Dissatisfied with the site?

[Jack A.]

In our name is Wood Working. This is not a site for rough carpentry, home repair, home remodeling, plumbing problems, etc. It's for wood working, making finely crafted pieces from wood, tools that are used in high end woodworking,and topics related to the creation of fine pieces from wood. Just because someone's new thread involves pieces of wood doesn't make it worthy or appropriate for our NCWW forums.

I'm going to disagree with you a bit on this part. Nowhere in the name of the site does it specify "fine". The line between trim carpentry, cabinetry, and furniture making can be hard to draw. I built our mantel. Would that not belong here? Should Mike not have posted his gate project? I thought it was great. What about clever jigs and fixtures? Specifying that works must be "fine" also could be interpreted as excluding those of us who are working on building our skills. There is a separate "DIY / Home Improvement" forum, and I do agree that we want to keep those topics in that forum.

That said, one thing that I would love to see more of is work-in-progress threads. Photos of finished items are nice, but you don't really learn much from them. Seeing how it all goes together would be a lot more interesting. I've really appreciated Pop-pop's contributions, for example, for that reason.

 

[gator]

I do have a question about how post lists are displayed. If I select the Home tab I see a full list of all posts. If I select the Forums tab I also see the same list of posts that I see on the Home tab. I have to drill down and select Forum List to get the type of list that lets me select individually grouped categories. The post prompting this discussion was properly in the DIY category.

Is there already a way for members to individually set a personal default list of categories they would like to see instead needing to call up the Forum List each and every time they want to just see something other than everything?

Maybe there is and I just haven't figured out how to do so?

My default opening screen is "Whats New". I log on at least once a day and I can quickly scan any new posts in all the categories at one glance.

 

[Mike Davis]

That said, one thing that I would love to see more of is work-in-progress threads. Photos of finished items are nice, but you don't really learn much from them. Seeing how it all goes together would be a lot more interesting. I've really appreciated Pop-pop's contributions, for example, for that reason.

Yes, we are supposed to be about education. Resources are nice but most people never see them. In process, making progress, how I did it, details of actually working, what went wrong and what to do about it... these are educational. My 20 projects done last month photos taken in the gallery or in my high tech Photo Booth are nice but don't teach.

We used to have a lot more step by step photo tutorials. I know it's hard to work and take photos, we don't all have a full time photo/video crew. Just remember when you take a short break or before you start the next step to take a couple snapshots.

This is what's missing and what we need a lot more.

 

[Berta]

I also click “What’s New”.

 

[JNCarr]

I agree with many here that the site is really well done.
Thanks, Niel for asking the continuous improvement question.

 

[John Jimenez]

Neal, you do an awesome job with site. I look at it every day. I’m just guessing that people who are complaining are facing user error issues. Thank you for what you do and keep up the great work!

 

[CharlieGator]

I have no issues.
I greatly enjoy learning from the members!

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Not enough Cow Bell!

 

[Jack A.]

We used to have a lot more step by step photo tutorials. I know it's hard to work and take photos, we don't all have a full time photo/video crew. Just remember when you take a short break or before you start the next step to take a couple snapshots.

I often take photos along the way so I can remember what I did for the next time I want to do it.

 

[pop-pop]

I often take photos along the way so I can remember what I did for the next time I want to do it.

I sometimes find my myself referring back to my own posts when I forgot how I did something. CRS recovery

 

[Willemjm]

Keep up the good work. What a great community, and never seen anything other than great posts and great folks!!

 

[Dak0ta52]

My woodwork is primarily with the scroll saw. However, I enjoy woodworking in general and also enjoy seeing the posts from all the craftsmen on this forum. Additionally, I have seen that the members are excellent in sharing their experience and knowledge with others that have questions. I consider this forum a basis for learning, as well as sharing, and I'm completely happy with the format.

 

[SteveColes]

I think the issues members are having with our site have to do with input and content, not functionality.

In our name is Wood Working. This is not a site for rough carpentry, home repair, home remodeling, plumbing problems, etc. It's for wood working, making finely crafted pieces from wood, tools that are used in high end woodworking,and topics related to the creation of fine pieces from wood. Just because someone's new thread involves pieces of wood doesn't make it worthy or appropriate for our NCWW forums.

