Well into the machine age, and what people labeled as as mass production, one could find unmistakable signatures of the human hand. Here's another one of those fun little surprises that speak to the influence of the human factor in the manufacturing process. These kinds of observations are a lot more difficult to find now with the influence of computer directed machines.
Remember those two oak chairs? The pictures above show one of the chair's supporting rungs as it intersects with the chair leg. You'll note how the one in the top picture is clean and straight compared to the one in the lower picture. Yup, the craftsman, in this case, was distracted, maybe having a "bad" day? Clearly the rung was not discarded; it was nevertheless put in its place to do what it was made to do. However, it was not cut appropriately for the joint as you can clearly see in the lower picture.
Despite it's modest cosmetic departure from what would be an otherwise unremarkable joint it has served its purpose well. The joint remains secure 70 years later!
Hmmm. Is there a fun life lesson in this observation--something about the interesting differences that distinguish us, respectively, as people? Or, maybe it says something about the influence of our lives on our work? God knows what was going on for this craftsman, and it's sure fun to guess what the distraction may have been (...family stuff, a tummy ache, disappointment, or maybe he was cold? [Brrrr, it's just 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside my shop window this morning!]
That's Wood Talkin...till next time.
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