario, and since I was born in Ontario, it's all OK. BTW, the hose (yeah, I know, great name for socks, but when wearing a kilt, they are called hose) were knit for my by the dearest and loveliest wife. Her skills still amaze me. You may have noticed that I mentioned that I got this ready, and I really mean that. From measuring, laying out the pleats, ironing them in, sewing them in, setting the rise, fell, and taper, all of it done by myself. I have made myself a kilt. And dare I say, I am rather pleased with myself. Now since these pics were taken, I have made some adjustments and fixed a few things I wasn't happy with, but as of now, it's a mighty fine kilt if I do say so myself. So there.

Now some may know that I have a fondness for woodworking. I fact, the reason I'm working where I do, was to try to increase my skills so that one day I could possibly open my own little one man shop. I'd really love to do that. But for now, I tinker at home. Oh, part of the other news, we moved into our own house. Yup, we bought a house. It's not large, but it is comfortable. It has a nice yard that needs some work, but it is ours. Since the move, the garage has been the catch-all for everything as we've been unpacking. My plan was that this would be my little shop. But I'm realizing that I must still share that space with the usual garage stuff. I was hoping to have lots of room for some nice power tools, but alas. So I began a search for information on how to get by on less (seems like a global theme lately, doesn't it?). My search led me to people who do woodworking with only hand tools. And I don't mean skilsaws and cordless drills. I mean good old hand planes, drill braces, dovetail saws, and lots of chisels. My interest was piqued. One person I found, and whose blog I really enjoy, is Tom Fidgen. He's a boatbuilder and cabinetmaker from Cape Breton. Recently he moved to Toronto, and in doing so had to decide how much of his woodworking shop to bring. Bringing all the power tools (table saw, band saw, drill press, jointer, planer, etc...) would be a huge effort. So he made the decision to become a hand tool only guy. He now makes a living building custom furniture only with hand tools. Recently he was appoached to write a book on hand tool use, which was released this past November. I ordered a copy of "Made by Hand" as a birthday present for myself. Great book, really great book. Very inspiring to say the least.

Anyhow, the point is, that I can save a lot of space, and money, by not buying power tools. Some may say that hand tools take too long, but really, when you factor in the time it takes to set up the tools so that they are cutting accurately you only save time when you are doing production work. If you only make one piece at a time, then hand tools are actually faster, cleaner (no dust, only shavings), and can be just as accurate if you are careful. I'm very interested in learning more and improving my skills. There is something very intimate, romantic, even adventurous about working wood by hand. I'll try to keep you updated on this.

I'll have more to post later, but this shall be a good start, I hope.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I remembered I had a blog once, then I looked it up, and I realized, it's been a year since I've posted anything.

A whole year.

One whole year.

Hmmmmm.

I'll have to start thinking of things to post.

Mind you, I have no idea if anyone still follows this thing or not. Maybe posting things was superfluous and unnecessary. But it was almost like having fun. Ok, I should be posting things. Back at it then... I suppose.

Please stay tuned... hopefully for not too long.