# How did you learn woodworking?



## Admin (Jan 4, 2010)

How did you learn (and continue to learn) woodworking?

Have you taken classes? Did you learn from a mentor?


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

I realized it was cheaper to build a table than to buy one, then taught myself how by screwing up multiple tables...


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Needed a darkroom workstation 45 years ago so I designed and built it. I've been woodworking ever since, even designed and built custom furniture for about 5 years in my own shop/business with as many as 8 employees at one point.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I started out with my dad in the late 50s doing wood working and building houses. I went back working with my dad after I got out of the Navy in the 60s. I took a course through the GI Bill for construction to fine tune what I didn't know about building. I was in business for around 42 years building homes, restoring homes from the early 1800s, commercial casework, a lot of stair building and stair restoring. 

I did a lot of the radius and curved stairs but some were replacing tangent rails that had been destroyed or stolen. We have a master stair builder here on the forum, Keith Mathewson, I would love to hear how he got started. 

A lot of wood working I learned by just doing, I made many mistakes but they were learning mistakes. I still love wood working but now I get to piddle when I want to.


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## kelsochris (Aug 15, 2013)

I had shop my freshman year, I wish I would have gotten the bug then but no. I was terrified by power tools. The teacher didn't really spend much time with the class so we never got into the shop a lot. One class mate actually cut his thumb off on a bandsaw. After school I took a building main thence class at a Bo tech school and I got more exposure to tools and mechanical stuff. We moved back home about 19 years ago and it morphed fr doing home improvement projects to wood working. I took an adult education class and took a lot of seminars at the Woodworking Shows along the way.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't ever remember not doing woodworking. As a child I was always building something. Then when I went to high school where I had access to actual woodworking equipment I was hooked. This was my project for my senior year. The only actual teaching I received was five years after school where I took wood carving in evenings from a Barvian woodcarver, Ludwig Keininger. http://www.texaswoodcarving.com/ludwig-kieninger


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

My father was a hobbyist. As a kid, I didn't know that everyone wasn't a woodworker. I built a bunch of things before I was a teenager, tree houses, YMCA classes, Boy Scouts, etc. In High School I was building speaker boxes for the band, converting vans to campers, built a punt and surfboard, fixing things around the house. No industrial arts programs in my schools. Started working construction in the summers once I was 18. Earned a bachelor of fine art in college, then got drafted.

Came home and built my own camper, you couldn't buy one ready made back in the day. Set out on a cross country excursion. Broke down on the side of the road and a carpenter stopped to help. Started working with his company as a helper. Came back home and started for a local contractor. The brotherhood of carpenters and joiners ran an apprenticeship program at the voc school on the weekends which I completed. Then it was a wide series of night courses, drafting, furniture making, business, art classes, while working as a carpenter during the day.

Couldn't quite survive on carpenters pay and started moonlighting. Over the course of about 12 yrs. I worked for several contractors, architectural woodworking shops and furniture making shops. Then started my own business. 20 yrs later, took a job as a woodworking instructor, then back to school to comply with certification and professional development requirements. Eventually I became an instructor of instructors, then specialized in safety education, worked for the department of human services and OSHA as an outreach instructor and curriculum development specialist. I'm retired, now, full time caregiver but still build or restore furniture as time allows. My kids are grown with kids of their own and houses. I keep my carpentry work to our houses, which will probably continue until I can't.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Like many of you here, I was the kid who always liked to construct something or watch how something was being made. My old high school was small and didn't offer shop classes other than FFA (future farmers of America). I got little exposure to shop classes until college. In college, I selected a shop class as an elective and got hooked. Taught high school woodwork (Industrial Arts) for a few years before leaving teaching to sell construction products for 35 years. My sales job exposed me to both job-site contractors and industrial woodworking shops. 
I've had the privilege to see some of the most beautiful homes in America under construction. Woodworking (furniture making specifically) has been my hobby for 45 years. Still learning. 
Jim


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## Stodg73 (Jul 10, 2012)

I started woodworking 7th grade, in 1986, when they made everyone take a shop class. Been doing some kind of woodworking since.


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

Being born into a family of two generations of hand tool woodworkers - my Grandfather a cabinet maker from Europe, and my Dad a general carpenter, guess it was part of my "heritage". Learned to do small projects designing/building small toy cars, trucks, planes, & doll houses. Read many books, magazines to learn "new" techniques and added some power tools to my shop. Continue to design/learn/teach and use woodworking as sawdust therapy. Be safe.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

My father was a farm boy, my maternal grandfather built wooden boats on the West Coast. Dad built our house and made some serious but useful changes to others as we moved. A year or 2 woodworking in highschool. Lots of crappy, utilitarian furniture & shelves ever since. Wood carving with some instruction for the past 15(?) years. Still have to build support/display things, carving benches, etc.


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

Well, I thought I would share my story not becuase it is interesting (it's not) but to contrast. My father has been a hobby woodworker as long as I can remember. Built small things or utilitarian things - lamps, shelves, desks etc. - but never really got into furniture. At the time I was not too interested, it was always him and my older brother that would work together. I built a jewelery box as a teenager but that's it. I started like epicfail building things I thought I could build better and cheaper than buying. Picture frames, an audio desk for my studio and then got into built ins etc. From there into furniture (just starting!). The contrast is how I learned a lot of my stuff - be it how to or what to buy. The answer - youtube. I watch all videos on a topic I am interested in and then have a go at it. It's been maybe 5 years now so I know less than what most of you have forgotten.

My dad still ww's as a hobby but me getting into it has motivated him and my brother to get into it again which I enjoy!


