In the building trades there are hacks, workmen, and craftsmen.
A hack is someone who basicly does not know what he is doing. Does not care. And isn't planing on being around to be sued.
A workman is someone who does work in an acceptable commercial manner, if you are in a union and you do not do the job in a workmanlike manner you can be made to do it over on your own time, something the anti-union types never think about. This is what you expect from a contractor and seldom get, the workmen often have to fight the boss in order to do the job right because he bid on the basis of doing a hack job.
A craftman is someone who does the job as well as it can be done. He has all the skill and knowledge to do it perfectly. Unfortunately a craftsmanlike job costs 4-5 times as much as a workmanlike job and most folks are looking for the low bid. When you do hire a craftsman, he usually works for time and materials. You can expect the very best work, but you should also expect to pay for it. A hunderd plus years ago this kind of work was pretty common, now it is rare. Many hobbyists are craftsmen as they are not trying to make a living from their work and thus can take the time to do it right.
graywolf http://www.graywolfphoto.com "Idiot Proof" <==> "Expert Proof" ----------------------------------- Boris Liberman wrote:
I totally disagree. Unless word "craftsmanship" means something different than "profession" and that difference escapes me.
