What a beautiful commentary on that unspoken satisfaction of making something beautiful with your hands. I’ve experienced it with landscaping, and I’m just starting my hand to would work in journey. I am fascinated and enamored of the philosophy of hand to woodworkers, especially from you, Mr. Schwartz. Thank you for doing what you do.
I don't have to have very much money to take a chance on a $4 beer (or $10), but when the thing cost $60, and I'm already wondering if I can afford it, taking a chance on $240 (or $600) isn't even possible. I'm not sure that knowing the value of a thing is going to be enough to help with this problem.
I think the push "in the right direction" that Hayward references is slower than what you are talking about. It's not so much about the typical homeowner suddenly deciding to furnish their dining room with a set of $1500 chairs. Today, I think it looks more like choosing the $60 handmade walnut and maple cutting board rather than the $8 bamboo board from the supermarket.
In the context of furniture, it might be choosing the simpler piece made of solid wood (but still industrially produced) rather than the more ornate piece made of MDF and veneer. I think those sorts of decisions are evidence of the public gravitating in the right direction, even if they don't have the means to get what they really want.
Great article. Inspiring and thoughtful. I do have a question. Where is the location where these well crafted objects can meet their purchaser. There are a few companies that make lovely furniture (they use machines) and sell it through their own outlets (Thos Moser comes to mind). But Moser has a very large production and a low cost location to build it and a distribution channel he owns.
I knew a few makers of high end custom furniture. Their sales channel was word of mouth and customers in SF would visit their SF shop to see examples and discuss the project. There are no longer any woodworking shops in SF, the real estate is too expensive and producing spec pieces to sit in the very few retail locations that would give space to such objects is too expensive (time and labor and material) for many (most) woodworkers to support.
I've looked at pieces written up on Craigslist but pictures don't tell the full story and driving an hour to a location in Modesto to see a piece that might be what I'm looking for but is likely not very good seems like a low return investment of my time.
Maybe there are places where a small (very small) furniture craftsperson can show their work but I'm unlikely to buy a stick chair off the web unless I know more, much more, about the builder.
Maybe there is a sweet spot where makers who live in low cost locations can show their work to people in high income locations but I'm not sure how that infrastructure can be developed.
Or maybe everyone just needs to stop buying shit at Ikea and save up for a great piece of work.
I don't have an answer but it seems like a problem that needs a solution.
The route between the makers and buyers is something that grows with the population of makers. So what you're seeking is probably more apparent in regions that are more densely populated with furniture makers. I am imagining something like the pre-internet music industry, where country musicians would gravitate to Nashville, punk bands went to Gainesville, grunge bands went to Seattle, etc to connect with "the scene". The record labels would send their agents to a particular place to look for a particular type of act. This is why it's so important to encourage more people to get into it. As the "industry" grows, the community around it will be more responsive to it.
I suspect that the most practical route these days might look something like the cottage industry from right before the industrial revolution. One company becomes a big name that people go to for merchandise, but they subcontract the work to a variety of local shops to get it all done. I think Vermont Woods Studios might be one example of that today, but I'm not sure.
"Time and opportunity are on our side. What we most need is the will."
I love that part. It might not always feel like time is on my side, but where there's a will, there's a way.
From which book is that first diagram of the garden shed taken?
This is regarding the comment about spending as much time on the last 5% as the first 95%.
In the kit / amateur built aircraft community, there is an often used phrase “90% done, 90% to go”. I often feel this way about many projects.
Also heard in the software world.
Hah, I like that!
What a beautiful commentary on that unspoken satisfaction of making something beautiful with your hands. I’ve experienced it with landscaping, and I’m just starting my hand to would work in journey. I am fascinated and enamored of the philosophy of hand to woodworkers, especially from you, Mr. Schwartz. Thank you for doing what you do.
Things change. The market for microbrew beer has become oversaturated. Around here, at least. Many have been closing.
I don't have to have very much money to take a chance on a $4 beer (or $10), but when the thing cost $60, and I'm already wondering if I can afford it, taking a chance on $240 (or $600) isn't even possible. I'm not sure that knowing the value of a thing is going to be enough to help with this problem.
I think the push "in the right direction" that Hayward references is slower than what you are talking about. It's not so much about the typical homeowner suddenly deciding to furnish their dining room with a set of $1500 chairs. Today, I think it looks more like choosing the $60 handmade walnut and maple cutting board rather than the $8 bamboo board from the supermarket.
In the context of furniture, it might be choosing the simpler piece made of solid wood (but still industrially produced) rather than the more ornate piece made of MDF and veneer. I think those sorts of decisions are evidence of the public gravitating in the right direction, even if they don't have the means to get what they really want.
Truly excellent essay! And so timely!
Screw the squid overloads!!! We will never surrender!!
We haven't even dealt with our lizard overlords...
I can also get on board with this...
Great article. Inspiring and thoughtful. I do have a question. Where is the location where these well crafted objects can meet their purchaser. There are a few companies that make lovely furniture (they use machines) and sell it through their own outlets (Thos Moser comes to mind). But Moser has a very large production and a low cost location to build it and a distribution channel he owns.
I knew a few makers of high end custom furniture. Their sales channel was word of mouth and customers in SF would visit their SF shop to see examples and discuss the project. There are no longer any woodworking shops in SF, the real estate is too expensive and producing spec pieces to sit in the very few retail locations that would give space to such objects is too expensive (time and labor and material) for many (most) woodworkers to support.
I've looked at pieces written up on Craigslist but pictures don't tell the full story and driving an hour to a location in Modesto to see a piece that might be what I'm looking for but is likely not very good seems like a low return investment of my time.
Maybe there are places where a small (very small) furniture craftsperson can show their work but I'm unlikely to buy a stick chair off the web unless I know more, much more, about the builder.
Maybe there is a sweet spot where makers who live in low cost locations can show their work to people in high income locations but I'm not sure how that infrastructure can be developed.
Or maybe everyone just needs to stop buying shit at Ikea and save up for a great piece of work.
I don't have an answer but it seems like a problem that needs a solution.
The route between the makers and buyers is something that grows with the population of makers. So what you're seeking is probably more apparent in regions that are more densely populated with furniture makers. I am imagining something like the pre-internet music industry, where country musicians would gravitate to Nashville, punk bands went to Gainesville, grunge bands went to Seattle, etc to connect with "the scene". The record labels would send their agents to a particular place to look for a particular type of act. This is why it's so important to encourage more people to get into it. As the "industry" grows, the community around it will be more responsive to it.
I suspect that the most practical route these days might look something like the cottage industry from right before the industrial revolution. One company becomes a big name that people go to for merchandise, but they subcontract the work to a variety of local shops to get it all done. I think Vermont Woods Studios might be one example of that today, but I'm not sure.