Kim said:
The tricky part is determining when a file mark works and when
it looks like poor craftsmanship. Knowing how to work a piece to perfection
is very helpful because at least you know where that extreme lies. You can
always work back from that. So far it’s a tightrope walk for me - more
often than not I still fall off to one side or the other (too tight, too
loose).
Right on!
The trick is to make it look hand made not home made or factory (machine made).
Consider a hand wrought strap hinge (the kind made by the blacksmith for the
handmade barn door) as oppose to the flat, smooth non-discript strap hinge you
buy at Home Depot. Guess which one has more character.
I think it’s in the eye of the beholder & what s/he’s used to. If all you saw
was crummy workmanship then the fault free factory job would be a thing of
beauty. However, all we see today are fault free poorly designed/engineered,
cheaply made factory clones. Now folks are looking for a little individuality
identified by good design/mfgr & those little warts we sometimes leave on our
work.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Dave