TedX Talks: "Have Broad Axe Will Travel" - Roy Underhill

U

untamed

Joined
Jan 7, 2003
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I love watching TedX; very productive worth your time rather than any Kardashian or the god-forsaken reality shows and mindless schlock they're spewing out these days.

This one surprised me. Certainly nothing new to old-time axe folk, but the speaker is very entertaining, enough to give the modern folks of today food for thought.

[youtube]Au1TbIyLcPU[/youtube]
 
I have always liked Mr Underhill. I should really get the old DVDs. That was the best show.
 
Watching this video reminds me of the old "Troglodyte vs. Norm-ite" discussions surrounding the Yankee Woodshop show. Norm-ites had dozens of specialty power tools, hundreds of hand-made jigs, and reveled in the precision and efficiency of modern technology.

Roy Underhill was the champion of the Trodlodytes - making everything by hand using human powered tools. Roy even uses a foot-powered lathe to cut spindles for chairs!

Cool post, untamed!

TedP
 
phillipsted said:
Watching this video reminds me of the old "Troglodyte vs. Norm-ite" discussions surrounding the Yankee Woodshop show. Norm-ites had dozens of specialty power tools, hundreds of hand-made jigs, and reveled in the precision and efficiency of modern technology.

Roy Underhill was the champion of the Trodlodytes - making everything by hand using human powered tools. Roy even uses a foot-powered lathe to cut spindles for chairs!

Cool post, untamed!

TedP
Click to expand...

Yup. Every time I'd watch the New Yankee Workshop I'd think to myself "Oh yeah--I could totally follow along with this project if I had thousands and thousands of dollars in fancy equipment." The projects were always totally useless to me because they involved using methods that I had no hope of using myself. The Underhill method? Now THAT I can do! Hang around the flea markets and antique shops long enough and you can have a whole shop of quality tools for less than the cost of just on of the fancy machines NYW habitually showcases. For a good in between the tools and techniques used on This Old House tended to be much more blue collar budget-friendly, though of course their subject matter was more limited in scope.
 
phillipsted said:
Watching this video reminds me of the old "Troglodyte vs. Norm-ite" discussions surrounding the Yankee Woodshop show. Norm-ites had dozens of specialty power tools, hundreds of hand-made jigs, and reveled in the precision and efficiency of modern technology.

Roy Underhill was the champion of the Trodlodytes - making everything by hand using human powered tools. Roy even uses a foot-powered lathe to cut spindles for chairs!

Cool post, untamed!

TedP
Click to expand...

Re: New Yankee Workshop. I remember that show from circa late-90's.

LOL! You have to consider as well where I'm coming from watching that; a struggling, "Third World" Asian country. My jaw dropped a few times from all the cool stuff and furniture churned out by all that fancy and unbelievably expensive equipment (consider the exchange rate of the peso vs. dollar). I remember going "Wow! They actually invented a tool to do that?" And a laser-guided bevel line!?"
 
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Just slightly off-topic though; I remember one thing from my old Christian Theology classes on how Joseph, the earthly father of the Christ-being, was traditionally known to be a carpenter (a trade Jesus also picked-up). However, the original Greek translation for his occupation was "tektōn" (τέκτων). The word implied not just simple, utilitarian or repair-work carpentry, but a job requiring a broader skill set, which meant that "tekton" also encompassed being an artisan or craftsman as well. As in all fields and areas, the concept of "specialization" to concentrate on one specific area/skill didn't evolve until much later in history (hence, our fixation on one's "area of expertise" being paid professionally).

This meant that he could not only make let's say, a wooden chest for example, he was also skilled enough to hew/sculpt/shape the intricate carvings to decorate it or possibly even minor metal-smithing to add gilded designs and such.

Now that's being well-rounded skill-wise!
 
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untamed said:
Re: New Yankee Workshop. I remember that show from circa late-90's.

LOL! You have to consider as well where I'm coming from watching that; a struggling, "Third World" Asian country. My jaw dropped a few times from all the cool stuff and furniture churned out by all that fancy and unbelievably expensive equipment (consider the exchange rate of the peso vs. dollar). I remember going "Wow! They actually invented a tool to do that?" And a laser-guided bevel line!?"
Click to expand...

Hell--*I* had the same reaction half the time I was watching it! :D
 
Underhill has inspired me for as long as I can remember, heck probably half the reason I do what I do. :)

I do look forward to the once a week he is on PBS here, and always looking for more.

The peace that a shop like his has to have I cant imagine, no noisy electric motors droning on and on..... :D
 
While I couldn't do half of what Norm does in his shop, I don't think it's his tool collection that allows him to do it. Sure, having all sorts of fancy gear is nice, but all it's doing is speeding up the process to the point that it's profitable. The number one problem with doing something the old way is that you just can't make a living at it.

How many buyers are there for a chair with 40 hours of labor in it versus the same type of chair made with only 10 man-hours? Even if they both look the same, use the same materials, you know that the cheaper one will sell far sooner than the more expensive one.

For tinkering around the house and having fun... well, let's just say that I have an ax I'm putting a new handle on, and just bought a 2" auger bit off ebay for a buck!
 
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