Giving it your all

[joe]

I'm loving this little movie about hand craftsmanship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22StGi-tB-I

[David Iannone]

That's amazing. Seeing work and artistic ability like that humbles me. I would not be in the Sign Business if it were not for computers. I can't draw a thing.

Dave

[shilala]

He's so right when he said "products need to have a bit of soul to them".
I added the shopbot to my shop so I can do things that I'd otherwise not have time to do.
But there's not a thing I make that I don't take chisels and files and sanding blocks to. Sometimes for days on end.
It matters. Maybe not to anyone else, but to me. I'm not China, I'm Scott Shilala. And when I hand off something I've done, I want that person to see that and feel it. Imperfections and all.

[dakers]

Joe back before cnc routers my wife and i took a trip to Vermont to see Jay Cooke who did spectacular world class hand carving and gold leaf. He went on to make the Jay Cooke primer for HDU that many use. But i marveled at his ability to do most of the signs types we do now with some hand tools.
We were in that part of the country to see the Ward World Champion Waterfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival.
I was so inspired i bought the tools to carving knives and wood burning equp to carve ducks. That was maybe 30 plu years ago. i cut my hands up so badly i gave it up but i did carve the duck head. Funny

http://www.wardmuseum.org/SpecialEve...5/Default.aspx

[joe]

What if we looked at Russian and German, turn of the century art similar to the Dantonian image, and gave it a try?

There's so much talent on this forum it wouldn't be a stretch to see some world class images. A few of these in the portfolio might be fun. And it could change one's direction. It could open up significant opportunities and it's no great hurdle.

Keep in mind, if we don't watch out, someday there will be machines capable of this kind of work. Then where would we be?

[gc3]

shop doing something similar...

[joe]

Gene,

Thanks for backing me up on this topic. Seeing your hand work is the most interesting photo's I've seen in a long time.

Those round carved pieces bring depth and interest, where perfectly machined wooden spheres would make the whole panel look too mechanical.

Now that we're on the topic, I'll be making a couple of signs for a new housing complex. It's one of those upper class project and I'll be using more hand work.

Joe

[David Iannone]

Gene,
That is very impressive. You guys are getting me fired up with that kind of artistic ability. One of these days I need to buy a set of hand carving tools and try some simple letters in HDU. Looks like fun if you have the vision and talent for it.


Thanks for the photos.

Dave

[jTr]

I think Gene is on the right track of utilizing a combination of tech and human talents. Some things are so monotonous and physically demanding, if a machine can do the bulk of it, great. When human hands generate the final surface, it has a more authentic look. As long as creativity and inspiration drive the tech, I think we can see this continue as a working paradigm. I am less concerned about human obsolescence as I contemplate the following:

- My brother works for a local metal sculptor. The artwork is done in clay, the casting and basic welding/chasing is done by the help, while the last 10% of handwork and finishing touches is done by the artist. No digital fab in this case, but similar reduction of the artist's physical investment while retaining full control.

- Just came from the dentist. He utilized a photo scanner to plot the location then he sculpted a realistic looking crown on screen. In less than 15 minutes, a crown was machined on a cute little CNC. Ultimately, it was still up to the skills/talent of the dentist to craft the digital model, then hand hone and fit into the mouth.

Will there ever be a day where the human talents are obsolete? I rather doubt it.

Ultimately the issue at "hand" is authenticity vs. cost to produce, which I think is why we'll likely see a decent balance of hand vs machine - perhaps we're closer to it than we realize....

jeff

[chiloquinruss]

My dad was a renowned hand carver and on one of his many trips to Germany he toured a 'hand made carving' plant. What he saw was row after row of duplicating machines making 'blanks' that were 'finished' by the carvers and painters. He said it was fascinating to see the production methods employed in this 'hand made carving' factory. A combination of machines and skilled craftsman. Russ