Did any of you see Roy Underhill’s episode this weekend about the “path of these Zen-master artisans”? Mindfulness. self-jigging tools, the martial-arts quality of woodworking. The search for “unexcelled complete awakening in woodcraft.” George Sturz, Thoreau’s “simplicity behind the confusion”, David Pye’s The Nature and Art of Workmanship, poetry, and more, more, more.
I don’t know if this was a new episode, or a repeat, but it was an entertaining surprise! I’ve never had occasion to listen to a hyper-active philosopher before, LOL. He has me interested in some of those books.
The real dead-on connection to Knots-type discussions was his take on sharpening: a trap, “it’s sharp enough, let’s get to work.”
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Edited 2/16/2009 5:45 pm by forestgirl
Replies
a trap, "it's sharp enough, let's get to work."
I guess you have to see it on t.v. before you believe it.
My woodworking zen sensei told me: "The less you are trying to sell anything or prove theories, the faster you may sharpen the cutting edges of your hand tools, grasshopper. The essence of sharpening is mental and suffers loss of purity when in contact with the material world. Honing jigs quickly defeat the entire spirit of the sharp tool. ohhhhmmmm,....ohhhmmm,...." Nice gavel.
I try to open minded. Some of the eastern mysticism, however, after a certain point makes me get a headache.
Frank, I've got a very enjoyable book on learning to play guitar titled, "Zen and the Art of the Guitar," or something close to that. Fun to read. But what helped me learn to play guitar was,... ahem,...practicing, forcing myself to use a metronome, learning scales, learning a little bit of music theory, practicing, learning how to tune properly, forcing myself to learn new stuff even if it seemed difficult and I didn't like it at first, and,...did I mention practicing? The zen stuff was just a ripple in the still pond of my reflective thought, echoing outward through my own perception of the passage of time. But fun to read.
"Yes, but what's good for me ain't necessarily good for the weak-minded." - Augustus McCrae, Lonesome Dove
A similar experience back in the late 70's and early 80's with a Zen book on Golf. By 1984 I had taken the standard 100 down to the low eighties which is attributed not to Zen as frankly it didn't shave off more than a stroke or two in reality. But.. developing a sound swing and practice.. practice.. practice seemed to do the trick.
When I decided to drop the game in the mid 90's.. I thought about packing my clubs up and shipping them to the guy who wrote that book at no charge. With a note to practice.. practice.. practice if he wanted to shoot low scores. The Zen does come in handy for peace of mind when you got lost in the woods looking for a ball though.
Of course those were in the days before they invented those Tom-Tom things and you had to rely on common sense to get back on course. I think they have dis-continued common sense and sense of direction since then so those Tom-Tom's should be well received in current circles. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 2/17/2009 10:22 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
>I thought about packing my clubs up and shipping them to the guy who wrote that book <Some of them would have been converted to Buddhist prayer sticks and probably never hit nary another golf ball. Send all your golf stuff to me and I will be happy to take care of it for ya. Ha haRegards from MS (just got back from a trip down to Orlando, FL where our hosts had pineapples, grapefruits, and oranges growing in the back yard - not bad for the middle of winter! Ed"Yes, but what's good for me ain't necessarily good for the weak-minded." - Augustus McCrae, Lonesome Dove
I lived in Tampa across the street from a golf course for 6 years from 72-78 as my first wife was from Clearwater. I worked customer service rep for Anheiser Busch and one of my areas was around Brandon outside of Tampa. Orange groves everywhere and straw-berries mounds for thousands of acres just down the road in Plant City.
Once you got to know the grove and field owners you just stopped by to check in and could carry off enough bounty for personal use. The bad news is I hate sand instead of real soil.. palms in lieu of pine and hard-wood and I would like to see a hill somewhere when I turn in a 360* circle.
But yeah... the winters are nice but the summers are hot and humid... more so than our portions of the deep south. But for a visit in my case... not bad at all.
Regards...
Sarge..
Sarge,Looked like a whomper ran through near your back yard last night... anything touch down? It's that season.Doc
Baseball size hail.. extremely heavy wind.. very usual lightning and rain just down the road about 8 miles and a few tornadoes. They were unconfirmed last night but when you have a swatch line of trees that the trunks are snapped 20' up it was a tornado. Those were west and southwest of where I live outside the city perimeter on the NE side of Atlanta. And latter storms were well south of Atlanta in south Ga.
