The future is handmade video
- Thread starter ChuckM
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sancho57
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This is a very good video and so true. I find people are looking for more one of a kind hand made items in all trades and disciplines. Ive started making rustic, home made style items. Nothing fancy not heirloom just things people would like and do like.
People want something that they just cant go to Ikea or the local furniture store and pick up that has been massed produced.
But there are some issues with the home made one of a kind items.
Pricing is a biggy. For woodworkers we all want to make that heirloom piece that can be passed downs for generations.
But the average person cant afford to pay the $10K for a bedroom set or kitchen table w/matching chairs, side board etc.
That is one reason I dont make such things.
Simple, quick affordable is the key. In his book, starting and operating a woodworking business, William Benitez describes how he made a living not by building the heirloom quality products but by building the affordable products.
Sure there is some give and take with this. Meaning rather than hand made mortise and tenon I use dominos, rather than a hand rubbed finish, Ill spray a poly.
But its the road Ive chosen. Lately because of the economy, Ive been keeping busy.
This is not to say that the heirloom quality build has gone away. The market is still there and there are people who will pay the $10K for a table etc.
I choose and it is a choice to go the way I described.
I recently changed the name of my shop for to reflect what I do.
BTW Benitez's book is on I Books. He also has a free smaller one to download that is good reading and has some additional info than the one I quoted has.
If interested download the free one and if you like it then buy the other one.
Anyway this it my take on this.
Id be interested in hearing what others think.
People want something that they just cant go to Ikea or the local furniture store and pick up that has been massed produced.
But there are some issues with the home made one of a kind items.
Pricing is a biggy. For woodworkers we all want to make that heirloom piece that can be passed downs for generations.
But the average person cant afford to pay the $10K for a bedroom set or kitchen table w/matching chairs, side board etc.
That is one reason I dont make such things.
Simple, quick affordable is the key. In his book, starting and operating a woodworking business, William Benitez describes how he made a living not by building the heirloom quality products but by building the affordable products.
Sure there is some give and take with this. Meaning rather than hand made mortise and tenon I use dominos, rather than a hand rubbed finish, Ill spray a poly.
But its the road Ive chosen. Lately because of the economy, Ive been keeping busy.
This is not to say that the heirloom quality build has gone away. The market is still there and there are people who will pay the $10K for a table etc.
I choose and it is a choice to go the way I described.
I recently changed the name of my shop for to reflect what I do.
BTW Benitez's book is on I Books. He also has a free smaller one to download that is good reading and has some additional info than the one I quoted has.
If interested download the free one and if you like it then buy the other one.
Anyway this it my take on this.
Id be interested in hearing what others think.
Interesting topic. There’s a degree of hypocricy or contradiction that emerges if we dig into the subject. We can wax on nostalgically about wanting more craftspeople but do we ourselves support it? How many of our woodworking tools are handmade? Is a book about craft enscribed by a calligrapher on handmade paper and hand bound with hand tanned leather? Is the tailor in the video using mass produced cloth, scissors, needles and thread? Or is the vintners wine sold in handmade bottles with hand illustrated labels? How many of us are going to go to a cobbler for our work boots? Industrialization has enhanced our lives in so many ways, greatly increased our access to products and knowledge, and yes it has its negatives as well.
For me a major motivation to build things and do projects is financial because I couldn’t afford to pay someone locally to do it the way I want it done. Craftsmanship is happening in my own life but in terms of the economy I’m not majorly supporting it either. And if it were my business I’d have to approach things completely differently or I’d be earning less than minimum wage and be out of business in a short time.
For me a major motivation to build things and do projects is financial because I couldn’t afford to pay someone locally to do it the way I want it done. Craftsmanship is happening in my own life but in terms of the economy I’m not majorly supporting it either. And if it were my business I’d have to approach things completely differently or I’d be earning less than minimum wage and be out of business in a short time.
That is an excellent video. I think the romantic notion and the nostalgia associated with handmade "crafted" items is huge. Unfortunately the market that is willing to cover the costs of those objects does fall into the niche area that was mentioned in the video. As [member=10147]jobsworth[/member] stated, his style fits his customer and marketplace. While I do not recall having seen any of his work, he describes it as quality, but less than heirloom. That works. That is the middle ground where it is or can be realistic for many trades. While every canoeist would love to have one of Preszler Woodshop's canoes, few can afford to or are willing to pay $100k to own one. The same for our tools as [member=19439]Paul G[/member] stated, we are all creative to some extant, and we pride ourselves and others on the craft, but how often are we actually willing to pay to support other similar ventures with our own money. Yes there are many who will purchase high end hand crafted tools, but the majority are looking for the most budget friendly alternative. The middle ground. The possible sacrifice of quality down to the bare essentials. While craft is necessary, mass production wins the race.
I agree with a lot of points made in the video. While it is aimed at "craft" in general, I think the ideas are more far reaching. When I was growing up the emphasis was always on college. You need good grades for a good school, that school isn't as good as this one for that degree, you can't not go to college what kind of life would you have, etc... Not going to college or learning a trade was viewed as less than. In general you were looked down upon if you didn't go to college. In reality that shouldn't be the case. I think this video could be used to explain this in a broader sense. While the examples they used are niche examples, the points made are not. To quote Caddyshack "The world needs ditch diggers too"
I agree with a lot of points made in the video. While it is aimed at "craft" in general, I think the ideas are more far reaching. When I was growing up the emphasis was always on college. You need good grades for a good school, that school isn't as good as this one for that degree, you can't not go to college what kind of life would you have, etc... Not going to college or learning a trade was viewed as less than. In general you were looked down upon if you didn't go to college. In reality that shouldn't be the case. I think this video could be used to explain this in a broader sense. While the examples they used are niche examples, the points made are not. To quote Caddyshack "The world needs ditch diggers too"
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