Jump to content

Thought Provoking


Gene Howe

Recommended Posts

7 minutes ago, difalkner said:

I'm glad I know how to do woodworking completely by hand but I'm also glad I have tools to make the job easier and quicker without sacrificing quality and the freedom to choose whichever method I deem best.

And, that's what it's all about.

I don't think he's suggesting that CNCs are not useful. I follow him on YouTube and, he uses a good many tools and templates that wouldn't be possible without a CNC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMO a pointless TED talk. Nothing is made by hand/hands alone. Hands are just one of the tools some humans use to fashion useful or decorative things with.  Everything made by humans is human-made.  Automation starts when we first realize we can make our hands do exactly what we are thinking.  We have automated those randomly flailing infant hands.  There is no creative difference between two original human-made things no matter how they are realized. Your hands may have pulled a saw back and forth, or moved a mouse back and forth to draw a toolpath to make the CNC move back and forth. I'll suggest that controlling the mouse and using the CAD/CAM software was a higher level skill than moving a saw through wood was. 

 

You can always truthfully claim  "You made that" if you are the human who instigated the realization of the final product from raw materials.

 

"Craftsman: a person who practices or is highly skilled in a craft; artisan."  states nothing about the process that craftsman uses to produce his/her fine product.   If you have added CNC processes to the repertoire of "tools" used to get from idea to finished piece then IMO you are an even MORE highly skilled craftsman.  

 

4D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in the 80's and early 90's when I had my furniture design and restoration business and would build things for people, I often heard two comments - 1) "This is perfect!"  I would tell them it was handmade.  2) "I can see slight differences between the left side and right side." I would tell them it was handmade.  In both cases they were satisfied and I must have said that 50 times over the 6 or 7 years I had my business. 

 

It may be cool to use a CNC, own a CNC, maybe even cooler that I built my own CNC, but in the end the finished piece needs to meet a certain level of craftsmanship, depending on the item, and as long as that is met the journey from tree to finished project may be interesting to some but is not relevant to most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

8 hours ago, 4DThinker said:

IMO a pointless TED talk. Nothing is made by hand/hands alone. Hands are just one of the tools some humans use to fashion useful or decorative things with.  Everything made by humans is human-made.  Automation starts when we first realize we can make our hands do exactly what we are thinking.  We have automated those randomly flailing infant hands.  There is no creative difference between two original human-made things no matter how they are realized. Your hands may have pulled a saw back and forth, or moved a mouse back and forth to draw a toolpath to make the CNC move back and forth. I'll suggest that controlling the mouse and using the CAD/CAM software was a higher level skill than moving a saw through wood was. 

 

You can always truthfully claim  "You made that" if you are the human who instigated the realization of the final product from raw materials.

 

"Craftsman: a person who practices or is highly skilled in a craft; artisan."  states nothing about the process that craftsman uses to produce his/her fine product.   If you have added CNC processes to the repertoire of "tools" used to get from idea to finished piece then IMO you are an even MORE highly skilled craftsman.  

 

4D

 

I hear what you are saying , do not agree when you say that technically inclined are more highly skilled. Tell that to the fellow from China, or India that several hundred years ago carved furniture that can not even today be equaled by a cnc machine with an Einstien brain running it.

Edited by Dadio
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not claiming that computer skills alone are enough to make a craftsman.  I'm stating that if a craftsman who already is very skilled adds a CNC to his shop and masters its use then he is now more skilled than he was before adding the CNC.    Much the same as we get more capable as we add any new skills to our repertoire.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, 4DThinker said:

I'm not claiming that computer skills alone are enough to make a craftsman.  I'm stating that if a craftsman who already is very skilled adds a CNC to his shop and masters its use then he is now more skilled than he was before adding the CNC.    Much the same as we get more capable as we add any new skills to our repertoire.   

He has just added the CNC skill and can do CNC work some of which can not be done by another skilled craftsman with ordinary woodworking tools. Maybe he HAS more skills, but he is not MORE skilled. IMHO.

I have lots of respect for the CNC woodworker, on the other hand I have more respect for the old guy who quit school in the 8th grade and can turn out the most beautiful furniture you can imagine using nothing but hand tools.

 

Herb

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My cancerous prostate was treated with a monstrous CNC laser called Cyberknife. It was precise and painless. Thanks to that technology, this old luddite can continue to muddle along, building stuff with my hands touching and yes, caressing every piece and lovingly guiding every tool.

The technicians who programmed and operated that Cyberknife equipment were undoubtedly highly skilled, thank God. But none of them even knew my name.  

Edited by Gene Howe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...