I’m just curious what everyone’s thoughts are with regards to the future of woodworking. I’m a 27 year grad student and I love my shop! My grandfather was a woodworker, my father has dabbled in it, and I’m addicted. Unfortunately, I haven’t met many young woodworkers. Now don’t take offense, I’m not suggesting that everyone on this forum is old (because frankly I have no idea what anyone’s age is), so I’m just speaking from personal experience and not finding anyone locally (SLC, Utah) that shares this passion.
Personally, I think society has become more and more ADHD (Attention Defecit Hyperactive Disorder) and can’t appreciate something that doesn’t explode within ten minutes, involve holographic CGI special effects, or play itself out on some kind of a screen. Furthermore it seems like more and more people demand immediate results and gratification, ideals that are often counterproductive to quality woodworking.
So I’m curious if those of you that attend retreats, teach classes, etc. have interaction with a good number of young woodworkers or do you feel like appreciation for the craft has been restricted to those of an older generation? Also, and this is only partially related, I feel like this is somewhat represented by woodworking magazines where all of the models and advertising involve men in their forties or fifties.
Replies
I think there are a couple of things at work here. First you have the mass market that gives consumers reasonable products at mass produced prices. The majority of the population can't seem to afford much more than this drek, and when you look at the stuff coming in from China (solid wood, poor fit and jointery) it looks accptable to a lot of people who can't recognize quality work. As you move up the scale, there are still mass marketers who can provide a somewhat better line of merchandise, but still it looks just like the Jonses. Finally you have a smaller segment that is subdivided into those who know quality and can afford it and others who just want to be able to brag about how much they paid for something. All this leads to what type of woodwork you want to do. If you can make accptable cabinets fast you might be able to attract a builder as a client and make a decent living doing that. You can make better cabinetry and specalize in remodels and once you establish yourself you can get by. Finally, there are those talented people who break into the high line and can really charge for their high quality work. I don't think anyone is getting rich doing woodworking but some are doing better than others. I really wonder how much Sam Maloof made after expenses, and you can see David Marks doing other things besides woodworking, i.e. teaching, TV, and apperences. There are younger people getting into woodworking, a number have prepaired themselves by education and training, others who were hobbiest have chosen to make it a new career after losing jobs through downsizing. Just my view.
I live in Japan and see the same thing happening here. Western/industrialized "culture" brings new demands and the old ways fade away except for the "part-time" practitioner. Good news is I see many of the same techniques here as I did in the west. Leading me to believe that a specific technique is not a cultural thing but a thing of practicality. And then leaving me with the idea that if we (humans) were to have to rely on only hand tools (for example) in the future the same techniques, because they are practical, would come about again.When it comes down to it, humans will shun tradition and practicality will win out. i.e. tradition is a luxury. In other words if you're trying to feed yourself, tradition (unless it can help you eat) is not the first thing you will practise.So, nothing is lost, it would rise again if the conditions were right.
Edited 6/24/2005 6:03 pm ET by pqken
I don't think I can classify myself as a YOUNG woodworker ( I am 37) But woodworking is something I have only just VERY recently been drawn in to. And so far I am completely in love with it.
I am and have been a Graphic Artist/Designer for some time now and do a lot of work with font/type based artwork such as signs, banners, posters and whatnot.....the sign industry is where I really started noticing some very fine craftsmanship in regards to woodwork. Plus I love antiques and decorative boxes.
I've recently taught myself how to gild with 23ct gold leaf (no....not wet) and in doing so I somehow ended up painting blank boxes.....now I'm starting to build them and will continue to paint them (so I can hide my mistakes) until I'm halfway decent at the constructing part....then I'll start learning about various woods, grains, staining, bending, etc... so that hopefully I will end up being a talented woodworker who can take pride in showing my (un-painted) work.
I think I'd like to work towards creating high end deco-boxes that incorporate fine silver and wood together.
we set our goals!
Anyway.....probably more info than anyone wanted on me but hey.....I'm excited about this new path. And I for one truly do hope that there are more and more young and not-so-young folks out there who will find they're way into the woods.
