Sometimes I Overthink What Is Really Needed for a Project.

[conscience]

I spend a lot of time in Haiti these days. I was on my way to show someone one of the houses we have built here and ran across this local woodworker. He was building a dinette set for a client. Notice his clamps on the back of the chair.



EDITED to reduce photo size.

[conscience]

Sorry the picture is so big. I accidentally linked to the full size version and not the smaller one that I created.

[Cochese]

Cheaper than a set of Besseys for sure.

[conscience]

It doesn't look like much, but it is pretty strong. He let me tighten down the fourth chair (not pictured). It works really well.

[chopnhack]

Oh yeah, thats wicked strong. Think catapult! Is that wood mahogany?

[cabinetman]

Sorry the picture is so big. I accidentally linked to the full size version and not the smaller one that I created.

You can just edit the post and delete the picture that's too big, and replace it with the one you resized. You can usually catch those errors when you "preview" your post before submitting it.

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[cabinetman]

Oh yeah, thats wicked strong. Think catapult! Is that wood mahogany?

That type of clamping device is very common. For odd edges and angles, it's the perfect form. I've used rope, ratcheting straps, bungee cords, turnbuckles, wedges, just about anything that can pull two areas together. Sometimes it's the simplest type of creative thinking that will envision a solution.

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[LCHIEN]

be careful when using ratcheting straps. The dolor of those straps will often come off onto the project. Orange and red stains... yuck

[cwsmith]

Thanks for the post and picture.

I think we often forget the simpler methods. We are so privileged in our country with the number of tools and gadgets that can be purchased for a particular application.

I would be interested in what other "tools" this woodworker had to accomplish what we see. While it looks "rough", I none-the-less see some good "design", workmanship, and effort there and I'm thinking there's a certain lacking of "machines" (both electric and manual) that have been applied to this work.

Thanks again,

CWS

[conscience]

This is the furniture maker. When you don't have a reliable power supply and couldn't afford a jig saw or band saw anyway this is what you do - make your own huge bow saw. This guy only has two saws, the bow saw and the panel saw. He also owns that metal clamp holding the small board he is cutting to the long board, a small, beat up tape measure, a tiny hammer with a hollow metal handle, a rasp (on the table in the first picture), a dubiously square square and a chisel (if you can call it that). Honestly, once in a while you see an old-timer down from the mountains with a machete made by Collins (they stopped making them a long time ago) that holds a much better edge than his chisel.

He buys sandpaper as needed. We have 40, 60, 80 and 100 grit here in town. When he needs a plane to smooth the boards, he rents a craptastic Stanley #7 because he only owns an even craptasticier #4. I know it is craptastic because I made the mistake of buying one (the Made in England stamp fooled me) here. His name is Ti Joas (which means Little Joas). I've gotten to know him a good bit since we built three houses right around where his shop is. And by shop I mean a rickety old bench made of a few planks and some 3x3s that he can move under a tree to catch some shade while he works.

Behind and to his left you see part of a guy. His name is Milord and he is 84 and I built his house, which is off to Ti Joas' right. Behind him you can see a concrete "patio" which the lady who lives there made with her three elementary or smaller children. Everyday we did concrete on Milord's house, she and her kids would come at the end of the day and scrape up all the leftover concrete to make her patio.

[cabinetman]

Very interesting, and it must be something to watch those craftsmen. Hand work with home made tools is an old method of the craft. It is the way it was for the craftsman not that many years ago. Some pretty nice pieces were made, and some are still around.

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