hogg@utcsri.UUCP (John Hogg) (12/09/85)
Pardon me while I disown motherhood, but it is NOT always clear that the highest quality tool (or other object) available is the best one to buy. Don't misunderstand me - given the choice, I will always choose less of the best on aesthetic grounds. Especially if I'm not paying. But if I'm forced to get something done, and on budget, then I face up to reality. The 1985-86 Lee Harvey catalogue has a scratch awl listed for $48.00. It's beautiful. The handle is polished rosewood, the brass ferrule gleams, and the point is machined to perfection. It would be profane to touch it to any raw material less holy than wood. But I can get a tool that will perform *almost* as well for an order of magnitude less, and spend the remainder on a reasonable setsquare to use it with. My rule of thumb is, where possible buy the second-best quality. While this rule is naturally broken as often as it is observed, it is a good starting point for striking a balance between beauty and reality. I will sometimes go for the best (although seldom on practical grounds) and often to third-rate, fourth-rate and Honest Ed's standards when I know that I'm doing a one-shot rough job. I use a brushhook (with disposable blades) for clearing brush, not a tenon saw. And I haven't seen much difference in brushhook qualities. Which brings up the matter of our disposable, throw-away lifestyle. A previous poster bemoaned the "wastefulness" of tools that break and must be replaced. I strongly suspect that these tools are *less* wasteful than top quality ones. How can that be? Because they don't break very often, yet are made from lower grades of material. Either the ores or the processing of the highest-quality tools will put a greater strain on our environment. And the same is true of much else in life: the better-quality items will often cost more not just in money but in load on the system, however you want to define that. Compare a log cabin to a mansion. So what is the bottom line? If you want art, there is no compromise: buy the best that you can or can't afford. If you want to do something, or are merely "into ecology" (I hate that phrase!) step back and add up ALL the costs of each alternative. Disposable paper towels use fewer trees than cloth towels. A Volkswagen bus will carry more than a Rolls. And solid second-class tools will suit all but the pro better than top-of-the-line. -- John Hogg Computer Systems Research Institute, UofT {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsri!hogg
ferwerda@vlnvax.DEC (Jesus is the Reason for the Season) (12/16/85)
-------------------Reply to mail dated 9-DEC-1985 18:34------------------- A while back someone posted instructions on making an octagonal pencil holder. I seem to have misplaced the directions and was wondering if the author could send them to me or repost them. I don't have much time before Christmas! Thanks, Paul Ferwerda