Are you making those New England style signs with gold leaf over incised letters against a dark painted background? Cool.
No, I'm not currently making the type of 'New England' signs you refered to. But indeed those are at the top of my list for best looking signs on earth.
Unfortunately I do not personally own the aray of tools and routers and what-nots needed to create such fine works of art. I only get to do those when I happen to be working in a shop that makes them regularly.
The gold leafing I'm doing now is mostly on various little home-made projects such as decorative boxes and things of thet sort.
Hopefully one day though......as I am slowly working towards the goal of opening my own buisness that will include sign making and woodworking os all sorts. It's all just a hope and a prayer right now.
Thanks. I've always wondered how they made those things...
There's still hope! A local community here in central Texas called the Homestead Heritage (Kind of like Mennonites) make a living in part from traditional crafts. Of course furniture making is one of those. They involve their children that have an interest, from a very early age, basically an apprenticeship. All of their work is done with hand tools, just like Williamsburg, without the costumes of course. Some of the work of these teenagers would I suspect, put most anyone of this forum to shame. I have watched them make a dovetail pictures frame from basic stock, using a hand saw and shaping planes in about five minutes flat, now that's showing off! Their premise in part for the hand tools, is safety oriented. They will tell you, that you will not see any fingerless children in their community, but if they used power tools, it would be otherwise. Interesting bunch.
They have an Englishman who is a product of the British trades who I suspect is the Guru of their furniture apprentice program.
They build a lot of their furniture out of Mesquite (a Cocobolo like wood, sorta) and most of it is priced for the Life Styles of the Rich and Famous.
PS, they also sell Lie-Nielsen hand planes...
Homestead is an excellent woodworking school but I need to provide a clarification to your observations: the rear portion room of the cabinet making shop and school at Homestead contains nothing but power tools. The woodworking school emphasizes and teaches construction techniques using hand tools but power tools are used by the instructors and advanced students. The smithy, likewise, also employs some power-assisted devises. They do not profess to be "purists" in the sense of Williamsburg but they do emphasize a respect for form, function, technique and the relationship between the craftsman, his tools and nature's materials.
Hard to argue with that approach.
Edited 6/24/2005 9:13 am ET by Doug
I was aware of the table saw, band saw etc.; I recalled them explaining that they only used those for bulk/rough dimensioning operations. However, as we were discussing younger people and their depletion from the ranks of the woodworking obsessed (us!!), I think the premise holds true; as far as I know, the kids are only allowed to use hand tools.
I get a different impression as regards the purist aspect. While not of the Williamsburg use shark skins for sanding and octopus blood for staining ilk, the British gentleman in my discussions with him (any idea what his name is, so I can stop calling him the British gentleman) definitely comes across as "pitch the power tools", "use the handtools". As matter of fact, I came away from the discussion with the distinct impression, that "real craftsman" eschew the usage of power tools,; which I recall at the time thinking was an odd assertion, given the tools in the back area. He may have been speaking personally, and not for the community, but I also thought perhaps that he sets the tone for the woodworking philosophy.
I have never however attended one of their classes, where they may very well take a different approach. It's possible that their demonstrations have a degree of salesmanship associated with them.
And I do agree that the outcome is some very nice furniture both from a construction and design perspective.
Even within a religious community group such as theirs , there are differing opinions. And yes, I get the distinct impression, that some of their beliefs in DIY are based upon Mennonite/Amish sensibilities, although I am aware they are neither.
The gentleman's name is Paul Sellers. Thank you clarifying that the power tools are only used for rough dimensioning.
Doug, have you taken any of their courses.
PS....Are you local to the area?
No, I spent a day there paired with one of the students. I intend to take the advanced course this winter or next Spring. I,m about a 2 hours away on the Northeast side of Dallas.
This is a debate that deserves a feature article in FWW.
Where craft/studio woodwork is going is an interesting subject, and really important.
It seems to be true that we're not recruiting the next generation.
