I've joined Artisans Cooperative, an artist-run alternative to Etsy that has a process to verify that artists' work is handmade. The word "handmade" is open to interpretation but Artisans Coop leans on David Pye's concept of "the workmanship of risk," which more or less means that the artist can destroy the work by their own hand at any time during creation.
From a woodworker's perspective, this framing allows for the use of machines that are guided by hand, whether the machine is guided across the workpiece (like a handheld router) or the workpiece is guided across the machine (like a router table). That describes most woodworking machines aside from CNC routers and laser cutters. Like many woodworkers, I use machines to prepare and dimension stock, and make lighter work of heavy tasks. (I particularly like Vic Tesolin's view of machines as apprentices.) I move more towards hand tools as a project progresses, depending on what approach is most efficient and enjoyable. A few minutes with a chisel beats ten minutes setting up a router to make a ten second cut. I'm also less likely to ruin a piece with a chisel, and I can leave the respirator and hearing protection hanging on the wall.
My Artisans Cooperative shop will be an outlet for some of my smaller pieces. I'm hoping it will be more visible than my personal shop and help to introduce my work to a larger audience.
Thank You for Reading
If you found this post helpful or interesting, please show your support by subscribing or contributing to the tip jar. It will help fund my work and writing.