Recently a member posted an Easy Rougher for sale. I was appalled to see another member then lay out how to make one of the tools. I find this to be the height of discourtesy to the seller.
Recently a member posted an Easy Rougher for sale. I was appalled to see another member then lay out how to make one of the tools. I find this to be the height of discourtesy to the seller.
...One trend I see is we are getting many more turners who have no background in mechanical skills at all. These turners will never make a tool and often have disposable income to buy the tools....
This thread brings up another issue.
Inventors of tools are also hurt when posts are made.
Generic tools that have been around for years and are in the "public domain" are not an issue
How to make a hook tool is fine
How to make an Ellsworth sharpening jig is wrong by any standard.
There are lots of things in between.
Folks have been bolting carbide to to steel shafts for years.
Showing folks how to make a carbide tipped tool is not an issue.
From that standpoint, I doubt you affected the sale. For most people the time to make a tool is not worth the effort.
Telling someone how to make an "easy rougher". Raises a moral issue at least.
Most of these tool makers are turners like us who are trying to make a little money from something they came up with.
We should show them some respect.
I think is if fine for me to make anything I can make in my own shop for my own use.
It is wrong to make copies of videos or tools for others and it is wrong to teach others how to make their own copies.
My 2 cents.
Alt
What an interesting thread.......plenty of room for thought and discussion! :cool2:
I don't think Ellsworth was the first turner to use the sharpening principle he made famous......and, his attempt to profit from it came sometime after making it public knowledge. The fact that he was already famous for his hollow forms, is what made the sharpening technique he used popular, but he wasn't the inventor. The Sharpfast, Wolverine, etc., all apply basically the same theory, but I believe it's true that David Ellsworth was the first to capitalize, and profit from the concept.
There is nothing wrong with showing others how to make an "Ellsworth sharpening jig".......but few will actually make one. Like John Lucas said, most will purchase one of these.....and, it very well may serve to INCREASE the sales of those devices that are available commercially. I purchased the Wolverine in the early 1990's.....but, I did make my own Ellsworth jig first, just to see if it worked as well as others were telling us it did. My little homemade Ellsworth jig is long gone now......it wasn't nearly as good as the Wolverine I ended up with.
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Gary, I wouldn't let it bother you.
I read that ad, and the ethics of your response didn't register.....at all.
I agree that there are some ethics considerations here, but anyone with any desire to see the motives that inspired you, will have an understanding that it was never your intention to prevent the seller of the Easyrougher tool from making the sale. As far as I'm concerned, you just saw the ad and your thoughts simply "shifted gears"......and you wrote about your thoughts. Next time, you and I BOTH will remember this......apply the ethics considerations involved.......and will take it to another forum.
Paul's original post is reasonable and correct. He's definitely not wrong for seeing the ethics involved and expressing his thought on it. There is purpose in it, because it now has been brought to the attention of some of the rest of us about these certain aspects........;
oocjOdie,
Thanks for seeing the situation exactly the way I saw it.
I felt the person could use my help and in my own thoughts I was helping him solve a problem. When I started turning I would love to have had someone tell me how to do thing with less money. I now can buy a few nice tools but I feel a matter o pride when I can make my own tool that work somewhat.
I am really sorry for causing this hub-bub---next time I will preview my thoughts more carefully before I type.
Sorry again to all that were offended. Gary