Surviving old furniture and inflation
Surviving old furniture and inflation
Posted Jul 26, 2024 14:01 UTC (Fri) by paulj (subscriber, #341)In reply to: Surviving old furniture and inflation by farnz
Parent article: Imitation, not artificial, intelligence
The supply of expert labour has diminished to near 0, along with the demand for their well made furniture having been destroyed by cheap, hastily bolted together, (mostly fibreboard, a minority in pine, smaller amount again in better wood) stuff.
Posted Jul 26, 2024 20:07 UTC (Fri)
by Cyberax (✭ supporter ✭, #52523)
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But is it? Carpenters can be much more productive today with modern power tools, and even computer-controlled tools. Look at CNC routers, they are downright magic.
I commissioned several custom wooden products (fireplace holder and custom cabinets), I fully expect them to outlast the house. And the amount of money I paid for them is probably still less than 100 years ago.
On the other hand, there's another dimension: practicality. I grew up in a house where we had an actual solid oak wooden table and chairs. They got left behind when this house got demolished because they were completely impractical. It took several people to move the table, and the chairs were uncomfortable and also heavy. I _can_ buy solid oak wood chairs, but I much prefer IKEA chairs made of lightweight pine and birch tree. They won't last, but then they are so cheap, I can replace them without even thinking about it.
It's always about trade-offs.
Surviving old furniture and inflation