In the 80s I edited The New Zealand Woodworker. The boomers and the rock and roll generation (I was born in 1946, the first year of the 1946 to 1964 boomers, and like to think of myself as an R and R child) were dropping out and tuning in, and some, many more than in the past, were seeking creative, whole-earth lifestyles. There was a buzz about pottery, woodwork, natural fibres and alternative lifestyles.
All that has gone, it seems to me. Those furniture-makers who survive from that era teach, design, manage or fish, and I don't know anyone who survives from straight woodworking.
But, and here's something interesting, I can now buy a whole range of really great machinery and tools, at really great prices. There are a lot of woodworkers out there!
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz New Zealand | New Thinking0.06% of the world's people are Kiwis
Hi from a fellow Kiwi,
I have just posted a request on this forum and noticed your item in passing. I retired from teaching at Waikato University in 2000 and reinvented myself as a furniture maker. Couldn't make a living out of it, for sure, but I have completed a number of commissions. I am in the process of writing a proposal for an exhibition of N.Z. contemporary furniture and will be reaching out to find the pros out there willing to offer a piece for a show. If you know of anyone whose work you really admire, how about letting me know.
Cheers,
David Fowler
Hamilton
I've lost touch David. I still see Marc Zuckerman's stuff in gallerys, and David Trubridge you'll know about. There's a Zinbabwean refugee who posts here quite often (get in touch with David, Mookie). There was a NZ-made tall case clock in a recent FWW. My impression is that the guys of my generation are pretty much gone! And I don't know who - but suspect not very many - are following on.
Malcolm
New Zealand | New Thinking0.06% of the world's people are Kiwis
Edited 6/25/2005 1:22 am ET by kiwimac
Cesky,
Reading j'rug's words on #24284.31 has prompted me to respond sooner rather than later.
In a nut shell: former Zimbabwean market- less than 30000.
New Zealand market- some millions.
Yet I am "up against it" finding those who can tell the difference and have the money to back it up, here. In fact I am dismayed. I am also dismayed at the numbers who will sell themselves short for short term gain.
So, I feel that your exhibition proposal may help me at least to find those that "can tell the difference". If you look at my web site it may be of use to you in deciding if I am eligible: please let me know.
Web address:-http://www.collectablefurniture.co.nz
Edited 6/25/2005 3:59 am ET by mookaroid
Jay,
Since I have been living in Israel for a long time, my perspective is a bit different. I thought you might like to know -
The trends you point to are definitely dominant, but there is also a certain amount of backlash from it as well. For all the young people going into hi-tec jobs, there are a handful going in the opposite direction. I get a phone call at least once a month from some young person (men and women) who want to get into woodworking for good reasons, looking for a place to learn. Unfortunately, the only serious courses are in Europe or the States.
The interest in handcrafts is not limited to woodworking. I know 2 people who teach very sucessful courses for blacksmiths, I know several young potters, etc. Someone could do a good business opening a quality school for aspiring woodworkers, because the demand is there and it's not really being answered.
regards,
DR
I suspect that many don't even go to woodworking until they are older - it is both an expensive and time consuming hobby and as professions go, it can't compete with a "desk job" for income - especially if you live in the high rent districts (like the northeast and west coast).
As one gets older however, the demands of family generally decrease and cost of living goes down (because, in theory, kids grow up and move out)...
The other key point is that woodworking takes time to master - and you have to be able to spend that time...
Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
My three kids (2 boys and 1 girl) grew up spending time in my shops with me and each other making Mother's day and Birthday gifts and such. They all to this day work in the shop when they come home to visit or the may come to visit just to produce a project in the shop.
My oldest son went to work in a what was supposed to be a high end shop that made cabinets for airports. He soon found that the emphasis was on production and nothing to do with quality. He finally could not handle it any longer and never wants to work in a commercial shop again. He enjoys working in my shop where he can do the type of work he likes to do.
My point is since the junior high school and high school wood shops have been discontinued there are not many ways for the young to become interested in wood working unless their fathers or grandfathers had shops for them to hang out in. If they do go to work in a production shop it is not any different than working in a factory making car parts. I think you may have a hard time finding a young person that has a strong intrest in woodworking if it has not been handed down from a relitive or close nieghbor such as yourself.
