A short article in the November 2003 Reader’s Digest has inspired me
to pay more attention to primary materials. We woodworkers may become so
enthused about tools and technology that we shortchange the contributions made
by the materials we use.
The article describes an amateur violinmaker who devoted his retirement years
to building and repairing violins and cellos. An old friend, who had fought in
Italy during WW II, had saved a piece of spruce that he had collected from below
the monastery at Monte Cassino, first constructed in 529 AD. The violin made
from this ancient wood had a sound that compared favorably with those of a
Stradivarius. The amateur turned professional violinmaker discounted his own
craftsmanship and the formula of his varnish finish, saying that modern
technology could easily reproduce those aspects of a Stradivarius. He attributed
the remarkable sound to the wood itself.
We need not minimize the hard work we put in to achieve whatever skill level
we attain as woodworkers and neither should we ignore the high tech help we get
from today’s fine tools. Both are essential to our hobby or profession at
whatever stage we are – beginner or experienced perfectionist. But do we give
sufficient time and thought to the materials we use? As I learned recently, this
may well begin with choosing hardwood over plywood, despite the ease of
construction offered by the latter. This may lead to niceties of construction,
like mortise and tenon as opposed to biscuit joinery. We glue and screw, rather
than hammer and nail. We distinguish cabinetry from carpentry.
Most good lumberyards afford the opportunity to pick and choose the
individual piece of wood we need for our next project. This may entail crawling
up a crude ladder and handling large pieces of rough-cut lumber, choosing pieces
with nice grain and color and the fewest defects. Or it may mean going out to
our friends at Third Coast Hardwoods and sorting through hunks of trees with the
bark still on. Whatever the task, we may need to spend more time planning and
visualizing our finished product and selecting materials to affect the outcome.
When we think about it, the concept of primary materials is almost universal.
My spouse is a true gourmet chef, but no matter how well prepared, if her
ingredients are not fresh and of first quality, she is not satisfied with the
resulting dish. One only needs to taste truly fresh swordfish once, to forever
distinguish it from the frozen cardboard served in most restaurants.
The wine industry, both French and American (even Texan) knows the value of
the land or terroir and of the weather for a given year. Fine white Burgundies
often reflect the mineral content of the sandy loam in which Chardonnay and
Sauvignon Blanc grapes grow. The big red wines are more complex and last longer
when a dry season prevails and concentrates the sugar content of the Cabernet,
Pinot Noir or Petit Sirah grapes they use. Certainly, both the long revered art,
as well as the modern vintner’s technology are essential to making excellent
wine, but it all begins with the vine. Old rootstocks may sample layers of earth
and minerals 20-25’ below the surface. The same is true of old growth trees.
It becomes self-evident that the person involved is the most essential
primary ingredient for success in any endeavor and woodworking is no exception.
Only the dedicated, and talented or gifted individual can combine the best
materials, tools, skills and good taste to complete an outstanding project. I
have had the pleasure of knowing one such master craftsman through our
woodworking club, but I know there are others who have the same desire as well
as competence to achieve similar results. One key to success may be to emphasize
our choice of materials to the same extent that we evaluate our tools and
practice excellent construction techniques.
ADDENDUM: After composing the above, I opened my copy of the December 2003
issue of Wood magazine. Therein are excellent articles on wood and
selection choices.
Addendum:
Shortly after submitting this piece, the Houston Chronicle of 12/08/03 ran an
interesting article. A tree-ring dating expert at the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, offers substantive theory to the violin maker's insight.
The investigators proposed that the Stradivarius instruments developed their
special acoustic properties as the trees were growing in an extended period of
long winters and cool summers. Other experts have documented a 500-year
chronology from 1500 to the present and discovered "an unprecedented
period of slow growth from 1625-1720 characterized by compact, narrow tree
rings." Stradivarius' "golden period" is considered to
run from 1700-1720, just after the lowest temperatures recorded during a
period known as the "Little Ice Age".
I find this fascinating
and continue to bemoan the wanton destruction of old growth trees, even as we
speak and right here in Houston's "developing suburbs".
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