Well, no way of replying direct to Ludovic, as I'd do if his email
address was given, and I *know* Steve won't be appreciating lots of
reponses saying 'welcome to the list' when we all know he's one of the
door posts here. (meaning - a fundamental and valued bit of the fabric)

So, publicly, Welcome Ludovic,

and as for
>France has wonderfull pieces of furniture, surely some skilled
>craftmen, but you need to be an apprentice to learn working wood the
>traditional way.

Credit where its due - the age of the craftsman reached a peak in France
when it was a monarchy. As now, people with way too much money can
afford to pay an itinerant craftsman to do nothing for years but learn
the skills and produce the absolutely finest items of craftsmanship - be
it furniture, art, or other stuff nowadays.


>Hand woodworking is definitely not as much accessible as it seems to be
>in the US. Am I wrong if I say that the traditional hand tools are
>given a new life thanks to english speaking people, a lot of them being
>american? Thank you, guys.

Here I think you may just not be looking in the right places. I've been
surprised by the amount of craftsmanship still at work, though it's well
hidden. As for the US of A being part of a revival, I think that that's
just that wealth thing again - so many people with wealth and not enough
to do to survive - like building a house and growing food. Taiwan has
lots of craftsmen producing carvings, and capable of doing the finest
work, if only someone will pay them to spend so much time on one piece
that a man and his family could starve before it was complete.

So lets hear more about the French tools that made fine furniture, and
the current tools and work in Taiwan - welcome aboard !

Richard Wilson Yorkshireman Galoot

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

For information on Christian Salvesen visit our website at
www.salvesen.com.

The information contained in this e-mail is strictly confidential and
for the use of the addressee only; it may also be legally privileged and
/ or price sensitive. Notice is hereby given that any disclosure, use or
copying of the information by anyone other than the intended recipient
is prohibited and may be illegal. If you have received this message in
error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail.

Christian Salvesen has taken every reasonable precaution to ensure that
any attachment to this e-mail has been swept for viruses. However, we
cannot accept liability for any damage sustained as a result of software
viruses and would advise that you carry out your own virus checks before
opening any attachment.

Christian Salvesen is a trading name of the Christian Salvesen Group.
Christian Salvesen PLC (Company number SC7173) is the ultimate holding
company within the Christian Salvesen Group whose registered office is
at 16 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4DF.