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“There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey.” — John Ruskin
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Monday I headed north on Interstate 5 for a couple of hours (in a rental van with a bad radio) to share the Bridge City story with a captive audience also know as the Evergreen Woodworkers Guild. What a great group!
I can share that the guild was full of engaged, intelligent folks who were actually paying attention to me (so unlike raising teenagers…) It was really fun to watch the expression on member faces as they took turns cutting on the Jointmaker Pro I hauled along for the ride.
Yes Drivel Starved Nation, now is the time for blog post embellishment and some flat out lies…
I knew my talk was getting long when someone hollered, “HEY–WHEN IS THE RAFFLE?” (It’s moments like these that make me crave the four layer, three-cheese nacho tower at Waffle House.)
And while packing the van…
“John, thanks for coming up to Seattle–I bought my first Bridge City square 40 or 50 years ago and I still use it!” (Don’t you just love it when you can use a decade as a rounding error?)
Well…this gentleman was as sure about his purchase date as I am recalling the mayhem at Ford’s Theater a century or so ago… talk about feeling old–yikes!
Carbon dating aside, I enjoy explaining that tools are the way we express ourselves here. Maybe a “tool” is not what most would consider a canvas, but it is our canvas, and thankfully, there are those that allow us to continue to express ourselves by purchasing our tools… and this almost always segues to my favorite analogy;
“You are a woodworker–why bother making a bookcase when cinder blocks and 2×12’s hold books upright perfectly?”
But what does this really mean? Check this out:
In a completely thorough, exhaustive and definitive 2 minute search, I learned I could buy cinder blocks AND 2×12’s at Home Depot! How cool is that?
Here is my shopping list for a five foot wide, four shelf, cinder block and 2 x 12 bookcase:
- Concrete Cinder Block (Model 8816) @ $1.43 ea x 12 = $17.16
- 2 in. x 12 in. x 16 ft. #2 & Better Premium Home Center Douglas Fir Green S4S Lumber (Model # 603740) @$16.23 ea x 2 = $32.46
Total material cost = $49.62
In comparison, bookshelves (not made of green wood) start at $34.95 at IKEA.
So DSN, the next time somebody asks you why you don’t have a cinder block and 2 x 12 book shelve system, don’t bother explaining that it is a primitive solution that requires zero skill, or that cinder blocks are really hard to dust–simply state that it costs too much.
–John
PS: While I was away, Michael spent the day slacking and discovered this amazing video;
Great video, how many JMPs did it take to make the sounding boards? I don’t mean to be rude, but you really need to stop playing with the JMP and get back to designing more tools.. :-))
On the other hand, thanks for ruining my day, makes you wonder why do woodwork when an IKEA bookshelf is cheaper than a couple of cinder blocks and a board.
Oh, I know, so I get to use all the nifty tools I got from you..lol…
Jorge;
I am hard at work–today at least. You bring up an interesting observation that we are exploring here-and that is all the cool things one can make with very little wood. Although the JMP was not used in that video (to my knowledge anyway), I think all those tasty little pieces of wood are sexy and really fun.
Oh, back to work…
–John
And, as someone pointed out on FB, it was all done with one ball.
Well, three, actually, though only one made the entire trip. I’m thinking I need to build one of those in the woods at my parent’s property in Canada. But what should it play…?
John, I had no idea you were selling tools at age 10. Good on you. I’m sure your parole officer was mighty pleased.
– Peter
Yeah, but you can always steal lumber and blocks while IKEA gets really grumpy when you don’t pay, you rich guys wouldn’t understand. At the start, I thought that the video was going to be one of those North Shore or Whistler, BC mountain bike movies where they ride through the woods on xylophones. They always have much better music: http://youtu.be/zj6Kan2EMNI
Gary
Here is a link to the making of the Docomo commercial. It was created by art students from Kyushu University.
John,
Maybe if you took the time to learn “Michale’s” name, Michael might become a hard working and loyal employee!
My very first actual job (paper route doesn’t count.) while I was in high school was doing custodial work at a Catholic Church/School and just about all of the classrooms had the cinder block wood plank shelves. Of course that was over twenty years ago and we just got our IKEA a few years ago!
Regarding your guild visit; do you do it very often, and how far will you travel to put one on?
Thanks, Rutager
Thanks Rutager for the spelling lesson…Michael has been fixed in a literary sense only.
This year I am going to visit the Telco Village guild in Tennessee right after WIA. If your guild is that desperate, maybe something can be worked out. Also doing an informal gathering at Roger’s new shop in June (Savateri) in LA. It is just too hard to turn down the 50K appearance fee…
-John
Great video. If you push the ball back up, does it play Stairway to Heaven?
As it happens, I’m an informal gatherer, could I insinuate myself into the hoedown in LA? I’ll bring a tool that nobody is likely to have ever seen and doughnuts.
Gary
Gary-The more the merrier! Don’t know about the donuts though…
–John
On the third hand, I’m guessing that few of us make a piece of furniture because it’ll be cheaper than what we can buy and I can remember the sense of satisfaction I had from assembling temporary shelves, desks, beds, etc from found (abandoned, late at night near some campus construction site) objects and for some people, that is an introduction to, and possible pinnacle of, personal creativity. Also, when the blocks and boards stop holding up books and records, they’re still blocks and planks. How do I get in touch with Roger to invite myself to his soiree?
John, what just because I live on the East Coast and have a crappy entertainment center should that mean I too cannot go to Roger’s house. I mean, heck as the winner of the Sh!t Bunny and E.Coli award I would think you would want to fly me out all expenses paid. 😮 Fred
Fred;
You have earned the right to hitchhike to Portland with that thing in your house.
–John