On Feedback

         Most of the time,  I receive encouraging and constructive feedback to my blogs.   This week however, both blogs have had some interesting and somewhat critical feedback.  Please know, that as described on my "Provide Information Or Feedback to Me" page, I will answer to explain my choices.
 

 Jim,

    Thanks for your input.   My message in the post on handtools on a preparedness forum, is simply that all people, women and men should begin to gather hand tools as they see them reasonably priced, and begin to collect those which may be useful.  Please understand that I cannot post many of the pictures of things I would like to.  Many pictures are copywritten, and when they are used even with credit given, the owners want them removed.  I often must use a second choice picture because I have received permission to do so, when the ideal picture owner has refused. The same was true of my choice of firearm pictures in another recent post.
     Secondly, please understand that this is entirely an unpaid endeavor in which subscribers receive a lot of quality information at absolutely no charge whatsoever. Most of them are actually quite grateful for the reports, and the directions in which the posts, a snippet on such a subject takes them.
       I think you missed my point on what is indeed called here in Virginia, a Mexican framer.  My point is that an exquisitely balanced hammer or hatchet is absolutely worth the extra funds paid for it. I am also originally from California and I am acutely aware of many of the differences between verbage and the landscape between California and here.  I assure you that my builders, who collected millions from tasks locally in the past year, is indeed an expert.
       I am afraid that I only have the time to devote to a unpaid endeavor that I do.  My suggestion to you, is that you should create, maintain and add to  a blog devoted to minute details concerning handtools, their availabilities in other areas and nations, their nuances, and histories.  I am afraid that you may find it a shade more difficult than you think.

       Jane of Virginia

This must be the picture to which the poster was referring.  I own one of these I inherited from my father, and I have no difficulty balancing personally to use it.  It is especially helpful in areas on the farm where I may not have easy access to electricity, as I might like to have with a power drill.  The drill bits attach to the left side of the drill.

    _______________________________________________________________

The post received:
 


 From fruitystus@aol.com

Hi Jane  -

I found your site by following a photo of a brace.  I'm a general contractor and woodworker from Glendora, California.  I'm writing because I expect you to get comments on your comments about tools.  I like the issues you bring up, but the devil is in the details and many woodworkers are rabid about accuracy concerning their beloved craft.  For example the "drill" you pictured is a brace.  It's not easy to use.  It takes practice.  It's a tool for making large holes . . . 1/4" in diameter or bigger.  You would never use it to start a hole.  The "plane" you pictured is a scraper.  It is technically a "scraper plane", but most tool companies don't list it in the same category as planes.  And in any case would not be used to trim a door.  The "California Framer" hammer you pictured is not a California framer.  A California Framer has a handle that is shaped like a hatchet handle.  Most California carpenters would consider calling it a Mexican Framer insulting to everyone.  It's true enough that we hire many carpenters from south of our border, but many are not and do not want to be called Mexican.  If you look at a globe there are actually quite a few countries south of our border.  Many of those countries speak Spanish.  Beyond that there's little these peoples have in common.  And, for the record, I think very highly of the carpenters I've hired (and others that I've had the pleasure of meeting) from those "other" countries.  I don't know that anyone meant to be insulting to Mexican (or other Spanish speaking) carpenters working in California, but I want to be clear that in my opinion we owe them the respect they've earned among their peers in the California construction industry.  Because I can tell by your writing that you sought "expert opinion" concerning tools, I thought you should know that either your "expert" duped you intentionally or they just aren't expert.  Do what you would have done if this was an article on nursing.  Seek experts.  Get opinions about your experts.  Get more opinions.  And only after exhausting your search, publish.  If it's important enough to write about, do it well.  You've let yourself down on this one.

But, again, I like what your trying to do.

Regards,

Jim