I have never seen baseball size hail here. Golf ball yes.. but I got caught in a hail storm in the Rocky Mountains in 1968. 90 degrees and we were on a plateau on the side of a mountain in rolled up sleeves during LRRP training and a mountaineering course.
Suddenly the sky got black.. temperature dropped to about 45 degrees and hail the size of baseballs. We were wearing standard jungle fatigues and did have a rain poncho. I held the poncho over me to protect my head as we were wearing jungle soft hats and not steel pots. The hail busted and bloodied my knuckles from impact holding that poncho up. When all was said and done.. we had to call a chopper and get extracted as we just didn't have the proper clothing for that radical of a change in weather.
If you are in the Rocky Mountains and don't like the current weather... just wait about 5 minutes as it will usually change and sometimes very radically. Those storms last night were kind of spooky as they just kept popping up in different locations but... I have heard of no injuries yet.
Regards...
Sarge..
Sarge,Glad you and yours are safe. I still get the sat feed from the Atlanta channels and the local weather heads were getting a lot of airtime. It didn't look that close to Gwinnett on the radar but you can never tell.Better get your portable mill out an do some slicing on those blow downs :) Doc
It did miss Gwinnett except for the hail but I do have a BIL over in Temple off W I-20 that got some pretty good wind damage on his 6 acres. He will be chain-sawing and painting ends tommorrow on two hard-woods as I don't need the SYP with plenty on hand from when I took 9 large ones down. 2-2 on hard-wood this blow-down for a .500 batting average.
He is a shop foreman at Delta Air Lines and does a 4 on 3 off schedule which is tomorrow on this rotation. He's got a metal shop and is a former BMW mechanic so.. a scratch my back, I'll scratch yours deal always exist between us. For a Dutch Pennsylvania Yankee.. not a bad deal on a BIL. :>)
So... already in the works.....
Sarge..
outstandingDoc
"Nice gavel." Hah! I wish I had the option of removing it from posts where I get silly!
Sharpening: I'll tell ya, the guru's here who get really irritated with the incessant sharpening talk, expensive gizmos, etc., etc., would thoroughly approve of Roy's take on the whole thing, done with humor to boot.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Ah Forestgirl, my little grasshopper,when you can snatch the coin from my hand,
then you are ready to leave this place. The MasterSo do you remember that line from the Kung Fu series?
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
I always thought a good sharp kick in the shins would have made that task a lot easier.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Don,
A good swift kick in the shins would have done the job. That was a great show. I think it ranked up there with "My mother, the car". Of course, it wasn't as good as Route 66, the beauty of which still haunts me. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start a Zen Woodworking class, in which you focus on 'becoming one with the wood', where you you become one with the tool, where the tool, the wood and the woodworker merge into the universal God. I want to teach at the school. As you know, I have long wanted to be known as "Master Mel", but haven't convinced anyone to call me that yet. :-) I quess that as in all of woodworking, skill must come first. I have a long way to go to be able to grab the pebble.Enjoy,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
It's been my experience that it takes years of training for some people to avoid becoming one with the wood, the tools, or the machines. I've come close to that result once or twice and it's really not where I want to go.
If we're going to engage in Holloywood-like analogies and alegories, I'd prefer to go the true Jedi way. Then I could sit in a safe place and conjure up ever more beautiful pieces, but let the force do the hard bits. Verne
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to cut it up and make something with it . . . what a waste!<!----><!----><!---->
Sven,
Please do not get too serious.
This is only Knots.
We discuss trivia like sharpening, not important issues. I believe it is against the bylaws to discuss anything important or difficult.
I'll check and let you know.
Have fun.
Mel
Meanwhile, it is time to go and become one with some food. I am hungry.Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start a Zen Woodworking class, in which you focus on 'becoming one with the wood', where you you become one with the tool, where the tool, the wood and the woodworker merge into the universal God.
Mel,
What you are trying to say is: "...be the ball, Danny. Be the ball."
-Jerry
PS: Did you get any snow up your way this morning? We got some in Richmond. You know, snow has some metophysical properties....
