In A Splintered History of Wood: Belt Sanders,
Blind Woodworkers, and Baseball Bats, Spike Carlsen devotes almost 400
pages to the subject of wood: where it comes from, its properties, how it's
made, and what cultures have done with wood throughout history. You may think
this sounds like a terribly mundane and mind-numbing topic...and you'd probably
be right. Nevertheless, as the title suggests, there is something fascinating
within the pages of this book—descriptions of blind woodworkers and their
craft.
People
who are blind should be able to pursue whichever career path they desire. I
will admit that, at first, I was skeptical of the concept of blind woodworkers.
(And not just because of my fear of power tools!) Creating objects (desks,
tables, bookcases, etc.) out of wood is a dangerous job, no matter how much
vision one has, but it seems especially hazardous for people who cannot see the
tools they are using. I'm sure I'm not the only blind or sighted person to have
this thought.
Carlsen's
insightful, refreshingly non-condescending account of blind woodworkers totally
changed my perspective.
Blind
woodworkers face many of the same challenges as their sighted counterparts,
such as "safety, accuracy, interpreting plans and instructions, patience,
and customer satisfaction" (p. 57). When a woodworker lost his finger, it
wasn't because he was blind, but because he did something without thinking
through it.
One
craftsman described his main challenges. He says that figuring out what the
client wants the finished product to look like is difficult. He used to have
sight, so he understands three-dimensional space, but someone who has always
been blind would find that very challenging as well. Most blind people deal
with misconceptions on a daily basis. Another woodworker recounts his many
trips to the hardware store in which employees thought he was lost or inept.
As
you can imagine, accurate measuring is a huge obstacle for blind woodworkers. One
man Carlsen interviewed uses a ruler with braille markings. However, this is
the only device he uses that was specifically made for someone who is blind.
Everything else he and the other woodworkers use are tools sighted woodworkers
use as well. One man utilizes aluminum measuring blocks that are precisely 1-,
2-, or 3- inches long, or even smaller if necessary. Another man uses a wooden
stick with indentations at every inch. A click ruler also audibly clicks every
sixteenth of an inch. To these guys, it's all about what works. Being able to
improvise is very important.
As
far as the wood itself goes, one craftsman can tell what type of wood he is
using by its smell when he cuts into it or by the feel of the grain. All the
senses are incorporated into this enterprise. In addition to smelling the wood,
the woodworkers can feel the vibrations and listen for changes in sound when
using machinery. These changes may indicate a kickback or other problem that
could be dangerous or cause a mistake.
Staying
informed about new techniques, technologies, styles, and tools of the trade can
be difficult without access to current literature on the subject. This is
especially true for people who are blind. Magazines and other materials about
woodworking are not accessible to people who are blind. Or, they were until
Larry Martin changed that. He took popular woodworking magazines and audio
described their content, including pictures and diagrams. This venture, which
became Woodworking for the Blind, Inc., now has over 50 CDs of woodworking
information and an online community for blind woodworkers to share their ideas,
strategies, tips, successes, and lessons learned.
Spike
Carlsen does a tremendous job of illuminating the lives and work of blind
woodworkers without building them up as heroes or marveling at how amazing and
unbelievable they are. Woodworkers who are blind use all the tools at their
disposal to create beautiful pieces – yes, it is dangerous, but no more so than
for sighted woodworkers, and yes, they make mistakes, but they make no more
than sighted woodworkers. These people use ingenuity and their ample talents,
vision or not.
