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29 December 2014 at 4:20 pm #122765
Another quick update: Registrering as a ‘Reisende Geschäft’seems to be a good way to go, after a conversation with someone who sells simple wood carvings, spoons and cutting boards at the ‘Medieval Markets’ as they travel around. As long as they are ‘travelling’ and they don’t go and make a big workshop to churn our ‘normal’ (chipboard) furniture, then the guild isn’t bothered.
Another plus is that if you ae making things of “historical or cultural interest” (like traditional furniture with or without carvings) some places will not only allow you space in a medieval market, but even pay you a small fee as you are ‘non commercial’, and they assume that even if you sell things you can’t afford to make a living from it. Of course these pitches will be hard sought after, and you’d have to prove you were making authentic ‘traditional’ items, you could also apply if you offer ‘workshops’ or demponstrations to people on spec.
In my case I also need to get practicing in order to make stuff of the right quality.and I’d probably need a ‘medieval’ costume…
27 November 2014 at 2:40 pm #121555Thanks Antonio. The handles are a fixture after trying to carry a heave tool ox with a top handle…
20 November 2014 at 5:46 pm #121229I use a fairly fine ‘Dozuki’ Japanese saw for these types of cuts, so I guess it is the usual rule that it isn’t the saw, but the user… I’ll try and get more oractice in before the exam…
28 September 2014 at 11:10 am #118620I’ve seen similar on a project someone did at college: as you say the wood feels smooth even if it doesn’t look smooth. The wood was planed in a machine (of course…) and they got a high grade for it.
I was taught the reason for these colours but I forgot completely in all the information I had to absorb about chipboard last year. I’ll look it up.
27 September 2014 at 5:01 pm #118594Thanks for the responses:
Dave: I’m glad it brighened up your day. I think the main goal of the college is to make us obedient little drones so we won’t complain too much (which considering the working conditions and pay scales is probably needed). Unfortunately I’m not playing by their rules…
Eddy: In the case of the guild I think that is true: I doubt many of them can make dovetails these days as they’ve been working commercially for a very long time. Again, I think the main goal is to make obedient drones.
Diego: Thanks for the grade. In the photograph you can’t see the mistakes I made, but it wasn’t that bad in my opinion, certainly I think I deserved better. I can’t become an examiner because I’d need to waste 2 years and €15 -20 000 on getting a pointless masters qualification.
Also, following their rules I wouldn’t havd finished the exam on time: it was Peter’s method with the extra piece of wood placed behind the first cut that made a massive difference, much faster then marking everything out twice…
27 September 2014 at 11:56 am #118576Beautiful work, thanks for sharing. I’m getting better but I’m not that exact yet…
27 September 2014 at 9:55 am #118562So, here’s the results, warts and all. It annoys me that I’m not consistent, but I’m better than I was last year so that’s a step forward. Any suggestions how to improve on these results are welcome…
The dovetails are not glued: they are tighet but not really neat enough, and as the third image (which must qualify for the most boring photo in the world competition, I’m still getting gaps on the inside.
It possibly doesn’t help tha I’ve made the outside corners a 45 degree angle, but I have to do that on my final project for the apprenticeship, so that I can use a table router to make the groove for the infil. (If I don’t use a table router for this, I’ll barely use any machines at all which will get me in trouble).
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.26 September 2014 at 7:44 pm #118553Great picture, thanks for sharing.
My boys love making ‘curly tails’ as well.
26 September 2014 at 7:42 pm #118552Finally got a bit more information from a carpenter who managed to be self employed without a master carpenters qualification.
His solution was simply to call himself a ‘Kunstler-Tischler” or “Artist Carpenter”. If you do this you can’t work doing stuff for architechts, for example and have to stick to stuff you design and make yourself and you have to work in a way that doesn’t look threatening to the trade guilds.
For example, if you make tables and chairs, then you can’t make them using the same machines and methods as the carpenter down the road.
As most carpenters in Germany use chipboard and machines, this means that using real wood and hand tools would mean I’m not a threat to them.
Problem solved.
Unfortunately the “assiciation of wood wholesalers” in Germany has decided they won’t sell wood to end users, only to busineses, so you’d need to be registered as a business to buy wood (and even then you are in trouble unless it is over one M³). I’m working on that one at the moment.
You also have the problem of finding customers willing to pay for traditional woodwork at a rate that makes it viable.
Still, one step forward…
20 September 2014 at 7:25 am #93917Many thanks for the suggestions. this is the trouble with working in MachineWorld: the expertise has gone and even the master carpenters don’t really know how to make a decent dovetail.
I think I’m being too heavy handed in the knifewall so I’ll try and use that test on pine and hardwood and see what happens. I’ve wondered about using a coping saw to make a rough cut and speed things up -because in MachineWorld everything must be fast, fast, fast, so if I’m going to get permisssion to do this the way I want it has to at least be fairly quick- so I’ll try that as well.
@ Mark: I’ve tried the methosd you describe, but as you say, it is a faff to clamp the wood and this takes extra time. The other problem I found was that if you accidentally jog the edge of the wood and don’t notice you end up with all manner of problems, or maybe that’s just me.
Right, back to the workshop…
17 September 2014 at 8:40 pm #90371Many thanks for the tips. No-one in the car boot sale in York had one for sale.
Eventually I found one on Ebay and got it for 25 pounds. I’ll have to wait until Easter for it to arrive with some guests as postage to Germany for that is expensive and risky.
But then I’m having enough trouble mastering dovetails without learning a new tool as well…
17 September 2014 at 8:31 pm #90369I have had similar problems: the only answer I found is light pencil marks and erase with a cum/plastic eraser before I sand because afterwards the pencil lines will just ignore the eraser. I don’t know why either
17 September 2014 at 8:25 pm #90365At work we use a material called ‘Kitt’ which is mixed with sawdust and used as a putty. I’m not mad keen on using spirit-based stuff like this but it does work: you end up with a tough fill that matches the surrounding wood and which you can sand down.
23 July 2014 at 7:58 am #59674Thanks for the responses.
I know the Ebay listings are expensive: that’s the problem here though, there is no second hand market I can find (any German reader who knows better please tell me) and the only other channel open to me is Ebay or similar, or buy new which is even more pricey. Worse, I can’t have a good look at the things before I get them.
Hence my hunt for a market or dealer that I can visit or order from in the UK while I’m there.
@peterE Thanks for the offer, please let me know the links, that would be a start…21 July 2014 at 3:44 pm #59634Thanks Cornflowers, I did think that may be a method. I found these two:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131227213920&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:3160
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221451617505&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:3160
Which seems to be about normal for Ebay. If anyone with more idea than me could tell me what they think, I’d be grateful.
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