Garry
http://www.superwoodworks.com
Good point Garry,I took woodshop in Junior High (7th grade). It's not even an option for my kids - they start 7th grade in september. The HS in town has shop classes but I don't know what grades are allowed to take the classes.(Remember boys took shop, girls took Home Economics - life was so simple back then :-)Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
Mark, one of the local schools here had to drop shop because of insurance reasons..No power tools allowed. So they outsorced the class to a local wood worker who teaces the kids primairily with hand tools
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
I don't think there will ever be a shortage of amateurs taking up the hobby. Equipment has become quite cheap and a whole industry is based on making tools for the hobby set. MAWGS flock to woodworking as a hobby because they spend their week doing work that produces no tangible results. Woodworking fulfills the need to spend time, stand back and think to yourself, "I built that.", to see tangible results for effort.
I sometimes fear about where the next group of masters are going to come from. There is a generation of masters that are dying. Frid is dead, Nakishima- dead, Krenov is old, Carpenter, Maloof, Klausz, Odate..., these guys are in their final years. Learning this trade at a very high professional level is becoming harder. It takes so very much self sacrifice to learn the skills. You don't learn these skills in the trade, you have to go it alone and that means years of dedication and practice.
I firmly believe the level of craftsmanship is declining. The "great stuff" produced these days, even by the elite, is not on par with what was done a century ago. I foresee further decline as years pass. It's okay for an amateur to praise the aesthetics and design of Mission and Shaker but it's rudimentary stuff for a well developed professional and certainly not styles an aspiring artisan will dwell upon. I would hope for so very much more from anyone devoting their life to this work. Sadly, I see marginally skilled professionals hawking simple designs and not striving to better themselves. We are all responsible for our own education and too many professional woodworkers are dropping the ball.
On the bright side, I have to believe that there are those still out there driven by this craft and the need to become great woodworkers. These will be the masters of tomorrow and no price is too high for them because they cannot survive in any other form.
Lee
MAWGS
OK, Lee, I'll bite. What's a MAWG?
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
MAWGS- it's an acronym for a demographic. Middle Age White Guys.Before anyone jumps on me about rascism be assurred I'm not, it's just the demographic of who buys woodworking tools and magazines and middle age white guys make up the majority by a long shot.LeeMontanaFest
Hi Jay,
I can't say I'm keeping the art alive as I'm just starting out in my garage. I'm 27 as well and I don't think I'd be able to get into it as a hobby if I had a family right now. As some have suggested it is practical financially and time wise to start out when your older and is probably why you see a lot of bearded old guys representing the craft.
As Lee suggested, as a office working hobbyist I enjoy seeing something built with my hands and not my mind. It is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had.
Also addicted,
Andy
Dying Art..
Yes.. And alot of schools are closing all of the shop and art classes...
Money and insurance? problems???.. Not sure what a child learns these days that is useful except reading and math.....
I am really impressed with the posts above, not only for their content, but also for the clarity of thinking and expression. However, there is one aspect of woodworking which is understated, in my judgement, and that is passion for the work, including the art and design components of it. Given great motivation, passion, there's little to stand in the way even if one starts from zero or late in life. You didn't mention what your graduate studies are or if they relate to woodworking, but I'd guess you're in the process of sorting out your own personal direction. Congatulations; we all face that at some point unless we've been thoroughly programmed. But, as to your specific question about youth and woodworking, some here on Knots are close to one or more of the schools devoted to the field and can provide a generalized answer or trend line. Anecdotally speaking, in the intensive programs I've attended, there have been learners in their 30s and 40s as well as retirees and even some of the instructors or assistants have been youngish. It's a little hard to tell how many of those attending are intent on making woodworking a business, but I believe most of the older people come from other fields to develop their avocations (a fair number have been doctors). This is partly due to their urge for fulfillment, I would guess, and partly due to having the means, the money and time, to do something that's not part of an income stream. As others have said above, for most -- but not all, by any means -- woodworkers, income is less than satisfactory and I daresay disappointing. But, compared with working at something purely to provide income, woodwoorking offers much for the soul and passion for it is what offers the balance.
