Thread: Fine Woodworking - what is it?

I wonder if a negative definition would work - "That's a lovely piece of work, what a pity that they ..........."
Cheers,
Jim

The biggest lesson that you can learn is that "Squareness and accuracy does not happen by accident". Derek cutting two boards to the same length come on has nothing to do with perfection, it just simply means if you don't cut them the same somewhere along the line you have made an error.It is one of the basic elements of woodworking and other genres that one can learn from your mistakes and in reallity some dont.

Allot of people can make very nice projects to a high standard even the ones who adopt the as you say "near enough is good enough " approach.
However learning the art of fine woodworking use to have a level of respect and admiration. Before these techniques where passed on it was ascertained that it was being passed on to someone worthy of the knowledge and already possess a certain level of passion and skills. Today it is now a free for all with the internet and online ego's that come from putting and most of the time repeating other peoples techniques while inviting discussion can only in reality become confusing. But what the hey you all get to learn for free and you get to appease someones ego.

I never in my wildest dreams thought that someone of David Charlesworth stature as a fine woodworker would need donations "and don't for one second get me wrong he has my spare cash" due to free online learning of skills and techniques. I guess the ones that buy the books, dvds and fork out for classes by people at the highest levels and go on to share them respectfully will be the ones who ensure that these masters of fine woodworking don't disappear. Don't learn how not to make someone else's mistakes learn by making your own.
Fine woodworking is the acheivement of all of your skills in woodworking to accomplish
a piece at the highest level, and you will not learn that no matter how much time you spend online.


Regards,

Frank.

Originally Posted by corbs

I can't define Fine Woodworking nor do I intend to but I don't believe it requires perfection. I like the Japanese school of thought where perfection is seen as arrogance and the maker will sometimes make a deliberate mistake as a sign of humility.

My work shows many signs of humility


Corps

And they learn that from the Masters.



Frank

I was being driven along Maroondah White Highway Horse Road yesterday and passed WM Fine Furniture. I presume the owner's name is WM Fine.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

I was being driven along Maroondah White Highway Horse Road yesterday and passed WM Fine Furniture. I presume the owner's name is WM Fine.

By a member of the Four in Hand Club I trust.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by jimbur

By a member of the Four in Hand Club I trust.
Cheers,
Jim

Yes, progress was slow, but stylish.

I would strongly recommend to anyone interested in this topic reading David Pye's the Art and Nature of Workmanship. He gets past the craft/handmade hubris very nicely......now off and finnish your homework!

Also watch this video by Roy Underhill (The Woodrights Shop) ...

UNC-TV ONLINE: Video On-Demand: The Woodwright's Shop

Regards from Perth

Derek

I think fine woodworking is what I was trying (manfully, but thus far unsuccessfully) to learn when I was at Sturt. I can't say that any of the skills I was being taught came easily to me, and I struggled mightily with flat surfaces, motices, tenons, and dovetails. And some of the objects constructed by truly talented and artistic experts fall a long way short of something that I would describe as "fine". I think Sam Maloof made fine woodwork, and I think a lot of people today produce fine woodwork - just look at the reader's galleries in Fine Woodworking or AWR. I fear I will never get my measurements "exact", and thus in my eyes I think whatever I produce will be less than perfect. But I will be proud of it nonetheless, and hopefully eventually others might judge some of my work as "fine".

I've always taken the 'fine' in Fine Woodworking to refer to the degree of measurement/accuracy involved.

There's no such thing as 'perfection,' but Fine Woodworking is anything in the closest, say, 5 to 10% to it. Whether olde worlde or melamine.

Whereas Rough Woodworking is the furthest 20% at t'other end of the spectrum and my own carp is somewhere between.

Now, if we were talking about 'Fine Furniture' instead, then it'd be a different story!

I,ve just visited a young friend who is doing his honours year at the school of furniture design at ANU in Canberra and I can vouch for some exceptional fine woodworking there. They have a workshop full of the best equipment but nevertheless spend their first year mastering hand tools and traditional techniques then progress through design and manufacture to a standard of excellence in their finished work that is absolutely world class.

Originally Posted by jimbur

Anything less than exact and this is not fine woodworking

Where along the learning curve does woodworking become fine woodworking? Does a piece of work not deserve the description fine woodwork if all its measurements are not exact?
Any thoughts?
Cheers,
Jim

Just a thought on fine woodworking you can have a piece of furniture where all the measurements are exact but the piece will no necessarily be "Fine Woodwork" It is my belief that there is far more to Fine Woodwork that just measurements.
Things to consider are Composition, Balance, Finish, Fit, Timber choice as well as the execution and selection of correct and appropriate joinery techniques.

An example would be the humble draw if correct fine woodworking construction is demanded then Half blind dovetails on the draw fronts are used and though tails on the back, Draw slips, a solid timber bottom with and expansion joint for the changing seasons.

Taking the draw above and changing the dovetails to a lap joint negates it from the "Fine Woodworking" category no matter how accurate the measurements.
Likewise replacing the solid timber draw bottom with plywood has the same detrimental effect.

Having said all that, if you are proud of your accomplishments in the woodworking arena who cares what others think, if you think it's fine woodwork then more power to you and may you continue to experiment and excel in the noble art of Fine Woodworking.

Catch ya later


Stephen

Originally Posted by fineboxes

if you are proud of your accomplishments in the woodworking arena who care what others think if you think it's fine woodwork more power to you and may you continue to experiment and excel in the noble art of Fine Woodworking.

Stephen

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and fine woodworking is in the eye of the maker, so if I cut garden sleeper fences with a chainsaw to get the rustic look that I want then IMO it's fine woodworking.

May be a rather simple philosophy but it works for me.


Peter.

Having watched this thread for some time, I have now decided to butt in with my 1c worth.

For most people, fine wood working is looking at something, they see they cannot achieve.
Either by hand or with all our modern gizmo tools.

The finest wood working you can achieve, in my opinion is, "well I could not have done a better job".
The funny thing is, that next time you probably will do a better job because of your previous experience.

I have "NEVER" seen a piece of wood work in any form, where my own personal experience or training has told me to do something different. But all those pieces were still "fine wood work.

To quote my late father, "do the best job you can and be proud of your work,if you think you have done it right. Mind you, he was a pretty tough bloke.

Cheers.

Paul.