John15
Established Member
I found this a very interesting and thought provoking ramble from Mr Sellers
https://paulsellers.com/2016/08/disappe ... appearing/
John
https://paulsellers.com/2016/08/disappe ... appearing/
John
Paul Sellers' Blog
- Thread starter John15
- Start date
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YorkshireMartin
Established Member
John15":2e0uxe8t said:
Very interesting post.
It's funny how things come around. The irony is, that for the £700 they want for that stool, you could actually buy an authentic Jacobean example of reasonable quality at auction, but perhaps not for long.
novocaine
Established Member
I like Paul Sellers, I enjoy watching him work and listening to him lament the craftmanship and lifestyle.
but my god is his writing hard to read.
but my god is his writing hard to read.
lurker
Le dullard de la commune
I love visiting "I saw you coming" shops :lol:
bugbear
Established Member
novocaine":2gc0hymx said:
Yes - his videos can be helpful, but his woodworking blogs are a bit rambling, and when he drifts into philosophy he tends not to really say much at all.
BugBear
AJB Temple
Finely figured
There is a considerable niche market for quality artisan things. I spend a lot of my time in Gemrany near Koln and there is a shop there called Manufactum, which sells a lot of similar stuff. Prices are high. There is a top notch deli as well. They sell tools, gardening gear, lighting, furniture, clothes, shoes, cooking stuff, writing gear, shaving equipment - all sorts of very high quality products under one roof. You can't help wanting to buy things there, and it is always busy
custard
Established Member
The best way to learn cabinet making is to sign up for a City & Guilds at a decent college like Chichester or Rycotewood. Failing that complete a paid for long-course at a respected workshop like Peter Sefton or Waters & Acland. The huge advantage of this type of training is that there's an experienced man at your shoulder, and just as importantly, there's a disciplined approach that takes you through a structured syllabus and won't let you drop into all the rabbit hole diversions that fascinate woodworking newbies.
But for most people these aren't practical options, so if they want to learn to make furniture they'll basically have to teach themselves.
To stand a decent chance of success they need a single primary source of information. There are many different ways of getting the job done in furniture making, but mixing and matching different techniques from different people is usually a disaster, especially if the people dispensing the wisdom are internet know-nothings who are long on opinion but short on practical knowledge.
Paul Sellers is one of the very, very few candidates able to fill the role of primary mentor. Yes, many of his designs are stuck in the 1970's, and yes he's prone to sounding like a new age messiah. But that really doesn't matter, he'll show you techniques and skills that work, and he'll take you through a structured series of projects that will equip you to build good quality furniture in your own workshop.
So if it's as easy as that how come so many hobbyist woodworkers spend a couple of years banging away in their workshop but still haven't made much progress at the end of it?
The problem is that many woodworkers just don't have the discipline to knuckle down and spend ten hours a week for two years precisely following Paul Sellers instructions and doggedly working through all his projects in exactly the order he recommends, using the same tools and equipment he works with. And of course they also end up falling into all those fascinating rabbit holes like sharpening, fettling non essential tools, or home brewing exotic finishes.
If the objective is to just occupy a few hours by tinkering in your shed then of course there's nothing wrong with doing whatever takes your fancy on any particular day. It's your money and your time, so you're free to spend them any way you like.
But if you genuinely want to learn to make furniture, and you're unable to sign up for extended full time training, then there's very few alternatives to Paul Sellers and a big dose of self discipline.
But for most people these aren't practical options, so if they want to learn to make furniture they'll basically have to teach themselves.
To stand a decent chance of success they need a single primary source of information. There are many different ways of getting the job done in furniture making, but mixing and matching different techniques from different people is usually a disaster, especially if the people dispensing the wisdom are internet know-nothings who are long on opinion but short on practical knowledge.
Paul Sellers is one of the very, very few candidates able to fill the role of primary mentor. Yes, many of his designs are stuck in the 1970's, and yes he's prone to sounding like a new age messiah. But that really doesn't matter, he'll show you techniques and skills that work, and he'll take you through a structured series of projects that will equip you to build good quality furniture in your own workshop.
So if it's as easy as that how come so many hobbyist woodworkers spend a couple of years banging away in their workshop but still haven't made much progress at the end of it?
The problem is that many woodworkers just don't have the discipline to knuckle down and spend ten hours a week for two years precisely following Paul Sellers instructions and doggedly working through all his projects in exactly the order he recommends, using the same tools and equipment he works with. And of course they also end up falling into all those fascinating rabbit holes like sharpening, fettling non essential tools, or home brewing exotic finishes.
If the objective is to just occupy a few hours by tinkering in your shed then of course there's nothing wrong with doing whatever takes your fancy on any particular day. It's your money and your time, so you're free to spend them any way you like.
But if you genuinely want to learn to make furniture, and you're unable to sign up for extended full time training, then there's very few alternatives to Paul Sellers and a big dose of self discipline.
lurker":2883pncf said:
Someone's got to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUnvgKh ... tml5=False :lol:
bugbear
Established Member
custard":1j3b2o6k said:
Yay me!
BugBear
novocaine
Established Member
phil.p":158zu4hq said:
I think my wife dragged me there once, but the poor chap at the counter couldn't understand my terrible northern accent, which is a shame as he had some simply adorable little miners lamps that would have set of the parlor just fab.