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## sawdust703 (Jun 27, 2014)

My story will probably make most of you laugh at me. But, I got started in WW about 15 years ago as a stress reliever. I drove truck OTR for 35 years. I come in one Saturday afternoon after being out 10 days, runnin' my butt off, I didn't even get my clothes bag dropped on the floor, & my loving bride took one look at me & said you look like #@%&! I told her it was nice to see her, too. She loaded me in the pick up, & off to see the Sawbones we went. Needless to say, after a thorough goin' over, he told me I was dehydrated, wasn't eatin' right, & physically exhausted. In the next breath, he said if I didn't quit eatin', sleepin', thinkin', & drinkin' trucks, they was going to drop me in deep hole, & soon. He no more than got that out of his mouth, & my wife stood up & said you need a hobby! Well!! So, the next week I came in, her & I took a ride & went to look at some used tools. We wound up with a few. My first project was the front steps of our deck. Not ever having ever drove a nail, & it took me readin' a few books, & figurin' out how to operate the tools I had, it was no week end job! I can make a Cat diesel sing like a bird, but, this wood deal was like a jig saw puzzle. I managed to get through the steps, finally. Time went on. A few more projects were built. We bought a scroll saw. LOTS of customized firewood came out of our little room in the basement! But I finally got it figured out. Now, its my main fascination. We have nearly all the wood tools any other wood shop does, & we finally had to move to a bigger shop, without steps. I could no longer handle the steps. I am a self taught woodworker from the start. I read books, studied, & read some more. And am still learning. I enjoy my scroll saws, but I also build toy boxes, cedar chests, things like that. There isn't much I am not able to do on the scroll saw. Practice, patience, & more practice! Learn the tools!


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

sawdust703 said:


> My story will probably make most of you laugh at me. But, I got started in WW about 15 years ago as a stress reliever. I drove truck OTR for 35 years. I come in one Saturday afternoon after being out 10 days, runnin' my butt off, I didn't even get my clothes bag dropped on the floor, & my loving bride took one look at me & said you look like #@%&! I told her it was nice to see her, too. She loaded me in the pick up, & off to see the Sawbones we went. Needless to say, after a thorough goin' over, he told me I was dehydrated, wasn't eatin' right, & physically exhausted. In the next breath, he said if I didn't quit eatin', sleepin', thinkin', & drinkin' trucks, they was going to drop me in deep hole, & soon. He no more than got that out of his mouth, & my wife stood up & said you need a hobby! Well!! So, the next week I came in, her & I took a ride & went to look at some used tools. We wound up with a few. My first project was the front steps of our deck. Not ever having ever drove a nail, & it took me readin' a few books, & figurin' out how to operate the tools I had, it was no week end job! I can make a Cat diesel sing like a bird, but, this wood deal was like a jig saw puzzle. I managed to get through the steps, finally. Time went on. A few more projects were built. We bought a scroll saw. LOTS of customized firewood came out of our little room in the basement! But I finally got it figured out. Now, its my main fascination. We have nearly all the wood tools any other wood shop does, & we finally had to move to a bigger shop, without steps. I could no longer handle the steps. I am a self taught woodworker from the start. I read books, studied, & read some more. And am still learning. I enjoy my scroll saws, but I also build toy boxes, cedar chests, things like that. There isn't much I am not able to do on the scroll saw. Practice, patience, & more practice! Learn the tools!


No one is laughing Sawdust, that is a fascinating story some of us can relate to, not all of us started out wood working, it kinda gets in the blood.

I started out in mechanics but got into wood working as a living, there is just so much a person can do in mechanics but wood working, there is no limit to what a person can do.


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## sawdust703 (Jun 27, 2014)

Thank you Mr. Jim. My hat goes off to you, Sir! I appreciate your understanding. Trust me, there were times when I wished I'd of had somebody to turn to. Being off the road three years now, & disabled by medical & law terms, I'm slowly building up clientele. My scroll work keeps me busy, but I get a few lathe projects, & other WW projects, too. I'm always looking for new ideas to try on the scroll saw. We keep plenty busy this time of year with several craft shows, & Christmas orders. Next week end we are going to a two day show, & a first for us, we were asked to bring one of our scroll saws to the show. The folks seen our work at the show we were at last weekend, & asked us to attend their show. I've never had my saw at a show in the four years we've been doing craft shows. The folks thought it would be interesting, & educational for the crowd to watch how projects are made on the saw. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.


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## AJH (Apr 11, 2013)

I started woodworking around 900 Bc I was King Solomons carpenter.He was impossible to please.Im also tired of getting reborn on planet earth.
Was also a roofer for 25 years here in California until my health retired me.Roofing gave me great hand skills.With my machines and Handtools.
Just kidding about the first part I think.


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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

From reading thru the thread it's obvious we all came from different backgrounds, lifestyles and avenues of experience..
My Dad was a handyman, painter, halfway decent carpenter and I gained some degree of knowledge thru him. 
Then I spent 8 years in the Coast Guard & then sailed merchant for several more years. 
I've also worked a lot of heavy equipment, construction & carpentry jobs along the way.
On one particular job I was doing for a friend I had access to his late uncles wood shop for making what I needed for the job.. I spent hours making gutters on a TS, working with a small shaper making trim pieces, making parts for old windows & etc..
I guess I started learning by doing as it was simpler to make something that run 20 or so miles one way to hit a supply house... After the job was done I was given access to use the shop as I saw fit... just pay the electric.. No problem.. Spent one whole winter building small simple projects.. The bug had caught!! That's about the time I got involved with the WWT forum & have learned so much from the folks here I can't find words to express my thanks.
I made a deal with my friend & did a bunch of work for him for free over a period of time and in return fell heir to all the woodworking tools, eqpt and supplies in the shop.
Now I'm trying to get our barn set up with an area to use as a WW shop.
In all this is kind of a happy/sad story as my friend has ALS. I visit a couple times a week to give his wife a break & we sit & BS for a few hours. He's a great person & we played music professionally for several years together and we're both ham radio operators.. So the bonds go long & deep. 
I guess I got a bit long winded here so I hope you all understand in some way..
Thanks for a great site.
..Jon..


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## stakes (Nov 14, 2015)

I learned mostly from doing home construction on different crews while doing shop work evenings and weekends. Much of it was trial and error and quite a bit was from books and magazines. There was no Internet with forums then. Even with it having been my occupation for so long it's still a hobby also. It's still interesting to do things in the shop that are different than the daily routine. For example- I don't carve but hope to play with that one day just to try it. I use the lathe once in a while for a small part of a job but would like to try some more involved work. I get inspired seeing the great work that others do.


