Mr Jeffry's Third World Machine Shop

Jeff Lohr and Abu Abdullai create a "Third World" Machine Shop to help West Africa's struggling woodworking community

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Woodworking
• Ghana
• Tablesaw
• Router
• Table
• Lohr
• circular
• saw
• africa

[DIYManGreg]

Wonderful in its ingenuity. Use available technology in a new way to improve efficiency and quality of life.

[seanbyrne52]

excellent ,appropriate use of available technology.

[throwawayemayl]

Its great that hes hooking up W africa.. but what about the rest of us.. it would be A W E S O M E if he did a how to video to set up our own small shops. I would LOVE to be able to use my router/circular saw more safely and cleanly. Hook us up Mr Jeff. Please..

[zonkozonko]

Electricity is not always available in African workshops, Many work Jua Kali (Swahili for Under the Sun).

[zonkozonko]

@Nuedad I worked in Kenya (East Africa) as a woodwork instructor and the timber of choice for furniture was the "Blue Gum", an Australian tree widely grown in Kenya. They would fell the tree saw it into planks (Tree fellers and sawyers tradesmen in their own right) all by hand. as for the hard work of planing by hand the Furniture maker Crafts man would train the younger ones to plane his timber and then train them on to be craftsmen like himself.

[woodsprout]

@funkgerat You missed the point entirely. The guy in the video does not need your half-assed defense. He shines brightly. You on the other hand are a dullard troll.

[funkgerat]

@kenny474 In hiss defence, though, that is the least lazy negro I've seen in a long time.

There is no outside force stopping the negro countries from accessing the high-end export market with furniture that cannot be made any way other than with traditional tools. If we assume they have those fine woodworking skills it would be a waste to downgrade to upside-down worm-drive saws. The domestic market would be satisfied with industrial flat packed furniture which is a better use of resources.

[kenny474]

Just an incredible thing he is doing to help these guys.

They are truly great woodworkers and accomplish a lot in a day considering the tools used.

The sad part is that if most Americans were made to work this way, they simply wouldn't work, as most are too lazy and spoiled to handle serious hard labor.

And the worst part of it all, the ones who run our government are the laziest and most spoiled of all, most have never worked a full day of hard labor, many are so out of shape they couldn't.

[kenny474]

@funkgerat Spoken like a true ass. I'd like to see you use hand tools for 10+ hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week for 20 or 30 years.

You wouldn't keep up with those guys for a day, never mind a lifetime.

I have seen woodworkers in a similar setting, they are very hard working and actually maintain their edged tools very well, as their livelihood depends on it.

Even with the best and sharpest tools, a lifetime of handwork takes a severe toll, and most have severe arthritis by their late 30's.

[happydiver07]

Great Jeff and Abu......one step at the time