Thoughts on taking classes

[Mike Davis]

I started wood working when I was 7 or 8 and got kinda serious when I had my sign shop in the early 70s and much more when I had a general antique store, repair shop, sign shop, stained glass and picture framing store in the early 80s.


Specialization is for bugs. :rotflm:


I most regret that it took 54 years for me to decide I would enjoy taking a class or learning from another wood worker. See, I always had to do everything on my own, without any help or advice because i thought that's how everybody else did things. I knew there were schools and i did take a machinist class for a year. But never considered furniture or fine wood working classes.


So, this is my advice to young wood workers and wanna be wood workers.

Go get into a class.

As early and as often as possible. Learn from as many different artisans as you can find. Learn different styles and different schools of thought. The more you learn the better you will be. 40 years of experience can be learned in a few years with the right teachers, try to benefit from their training.

I wasted a lot of time trying different things and reinventing processes that could have been picked up in a class for a few hours of my time and a few hundred dollars.

 

[Asheville Hardware]

Great points Mike! This is one of the goals of Asheville Woodworking School. My desire, as director, is to create a setting that increases knowledge of, as well as passion for, the craft of woodworking. By having classes covering a wide variety of woodworking practices, from beginning fundamentals on up, there is hopefully always something for someone to learn. Obviously, we can't cover every single aspect for everyone. But that's the great thing about this area, there are so many options around. If there is a class that we don't offer here at the store, you can't go wrong with our friend, Gregory Paolini.

What I would absolutely love to see happen is someone gets hooked into woodworking through our classes here and decides to further their education at a place like Haywood Community or Penland. If that spark started here, I've done my job well.

By the way, if you aren't anywhere near Asheville Hardware to take classes, Mark is still correct, get into some classes somewhere. Of course, it doesn't get much better than a weekend vacation in Asheville that includes woodworking. :eusa_danc

Scott

P.S. If you'd like to check out what classes we are offering right now, click here for the schedule. Much appreciated!

 

[PurpleThumb]

Mike, excellent advice. I, too, wasted valuable years before I learned your lesson. In the last ten years, I've taken every class I could get to and afford that offered knowledge I could use in my type of woodworking and the best instructors have been the ones right here on our site, including some from Asheville Hardware.

 

[Bas]

Great advice. "Self-taught" is only a plus if you're a good teacher

 

[Jim Wallace]

My friend and mentor, Worth Pearce, who passed away just a month ago at the age of 100 always used to say "Self experience is a dear lesson and a **** fool won't learn any other way."

 

[ashley_phil]

i agree. i spent 4 hrs in a turning class last week and think i learned as much as i did in the last year hacking at bowls on my own.

 

[jerrye]

Learn from as many different artisans as you can find. Learn different styles and different schools of thought. The more you learn the better you will be. 40 years of experience can be learned in a few years with the right teachers, try to benefit from their training.

I wasted a lot of time trying different things and reinventing processes that could have been picked up in a class for a few hours of my time and a few hundred dollars.

Two ways to learn: the hard way & the easy way.

Trust me, speaking from many years of experience in this...it is much easier & less costly (in many ways) to find someone to mentor you in whatever you want to learn. Just make sure THEY know what they're doing. As a friend once told me "Before you take for gospel what a business prof in college teaches you, ask them how many successful businesses they have started & built." The same applies in anything learned. Make sure you learn from someone that has proven that they know what they are doing.

Great advice. "Self-taught" is only a plus if you're a good teacher

Wasn't it Abe Lincoln that said "A man who represents himself has a fool for a client"? :rotflm: Yeah, you CAN learn by trial & error, but it'll be an error-filled trial fer sure! :BangHead:

MTCW, YMMV

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I agree, classes are great learning tools. The most beneficial portion I have gained is confidence. After building a Maloof Rocker I have confidence to attempt anything. The project may not be successful but now I will try.

 

[ScottM]

Sound advice Mike.

Now I know a few members here hold "for a fee" classes and that is just great that they have the ability and space to do so. My following statement in no means an attempt to take away from them.

For many people classes do not need to be formal. A few hours and some hand on tips from experienced WW is enough in many cases. Better yet buddy up and help others.

 

[moodyfloyd]

Can anyone share good woodworking classes that one might find in the Raleigh area? I've searched but can't seem to find anything that goes into more advanced techniques other than basic projects.
I would love to continue to learn, but am lacking avenues for knowledge gain.

Thanks in advance,
Shawn

 

[BWSmith]

One way we've looked at it around here for.....well,forever is;

You're gonna "pay" for information,one way or another.Its either lots of time,lots of $ mistakes or take some lessons.Each has their ups & downs.Most structured classes will see the student coming away with much more info than what's on the curriculum.BW

 

[Glennbear]

Sound advice Mike.

Now I know a few members here hold "for a fee" classes and that is just great that they have the ability and space to do so. My following statement in no means an attempt to take away from them.

For many people classes do not need to be formal. A few hours and some hand on tips from experienced WW is enough in many cases. Better yet buddy up and help others.