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## chad.haning1 (Oct 19, 2015)

I started my wood working hobby when I was probably 3 years old. My grandfather a union carpenter by trade had a wood shop in the basement of his home. I would spend countless hours by his side watching him work and having him show me the tricks and tips from his many years of experience. Many napkin holders and wooden ships were built by myself while he was building grandfather clocks and most of the furniture in my grandparents home which I have all of now. Most of his projects were built to be disassembled to fit up the stairs and through the door so there was always a lot of thought and planning that went into his work. I think this is why I am so particular about how I plan projects yet today. I sure do miss him and his knowledge and experiences. I could always count on a WW2 story during every woodworking session. He was an amazing mentor I just wish he were around to know my children and that they could know him. That's all for now


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

4 years wood shop in high school. 30 years as a commercial/residential cabinetmaker and the last 2 years as a furniture maker:thumbsup:. Hope I never do commercial/residential cabinetry again:thumbdown:


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

I still haven't.


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## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

My grandpa was a woodworker/furniture designer. By the time I was old enough, he was retired and didn't get into a shop much at all (faked you guys out there).

My dad... is a very non-handy person. He tries though. 

I've been a tool nerd for a long time, but it's been mostly automotive type stuff. I'm not sure what the turning point with woodworking was for me, but it fed my tool addiction. 

I do remember I took it up to learn patience. For as long as I can remember, I've had trouble taking enough time to do something right, not half-assing stuff. It's helped quite a bit. 

This has only been in the last two years or so. I was a long time member on the DIY sister site to this one, so I joined up. I've learned most of my woodworking from here and YouTube.


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## BernieL (Oct 28, 2011)

Never gave woodworking a thought until I got married and moved into a very run down house in 1975. We were caretakers and our rent was the property taxes. I got a few books and learned a few things slowly acquiring tools. Like Sawdust703, I drove trucks for 35 years but I was fortunate enough to have been a local p&d (pick-up and delivery) driver and I was home every night. But I was a Scoutmaster for our 4 sons so ww was a on a back burner for many years (bought our own house in 1984 that needed work so I still did some).

In 2001, my wife was working on her Master's degree after raising our 4 sons and she was encouraging me to pick up that saw and make a few things. We invested a few bucks and some hard labor to dig out the crawl space under my barn and close it in for a workshop. I also started saving my coffee break money ( $7/ day ) to buy good quality tools because by this time, I got bit real hard by the woodworking bug.

In 2009, my wife encouraged me to retire early at the age of 58. I worked for Roadway Express and retired on a good Teamster pension. After earning her Master's degree, she began working her dream job with a good wage and insurance... So I retired, started learning a lot about woodworking and still learning. I do 90% of the housework and cooking which makes my lady very happy and I spend lots of time in the workshop making furniture for the family and church Christmas fair and other charitable work. Folks try to hire me to make them furniture but I'm so lucky to say "I don't need a job - I'm retired" What I make is for the family etc. at no pay and I'm as happy as a pig in mud!


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## sawdust703 (Jun 27, 2014)

Awesome story, Mr. Bernie! Us old truck drivers are able to something besides shift gears, huh? Hang in there, brother! Sounds like ya got it figured out! God bless!!


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## Daniee (Jan 11, 2014)

Everybody's stories are so different and interresting. I thought I will have a go as well. I am a South African, living in the Middle East for the past 20 Years. My day job is fixing military electronic equipment for artillery systems.
However, due to the living conditions here, there is not much that you can do outside, given it reaches up to 50 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) here for a big part of the year. So you need a hobby that you can do indoors. Hence me starting to do woodwork. I also took wood shop in school for two years way back in the 70's but it never stuck. Only started to get interested again about 6 years ago, and have been learning at a steep slope ever since. Forums like this, online magazines, youtube you name it, everything about a tool or project can be found if you persist. 
My biggest problem here is that the quality of the wood and availability of different wood is problematic. You basically only get wood for construction here, like pine and meranti. So all my projects are made out of Pine or "redwood" as they call it. I drool over all you guys pictures of projects with Wallnut and Oak and cherry etc, but when I retire in a couple of years, my tools will be going back with me to South Africa, and then paradise will be found in selections of different wood and being able to shop in a place that actually sells wood for making furniture and stuff, not planks for making scaffolding.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

BernieL said:


> Never gave woodworking a thought until I got married and moved into a very run down house in 1975. We were caretakers and our rent was the property taxes. I got a few books and learned a few things slowly acquiring tools. Like Sawdust703, I drove trucks for 35 years but I was fortunate enough to have been a local p&d (pick-up and delivery) driver and I was home every night. But I was a Scoutmaster for our 4 sons so ww was a on a back burner for many years (bought our own house in 1984 that needed work so I still did some).
> 
> In 2001, my wife was working on her Master's degree after raising our 4 sons and she was encouraging me to pick up that saw and make a few things. We invested a few bucks and some hard labor to dig out the crawl space under my barn and close it in for a workshop. I also started saving my coffee break money ( $7/ day ) to buy good quality tools because by this time, I got bit real hard by the woodworking bug.
> 
> In 2009, my wife encouraged me to retire early at the age of 58. I worked for Roadway Express and retired on a good Teamster pension. After earning her Master's degree, she began working her dream job with a good wage and insurance... So I retired, started learning a lot about woodworking and still learning. I do 90% of the housework and cooking which makes my lady very happy and I spend lots of time in the workshop making furniture for the family and church Christmas fair and other charitable work. Folks try to hire me to make them furniture but I'm so lucky to say "I don't need a job - I'm retired" What I make is for the family etc. at no pay and I'm as happy as a pig in mud!


Great story Bernie. 
I can't imagine digging a basement under an existing building. What a job!
We really don't have basements here in North Texas. 
You were very lucky to retire at 58. 
Keep the wood chips flying.


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## Tom King (Nov 22, 2013)

Not even wood shop in High School. Learned mostly from tool catalogs. I never realized there was such a thing as a woodworking class until joining forums online a few years ago. Still a bit baffled by the whole class thing.


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## Kimmyh51 (Nov 23, 2015)

Via google/youtube. I have never done any courses, and didnt even know how to put a screw into something when I started. Ive been making and selling rustic furnitre from reclaimed pallet wood. Ive learnt heaps about it online, but my skills and knowledge are very very basic. 

And what skills and techniques I do have, I dont know the correct terms or jargon for. So sometimes I find I know what (in practise) I have done, or what I want to do. But I dont know the correct term to refer to it by so I can search.
Also finding now, that I dont have the tools that its assumed I have, in many online videos and so on.

