"Cabinet makers are a dying breed"

McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
I just finished watching it and it was well worth the time -- a great examination of true craftsmanship in today's age -- a Steinway is forever, for sure.
 

Charlie

Charlie
Corporate Member
They have nothing on Ernie Miller. You should see the harpsichords that he builds. His wife sandy does the painting.

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Skymaster

New User
Jack
beyond phantazmagorical. As far as cabinetmakers go absolutely 100% correct, no need for craftsmanship any longer
 

gamiller3rd

Pappy
Senior User
Gone the way of the coach builders who ultimately crafted some of the most beautiful and classic car bodies ever made.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
In a day and age where productivity is king, and the demand for 'average' quality is the norm, the trades - all of them - have opted for the Wal Mart business model, which is to hire staff that functions with the least amount of skill sets and employ them to the lowest common denominator of those skills. You may see an electrician that has only wired apartments, or a plumber the same way. As for WWers, when a furniture maker has to compete with Ikea quality, they can't afford to expend the effort to make the quality they normally would or they will price themselves out of the market. Also, I see a vastly dwindling pool of younger artisans to be that don't want to get their hands dirty, let alone a splinter...........
 

Skymaster

New User
Jack
In a day and age where productivity is king, and the demand for 'average' quality is the norm, the trades - all of them - have opted for the Wal Mart business model, which is to hire staff that functions with the least amount of skill sets and employ them to the lowest common denominator of those skills. You may see an electrician that has only wired apartments, or a plumber the same way. As for WWers, when a furniture maker has to compete with Ikea quality, they can't afford to expend the effort to make the quality they normally would or they will price themselves out of the market. Also, I see a vastly dwindling pool of younger artisans to be that don't want to get their hands dirty, let alone a splinter...........
Perfectly said, IF your are a craftsman and are willing to work for less than the Chinese are paying then you could get busy, BUY the material,do your work ,then give it away
 

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
I received a book about artisan tool makers. These are people who make tools to a very high standard and don't cut corners. The book went into detail about how the makers got started and what their goals are in making the tools. It's over 200 pages long, so it goes into many different places as it touches on different categories of tools. The author has Woodpeckers, Bridge City, Veritas, Lie-Nielsen as the big guys and many smaller makers to boot. The book is Saws, Planes and Scorps by David Heim.

Roy G
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
Wow! After watching the video I can understand why Steinway's command a premium price! There are a whole lot of skills involved!
 

skyline933

Jim
Corporate Member
I worked in a pattern shop for a foundry one summer, reminds me of the old guys that worked there and were teaching the next generation about draft angles and shrink.
 

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