odie
TOTW Team
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2006
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Good morning!
My little exchange with Owen reminded me of another aspect of the woodturning community that, IMHO, is true.......
As woodturners, we are a community that is interested in promoting the craft among other turners. Most turners would gladly relay all that they know to other turners, because that's just the kind of people we are! This statement is generally true......but, there is a point where it exceeds reality!
There are many very good, and even very great woodturners, who do nothing that isn't already common knowledge, or at least available information to others. For them, it is a skill that is mastered.......not an accumulation of concepts that are being independently developed. This probably covers a segment of the woodturning community greater than 99.999%......and it's fantastic to have all this knowledge freely given. It promotes the community spirit, and that is a good thing!
There is the other side of the coin, however. Just as it is true for some successful race car mechanics, or some highly regarded artists, to keep certain things, procedures, knowledge private, or secret......it is also true with some uniquely accomplished woodturners. (This is why the whole concept of patents exist in the first place!) All of this is simply a matter of human nature.......and, the bottom line is we are bound by instinct to keep some unique knowledge free to influence our concept of our own individuality.......or identity, if you will.
For the great majority of turners, there is nothing they do that hasn't been learned from others.......but, there are a few that still have the lights on, and are out there tinkering, experimenting, mostly failing, but sometimes succeeding......doing things that are inspired strictly by an innovative spirit. When unique knowledge is gained in this way, and it becomes important to their own unique results.......well, it's human nature, or instinct that governs how that discovery, or ability, is applied to one's own individuality......and is cherished more than community spirit, as a driving force.
Of course, there are always those who will say "there is nothing new under the sun", and they are probably right to a very high degree, but not in every single thing, or case. The point is that the majority of very accomplished turners will tell you everything they know.........but, there are a few who don't. The more applicable phrase would be, "There are some very accomplished turners who will tell you almost everything they know!"
Anything less than this is just an unreasonable expectation, considering the instincts and motivation of human nature.
ooc
(All of this is an opinion.)
My little exchange with Owen reminded me of another aspect of the woodturning community that, IMHO, is true.......
As woodturners, we are a community that is interested in promoting the craft among other turners. Most turners would gladly relay all that they know to other turners, because that's just the kind of people we are! This statement is generally true......but, there is a point where it exceeds reality!
There are many very good, and even very great woodturners, who do nothing that isn't already common knowledge, or at least available information to others. For them, it is a skill that is mastered.......not an accumulation of concepts that are being independently developed. This probably covers a segment of the woodturning community greater than 99.999%......and it's fantastic to have all this knowledge freely given. It promotes the community spirit, and that is a good thing!
There is the other side of the coin, however. Just as it is true for some successful race car mechanics, or some highly regarded artists, to keep certain things, procedures, knowledge private, or secret......it is also true with some uniquely accomplished woodturners. (This is why the whole concept of patents exist in the first place!) All of this is simply a matter of human nature.......and, the bottom line is we are bound by instinct to keep some unique knowledge free to influence our concept of our own individuality.......or identity, if you will.
For the great majority of turners, there is nothing they do that hasn't been learned from others.......but, there are a few that still have the lights on, and are out there tinkering, experimenting, mostly failing, but sometimes succeeding......doing things that are inspired strictly by an innovative spirit. When unique knowledge is gained in this way, and it becomes important to their own unique results.......well, it's human nature, or instinct that governs how that discovery, or ability, is applied to one's own individuality......and is cherished more than community spirit, as a driving force.
Of course, there are always those who will say "there is nothing new under the sun", and they are probably right to a very high degree, but not in every single thing, or case. The point is that the majority of very accomplished turners will tell you everything they know.........but, there are a few who don't. The more applicable phrase would be, "There are some very accomplished turners who will tell you almost everything they know!"
Anything less than this is just an unreasonable expectation, considering the instincts and motivation of human nature.
ooc
(All of this is an opinion.)