It is amazing how much you can learn online though!

I did consider doing a short course, but everything I looked up seems to focus on drawings and measurements and plans, which I have to admit I dont/cant use. When I have measured stuff, (and double checked, measured twice, etc) it never seems to fit properly and Ive had far better results from winging it. However I do feel like there is probably a point at which methods like winging it, or measuring by just holding it up against whatever it needs to match and marking where to cut, are going to have their limits, and I wonder if i migh be starting to approach those limits. For example mortise and tenon joints without measuring anything or using those guages (as above no idea of the term for the guage thing) that they use to both determine and then measure and mark out the size of tenon, depth etc etc.

Still, overall, I think for anyone who wants to learn a new skill, the internet is a great place to start and you can usually pick up the basics, and often more than the basics, simply by searching for videos, websites, tutorials etc.


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## EPAIII (Mar 31, 2012)

How did I start? Well, in the early 50, when I was 6 or 8 years old, my father gave me a tool box. Saw, hammer, screwdriver, pliers, can't remember what else. And a couple of scrap boards and some nails. I have been at it ever since. The garage was my favorite spot at the house. 

In my teens I purchased a do-it-yourself table saw mechanism that came with plans to build the cabinet with a single sheet of 3/4" plywood. I found an old washing machine motor and bought some bits and pieces from local hardware stores. That saw lasted for several decades before I gave it away so I would not have to move it again. 

My first router was a joy. And I still have it. 

Never had a single class, but I have read an uncountable number of magazines and books on the subject. And now we have these BBs which are great. 

I didn't stick to woodwork exclusively. I started in with electronics in my early teens, if not earlier. And I got my first metal lathe, a Unimat, in my later teen years. I just like making things that work or are useful.


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## 4DThinker (Mar 13, 2013)

One Grandpa made projects in his modest basement shop which inspired me more than anything else. Junior high woodshop and metal shop classes showed me I could "make" what I wanted if I couldn't buy it, but an Architectural degree from the local university had furniture classes as part of the curriculum, and that was where my design skills flourished to challenge my growing experience working wood over that last 35+ years. Making something once, the best I can, then seeing how/why it fails is still how I learn new things about working wood. 

4D


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## hubaseball02 (Nov 24, 2007)

I took a couple of classes in high school which peeked my interest into the world of woodworking and building things. I built a couple of decent projects in the class that my parents still have at their house. Once I graduated high school I really did not have an outlet for woodworking. I have a close friend who's dad owned a customer cabinet shop. While in college over Christmas break i needed some work and asked if he had any work for me in the shop. I worked for a couple weeks sweeping up floors and loading the trailer full of cabinets for jobs. Not the most glamorous job but it was a foot in the door before I went back to school I was gluing up door panels and putting together face frames. After graduating college with a degree in criminal justice and working as a correctional officer and police officer I decided I needed to do something different. Between leaving the police department and finding a new job I called up my friends dad to see if he needed some help and being the great guy he was he provided me with an opportunity to work for him again. His business had picked up and he needed the help and I needed the money. This time I was helping with some pretty big jobs and going out on installs. I learned some basic skills while working for him and I'm very thankful for the opportunity. Since that time I have continued to challenge myself by learning from others on this forum and just taking on projects and researching the stuff I do not know. I've learned a lot by trial and error and know that every project presents a new challenge.


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

I was in 4th. Grade, they offered art, or shop.

I decided shop, after a few days I told my mother that I hated shop. She asked WHY I told her, ALL THE TEACHER TALKS ABOUT IS SAFETY. 

I stuck with it, and to this day no injuries, and I have made a ton of pieces. I still remember the safety tips he taught me, NICE huh?

At present I am into a project with over 400 hours, and about that many yet to do. Going for BEST OF SHOW in the Rockler contest next May. I won my class this past May, and best of show, with that came $450.00.

We will see,

Dale in Indy


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*let's see now ...*

Let's assume 450 hrs and a prize of $450.00 that works out to $1.00 an hour, not bad for a retirement supplement. :blink:


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

I started helping my Uncle remodel his house at 8 years old and I'm still learning at 71 years old. I studied machine shop in high school hoping to be able to get a job but that was a losing cause so I went to college and worked in engineering. That job paid enough to be able to buy shop tools and I started my learning by reading any books that I could get my hands on about woodworking including books by; James Krenov, Tage Frid, R. Bruce Hoadley and many others. I built my home furniture and my interior cabinets as well as all of my home doors. I'm still learning and enjoying woodworking every day!


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

Yep, $1.00 an hour is small, but not as bad as .50-cents per.

I guess some pay comes in the form of LOVING what you do, huh?

Dale in Indy


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## Julie Mor (Feb 10, 2013)

Cricket said:


> How did you learn (and continue to learn) woodworking?
> 
> Have you taken classes? Did you learn from a mentor?


About as self-taught as one can be - with help from magazines, books and members of online forums. :thumbsup:

My dad was all thumbs. My friends, clueless. But my grandfather taught me a lot about painting and staining and how to take care of brushes.


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## Twistedcowboy (Mar 4, 2015)

I learned a bunch from my Dad. Now I mainly go to YouTube University.


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## Trujeepr (Jan 4, 2015)

I learned with my Dad, he needed help on different things and being a kid, you have to do what they want, it was a very good thing now that I look back, also my uncle built cabinet and needed help too.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Necessity.
I bought our first house in 1977 and it needed a lot of work. I didn't even own any woodworking tools. Necessity dictated I either did the work myself or live in a mess. We were just married and I was living on a 2 stripe military income. We drove old cars and had to do any and all repairs on the cheap.

As the years went on, I schooled in Architecture and went to work in that field. One of the standard contractor complaints was that Architects don't understand the construction processes, and they were correct. So I was restoring our 3rd house at that time and I changed up and went to work as a Architect/Builder. I started with wood decks and graduated into home construction, doing it all as I learned on the fly.

As the years went on, I became a Building Commish and dabbled in Real Estate (buying/selling/rentals.). Necessity dictated that I still needed to be "hands on" if I was going to turn profits.

One day I walked into a Art Gallery that we designed. I looked at some of the furniture and wood pieces and said to myself "I can do this", so I tried, tried and failed, tried and got better, tried and now I do ok. I know my limitations not only in talent but with the available tools I own.