Jerry,
We got a dusting of snow this morning. Then rain. I didn't pay much attention. Spent the day in the shop, working on refurbishing an old Victorian oak table. It is turning out to be more work than I thought, but it is for my daughter. Have fun.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
I recently restored an old craftsman oak swivel desk chair. What a pile of work, although it turned out nicely. Re-doing old stuff is sometimes quite rewarding. Current project is a Stickley "Men's Dressing Cabinet". 17,522 hand cut dovetails in white oak. Everywhere I look there is oak.
I need to become one with an acorn.... <gr>
Best!
-Jerry
"I need to become one with an acorn.... " Too funny. A "green" burial might take care of that.....forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
"Too funny. A "green" burial might take care of that....."
Jamie, I'm not exactly nuts over that idea... feeling a wee bit of resistance... Ohm... Ohm...Ohm....
Jerry,
I recently restored an old craftsman oak swivel desk chair.
I have to find one of those, or make one if I can't. Would you happen to have a pic?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
I'll shoot you one tonight. Got my chair off of CL for $25.
Have to go now and tend to my acorns. Ohm...
-Jerry
I've been looking for one of those chairs to go with my computer desk-hutch I'm currently building. After building a set of chairs a couple of years ago.. this ole boy ain't going there....
I'll give ya $26 and throw in a bottle of "Sweet Baby Ray's" B-B-Q sauce for it. :>)
Sarge..
Sarge,
Wow! Sweet Baby Ray's" B-B-Q sauce! If that looks good on white oak I may be interested...
If you find one of these old chairs to re-do, drop me an email and I will fill you in on some of the stuff I discovered working on mine.
-Jerry
Will do.. how did they have it listed?... oak desk chair.. etc. etc.? Just curious on how to narrow a search when I go searching. My dad had one as he was assintant postmaster and kept the books by hand ledger before his early death in 1959. We just called them swiveling oak office chairs in those days.
Regards...
Sarge..
Sarge,
The CL listing was "solid oak office chair". My wife called the poster and got a general idea of what it was before we trekked halfway to Atlanta (south Richmond) to retrieve it.
I had one of these in my first office in 1971, and in several subsequent offices. Until I got this one, I would have never put forward this style of chair as comfortable. This chair, however, is super comfortable and I really prefer it to all other chairs in my home.
Keep your eye out for one and remember to have some of that BBQ sauce handy to clinch the deal.
-Jerry
Thanks Jerry, no problem on the BBQ sauce.. I carry a half case in my ruck-sack. Never know when someone might light a fire and a BBQ generally follows. :>)
Sarge..
I always thought shooting him twice with a Colt Peacemaker would speed the training up, too.
As I recall, it was a pebble, not a coin. After all, what use would a monk have with a coin? ;-)Name the monk and describe his visual acuity for extra credit.
Master Po, blind as a bat. Good ears though.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Bingo! As your prize, you get to teach the class on how to use the rice paper they used for the walking-lightly test as a stropping medium. ;-)
Upon further reflection I think I will have to forgo the prize, I think it was Master Kan with the pebble.
Another great quote from Master Kan "Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. For all life is precious, nor can any be replaced".
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Sharp enough ? SHARP ENOUGH ?There is no Sharp enough !Only sharper ! ( you can quote me on that ): )>a good sharp kick in the shins<in the story at least that would not have been possible . . . ooorrrr . . . a recommended tactic given the master's near super human kung fu ( and almost certainly toughened shins ).Though if there is ever a Mel Brooks version I am sure you will get your moment.>Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt etc . . .<Thank you ! I feel like I have just come home after being lost in the desert for years. The ignorant, violent, selfish (or oblivious ), mentality that I encounter every day has made me loose faith in my fellow man. You sir have restored it.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 4:43 am by roc
Your reflection may be more clear than my memory. I think it was Master Kan, played by Phillip Ahn, who held the pebble.
I always thought that quote was ""Avoid, rather than check. Check, rather than hurt. Hurt, rather than maim. Maim, rather than kill. But if he mess with Mama, shoot, reload, repeat!"
Ralph,
As I remember, the Master's name was Irving Schwartz, and he could not see well enough to drive.
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Twas a pebble, grasshopper!
