US vs UK woodworking

[Jelly]

I've been reading a lot of online articles etc. recently and it's become apparent that (like many things) there's a different culture to woodworking in the states. The big thing I've noticed is an almost total disconnect between ordinary commercial woodworking (Carpentry, Timber Framing and Joinery) and hobby woodworking and the woodworking press... When refering to professionals, the US woodworking media is almost invariably refering to things like bespoke cabinetry, which being artisans serving a specialized market, don't reflect the true nature of the industry.

What brought it home to me was a post on FWW which declared the Radial Arm Saw to be dead, and stated that in all the commercial environments that the author had visited, none of the 'shops' used one... What followed in the comments, (mixed in with a lot of highly enthusiastic people who'd been using RAS's since the dawn of time, and quite a lot of disinformation and vitriol from people who'd clearly either never used, or never been trained properly before using one) was a number of people employed in Framing or as "General Contractors" stating that they were reliant on their large RAS's, because of the sizes of the timber they work with and the kinds of joints they needed to cut accurately and repetitively (like birdsmouths)...

It also reflects the love affair that America has with both power tools and extreme polarisation of ideas, in that rarely is it ever discussed how to make a sensible choice between a machine vs hand tool approach, something which is essential to efficient, profitable working speeds. Either you cut it all on your table saw and with your router table or you delve into the cultish world of hand tool only work... By comparison, I frequently see posters of some considerable experience on here advising the use of both in the same job, attempting to recommend the easiest, quickest approach (the thread on cutting a chamfer ending in larks' tongues was a good example, with everything from jigs to drawknives suggested, including my personally favored idea of routing out the chamfer, stopping short of the mark, and forming the larks' tongues with a chisel or spokeshave).

Anyway, what do you think? Have you noticed a difference, or am I seeing things that aren't there?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Interesting question.

Yes, I think there is a slight difference in approach, though not a huge gulf. Two factors that I think may affect approach are available space and disposable income.

America (and Canada) are large countries, with lots of space. Britain is a small(er) island with a more concentrated population, so it's inevitable that the average American real estate plot will be larger than the average British one. Ergo, Americans in general have more space available for workshops.

Britain is quite a highly taxed country. A higher proportion of a Briton's gross income disappears in stoppages compared to North Americans. Whilst the Americans have bills we don't (health insurance, for example) the average American disposable income after meeting tax and household bills is a bit higher, so more is available for 'toys'. (See the disparity in Ebay prices between America and the UK - we just won't pay the prices they will.)

Beyond those two factors, I'm not sure there's such a great difference between us. Maybe their extensive forests and economies of scale mean that their wood prices are a bit cheaper, maybe their woodworking press has been a bit more power-tool oriented (with some exceptions) thus influencing the amateur. However, amateur woodworking on both sides of the pond is such a broad church that generalisations are well-nigh impossible.

It'll be interesting to hear opinions on this from the other side of the pond. Hey you guys, whaddya think?

 

[bugbear]

The main thing I've learnt from my various contacts with America (professional, holiday, and via the net), is that America is too big, and has too high a population for any generalisation to be more than a rough approximation.

BugBear

 

[G S Haydon]

Hi Jelly,

I just enjoy the contrast. I find US table saws scary, but hey it's not my fingers. Everyone skins their cat differently. One thing they do really well (like we do) is get passionate about woodworking.

 

[trsleigh]

Jelly
Over many years of reading articles etc I do think there is a difference in the amateur approach.
The average Merican seems to get a huge workshop, fully equip it with all the best toys, then decide what to make.

The average Brit seems to start with a shed, starts making stuff, then buys more toys as required.
Gross generalisation maybe.

 

[mn pete]

From my experiences and observations we certainly tend to be very power tool oriented over here in the US. Most of us start with power tools, usually lower cost units and usually for DIY-type home projects for starters.

 

[jakethebuilder]

Yes, the US does focus more on power tools. You can probably thank the New Yankee Workshop for that, but I think the trend toward mixing hand work with power tools is getting stronger all the time. It's a bit of a laugh sometimes, reading the various magazines. On one page, they tell you to use this power tool and that, but then recommend that you BUY an exquisite set of chisels, or a hand plane. I think it all boils down to who's paying for advertising in the magazines. As someone else said above, it's difficult to make meaningful generalizations about such a diverse population.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I don't know how things compare now, but for many years their tools were half the price of ours when they were earning twice what we earned - they could afford it, especially as their property was a fraction of the price of ours as well.