So today, I'm starting a "Mini Home" type business. It's looking quite profitable but my first love is the furniture and car restoration.

Heres my sites.
Furniture:
www.GnarlywoodDesigns.weebly.com
Mini home:
www.QuonLiving.com

They say "Necessity is the mother of invention".
I say "Necessity is a Motha"

You sometimes need to take a chance. If you don't things will go downhill fast.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I used to think my dad knew everything about woodworking, but just didn't care. I later realized he cared,but didn't know much of anything about it. I used to make everything 4 or 5 times till I got it right so most was trial and error and then the miracle of the space age and the internet.. The internet is a blessing in one way, but when you realize you've been doing everything the hard way for the past 30 years it kind of tempers the excitement..
Shop class for me didn't work out so well. I took it right about the same time I discovered marijuana and the shop teacher said under no uncertain terms, "Not in my class buddy!" I excelled in art class though and shop class would have come in real handy to learn how to make picture frames..
I've since quit all that youthful indiscretion and wish I had taken shop class in 7th grade instead of 8th..


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Dad would build things as needed, but he never really cared for wood working. So I learned a little from him, but not much.
As the years went by, I emulated him a lot, building stuff when I needed it. I liked working with wood, learned mostly by book and trial-n-error, but I've never owned a "good" piece of equipment ... still don't. 
What "shop" I have, is in my garage, but most of it is on wheels and I pull it out into the side yard to do work. So, you can imagine, I still don't get to work on stuff as often as I'd like to. Hopefully, before the end of the year, I'll have a shop built and be able to get into some hobbies more intently.


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## Sachi Yamazaki (Aug 21, 2016)

I had to learn basic woodworking skills a year ago for my new job and love it! Now I learn more about the craft through books, magazines, forums, podcasts, YouTube and online classes. I'm so jealous of those of you who had a mentor in your youth.


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I enjoy building furniture. And as I've said before, you haven't made it as a furniture maker until your projects no longer look home made. If a stranger can identify the furniture you've made, you are not quite there yet. 
I've learned over the years that a high quality finish job can make a low quality piece of furniture look pretty good and a low quality finish can ruin a high quality piece of furniture. 
Learning the high quality finish techniques requires as much work as learning to build a quality piece of furniture. I know woodworkers that no longer do their own finish. They build a piece and take it to a professional for the finish. Part of the reason for this is they just don't have the right space and equipment to complete a high quality finish. I always do my own final finish but I am still trying to improve my final results. For many years Watco Danish Oil was my go to finish. I prefer lacquer over polyurethane finish. Using Toners is another learning experience. 
We never stop learning in Woodworking. I really enjoy this forum.


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## ddiamondd (Apr 25, 2013)

The hard way...

I am all self taught. My first projects were all stave snare drums. I've built about 40 of them. Other than that, a few cutting boards/butcher blocks, a kitchen island for the house, and a few bowls on the lathe. Hope to expand my woodowrking skills over the years, and be able to teach my 2 year old a few things once he gets to be old enough. How old is old enough, by the way?


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

My first summer out of high school, I worked with a finish carpenter. This was back in the 60s and kitchen and bath cabinetry was build in place and on site. The man was an artisan as well as a craftsman. I think he planted a seed that would sprout years later. Many years later, I had my first shop in the basement of our home, all 10'x10' of it. I started reading books on woodworking (let's hear it for the community library) and later started collecting books on woodworking, finishing, and design. Let's not forget Norm Abrams (my avitar is homage to him) for all of the things he taught us on the "New Yankee Workshop". After that, various woodworking forums taught me tons of woodworking skills. I've never attended any classes, even though there's a Woodcraft store nearby. Oh yeah, one more teaching tool, doing it and making mistakes. I'm good at that one.


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## Rodrat (Aug 31, 2016)

I haven't really learned much of anything yet. Sort of learning as I go here. I got the spark from my grandfather though who made all sorts of furniture and projects around the house. Some of which I still own and cherish. 

I just started attempting to make my own things just a little less than a month ago. I'm still missing many tools that I'm sure would help me greatly but I'm having fun. I'm hoping one day I could turn this hobby into a career but that's just a dream for now.

Edit: as to how I'm learning. Lots of videos and reading. Asking the nice people at Woodcraft. I don't know about others but the Woodcraft near my house is full of really helpful people.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Rodrat said:


> I haven't really learned much of anything yet. Sort of learning as I go here. I got the spark from my grandfather though who made all sorts of furniture and projects around the house. Some of which I still own and cherish.
> 
> I just started attempting to make my own things just a little less than a month ago. I'm still missing many tools that I'm sure would help me greatly but I'm having fun. I'm hoping one day I could turn this hobby into a career but that's just a dream for now.
> 
> Edit: as to how I'm learning. Lots of videos and reading. Asking the nice people at Woodcraft. I don't know about others but the Woodcraft near my house is full of really helpful people.


If you wish to make a career in woodworking the best way is to work for several different types of woodworking shops. Each one will manufacture different products and all of them will have different ways of doing the same thing. You would be paid for the education as they would train you. I started working for a company that did residential custom cabinets. Then I worked for a shop that made foosball tables, sailboat parts and a little furniture refinishing. Then I worked for a company that made custom entry doors and windows for homes. Then finally worked for a company that made commercial fixtures for stores.


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## Hooked (Nov 1, 2016)

I've spent the last 22 years being completely devoted to tournament bass fishing, at times fishing 25 or 26 events in a year in addition to a full time job. Over the last couple of years, I decided to cut that schedule back to 3 or 4 tournaments a year and I realized that I had a lot of time on my hands and needed a hobby, something I'd not had time for over the years.

I bought a cheap table saw because I had a few projects around the house and started watching YouTube videos about how to do what I wanted to work on. Watching those videos, led to watching videos on other woodworking projects and now I have a list of projects that'll take me years to complete. 

