Ed Presnell, a mountain craftsman and native of Watauga County, North Carolina, demonstrates and comments on the construction of a dulcimer. Presnell learned his craft from his father-in-law. Film includes a brief performance on a finished dulcimer by his wife, Nettie. 1973 This 16mm film is archived in the Thomas G. Burton and Jack Schrader collection in the Archives of Appalachia, East Tennesse State University.
Watch the entire film on Folkstreams http://www.folkstreams.net/film,220
There is something pretty great about skill applied to something that you love doing.
I’m slogging out in the snow right now…..delivering mail and packages….working for the USPS…and, I suppose, that takes a high level of some sort of skill….but, it’s not like this.
It’s not like this….dry and warm…working wood to make beautiful things.
Man.
I should quit stepping over snow drifts to try and keep my mail customers happy….and figure out how to do something creative again.
Maybe I’m just tired?
This guy does some nice work.
What a great old song….
People say, “Where’s my mail?”
When the explanation is given that the carriers can’t get around on un-plowed roads, they still wonder why the mail is late.
Sometimes, when asked if they can get in to pick their mail up, the answer is, “Oh, no! I can’t walk down to the mailbox! My driveway is terrible!”
Then….WT…heck….are you calling about? If you can’t do it….chances are….we can’t do it either.
My Jeep is still in the shop….so I’m driving my old Toyota 2-wheel drive pickup.
You have to be pretty…..judicious….careful…about what kind of situations you get into when you don’t have four or all wheel drive and the snow is heavy.
You have to worry and plan ahead.
You have to worry.
It doesn’t matter how many bags of sand you’ve loaded the bed with.
Heavy doesn’t always equal traction.
This snow is something that should be a lot of fun.
Man….I hate being a mailman when it gets heavy and wet.
What happened to the days when things were fun?
Where’s Neverland when I need it?
Politicians need a soundtrack when they’re making all their rules.
Maybe something like this?
I have a bunch of tools at this point.
But…the combo wrench set that I use the most is a cheap one that I got from K-Mart a long time ago.
It’s a Stanley set.
It’s pretty good.
But…there’s something kind of weird about Craftsman tools being made by Stanley….in Taiwan.
Someone in the comments said that Craftsman was just Harbor Freight with a bigger price now.
I guess that might be true.
Who’s making tools in the USA now?
Matco?
Snap-on?
Proto?
Why’s it so hard to find USA made tools these days?
Why should I care anymore?
I used a video the other day that showed a young couple living out of their truck.
They had drawers like these under the sleeping platform.
Pretty cool.
Here’s how to make them.
The video’s from Third Coast Craftsman.