From: jfarmer@cs.utk.edu (JOHN FARMER)
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Subject: Impact of our hobby on "the pros" (WAS: Re: Jointer vs Planer)
Date: 16 Dec 1992 04:48:18 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville - CS Department
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: duncan.cs.utk.edu

In article <Bz9M2q.Mrs@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> brown@venus.iucf.indiana.edu writes:
>In article <1992Dec11.185948.9421@adobe.com>, bennett@adobe.com(Bennett Leeds) writes...
		[much discussion deleted to save bandwidth ]


> Incidentally, although my pals tolerate my using their tools from time to
>time, and the persistent flood of questions (these guys DO know the trade!)
>I bombard them with, they are quick to point out (in a joking fashion - but
>I can see some truth to it) that it's people like myself - and probably you
>too - that have hurt their business a little bit. I am NOT into the comercial
>end of woodworking; most everything I make stays in my home or is a gift for
>family or friends. But their claim is that everything I make myself is poten-
>tially money out of their pockets. From my point of view, if I didn't make it
>myself as a hobby, I probably wouldn't buy it from them anyway! But of course,
>this is another discussion all together............
>
>Cheers,
>
>B**2
>
>   ____________________________________________________________
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>

So let's have it!! (:^>)

This has always been a potential bone of contention between us "hobbyist types"
and the "professionals" whatever the field.  I remodeled/finished-in the 
basement in my house over the last several years.  Did I deprive some 
contractor of a job?  No, I didn't have the money to pay someone to do the
job.  (If I had, my wife probably would have insisted that I do that.  Would
have got it done a long time ago (:^> !!)  Some of the furniture I build is 
the same way, I build it cause I'm to cheap to pay what it would cost to buy
or have built "good stuff".  Some stuff I build cause I know what I want and
would rather build it than attempt to tell someone what I want.

But I really think that it gets even more basic than that.  Many of the
things I attempt to do, I do so because I believe that L. Long had it right:
"Specialization is for insects".  I like learning how to do things.  I like
building and making things.  I'm a fair cook (so my wife says, but I think
she has a vested interest...), one of these days, I plan to learn how to 
sew (I can mend already, I'm to cheap too toss a pair of "work in the yard" 
jeans cause of a drafty seat...) and so forth.

I don't think that I'm "taking" any work from the professionals.  Indeed, 
I am just as likely to recommend one of the pros that I like and trust 
when someone comes asking about a custom piece of furniture.  Now that
is not to say that I would turn down every request that comes my way, just
that some I don't want to do, some I don't have time to do, some I don't
think that I could do it justice, etc.  In other words (I'm told that I
tend to be long winded..) I look at each request and make a judgement
call.  Besides, I have a 3 year (working part-time) backlog of projects
for myself, my wife, my son, .....

In summary, I can understand how the pros feel, (after all I've been
a computer consultant too!!)  but I think that they haven't thought
it out.

John T.

-- 
John T. Farmer, Jr.					jfarmer@cs.utk.edu
Full-time Daddy, Part-time Grad Student,
Full-time wage slave, Wood butcher when I can.
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking