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The quiet hum of a router has replaced the scrape of my hand plane.
I began my career smoothing wood with hand planes, each stroke needing care. Our shop made cabinets slowly, with every joint fitted by eye and hand. Today, routers and jigs let us produce pieces in a fraction of the time. I think about how my old boss taught me to tune tools, a daily ritual. Now, with disposable blades, that skill is not as common. The work is faster and more exact, but it lacks that handmade touch. Still, I adapt because the trade keeps moving forward.
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riverm481mo agoMost Upvoted
Remember the time I spent twenty minutes looking for my pencil only to find it behind my ear. @the_xena, your track saw story is my whole life now. I miss the simple weight of a good hand plane, but my back doesn't miss the ache. The craft changes, so we change with it, even if we look stupid doing it. My old boss would call me a fool, but he'd also tell me to get back to work.
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the_xena2mo ago
Yeah, "the heart of craftsmanship shifts" is right. My version of adapting is spending ten minutes trying to figure out why my track saw won't turn on, only to realize I never plugged it in. The old guys would have just sighed and gone back to their perfectly sharpened hand tools.
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bettyperry2mo ago
It's sad how some skills get lost, but ADAPTING is key to survival. The heart of craftsmanship shifts but doesn't disappear.
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