Jeff
Master Jeff,
"Twas a pebble, grasshopper!"Ah, Master Jeff. Existentially, a pebble or a coin can be identical. We must learn to focus on function, not form. Only then, can you become one with the Universe. Pebble Schmebble. Master Mel
PS I really don't remember the original Master saying Pebble Schmebble, but I kinda like it.Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
>Rock, pebbe etc <Well I was hanging out in China back in the day about that time. You know visiting some of my old co-teachers at the furniture making factory aaaaah I mean monastery. As it happened Grasshopper had just been invited in after starving at the gate for a week. You know the drill. Make em want it.Grasshopper had just finished a big old meal including some of that nasty old home brew. I couldn't help but notice he was having trouble following all the rules and regulations of the monastery and kind of gazing off like. I would guess he was thinking about his bunk and a good snooze. I know I was.The "pebble" was in fact a dried green pea.Well as time passed they got some good resawing and guarding of the wood piles out of him but turned out to be too much of a chow hown' to keep. They decided to throw 'em back.The kon went like this as I recall : about another week was going to be his lot. They were going to have him stand guard duty during meal time for a couple of days and pretend they forgot to bring meals. Students weren't allowed to speak except during an interview by one of the masters so that worked out all right. One of the standing rules was who ever summoned up the courage to speak was "rewarded" with a temporary honor. In this case the temporary title awarded was :" The Honorable Holder of The Moving Target for Throwing-star Practice "[ There were all sorts of little rules they made up as they went along. Haaahh the masters were a fun loving lot. ]This title was not a job you want ! Trust me on that one. And the more whining you do the less chance they will furnish the looser, ahem . . . I mean winner of the title, with an actual target to hold, often just a chunk of fire wood, before cutting to the chase as it were.But I digress . . . where was I ? . . . oh yes . . . the FINAL interview . . .So any way during the next interview Old Kan fishes a nicely cooked and flavored pea off his plate and says snatch this pea from my hand.Well I must say it was gone lickity split and the evidence was smacked down Grasshopper's young gullet before Kan had a chance to say " I wasn't done eating. Give that back. . .HEY ! "So Grasshopper was off camping out side the gates of another monastery some place in the next town. And my fellow teachers were rid of another voracious teenager that was eating the monastery into ruin. The blighter was like a locust !Aaahhh the goood old days . . .rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 2:04 pm by roc
Roc,
they need to make a movie of your life.
Who will play the lead?
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Who will play the lead in the movie of my life?It would have to be a team effort would it not? No one other man possesses all these qualities. Some times I scare my self. Quite often as a matter of fact.Well where to begin . . . Woody Allen bears a remarkable resemblance to my outer appearance. He has the same level of raw, animal , physical perfection that women around the world never fail to respond to. Perhaps we had the same father.For sheer strength and cat box reflexes I would have to say . . . well . . . we will call in many, many, doubles and stunt men and just see who the luck of the draw provides. When doing my own stunts, like Bruce Lee, I will need to not go all out lest the camera will not be able to convey the action. And for the stunts the insurance company won't allow me to perform the stunt people will just have to keep up as best they can, poor devils.For my diplomatic aplomb surely no one will question my choice in Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role as The Terminator. Those internal ocular pull downs for choice of response during conversation sure do come in handy for the mere mortal ( or android ) attempting to portray my legendary diplomatic qualities. Not to mention the near indestructibility of the body in the rare moment when the double has chosen a response that elicits an overly vigorous reply from the co-actor.And the ability to grasp a situations at a glance and act from the gut well . . . once W. finishes his memoirs I hope he can portray me in the crisis scenes.The make up people certainly have their work cut out for them but we intend to muddle through, as we always do.Oops now I have let it slip. Actually in india they have already made several films about me using the team that I mentioned. Due to import duties, cross boarder relations of diplomats and riot control problems the films have not been made available in the USA.I'm sure you can understand the complex problems involved.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 6:09 pm by roc
Roc,
There is no need for you to make works of art. You are a work of art. It is a pleasure to know that there is someone out there who is almost as far out as I am. MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
Roc may be a work of art, but I've been told that I'm a piece of work! Does that count for anything? I thought it was said in a kindly sort of way. Verne
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to cut it up and make something with it . . . what a waste!<!----><!----><!---->
Master Verne,So you have been called "a piece of work". I have been called worst than that. I believe you drink less coffee than Roc. It is possible that Roc takes his coffee intraveniously and continuously, even when he is sleeping. I prefer to think of us all as "Modern Masters". I don't believe you were involved in that piece of frivolity a few years ago. For a short while, we all referred to each other as Master Verne, Master Roc, Master Mel. I believe that we all have something to offer each other, and Knots is a good place to make that happen. If you can help someone else, then you are a Modern Master. What the heck? Words are cheap. Have a title.
