Thread: "Hand crafted" semantics?

Originally Posted by Wongo

For those who uses hand tools only, do they light a candle in the shed or do they just switch it on like the rest of us?

I guess it's all relative, in 50 years, what we're producing now with CNC machines, will then be regarded as hand crafted

'Hand crafted' is beginning to sound like a marketing term.
Zelk

Yeah because the software was written by hand and not by another computer

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

Good luck with defining the x%. Is not as easy as the weight of grapes, and even that has room for fiddling.

Now if I mix 10% Brazilian concentrate with 90% Australian water do I have orange juice that is 90% made in Australia?

That's what is happening now, and they even add in the costs of bottling, pacaging, advertising, transport, overheads, and manufacturers, wholesalers margins in assessing the Australian content.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by silentC

So I can imagine someone proposing a standard where x% of shaping must be done with hand tools before it can be called 'hand crafted' etc. Everyone suffers because of the small percentage tossers who want to take advantage of people.

If it gets to that, and I'm ever in a position where I'm selling my works, I'm selling the tools instead, and getting out and going fishing.........for pleasure.

When I was wondering whether to use the term "hand made" on my web site, I decided not to, and came up with the following:

I use a mix of traditional and modern methods, and although all of my work is hand finished, I use machines and power tools for roughing out. If I make a dovetailed box or drawer, the dovetails will be hand cut, because they have an appearance that no dovetail jig or machine can achieve. Some techniques have become traditional for very good reasons: they may be the strongest, they may be the best looking. I only deviate from traditional methods when quality won’t be compromised.
I guess the converse of the last sentence is that, if a modern method (including machinery) does a better job, I'll use it.

Originally Posted by underfoot

you left out a comma in your post

OK So the Pedants win afterall !


Ross

Originally Posted by AlexS

When I was wondering whether to use the term "hand made" on my web site, I decided not to, and came up with the following:

I use a mix of traditional and modern methods, and although all of my work is hand finished, I use machines and power tools for roughing out. If I make a dovetailed box or drawer, the dovetails will be hand cut, because they have an appearance that no dovetail jig or machine can achieve. Some techniques have become traditional for very good reasons: they may be the strongest, they may be the best looking. I only deviate from traditional methods when quality won’t be compromised.
I guess the converse of the last sentence is that, if a modern method (including machinery) does a better job, I'll use it.

Good post Alex.

Originally Posted by Different

I cant help but think the passionately different views expressed here by a bunch of people with largely similar interests and knowledge of the subject show how truly meaningless the term Hand Crafted really is !



Ross