Fine art and commerce, not always an easy mix. Both affect the future of woodworking.I'm 37 and have been woodworking seriously (professionally) for a little over ten years. Before that I was a manager and buyer for a modern home furnishings store. This is how I discovered my love of furniture design. While I was a buyer I was doing woodworking as a hobby.There will always be hobbyists but one can only get to a certain level practicing a few hours a week. No offense to anyone but there is a an aspect to woodworking that involves muscle memory and not just the knowledge in the brain. This part takes time and practice. But luckily there will be those that find woodworking more than just a way to pass the time. I think that its a basic component of human makeup to craft things with one's hands. I believe this is what led us to build tools in the first place. Meaning that someone at some point discovered a sharp rock could be used to cut hide or vine and then someone eventually went about making it work better. Its built into us.So its not surprising that people who don't work with their hands in their vocation or haven't in a long time find woodworking very attractive as it feeds that aspect of our humanity very well.As for the artistic aspect of fine woodworking that will maintain itself just as there will always be fine artists that paint. It may not always be financially rewarding but you do it because you don't really have a choice not to. I don't really mean this in a zealot sense but its more in the vein of ,"I can do many things to the level of mediocrity, but woodworking is the thing that I do very well." I don't aspire to mediocrity so I follow woodworking. I will always do woodworking as long as I am physically able, whether or not it provides my income.Fine woodworking to me mirrors symphonic or jazz music. It takes a long time to obtain the knowledge and technique to perform in these fields. They are not quick and neither are particularly popular any longer. At least not to the majority of the population. Symphonies, by and large, are in trouble. They are expensive and require a lot of space and time. Sound familiar? But if you love Beethoven you aren't really concerned with fame as your first priority.You just want to make a living and continue to practice. Thats how it is with fine woodworking and why I think it will survive.There are no perfect analogies, and one difference is in the indistinction between trade and craft that fine woodworking has become. I have been asked many times to move a wall when someone first hears I'm a woodworker. General public percieves a woodworker to be the person they see most often working with wood. Framers and carpenters.This is further muddied by seeing overseas factory furniture and the public perception regarding the value of things. A chair should cost "this much" and maybe more if its "a nice one". Meaning from a store other than Pottery Barn or Wal-Mart. This isn't to say that it isn't possible to get adequate compensation, but it does make it a challenge to find the niche in the market. Common customer just isn't looking for a 3K rocking chair.This has been a long post but I spend more time thinking about dealing these issues than technical aspects of woodworking at this point. Why? Because I want to make a living and continue to practice.Best regards,-M. A. Espinoza
Edited 6/26/2005 11:51 am ET by adastra
Jay, I too live in the SLC area. In my 50's and woodworking is a relatively new hobby for my wife and I. I feel very lucky she shares this interest of mine. Like many have said before me. You can buy mass produced furniture for less money than you can make it and sell it. Now if you make it for yourself, sometimes you can save money. But if you invest in tools and invest your time making it, it is hard to make a living for most woodworkers. There are exceptions though. Most people I know are middle income wage earners like we are, and make buying decisions base on cost.
We tell family and friends, that if they can find the furniture that satisfies their need at a furniture store, then buy it. Chances are we cannot build it for less than that. However if they need a piece of furniture, to fit a particular need or dimension. We can do something. There is no way an hobbyist woodworker can compete with mass produced, inexpensive furniture.
Plus we are a throw away society. Heirlooms are a thing of the past for most people. My bother told me he would rather buy inexpensive carpet for his home. The good stuff lasts too long and he gets tired of the same carpet LOL.
Woodworking is a great hobby. A lot of people are interested in it but do nothing about it due to the cost of the hobby. If my wife was not interested in it, I doubt I could have invested in a building for a shop and all of the tools we have. I am indeed a lucky man.
