Harpsichord Project or What is complex?

[ErnieM]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and comments on the harpsichord project. I really appreciate your feedback.

If I may, I'd like to make a comment of my own. Many of you have remarked on the complexity of this project. I don't think of it as being complex - just nit-pickity (if that's a real word). What I find to be complex is some of the fabulous work I've seen produced by NCWW members on this site. The furniture, lathe work, scroll saw work, carving, woodburning and scores of other skills and projects that have been so beautifully crafted by NCWW members. I'm in awe of all of those skills What I find complex is the instruction book that came with my new dovetail jig. Everytime I open it my eyes glaze over. I may be able to build a harpsichord but I'd sure like to know how to make a pen. That, to me, would be awesome!

I doubt that any of you who stick with me throughout this project will want to build a harpsichord. That's not my purpose in undertaking it. Instead, I hope everyone realizes that we all have something unique to offer - we all have skills that few "outsiders" will ever have. I hope this project inspires a few of you to share your expertise with the rest of us. I really would like to know how to make that pen ....... and I wouldn't have to worry about how it sounds.

Till next time
Ernie

 

[toolferone]

Very nicely put! This is what this site is about.

 

[nelsone]

Ernie, you bring up some interesting comments. The unknown always seems complex. You have the knowledge and experience associated with building your harpsichords, therefor they aren't complex to you.

You say a pen seems complex, but once again it comes down to knowledge and experience. To me they seem very simple.

I would love to make an instrument and I believe I could if I put my mind to it. Unfortunately I lack the skills to do anything with one if I did make it.

Carving is something I find very complex, but I've decided to work on it and hopefully gain the skills to become proficient. Marquetry is another skill I want to learn, but I'm afraid I'll find it quite tedious!

I don't completely understand understand those that say they will never have the skills to do something. That in itself is a self fulfilling prophecy!!! If you never try you never will learn!

I'm thoroughly enjoying your series of posts! Thanks for taking the time to do it!


BTW, I'm sure you can find lots of people who would be more than willing to show you how to turn a pen!

 

[rcflyer23]

I'll trade I show you how to turn a pen and you give me the opportunity to come watch you work on one of these great instruments. I intend on becoming a luthier so you thread is very inspiring and very interesting to me. I think it would be amazing to be able to build one someday and maybe I will and if that day comes I know who to bug. Keep up the great work and I can't wait to continue to read your posts.

 

[McRabbet]

Ernie,

Indeed you have touched on one of the true benefits of this site -- sharing our experience and talents is what it is all about. Experience is the key factor in your projects -- I'm sure the first time you embarked on an instrument, even under the watchful eyes of your mentor, you found it daunting to say the least! I remember my first raised panel door, my first Euro hinge, my first complex finishing job, my first dovetail joints as being mental challenges, but in fact they were just the firsts in a series of heart-warming experiences I've had in woodworking.

We all become better woodworkers because of the sharing that goes on here and because we are willing to take on that new challenge. I'm in the early stages of planning my next major project and I know it will require me to break new ground in several areas -- I am going to build a Newport Tall Case Clock in cherry. Special moldings, relief carved scallop shells and a curved bonnet top will all be new challenges for me, but I relish the opportunity to take it on!

Your harpsichords are daunting projects for most of us because of those unknowns that come from our lack of experience, but in reality, the work entailed in your thread so far reveals their basic simplicity. In truth, I suspect many of us could meet the challenges of their construction. I'm really enjoying your thread and look forward to seeing more.

 

[ErnieM]

Rob,

You hit the nail right on the head! That's the reason I call myself a harpsichord maker rather than a woodworker. The actual woodworking involved in my work is actually rather basic. The task of attempting a clock like the one you will soon build would far surpass my woodworking skills.
The point is that the creative process requires many different skills. It is as much a mental process as it is a physical one. I used the example of making a pen precisely because it is a relatively quick process compared to the 5 or 6 months it might take to build a harpsichord. But the thought processes, decision making, etc. are the same and equally significant. The accomplishment of building the two are the same regardless of the time involved. Woodworkers (or harpsichord makers) should not value a creative work based on the size of the project but, instead, on its creative value. That we all have something of value to share is, in my mind, beyond dispute.

Ernie

 

[Travis Porter]

I think nit-pickity and complex go hand in hand. Worse than a 1000 piece crossword puzzle in all white.

Who knows, one day I may make a harpsichord!

 

[Bas]

Complexity isn't just about technique. The scale of the project also matters. A harpsichord is a LARGE instrument, with many intricate parts. Sure, with enough practice and talent, making all those individual parts is easy. But the sum is still, well, complex! Add to that trivialities such as the decorations, and that it doesn't just have to look good but also sound good....and you can see why most of us are in awe

I do agree everyone has something unique to offer, and we all have our areas of expertise. So thanks for that reminder!

 

[DavidF]

Complex to me could be interpreted as the number of design or technique decisions that must be made to complete a project. A pen may have x number of decisions or actions, a harpsichord has many more, unless the total sum of the parts is made up of many of the same thing, which it may be for all I know! If a project has 50 of the same piece then I would consider that nit-pickity, but not necessarily complex to build. If it has 50 parts and they are all different then that would be complex to build. They both might be "complex" in as much as the way they work, but we are discussing the complexity of the build.

BTW - no offence to penturners......

Just a thought, while we're doing thinking!!