On 30 Nov 2004 10:47:56 -0800, (Mike Girouard)
wrote:

(BUB 209) wrote in message ...
Subject: "It's a poor workman who blames . . ."
From: "johnny rotten"

Power tools only make
the job go faster not better.

If you don't believe that then you've obviously never seen a
Chippendale or
Queen Anne...

This is what never fails to amaze me -
at the mill shop I go to, they will make
an elaborate custom door and jamb in about 5 days, give or take, using the
best power equipment money can buy. How long would it have taken to make
the same door, starting with rough boards, in the year 1830? There must
be logs somewhere giving exact detail of tools, personnel and time frames.
It would be very interesting to see.

Maybe not all that much longer than your mill shop. Labor was a LOT
cheaper 175 years ago - not to mention apprentices that got bupkis for
7 years. The shop could throw 5 or 7 men on one door - each one doing
his "specialty" - where the modern shop probably uses only 2 or 3 men
(if that)to knock out the same product. Also it IS true that practice
develops speed. You're looking at hand-producing, say, a bead molding
according to how YOU think YOU would do it. In 1830 there were guys
who did nothing but moldings and could probably do in a day what would
take you a month doing it his way.

FoggyTown
"Cut to shape . . . pound to fit."

Ah yes, apprentices. The 18th century equivalent of power tools.

--RC

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?