I'm really only about 10 months into this woodworking deal, but I've added a router table, jointer, planer, dust collector and a whole bunch of other stuff to that cheap table saw. I get home most evenings just wanting to get out in the shop (actually my wife's side of the garage, since the boat still occupies my half) and work on something. The bug has hit me hard and as I write this, I'm just sitting here at the kitchen table waiting on it to get late enough in the morning to fire up the tools and work on the current project.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You are still hooked, just on something different*

Now that you have the woodworking "bug" you may want tpo ditch that cheap table saw and either find a used Unisaw, Powermatic, or Delta OR get a new Grizzly or other name brand saw. A really good table saw with a fence that locks on the front rail parallel to the miter slots and slides easlity will make a HUGE difference in your woodworking enjoyment and the quality of your work. The fence is the heart of the table saw and when you combine that with a sharp blade or several, you won't know what happened......:smile3: Don't ask me how I know that.:grin:


Then your first project is to make an outfeed table to catch the parts that you would otherwise have to reach over a spinning blade to save from hitting the floor. This is one of the most important safety accessories you can have in your shop. A fold down table comes standard with some new saws OR you can make your own to save floor space OR use a bench that's the same height for a multiple use outfeed table.

Some ideas here:
http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2009/0...tables-folding-tables-outfeed-stands-and-more

For other ideas see My Photos and check out the triple 12 table saw:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/woodnthings-7194/albums/triple-12-craftsman-table-saw/


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## Hooked (Nov 1, 2016)

woodnthings said:


> Now that you have the woodworking "bug" you may want tpo ditch that cheap table saw and either find a used Unisaw, Powermatic, or Delta OR get a new Grizzly or other name brand saw. A really good table saw with a fence that locks on the front rail parallel to the miter slots and slides easlity will make a HUGE difference in your woodworking enjoyment and the quality of your work. The fence is the heart of the table saw and when you combine that with a sharp blade or several, you won't know what happened......:smile3: Don't ask me how I know that.:grin:
> 
> 
> Then your first project is to make an outfeed table to catch the parts that you would otherwise have to reach over a spinning blade to save from hitting the floor. This is one of the most important safety accessories you can have in your shop. A fold down table comes standard with some new saws OR you can make your own to save floor space OR use a bench that's the same height for a multiple use outfeed table.
> ...


I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on a used one or even a new one. Kind of got the itch for a bandsaw as well. Oh well, it's just money and it's still cheaper than fishing.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I learned at the School of Hard Knocks. School colors are black and blue.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You forgot ....*



Pineknot_86 said:


> I learned at the School of Hard Knocks. School colors are black and blue.


You forgot RED, that would be Red, White and Blue.:| White is the color you turn when the RED drips down on the table saw. Black turns to Purple or even Green sometimes....:surprise2:


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I forgot the loud noises that originate from the mouth of SWMBO- "Now what did you do?"
FWIW, I cut my thumb while making a salad. Cost $310 for three stitches. Now she won't let me make salads.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*usually they blame the weapon*



Pineknot_86 said:


> I forgot the loud noises that originate from the mouth of SWMBO- "Now what did you do?"
> FWIW, I cut my thumb while making a salad. Cost $310 for three stitches. Now she won't let me make salads.


You still have all you kitchen knives I assume. They weren't banned yet? :surprise2: Always cut into a cutting board rather than your hand. Hold the vegetable so that when slicing, the knife comes back to your knuckle, not your finger tip.

Watch at 2:13 into this:






I learned a few things from this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=152&v=FWOGeQHMGeM


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## MJC (Nov 21, 2016)

I spent years watching new yankee workshop and this old house, reading books, and helping my dad repair the 100+ year old house that I grew up in. However I never really did much with it until I owned my own historic house. It was a 125 year old victorian that had sat vacant for years and was in need of renovation. My very first project was a fireplace mantle with a recessed opening for the TV instead of a mirror. I took measurements and ideas from several of the neighbors original details and replicated what I could. It turned out much better than I anticipated and several architectural historian friends of mine said that I missed my calling and should be a carpenter. After that I was hooked. 

Now most of it comes from books blogs, and youtube videos. But I am now exploring taking actual classes.

I don't want it to be a career but I do want it to be a major hobby.


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## JamesTinKS (Nov 15, 2012)

> I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a deal on a used one or even a new one. Kind of got the itch for a bandsaw as well. Oh well, it's just money and it's still cheaper than fishing.


For the past 5 years or so I buy all my big ticket tools on Craigslist. Recently picked up an 18-36 Craftsman (Grizzly) drum sander for $485. Sold my Jet 10-20 drum sander on Craigslist the next week for $420. I've also bought a Grizzly 14" band saw, Delta 6" jointer, a Delta mortising machine, a Craftsman 6" belt sander and a Ryobi 10" miter saw. I paid less for all of these tools than a new Grizzly 18-36 drum sander would have cost. And, they are all cast iron tables instead of aluminum.


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## JamesTinKS (Nov 15, 2012)

I got my first taste in Junior high school industrial arts class. I made a co2 powered race car, a foot stool (that I still have and use for a plant stand 41 years later) and we built part of a house (kind of like part of a tiny house). I knew I enjoyed it but since we were the poorest family on the block that was not going to happen. Made a few things like a bar and a bookcase with found wood from construction sites with a skil saw, hammer, nails and screws. It was not until I got married we bought a house with a basement and had a son on the way that I got to really buy tools and get down to business. Made a pendulum cradle that both our sons used and two more for SILs. Rocking horses and scooters soon followed for our sons and nephews. 
Other than that industrial arts class I am self taught by trial and error and you tube videos and all those shows that used to be on TV. 
Looking forward to retirement in a few years so I can spend more time making sawdust and furniture and less (no) time making plaques and trophies.


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## BAD WOLF (Jan 2, 2015)

My first build was a dog house(and I use that term loosely) out of 2 pieces of plywood and pieced them together. That was the first and last thing I built i was in my early teens. Fast forward to about 2yrs ago I wanted to remodel my kitchen but knew id never have enough money to do so, so i enlisted the help of my jack of all trades uncle well we finished and it was as good as 2 people who dont do this for a living could do. Dont get me wrong it looks good but I wish I had the skill, knowledge and tools I do now. It looks good from a far but up close you can see the imperfections and poor craftsmanship. eventually when I have the time I'm going to redo it all again and make it better, but for now it'll do. 

