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"The art of craftsmanship..."

John from NY

Aluminum
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Location
Queens, New York
I attend the "Cabin Fever" metalworking expos every year... It is a gathering place for people who love all types of metalworking. There is a dealer who sets up a table that sells only FILES, every type from Needle to Bastard in every size, cut and shape. No Chinese or low end stuff only quality files at a reasonable price. Everytime I go to the show I stop at his table and just watch the people that congregate around his table. File-guys are a different type of craftsman, people that work with files need to have a more personal contact with their project. Machines are wonderful but the reward is not as great when the risk is not there. I once attended a seminar where I was told the most wonderful quote- "THE ART OF CRAFTSMANSHIP IS THE ELIMINATION OF RISK" I was blown away by that quote and never forgot it. However, the level of risk that we allow ourselves can add great satisfaction to our projects. Do you agree? =)
 
My grandfather was a Craftsman. He built his own house. It started out as a garage. Over time he raised it and then added a third stroy. He raised 3 kids in that house and my grandmother still lives there. I watched him "trim" stuff out and cutting mitres and then "handworking" them in with sandpaper. every thing was done by hand. his wood shop was about the size of my bathroom but he would turn out games for the kids, a wooden car with a gas engine for his son (it was big enough for my uncle jack to ride up and down the alley), he made boats, you name it. The man could build anything. Taught me how to lay out a foundation. When he built my fathers garage it had to be parallel to the main house about 200 foot away. We laid out strings and made parallel lines. Probably one of the squarest foundations in Georgia. He gave me my first mic when I was in jr. high school. Before he passed away he would "vacation" with my dad and always had to build something. The last few years he would vacation at my place and work in the cabinet shop. The things he taught me over the years. The last house I built I used a Brunson transit to lay out the foundation. It was flat within .005", drove the carpenters NUTS.

Not only was he a carpenter, in his "real" job he was a tool and die maker. Off time he was carpernter, cabinet maker, electrician, plumber, root beer maker, toy designer, and Lionel nut. He is my definition of a craftsman.
 
I think you got it exactly backwards.
The elimination of Risk is what you get when you program a part into a computer, have a robot load the bar, a CNC mill run the piece, and another robot unload it.

What makes Craftsmanship is the element of Risk.

In fact, there is a great book, which I think anyone who aspires towards craftsmanship should read, entitled "The Nature and Art of Workmanship" by David Pye, that is sort of about the philosophy of craftsmanship.
In it, he states that the element of risk of screwing up the piece actually makes the work better.
Basically this applies to hand crafts, as opposed to machine produced objects.

He says it much better than I can, but his point is that a true craftsman always runs the risk of screwing the piece up, but doesnt, due to skill, experience, and eye.
He thinks that objects that are manufactured in ways that have no risk, like injection molding, are inherently more boring and less soulful.
 
This man adds all those elements mentioned to his complete advantage and redefines craftsmanship. I'm always gobsmacked by his work, fascinating to no end.

The little bitty toolbox

search more of his posts in order to define craftsmanship more fully, you cannot fail to be amazed
 
"THE ART OF CRAFTSMANSHIP IS THE ELIMINATION OF RISK"

I have to add 2 silly little stories on the subject.....

One day I was talking to a stone carver friend of mine.... he had just finished working on the "creation" sculpture over the the front door of the National Cathedral in Washington DC

see below....

anyway I asked what happens if you break off a finger on the extended hand of this thing... remember this is carved from a VERY big chunk of stone.... his answer was "YOU DON'T!"

another time I was having dinner with a well known very fine craftsman and a surgeon friend of ours and the discussion was about what happens when you cut a little too deep or cut off the the end of something..... the surgeon was thinking we (the craftsman) had to be the most concerned.... we were thinking he had to be more skilled..... his response was to the effect... a little slip.. no problem... Tissue Grows!!!!

Sorry for the long link... can someone tell me how to make it shorter please... I tried something once but never could get it to work. Thanks in advance.
 
From "The Nature and Art of Workmanship" by David Pye:
"If I must ascribe a meaning to the word craftsmanship, I shall say as a first approximation that it means simply workmanship using any kind of technique or apparatus, in which the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on the judgement, dexterity, and care which the maker exercises as he works. The essential idea is that the quality of the result is continuously at risk during the process of making; and so I shall call this kind of workmanship 'the workmanship of risk": an uncouth phrase, but at least descriptive."

Mr. Pye goes on to describe the workmanship of certainty "always to be found in quantity production" This seems to be what John's file guy is describing.

Stu Miller

p.s. craftsmanship of risk pretty much describes my shopwork.
 








 
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