[pianotech] Making dowels

[Ron Nossaman]

On 11/3/2012 10:24 PM, William Monroe wrote:
>  Maybe when it comes to dowels, my work is a bit
> hackish............

In that case, me too, mostly.


> But the thread started because of Jack's discouragement based purely on
> price, not on crooked, warped, or otherwise unsatisfactory dowel stock.
>   His assertion then was that it was, essentially, a cost effective
> measure to make his own.  My assertion is that it is not.

I agree that it's not, but my impression was and is more of a protest 
against a reality that doesn't make the cut (as it were). I can relate, 
whether I can defend it or not. Scars continue to accumulate, whatever. 
He didn't actually say or even imply that he could make them cheaper. He 
just declined to pay the asking price for the commercial product, and 
made his own. I've never been in a place where my time was so valuable 
and so spoken for on a minute by minute basis that I couldn't do 
something less lucrative for an hour or so for the entertainment and 
satisfaction of doing it.


> BUT, my sole argument
> against the process was that it was not, as was suggested, a cost
> effective alternative to high-priced Home Depot dowels.

Without question, though I disagree that it was suggested in any way. He 
even said he made hammer shanks out of various woods for fun.
Ron N