There are many common bonds between woodworkers: the familial connection of those who understand the essence of creativity and hard work; the knowledge of wood characteristics and the application of that knowledge; the desire to share techniques learned through years of experience. But perhaps the single most common characteristic that is shared by brothers and sisters of the woodworking fold is frugality … we are basically – cheap.
Personally, coming from a Scottish heritage, I consider this a virtue rather than a character flaw, but not everyone agrees with this assessment. I think that, say, finding a broken-down butcher’s band saw in an alley and deciding to “patch it back together” is good stewardship, not a moronic affliction of “cheap-itus.”
So, this is a call to hear from all of you: are you, as I suspect – thrifty? Have you ever decided that several hundred hours of your labor were a good exchange for “a really good deal”? Let me know. I need some support here, and I am looking to the eZine faithful to buck me up. I have faith.
Sincerely,
– Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
