A few months after our company brought in the Hundegger the question was asked to me 'Do you still feel like a craftsman?'
I replied 'Well, I wouldn't know how a crafts
man feels, now would I?'
No, that's not what I replied....
But I had to ponder this question for a long time.
And when I replied it was 'no', because to me, at that time, my craft was in hand cutting - knowing the wood, and knowing the tools and the joinery, and knowing how to make the frame fit.
And I saw that those skills, which I considered my craft, were now obsolete.
But now, after 2 years of running this machine, I realise that I still practice a craft, it's just more defined. But it would have happened whether I was hand cutting or machine cutting a frame.
It is my passion for the wood itself, and knowing it, and the joinery.
Being able to see a timber and judge it structurally and aesthetically, and making sure the joinery is correct - these are crafts that I'm learning.
And I still take pride in each piece that goes through my hands.
But I think that the biggest rush for me in making a timberframe is the idea that people have these homes that have been crafted by those of us who were dedicated to each timber in it. And years after we have left this planet, that home will be there.
I have seen old frames, and whenever I do I think of the craftsmen who took the time to create something so wonderful.
I believe that craftsmanship is defined not only by skill and passion, but by the legacy it leaves behind.