Embracing Old

I received an amusing email recently from my dad regarding a comment I made in my bracelet post:

Antique lathe?  Hhmpf. It's not that old!

      or is it?

You see, my lathe was was originally his, probably built in the 1940s. Understandably, it must seem a bit disconcerting to have something younger than yourself referred to as antique.

In this age of Moores Law, wherein technology becomes obsolete in a couple of years, it's comforting to know that woodworking remains essentially the same as it has been for centuries or even longer. Our tools never become obsolete.

At its core, a lathe is a lathe is a lathe: it's a tool that spins wood rapidly. Sure, a brand new, state-of-the-art lathe will come with features mine lacks, but if you look at a finished candlestick you won't be able to tell on which machine it was turned.

This is about as basic as it gets. Two pointy things grip the ends of the wood. One of them spins.

I have an external motor that I clamp to my bench. To change the speed, I attach the drive belt to different diameter pulleys. 

We seem to associate the word antique with frail, or even useless: something valuable to collectors and for display only. Another term would be vintage, which implies improvement with age. My lathe hasn't improved since it was manufactured, but continues to function as it was intended. The best term is one that is scorned: old.

Here's a word game. Read these adjectives and see if any trigger an emotional reaction:

• Tall
• Round
• Flat
• Blue
• Fast
• Sharp
• Old

Of course, it's old. As soon as we hear or read that word, our minds draw negative connotations.Think of all the phrases we modify with old: old fart, old junk, old news, old goat...

It's no wonder we live in a disposable culture in which we seem to value little that is old. When people reach some vague, unspecific age we throw condescending euphemisms at them. We avoid old at all costs and call people seniors or mature and tell them that they are in their golden years. We are terrified of using a perfectly accurate word: old. 

So I'm here to take back the word old and embrace it for all the good it implies.

My lathe is old and gets the job done. Half of my hand tools are old, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. I have touched redwood trees that are 1000 years old, yet they still provide shade. Grandma Moses didn't begin painting until she was in her seventies and continued for nearly 30 years.

So Dad, you were right. I shouldn't have defiled the true nature of my lathe by calling it antique. It is proudly old. And that's coming from one old guy to another.