So after that I got the bug and long story short i now have the basics and not so basic tools and I'm still acquiring some literally as i type(I'm also shopping rocker and woodcraft on another screen) ive built quite a few items coat racks, shoe racks, texas flags from fence posts, my privacy fence, toy chest, fish tank stands, and quite a few other nice pieces. I am now the go to jack of all trades guy in the family. Im still learning as I go like james said trial and error I dont have anyone to give me the knowledge i need. I'm no expert by any means. I watch youtube videos and search online and forums for now tips and tricks. I eventually would like to make a living from this but for now i will enjoy the weekend getaways in the garage building whatever comes to me...i mean whatever my wife wants that week...haha


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## Jesse Blair (Oct 9, 2016)

Well, since you asked...

I was raised by handy men, my grandfather and father were both pretty skilled do it yourselfers, my grandfather mostly being a tinkerer, and my father worked in construction and carpentry for most of his life. So that was a good head start for me, being raised with the do it yourself attitude and being part of projects growing up. I did a little carpentry work as a job for several years in my teens and twenties, along with other construction related work. I started to catch the woodworking bug probably 3 or 4 years ago, and since then I've spent a lot of time reading articles and watching all sorts of woodworking videos on Youtube. About 3 months ago I finally was able to get some tools and a shed, and I've been teaching myself ever since. Still a long ways to go, but I guess no matter how long you've been doing it, you are always educating yourself and learning more, as with any hobby or trade.


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## dumbclub (Nov 6, 2016)

In my first year of junior high school, all boys and girls were required to take eight-week intro classes in four subjects:
1. Music/Chorus
2. Home Economics
3. Art
4. Woodworking (or just "Shop")

My verdict?
I liked Art - hated Shop.

Fifteen years rolled by and in 1979, I bought an old house that I began a self-taught restoration of. The scale of the house was overwhelming for the degree of attention-to-detail that had become my personality and I redirected my interest in building to the more manageable scale of furniture. In that pre-internet age, I read every publication on the subject I could find. The Taunton Press had a lot to offer: Tage Frid's series on basic furnituremaking skills and Fine Woodworking Magazine were high on my list.

After two years of reading and pestering local woodworkers with questions, I bit the bullet and took a two-week workshop at the Appalachian Center for Crafts (part of Tennessee Tech). I learned so much, so quickly, I quit my job and sold the restored house. I spent the next two and half years at the ACC, studying full-time with Wendy Maruyama and a variety of other leading edge, studio furnituremakers that she brought in for residencies and workshops. Suddenly, I had solid design skills and an ease with both hand and machine tools that gave me the confidence to skillfully build anything.

I spent the next two years earning an MFA at Boston University's Program in Artisanry where I met many of the best craftsmen working at the time: some at the school, but especially those who had shops around the Boston area. Again, it was a fantastic way to advance my skills and knowledge of the studio furniture world.

With those solid skills and decent credentials, I was recruited to run the Wood program at Penland School of Crafts. I have lived in the Penland community ever since where I have my studio furnituremaking business. It's not a great way to make money, but it sure has been a satisfying way to live.

So, my advice for anyone interested in advancing their knowledge of woodworking is to take a two-week workshop somewhere with an instructor whose work you admire. Who knows what will happen after that?


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## Mikeinkcmo (Dec 16, 2016)

A lot of the famous "Norm" in the early 90s, followed by countless hours of monkey see, monkey do, and help from now departed good friend. Got to be fun making useful things and not getting dirty in the process. 

Hit swap meets, machinery dealers, and estates for tools. Built a Biesemeyer type "T" square fence, and most other shop fixtures and accessories. 

Mike


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## Roybrew (Nov 2, 2016)

I never liked the press board furniture, so started out learning the hard way with cheap tools and plenty of flaws. Now my tools are improving, but I still manage to screw it up. 1st big project was these 3 cabinets with their blocthy finish and crooked doors from 20 years ago?







Then I made some glass door cabinets for my wife's model horse collection. These were mad with 3/4 oak ply and solid oak door frames.







The most recent was this cabinet made from sawmill cherry. Wife wanted it with no finish, uhn I wanted a finish on it.







. Still learning. Roy


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## mhhickma (Dec 13, 2016)

Buying a tool and then figuring out what I could build with it. Then buying another tool and building something else.


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## bargoon (Apr 20, 2016)

I started doing carpentry work around my 1st house like framing an unfinished basement. Never been to a woodworking class - except 1st year of high school. Watched a lot of TV shows like This Old House (Norm). Bought a lot of mags and got a lot of tips - used their tool reviews to guide me in tool selection. Found making jigs is a big part of woodworking - few projects don't require a jig of some sort. These days with Youtube you can get instruction on just about anything.
Cheers All


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

In the 3rd year at high School (in UK that was 11-18) I had the option to learn woodwork instead of art. had a very good master and did for two years. the technical drawing came in handy when later I did engineering at uni. woodworking came into its own when we had our first property and has been used for subsequent 50 years.
Latest tool was a pendulum jig saw from Bosch which I bought to cut some alloy to fit snugly against plastic framing.
My most used tools are a Hitachi drill and B&Q screwdriver.
johnep


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## bren_leaf (Nov 9, 2018)

Inspring


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

My Dad was a farm boy recycled as a university professor. Some experience at home. 

I was expected to do "Manual Training" aka woodwork for 2+ years in highschool.


Mom bought us boys Christmas presents like axes and Skil saws. (How 'bout that old gal?)
I can do enough to build very utilitarian furnishings.
I'd rather sit in silence, working with my wood carving tools.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Old thread, but I'll bite.

I was afraid of woodshop in junior high and high school. The big, mean bullies took woodshop. Even though woodshop was required, there was one way out. Sign up for orchestra. It worked. I got out of woodshop. (I have regretted it all my adult life.)

After we graduated college, my best friend and I bought a house together. He had done woodworking and carpentry all his life. The deal was:

* He taught me carpentry and woodworking.
* I taught him to play piano.
* He supplied the tools and knowhow.
* We split the cost of additional tools, but he kept them when we went our separate ways.

Together we built a room addition and remodeled the kitchen in that home. Later, I helped him build his dream house. By the time we moved on, I felt the confidence to do basic construction and home repairs, and he could play many pieces pieces.

I got back into woodworking a couple years ago. I always wanted a table saw. After shopping around, I bought a Bosch REAXX jobsite saw, and that got me going. Since then, I added a planer, bandsaw, lathe, and several smaller tools. 