Master MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
>It is possible that Roc takes his coffee intraveniously and continuously<Well it is almost that bad. Being hopelessly old fashioned I love the taste of the very good stuff and espresso as well is never far from hand. I must say I post until I pass out. Often with a cup on the cup heater and a half eaten brownie on the plate. Often I become just conscious enough in the early hours to take a sip of coffee but then in anguish I succumb almost immediately to sleep once more.The flesh is weak but the desire to post is strong.I give Knots my all ! I sleep until I can wake up. Usually around three AM. Grab the cup which is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced and condensed. Aaahhh ! That is where the brownie or other sweet treat comes in as a chaser.Minimally fortified for another frantic and fun, freewheeling foray I take up keyboard once more.: )One problem I am running into more and more. I find my self work in my work shop. This is cutting significantly into my Knots time. What can I take to dull the call of the shop so I may spend more time on knots ?I mean this wood working obsession, neh, addiction is taking from my responsibilities to man my post here on knots.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/18/2009 12:27 am by roc
>someone out there who is almost as far out as I am.<Well since John Denver left our world I figure we all have to do our part.FAAAR OUT !rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
I already am One with the Universe, travelling at warp 10! (Only in my mind!)
Jeff
I'm not sure I've seen that specific episode, but I get a chuckle out of Underhill when he waxes poetic, especially with 18th century phrasing.
I do, however, keep a small supply of silk ribbons on hand, gently tossing them into the air to test the sharpness of my Japanese chisels (ala the sword scene in the film "The Bodyguard"). ;-)
It was really funny! Wish the episode was online so you could see/hear it. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl,
I just know you are going to click the button that says "ignore future posts by this member" when you read this post but . . . if you enjoyed
>martial-arts quality of woodworking. The search for "unexcelled complete awakening etc<
( I look forward to seeing it thanks )
you may enjoy
http://www.amazon.com/Findhorn-Garden-Pioneering-Vision-Cooperation/dp/0060905204
I can not hear the wood working "little people" or "devas" or what not and struggle for every glimmer of insight into this world we call woodworking but I do from time to time hear the mechanical or metal working devas and little people.
Did you ever hear any when you were fixing your router ? What was the problem ? I don't think I ever heard.
And the rest of you that are getting all grumpy about now . . . oh just relax.
: )
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 5:12 am by roc
http://www.pbs.org/woodwrightsshop/schedule/index.html
the address above might be useful to find out which episode and season it was. did not see that one.
d
I found this one from 2006 using danmat's link
2607 The Spirit of Woodcraft
Join in Thoreau’s search for the moral lessons deep in the grain of the woodworking
I don't know if it is the one forestgirl speeks of.
They don't show a list for 2007
I searched YouTube. There was some Roy but not this one. I did find
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCMn9ApNBxo
Perhaps the lesson is : the real guys turn left AND right and don't stop because of a little rain.
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 2:41 pm by roc
Confucius said (a few hundred years before Lincoln):
"The craftsman who wants to improve his craft first sharpens his tools"
Chris---
Chris Scholz
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Galoot-Tools
That's it! Roc's got it.
http://flash.unctv.org/woodwrightss/wws_2607.html
Take a look, it's a hoot. Even if you don't have a half-hour, listen to the first few minutes, then fast-forward to ~13:50 and listen to the diatribe on sharpening.
Thanks, Roc!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
It was one of the few episodes that I have been able to see (Tuesday at 4 PM? bah) and I did indeed enjoy it as well. The references to Star Wars and Monty Python were great (well, bizarre) and I think he even referenced Caddyshack....
I gotta get a log to split.
russs
Wow, Russ, you picked up on some stuff I missed (Monte Python, Caddyshack). One of those things where I'll have to watch it a couple more times to catch everything.