John
Jay,
I think that I have to dissagree as well. As always the "Good Ol' Days" were not as good as we romantisize them to be. The reality is that the beautiful hand crafted furniture we think of from days gone by was an extreme rarity. There were very few people who could afford that stuff. Middle class families generally had no furniture save the very shoddily constructed stuff from the local carpinter. They had no dressers, wardrobes, or other complicated pieces. It is not untill after the industrial revolution that people could afford the now cheeper mass produced furniture. Ironicly in the early years mass produced furniture actually bolstered furniture craftsmen. The wealthy began to want work that was above and beyond the mass produced work availible to the commoners.
In my business it seams that many people are ignorant to the differences of hand made (with machines :-) ) and the highend mass production stuff. I carry around meticolously funished samples of figured maple, figured cherry, walnut, and teak. The pieces are about 8" long and 4" wide, stained on one side and oil/varnished on the other. I leave the samples with the potiential customer and ask them to look around for that level of work any where else. Once they see the difference they are hooked, unless the work is simply out of their budget.
I dont think that we are participating in a "dying art". In fact there are more craftsmen / women now than ever before. However it is up to us to spread the fever of collecting our work among the public.
Mike
I think there is a market for unique and well-designed pieces. And this is really the only area in which it makes sense to compete. Why even try and compete with "standard" design, mass market stuff? If that's what somebody wants, let them buy it at the local discount furniture store. However, the interesting and challenging aspect of this endeavor is coming up with unique and intriguing designs that challenge people's ideas of what furniture/decoration should look like.
I'm finding myself becoming more interested in design and less interested in actually crafting things. Especially since I found Sketchup CAD software.
It's really about doing what you enjoy and finding what motivates and inspires you.
Dave
Woodworking is an expensive and time consuming hobby and generally not a very lucrative career. There can be some very good money in custom kitchen cabinets, though. I'm 29 and really only got started on my own (as a hobbyist) a couple years ago. I also have the benefit of a dad who used to make custom cabinets, though my interest is more in furniture. It's hardly a dying art, though. There are a lot of woodworkers out there. The Rockler and Woodcraft stores in my area are doing a lot of business. Not everyone has a large shop, but you can do a lot of woodturning in a small area. There's no shortage of magazines and TV shows available for the interested woodworker. Tools are also better than ever. Look at what Norm has today, compared to the New Yankee Workshop of 20 years ago. You look at it and wonder, did we really used to use tools so primative?
I am 24 and work with wood
In my opinion the things that influence this notion are a couple facts. One being young people have not developed patience yet. To younger people life is all about instant gratification. Play a pin Ball machine and the ball racks up 100,000 points on the first bumper! It is a test of patience to do woodworking well. Secondly I believe the notion that "I will live forever" is still in their heads and therefore the idea of making something that will outlast their lives has not sunk in. Almost everything I make I ask myself " where will this be when I am gone"? Thats why I sign and number and date almost every piece I do. I didnt get into wood working until I was more settled in my life and I could afford the tools I needed. The patience came with practice and more practice
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
"The patience came with practice and more practice"
Cherryjohn,
I agree with you completely - although many are eager to ascribe impatience to forces beyond their control, I find patience, like many learned behaviors, a manifestation of the choices we make and the values choose to build our lives around.
Ain't saying it's easy or automatic, but it is a choice, and one of many self-management skills that some young people seem to find archaic.
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
jazz,
Prayer for patience:
Lord, give the patience that I need, RIGHT NOW!!
Cheers,
Ray
Hello Cherryjohn,
At the risk of talking off the subject(again) I must beg to differ with your statement about patience, "the young"and fine woodworking.
"Young people" are if anything more patient than ever-for the simple reason that there is more to learnt in a shorter space of time than ever-how long does it take to qualify as a vet or medical doctor?
I have known a few really talented woodworkers-none of them were patient-just the opposite in fact. There are other ingredients required; but patience does help.
People often look at my work and comment that I must be soooo patient....Take it from me, I am not. I am passionate and determined.I think you need patience to "practise and practise"- dammit I want the right result straightaway and tend to concentrate on method/technique rather than practice.
We were all young once and the notion of living forever is nothing new-the trouble comes when old tyrants remain with this notion!
