Thread: What does hand crafted mean ?

Originally Posted by meerkat

Hi all, just surfing and noticed the term "hand crafted".

Does this mean it was made by hand and no machines were used at all or some machines were used (thicknesser, router etc) during the process ?

Whats your view ?

The only meaningful message that the term 'hand-crafted' usually conveys is that the piece of advertising wherein the term appears was written by a marketing w@nker who is trying to convince you that the sloppy finish quality of the item in question is somehow worthwhile.

Or is that just my grumpy old bastard gene kicking in a little early this week?

I don't think it means no power tools, but generally take it to mean it was made as a one off. Stuff from a business pumping out furniture to meet catalog orders would not qualify as hand crafted, in my opinion, but a single piece designed and made by one person (maybe with a helper or two) would fit the bill.

Otherwise I doubt anything would qualify as hand crafted. Even ancient potters used a wheel

Tex

My dictionary says "to make something using manual skill"

I reckon it would apply to individual items made by one person using minimal machinery.

Originally Posted by meerkat

Hi all, just surfing and noticed the term "hand crafted".

Does this mean it was made by hand and no machines were used at all or some machines were used (thicknesser, router etc) during the process ?

Whats your view ?

I've seen it used for all manner of things.

Thing has many obvious structural flaws and a crap finish,
Thing was made as a one-of using only hand tools.
Thing was made by a mix of power and hand tools.
Thing was made entirely by a machine but a human hand touched it once during the manufacturing process.
Thing has no redeeming features or application and is being passed off as a piece of art by the marketing department who deem they can sell anything to anyone given a sufficiently large advertising budget and a couple of business trips to the sort of resort where people in fake tans hang around pools drinking rainbow coloured drinkings from glasses with umbrellas poking out the top - (the resort is soooo exclusive even the cocktail umbrellas are hand crafted).

Onya, Bob. I'm happy to see that it's not just my grumpy old bastard gene that has kicked in early.

Yep. My friends Ikea furniture is 'hand made' - screwed together with those one-shot driver things by hand, while the other hand held the piece in place....

And you are not too early with the grumps Driver

Just another ######## advertising word, that for some confusing reason makes some people go....' golly...well then it must be good ! ...I'll take 10 thanks.'

same as when a restaurant says home made - total bull shyte

A serious answer is probably the last thing wanted, but I think the term has, like many such terms, changed meaning over the years. Remember when Made in Japan meant c*@p goods and now it means high quality? Or when gay meant you were happy?

I think hand crafted was originally meant to differentiate it from machine made work when machines were less precise than the human craftsman. But now it often serves as an excuse, as many have said, for a lousy fit and finish. It probably still has some positive connotations for truly one-of-a-kind furniture or craft, but generally it is just another advertising term designed to fool the unwary.

I have seen ads for hand crafted beer (how do they do that :confused: ) and plenty of hand-crafted knicknacks that look like shyte.

"same as when a restaurant says home made - total bull shyte"
IMHO
I dont agree with that, why would my swmbo making some dish in a restaurant be any different than her making it at home?(she's a chef)
I think a dish in a decent restaurant would be more home made than most peoples cooking nowday's, as it's all to easy to grab a packet of base and just add a few things.
In a restaurant you'd expect your meal to be made from scratch, yes?

Originally Posted by Driver

Onya, Bob. I'm happy to see that it's not just my grumpy old bastard gene that has kicked in early.

Yeah - I'm feeling decidedly grumpy, first day back at work after a weeks break - ready to kick butt only had to line up and have mine kicked!

just passing on information ......

........if you make something using handtools or power tools, as long as you can never remake that piece exactly....IE the wood will have different grain/look than the original piece youré a wood-artist same as a painter.....

an item that is a "'one of " not mass produced.

I consider my woodwork to be hand made, even with the use of power tools I still have to hand measure, glue etc.

Ed & I once, tried to count how many times we handle the same piece of wood when making a bed, we stopped counting at about 27 times(each piece, from pick-up cut, sand, staining, glue, clamp, buffing, polishing ........

So yes, I would call my work hand made........I chose to use machines I dont have the time to sand by hand, or a blade that saws as fine. I guess you could even throw in the arguement if you use modern glue, compared to joining with out glues or using polish instead of shalac....where does it stop being handmade or assisted hand made....compared to manufactured.

Good question....interesting reading compents.....
Regards Kekemo

Hand Crafted means "I made it".... from scratch to finish. Not hanging parts or pushing buttons.

Home cooking means "Cooked the way Momma would have..."

Not a packaged deal or pre-prepared frozen delight.

I live down the road (down wind) from a plant that makes Flavors.... yes Flavors. The reason McDonalds Fries taste the way they do and no matter what country or place they all taste the same. Flavor added. (Man you should be here when they belch out Buttered Popcorn smell )
So I suspect Home Cooking could mean, flavors created in the cooking process, none added.

Means a human rather than a machine has stuffed the item into the box.

In any "ready to assemble" item - it means someone has counted out the screws/bolts/brackets and purposely left out some bits to prove it.