And the question is:
What makes a woodworker “good”?
I will leave it at that, go whichever way you like. I look forward to reading your responses.
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Replies
The good ones say please and thank you.
Thank you for asking.
Good Woodworker
If you mean: By what measure is one considered good at woodworking? I would say that when one's workmanship garners the respect of one's peers (other woodworkers).
If you mean: By what measure is a woodworker considered a good person? I would say that it's same measure you would use on any man, how closely does one follow the golden rule.
Bret
A very broad question indeed!
Chris:
Before asking what makes a woodworker good, you have to define what a woodworker is and what activities might be included.
With good computer drawing skills, it is possible to produce some really impressive carving using a CNC machine. Without this technology, this type of work would have been reserved for very experienced craftsmen.
Should we include design in the mix? Wonderful joinery with a beautiful finish won't compensate for an ugly design. Should we only look at the end result? Or consider the process used or the tools employed?
Not an easy question with today's technology.
Hastings
Considering design
Hastings,
If we include design...
If a client hands you a drawing of something hideous and asks you to make it and you make it to the highest tolerances as seen by anyone looking at it with a microscope, but anyone who stands back and looks at it would call it awful, can you not call yourself a good woodworker? You did your part - the design was out of your hands.
OR
Is it your responsibility (or even your place) to say that you won't build it because you don't like the design. Should a "good" woodworker only build what they feel is excellent?
Thank you for your thoughts,
If I can butt in, I think that's mostly a business decision. But, it breaks down into two parts. The customer's design can be hideous, as in ugly and lacking in aesthetic taste, or it can be dangerous or non-functional. The former you might not want to have your name associated with the result, but the latter you might have liability for injury or damages.
One can always decline a project or commission in a pleasant way (e.g. lie about being too busy). Some folks you just don't want to do business with, and that's your choice, your right.
Interesting question. "Good"
Interesting question. "Good" can be defined from many perspectives - customer satisfaction ("Oh, my. That's perfect!"), peer respect ("Yeah, that guy is good!"), wood politics (e.g. using only managed-forest materials) to name a few. Then, there are things like tool proficiency, production efficiency, safety, etc.
I have trouble doing enough to qualify as a woodworker, let alone trying to figure out if I'm "good" or not. ;-)
Good question.
To me there is only one measure. Are you happy with your work, have you gotten satisfaction from the process and result? If you are happy with your work it dosen't matter how others define "good", you are a good wood worker.
Doing it for yourself and only yourself
Good point. Who is to say that your work isn't good. What are their qualifications and justifications for saying that? And what are their standards - what is their perspective? Someone who has never bought a piece of furniture may well disagree with a furniture historian. In the end, it may well be the measure of what you get out of your work. But sometimes, that doesn't seem to be enough. I, for one, like to share and get reactions from others - either good or bad.
The best you can
A while back, after makeing a large dining table for a customer a friend of mine droped by to take a look at it. "WOW " he said "this must be your masterpiece it must be the best you've ever done". Well it made me feel good but does that make me good? But it did get me to thinking is this the best I've ever done? It wasn't very difficult to build except for being very large and hard to handle . But was it the "best" I don't know I've built smaller projects that I thought was quite nice and have received favoreable comments on. Does this make me "good". I have also seen projects that I know that I can't get close to. Does that make them "good"? I came to the conclusion that if you do the best you can on everything you do then everything you do is the best you've ever done.
ZABO
Levels of difficulty
Oh, this is great - so many different tangents and so much to think about!
ZABO,
I suppose that you could take a board and sand it for two hours til it is perfectly smooth with absolutely no imperfections. I think we'd be safe to assume most would call that a good job. But does it qualify you as a good woodworker? I say no. There is more (in most cases) to woodworking than smoothing a single surface. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, but the bubinga table I made in Phoenix was little more than a few days of sanding. Sure, I had the vision to carve the edges to follow the waterfall grain and did a good job of that and did a good job sanding it smooth. And the result was spectacular, if I may say so and it always draws the oohs and aahs. But does that project alone make me a good woodworker? I still say no. I was working in someone else's shop with their tools and in their scorching climate with a tight timeline and was still able to do a good job. But I still don't think that alone makes me a good woodworker. I am really happy with everything about the project and the concept still excites me. Still no. Of course, that's just me.
Competent, sure. Good... well... According to my thesaurus, competent and good mean the same thing. Jeez, I'm getting myself confused.
Chris,
Gosh now I'm confused. I thought iI had it all figured out but that's what I get for thinking. OW, I'm getting a brain cramp.
ZABO
Then it was good enough for who it was for....
"Good" is a relative term.
"Good" is a relative term. The more your scope of experience grows, the farther away "good" gets. It's that old adage, the more you know, the more you know how much you don't know. Getting good is a journey that never ends.
Where does "good" rate?
Or perhaps, the more practiced you get, the higher you shoot, and good no longer is enough - your work has to be very good, or stellar, or... pick your adjective. "Good" seems kind of plain sometimes, but other times is just what you want. I don't know how I'd feel if someone called my work "Grrrrreat!" (like a certain sugary cereal). Does word over-usage factor into how we perceive a word?
tired words
"Does word over-usage factor into how we perceive a word?"
Yes. Consider, "Awesome, dude!" ;-)
The words, adjectives mostly, just get tired after a while.
Hi Chis,
I think all woodworkers are good; some are just "gooder" than others.Ha!
Perry
There was a little girl, who had a little curl,
Right in the center of her forehead.
And when she was good, she was very, very, good,
But when she was bad, she was...better!
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