Them's my sentiments, and I now retire to my bunker in anticipation of an impending air strike.
No airstrikes from me, Mooky. It seems that you disagree but you actually agree on the patience point. Never have I seen any task that lent it self to perfection without hours and hours of making things less than perfect. The patience comes in when you subscribe to the notion that " I can do better " and you do it again. If I was an impatient guyI would stick to birdhouses and not focus on cherry windsor chairs. My comment about patience was not to say that one does these tasks at a snails pace. Some do; those to whom time is not an issue. To those that try to make a living at this, focusing on time improvements and techniques as well as power machinery to help get the desired result are definately important but it doesnt preclude patience. Finger fly off whith an impatient hand at the table saw. Kids today do in fact have more to learn, or at least we hope they do. However they have things at their disposal to make this absorption much faster and easier. These computers are perhaps the biggest aid. When I wrote a report in school there was the trek to the library ( usually in 40" of snow with temps at -55 and barefooted with my brothers old, dirty underwear on) where there were a bunch of like minded students all vying for the same reference book. Now it's all a click away. Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
Jay,
Pursue your dreams and if you can reach a skill level which completely distinguishes your work from the norm, there is success and a good income. Once you have broken the ice, by getting your work recognized in the right places, the sky is the limit.
The key is not to try and sell your labor, but rather your skills, art and craftsmanship, with pieces which are clearly distinguished from the norm.
There will always be a small niche market for true craftsmanship. Although you are correct about the habits of the new generation, there are still people who are brought up and educated to appreciate the finer things in life.
There are a number of very successful craftsman out there, mostly unknown and working by word of mouth, making a very good living and being too busy to market themselves. They don't make kitchen cabinets and entertainment centers, they build custom furniture for people who treasure their work.
In a similar fashion, one of the greatest athletes of our time, is mostly unknown here in the US for his achievements. Lance Armstrong appreciates the difference between a $7,000 bicycle and a $159 Wal-Mart cycle. Most people are not able to understand the difference, but there are a few who do. They will always be there and there will aways be a small market for $7,000 machine with no engine.
Then we have the audiofiles, who spend $50,000 for a stereo...... They will always be there too and they don't listen to Britney Spears.
Finally, if you need inspiration, listen to those who are successful and don't listen to those who have lost.
Edited 6/25/2005 2:57 am ET by Jellyrug
Jay
I'll admit I'm slightly older,... well than... dirt. Er, I'm twice your age.. {+}
I got into wood working thru the back door. I failed wood shop when I took it.. Dad always felt that working with your hands was for peasants. What cheap tools dad owned he owned because he had to..
I came into wood shop never having built a birdhouse or even worked with tools..
Surprise!!!! My first efforts were pretty terrible. I was graded accordingly.
Hundreds of decades later I bought a grandfather clock in kit form and took the workshop they offered. Some wise old guy slowed me down and showed me how to take the time to do it right..
Now Putting together a grandfather clock from a kit may not seem like a big deal to you but it convinced me that I could work with my hands. So my next task was to build a Timberframe from scratch.. A double timberframe.. From scratch.. I designed and built!
Maybe it's a rather big step but It's going well...
Maybe it's a rather big step but It's going well...
beats playin dominoes... ;)Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
Jay, old farts have money. Young pant puffers don't. And by the way it's said that if you're over sixty you should never trust a fart-- you might just inadvertantly follow through.
Older people tend to appreciate skill and craftsmanship over mere flash. They can often more easily afford to pay for it.
I recall a time when I could chuck all my belongings into the boot and the back seat of the car and move house. Not anymore.
They say that young people have limited attention span. They always have, so nothing new on that front. Young people think with their genitals until age, work, children, mortgages, bills and sundry other responsibilities slow them down.
No, furniture is not a dying art. It's an evolving art for an ever evolving generation of buyers. True, what in part drives interest in furniture design and making is a large amateur body of makers, but we professionals still seek to supply demand with interesting and well made stuff too. Slainte.
RJFurniture
Well said, sir! I concur.
Kell
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