The recent post regarding Woodsmith, got me to thinking about how handmade is defined. Apparently, it's open to great interpretation, although occassionally challenged by the FTC. Below is just one snip of info. This has apparently been an issue with Esty for sometime. Recently they revised their definition to include hand assembled and hand altered.
It would suggest that "manually-controlled methods" would include woodworking machines. But Esty does discourage "mass production"; a cabinet making factory would not be able to post as "hand made", but an individual using the same methods could. Although, they are considering (or already have) loosened that definition as well. Very confusing.
"It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that any industry product is hand-made or hand-wrought unless the entire shaping and forming of such product from raw materials and its finishing and decoration were accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the construction, shape, design, and finish of each part of each individual product."
It continues:
"It is unfair or deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that any industry product is hand-forged, hand-engraved, hand-finished, or hand-polished, or has been otherwise hand-processed, unless the operation described was accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the type, amount, and effect of such operation on each part of each individual product.