I've missed several seasons of his show due to being busy with the horses on weekend days. But now,with the HD TV and accompanying DVR, I record it and watch at my leisure. toooo cooool.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG and Roc.Thanks for tracking the episode down and providing a link. THAT WAS AWESOME!Underhill has always been a little too hyper for me to watch, but it really worked in that episode. Funny and the references are flying so fast that even a Shaolin monk would have trouble catching them.I really buy into all that stuff Underhill was talking about but try to keep it to myself; it was fun to hear someone speak them out loud. I've always thought of Krenov as the Jedi Master and even refer to him as Obi Wan Krenovi, about fifteen years ago even the resemblance was uncanny.Anyhow, thanks for the link. I have it bookmarked and will need to view it a few times to catch all the references; Underhill is still talking faster than I can think!
"Underhill has always been a little too hyper for me to watch...." "Underhill is still talking faster than I can think!"
We have a Gardener Personality in the Seattle area who's got the same energy field -- Ciscoe, Gardening with Ciscoe. I enjoy (pretty much) listening to him on the radio, but can't quite handle him on TV, LOL! A plant and garden genius though!
"Obi Wan Krenovi" -- that's good!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Forestgirl,Thanks for link to Roy. Couldn't have done it without ya.Now I want one of those big, big sharpening wheels ! I don't have one and that is why it takes me so long to sharpen, that is why I don't turn out work as good as Krenov ! As soon as I get a wheel like that THEN I will have what I NEED to finally START making something in the shop.: )He sure is wound up isn't he. I enjoyed it though. Fun stuff. I do keep waiting for him to turn out the top shelf stuff that Mel says is possible with the slap dash blade and what's a few lumps in the plane bottom mentality.Seen any secretaries or bow fronts come out of The Woodwright's Shop ? I am sure he used rose wood or bubinga. Just haven't happened across them yet. Again I need some help.No not that kind of help ! Not the jacket. No ! It makes me all claustrophobic ! No ! The meds! Aahhh the meds well they are alright but not the jacket this time. I will be good. NO ! Nooooo . . . rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 2/17/2009 4:14 pm by roc
"Now I want one of those big, big sharpening wheels!" Yep. I'd like one of those more than a powered grinder, which simply makes me nervous.
Actually, I saw one at a farm auction once, but I had no idea how to tell if it was in good shape or not and I think part of the frame was rusted out, something like that. Some of these auctions are crazy.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I saw it, but I thought that he had either fallen off of a log or something had snapped on his spring pole lathe. Has Roy become the Grasshopper or the Master or is he going through a period of oxygen deprivation?
FG,
That thread on high angle sharpening is as good an exercise in navel-gazing as I've had in quite a while.
Ray
After this episode aired here about a year ago, I had to research where some of the things he said from... Crazy, man!
There were references throughout to these:
The Nature and Art of Workmanship by David Pye
The Wheelwright's Shop by George Sturt
as well as Thoreau...
Here's a few other specific quotes:
"Monkey-mind keeps takin me off the path."
"There must be more to being King that being tossed a scimitar from some watery tart."
"Half of life is just showing up."
"If you see something you've got nothing. But if you see nothing then you've got something."
"...like snow sliding off the bamboo leaf."
"Contradictions are just the truth standing on its head to get our attention"
"Corpuscle of crepuscular light"
"Each is given a bag of tools, ..."
A shapeless mass and a book of rules;
And each must make, 'ere life is flown,
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
Isn't it strange that princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common folk like you and me,
Are builders for eternity?
Ahimsa or Harmlessness
The Law of Unintended Consequences
"...It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness..."
Roy also said some other SIPs, but I couldn't pin anything down. Royisms? :D
Enjoy,
/dev
>"If you see something you've got nothing. But if you see nothing then you've got something."
- Moody Blues?<Your post is a fun bit of work . I believe I can help with the one above since the "?" indicates some hesitation.This was actually over heard from one customer leaving a Woodcraft store spoken to another customer walking in after showing up for a discount offer.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
discussions was his take on sharpening: a trap, "it's sharp enough, let's get to work."
Sorry.. I cannot find the link but there is an old show that was on PBS? where he was working on some Oak as I recall. Blood on the board.. I cracked up...
Amazing man in my opinion.
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