Neal--I have two suggestions:

1. Train all members to put threads that fit my above description into the "Off Topic" forum, and police the sight vigilantly to quickly shift inappropriate threads into this forum.
2. Create some new forums to capture inappropriate threads. For example: Home Remodeling, Home Repair, Carpentry Construction, Furniture Repair. Segregating the inappropriate threads makes it easier for true woodworkers to ignore them as we scroll through the home page.
3. While I'm on a roll, let's segregate saw milling and bulk wood for sale.

Ask for input from the entire membership on new categories. Collectively we will come up with better ways to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Wiley, unless BOD has changed this, as founder of this site, i can speak to purpose of this site. it was posted several times. if it was working wood, then we wanted people to participate. With just a bit of sarcasm, if we have people making things out of popsicle sticks, then I would be more than happy to see and comment on their projects.

of course the BOD can change this at any time.

 

[Hmerkle]

I think it it good to get constructive criticism.
While we don't want to be "Everything to everybody" it is good to understand what people are looking for.
Thank you @bowman for asking, and I thought it was clear that you asked to post or DM you with the feedback.

To @Wiley's Woodworks point - he doesn't expect to see home improvement stuff here, but I know we have a number of home, shop and cabinet builders and if I have a question, this group of trusted people is a GREAT resource. So my post / question might be posted in "general woodworking" and someone could take issue with that.
When I am looking at the forum, I read the title of a post, click on it and move on if I am not interested... maybe others don't do that?

We are trying to actively encourage more WIP posts to see how someone is doing something or for project ideas, but this is a LOT of work for the OP to take pictures, post them and (in many cases) create a write-up along with the pictures. I appreciate EVERY one of those types of posts.

 

[SteveColes]

I'm going to disagree with you a bit on this part. Nowhere in the name of the site does it specify "fine". The line between trim carpentry, cabinetry, and furniture making can be hard to draw. I built our mantel. Would that not belong here? Should Mike not have posted his gate project? I thought it was great. What about clever jigs and fixtures? Specifying that works must be "fine" also could be interpreted as excluding those of us who are working on building our skills. There is a separate "DIY / Home Improvement" forum, and I do agree that we want to keep those topics in that forum.

That said, one thing that I would love to see more of is work-in-progress threads. Photos of finished items are nice, but you don't really learn much from them. Seeing how it all goes together would be a lot more interesting. I've really appreciated Pop-pop's contributions, for example, for that reason.

let me add to that.
Unless BOD has changed this, as founder of this site, i can speak to purpose of this site. it was posted several times. if it was working wood, then we wanted people to participate. With just a bit of sarcasm, if we have people making things out of popsicle sticks, then I would be more than happy to see and comment on their projects.

of course the BOD can change this at any time.

 

[Mike Davis]

let me add to that.
Unless BOD has changed this, as founder of this site, i can speak to purpose of this site. it was posted several times. if it was working wood, then we wanted people to participate. With just a bit of sarcasm, if we have people making things out of popsicle sticks, then I would be more than happy to see and comment on their projects.

of course the BOD can change this at any time.

I think ChrisC is making a violin out of popsicle sticks. His 2x6 pine guitar was a big hit.

 

[Charlie]

I treat this site like the news. If I don't like the headline, I read no further!
Problem solved.
But I also must add, this is the best site that there is. Thank you Steve and all of the people that have come after you that have continued to keep this site going.

 

[SteveColes]

I think ChrisC is making a violin out of popsicle sticks. His 2x6 pine guitar was a big hit.

yes, but are we sure those are wooden popsicle sticks?

 

[Willemjm]

yes, but are we sure those are wooden popsicle sticks?

Turning a popsicle stick on a big lathe needs good woodworking skills.

 

[Graywolf]

Speaking to Steve’s comments, no the BOD have not changed the purpose of the site. In fact we have reinforced it and expanded the categories by adding things like marquetry, and pyrography to the forum. We as a community can not be everything everyone, but we can add platforms and categories for members to share and learn at the same time.
I have been on the board for six years this coming spring. I have been President for five of those. It has been a great privilege to participate in this capacity. One of the items on my agenda that I can be proud of is getting the scholarship funding started and we have awarded several scholarships to students at Haywood College in their fine woodworking program. The one on going items on my agenda is the completing of the companion site. This is to open a way that we can present ourselves to the public as well as our membership. Having a platform to show case our members work, list our events and workshops, to present articles and resources, and a platform to present videos. www.ncwoodworker.org take a look it’s just a start. I have asked before and I’ll ask again we could use some help with this. We are a member driven community and I’d like see it stay that way.