The Master Craftsman

A young man apprenticed to a master carpenter. For the first year, the master would not let him build anything. He planed wood. He sharpened tools. He studied grain patterns. He practiced joints on scraps.

“When can I build a chair?” the young man asked.

“When you can build a chair that will last 100 years,” the master replied.

The young man was frustrated. He wanted to build. He wanted to show what he could do. But he stayed.

Years passed. Eventually, the young man built his first chair. It was simple. It was strong. It was perfect.

“Now,” the master said, “you can build anything.”

The same is true of the lifts. Master technique first. The weight comes. The strength comes. Everything else becomes possible.