I agree with your thoughts Scott but just want to add some of my own. There are many of us here especially in these times who can see the value of formal classes but cannot afford the fees or live too far off the beaten path to readily attend. One of NCWW's greatest assets is the fact that a majority of woodworkers here will freely share their experience and wisdom with others if asked. I have seen it time and time again so one need not forgo mentoring for lack of finances. :wsmile:

 

[Mike Davis]

I'm a little surprised at some of the negative comments, I never said one can't learn on his own. I surely did make progress and have made some things that were unique and high quality. Also if I had invested more time to being a professional woodworker instead of making a career in design and raising a family I would have done more and worked at it a lot more seriously. EVERYTHING in life is a compromise.

I only meant to say that I could have learned faster with some help and recommend young hopefuls do try to get some training if within their means.

At this late stage in my life I am still learning and also willing to teach where and whenever possible. I hope I have a few productive years ahead and expect to create some unique and artful works. And I have a lot of experience that should be shared and carried on to the next generation. There are many others here that are fully capable of teaching if they would open up.

With so many of our members in Raleigh I am surprised that there is a shortage of opportunities for advanced study there.

 

[TracyP]

Mike, thank you for your willingness and generosity in helping all of us at ncww.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

Love for working wood started in High School

When I took a beginning woodworking course in high school it started my interest and confidence to continue. After years of chopping and making crude pieces, and of course a career in the military where there was little time and availability to work on wood, the many classes taken at Woodcraft stores, Rockler stores, and other professional sites (Lonnie Bird's school), have greatly enhanced my skill.

In my school, I was sad to see the woodshop classes taken out of our curriculum four years ago and when the woodshop was dismantled last year. I have hated to see the many school systems take the automotive, driver's ed, woodworking, and metalworking shops out of the high schools. It is sad. The link to designing something and then completing the hands-on making of it is losing ground. I find students are ill-prepared to build their models in physics class, even when it is a simple airplane glider or balloon car. The quality of the product is awful. Can we afford to wait until a child has graduated from high school to begin their technology, or woodworking, experience? Seems like schools have geared their curricula towards students going to a 4-year college, and are missing the boat for a good many students that may be inclined or better situated towards a technical, or 2-year school.

I am saddened by the trend. All I can do is to still implement hands-on projects in my own courses. And of course, attend more courses to continue to improve my teaching ability!

Guy
Major USMC(retired)
Teacher, chemistry & physics, DOD Overseas Schools

 

[Nelson]

Shawn, this is to reply to your request for information on woodworking classes. I have taken 3 different one week classes from Ben Hobbs in Hertford, NC. http://www.hobbsfurniture.com/ He is between Edenton & Elizabeth City. Ben is a great teacher and is this years winner of the Cartouche Award for Period Furniture Making. http://www.sapfm.org/cartouche.php.

I am a beginning woodworker, but have made 3 really nice pieces of furniture with Ben's instruction; a bedside table, a chest of drawers, and a Chippendale chair. Ben has the patience to work with beginners like myself and has a lot of knowledge to share with experienced woodworkers as well.

His wife Jackie runs a B&B that is very reasonable and even gives an additional discount for students taking a class. I don't mean to sound like a commercial because I know there are others out there that do a great job teaching woodworking also, but just wanted to share my experience at his classes.

Nelson

 

[KenOfCary]

This thread was quoted on the Woodworkers Journal eZine.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/E...odworking_Classes_Whether_Old_Shell_8600.aspx

- Ken.

 

[CarvedTones]

Mike,

I don't see those comments as negative, just some members pointing out that the information is just as valuable if you pay for a class, are offered free mentoring by another member or figure it out yourself.

An interesting observation about the recent class you and I attended. Bill had tried to put it together as a free class taught by volunteers and I consider PeteM, who would have lead it, a master carver (whether he has that title or not he is at that level). We couldn't get enough interest. Then when it became a fee paid class taught by a full time professional carver, it filled right up. I don't think this was a knock on PeteM. All the attendees have been around NCWW long enough to have seen posts by both carvers and know they are both quite good. Being as cheap as I am, I would have expected it go the other way. I did pay the fee and don't regret it. But I find it curious that the free one failed.

 

[Mike Davis]

I believe it failed to make enough students only because there was so little time between the time the thread started and the time when Mark offered to teach.

Part of that is my fault, I had intended to have both classes, but I didn't communicate that intention very well to anyone involved. Had I been better at coordinating the information and the times/teachers/intent things would have turned out much differently.

I've had no problem filling free classes in the past and we are planning more classes at Bill's place that i am sure will have plenty of participants.

 

[PeteM]

I consider PeteM, . . . , a master carver (whether he has that title or not he is at that level).

Thanks for the mention but . . . You have to be kidding!!! :no:
There's no way "master" anything applies to me.
(well, there is that one thing. But we won't discuss that here!) :slap:

If you want confirmation of my carving ineptitude just ask Mark.
He'll give you a list of all my mistakes!

pete