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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2019 16:51:40 GMT -8
Good decision. too bad I'm in a different area, I'm a woodworker/finish carpenter by trade, and I think you've made the best possible decision. The trades are dying. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty anymore; but if they could experience what its like to really work with wood and make whatever, from a piece of art to a whole house, they might rethink what you can really do with your hands.
What you've done is help pass that treasured experience on, and thanks for doing that!
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Post by johntpenca on Sept 16, 2019 17:59:37 GMT -8
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Post by autumnmist on Sept 16, 2019 19:52:00 GMT -8
@va3pinner , I think it's also that people want something NOW as opposed to spending the time to make something. But I do agree that they don't want to get their hands dirty. They're missing the experience of seeing something turn into a beautiful work of art, or something very functional. Whether it's wood or metalworking, or fiber arts, there's an inherent pleasure and pride in creating something with one's own hands and skills. This has really inspired me to make plans to pursue something I wanted to do for years: learn marquetry and intarsia. This will be a present to me for eventually wrapping up the estate affairs. And thanks for sharing your insights. It's very comforting to know that the value and pleasure of hand made items are still meaningful to others as well. It offsets the attitude I've encountered of "just get rid of everything." johntpenca and others, thanks for your supportive thoughts as well. I spied something else I can use to treat myself today. Earlier this year I had a walnut tree cut down b/c it was right next to the house and the squirrels were using it as a freeway to get into the house. Today I saw that I missed another walnut tree - it wasn't leafed out during the earlier cut. And there are walnuts scattered all over the yard, as well as numerous squirrels although I didn't see any by the house. The squirrels need to find a new home, so that tree comes down. Even though it's small, it's very straight, enough to make some decorative plates. The earlier tree angled over, and I was told by the tree cutters as well as other woodworkers I had asked that it wasn't suitable for handwork. But this straighter tree is MINE, and it's going to end up as something decorative, sooner or later.
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Post by hikingtiger on Sept 17, 2019 9:12:06 GMT -8
people want something NOW as opposed to spending the time to make something. There's also an element of permanence, or rather, the lack of it. People don't seem to mind buying a coffee table now and then just tossing it when they get tired of it. I don't get to build much, but I intend on it surviving and being passed down.
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Post by autumnmist on Sept 17, 2019 12:29:59 GMT -8
hikingtiger , interesting observation. It reminds me of a grandfather clock my father had, actually passed down by his own grandfather. I don't have actual ancestral data, but I think this grandfather would have been born about the time of the Irish Potato Famine, and assuming he either made the clock or bought it, when he was in his 20's, it would be over 100 years old. This clock is DEFINITELY a keeper! There's another table with leather inserts and claw feet, but I don't have much information on it. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to get more information on these treasures when my father was still alive. I think the tradition lends itself to the concept of permanence, which to me strengthens the concept of family, and bonds me to people I never knew. You make a good observation on discardable items, one which I could never understand. Our approach has been to buy and use it as long as it's functional and will last, even if it's not popular any more. Some people scoff at this. I wonder if the whole concept of "tradition" will gradually fade out as younger generations change focus to more contemporary items. And suddenly I understand more about that song, in Fiddler on the Roof.
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