After buying the table saw, I began to read woodworking books from the pubic library. I have read at least 60 books on woodworking in the last couple years. I also joined the local woodworking club. I also signed up for several one-session classes at our local Rockler store. 

These days, my problem is finding enough time to do woodworking, which is what I would rather do than almost anything else. Sadly, many obligations conspire to steal my time, leaving me little time for woodworking.


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## Dylan Buffum (Dec 2, 2018)

I had a tool box with a tack hammer, a coping saw and a couple of screwdrivers from as early as I can remember. When my folks put an addition on the house, I remember sitting on the subfloor pounding nails into scrapwood to make playsets for my Star Wars toys. When I was a little older, I went to a summer camp with a woodshop, and I made a cigar-box banjo and a chess set with squares painted on plywood and square pieces with drawn-on markings. 

Woodshop was my favorite class in middle and high school. I made some not-too-shabby pieces. After I dropped out of college, I took two years of woodshop classes at a community college and fell just short of a degree. Did some odd woodworking jobs for a little while but couldn't handle the production atmosphere. I went back to college, got a bachelors and then I went on to get a law degree and forgot all about woodworking for nearly 20 years. 

Bought a house last year with a shop space, and first chance I had I went to get all my tools from may parents basement.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Pre YouTube it was pretty much anything I could find in the library, trial and error (mostly error) then came along YouTube and even more errors. Now it's this forum and absolutely no errors as every answer here is absolutely perfect in every way imaginable except for my answers which are...uhmmm...well, you know.. lol

Actually I don't really have an answer. Most of what I've learned came from mistakes I've had to fix one way or another. Every now and then I'll get it right the first time then completely forget how I did it..


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Tool Agnostic said:


> Old thread, but I'll bite.
> 
> I was afraid of woodshop in junior high and high school. The big, mean bullies took woodshop. Even though woodshop was required, there was one way out. Sign up for orchestra. It worked. I got out of woodshop. (I have regretted it all my adult life.)
> 
> ...


The wood working classes in my school came right about the time when such professions were on their way out with thousands of unemployed skilled workers in every neighborhood. Most of the students in my class, myself included spent the lions share of our time smoking marijuana and not particularly paying attention to the grumpy old bastard teaching the class so it was pretty much a wash. He would make us sand things all day long with the same worn out sandpaper until it was basically rubbing just paper on wood. It really didn't inspire anyone to want to learn how to do much of anything much less woodworking. 
It's really too bad that schools at the time were failing to transition from the old ways of manual labor to more automated methods. Many schools went directly from using little more than just manual hand tools directly to powered machinery and many kids were severely injured as a result then the insurance rates for such subjects went through the roof so many schools completely abandoned the trades that feed many generations of highly skilled workers. 
I guess it really wasn't anyones fault in particular. Most people thought that the new economy would provide great jobs, but nobody really could foresee the struggles that would take place. 
Paul Sellers explains the phenomenon pretty good, but kind of discounts the many benefits of automation and how he himself benefits from it. It's kind of rare to find an instructor who blends the old manual methods well with the newer automated ways, but they do exist. In many ways YouTube plays a pivotal role to allow young people to learn from old masters of their trades and to transition into the new ways of doing things.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

Tool Agnostic said:


> Old thread, but I'll bite.
> 
> I was afraid of woodshop in junior high and high school. The big, mean bullies took woodshop. Even though woodshop was required, there was one way out. Sign up for orchestra. It worked. I got out of woodshop. (I have regretted it all my adult life.)



I signed up for orchestra and _still _had to take woodshop. (And metal shop, and cooking, and sewing.)


My dad was a consummate DIYer--use the tools you have, cut corners where you can get away with it, use your creativity. He was an elementary school teacher and was always doing projects for his class. He didn't do woodwork for its own sake, but watching him gave me the confidence to try *anything *around the house. And we had a whole lot of old tools to play with. Plus, a lot of the school's art supplies somehow made it into our house. My dad had worked for a large art supply store and he knew his way around all that stuff. We kids always had a ready supply of everything from paper to crayons to clay. 

My uncle was a newspaper editor but decorated his house with all sorts of arts & crafts & woodworking projects. 

My cousin is a professional violin maker with his own shop and staff of craftsmen/women. 

On my mother's side, my grandfather was a machinist from back in the old days. 

I guess it's the inevitability of genetics that I'm drawn to using my hands. What I'd really like to try some day is throwing pottery, but I'd need a wheel and a kiln, I suppose. 

As for learning--experience, books, and YouTube. And this forum.


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## cajunwoodworker (Dec 4, 2018)

I started out in my uncles cabinet shop as an after school/summer job. I guess you can say I learned by apprenticing under him and my cousins (his sons) but he got into woodworking by watching Bob Villa and more so Norm Abram. He pretty much had every single episode taped of This Old House and New Yankee Workshop. This was late 80's early 90's.

Aside from that, just being in the shop and experimenting throughout the years we have all come up with a lot of different techniques and have made probably thousands of jigs over the decades.

Edit: Just want to add that both sides of my family are avid DIY'ers so working with my hands and figuring out how stuff works is in my blood I suppose.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

My grandfather was a carpenter and my dad was his apprentice before WWII. Unfortunately both were departed before I was old enough to learn woodworking, but I still have their old hand tools.

I don't remember why I got interested in woodworking, maybe out of necessity after getting married and needing stuff. But I've always been a DIY'er and handy with design and fabrication and fixing / building things. Given the time and resources I can make anything.

Books were my knowledge base. Tage Frid, James Krenov, Fine Wood Working magazine. I've subscribed to most all of the mags at one time or another. Talking with other woodworkers at work (we're everywhere). Now after 40 years of it I'm still learning. And I have you guys to ask when I get stuck.

The only wood class I've ever taken was a turner's intro. I learned some good stuff and also learned that the 20 years I have behind a lathe on my own has taught me a few things too.


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## hawkeye10 (Feb 18, 2015)

As a young boy, I remember dad doing all kinds of stuff around the house. Besides the normal stuff he built a brick wall along our drive way so we could have a level front lawn. I remember he built a big shed with a gable roof and windows. I was too young to do much except get in his way but he didn't say anything. When I got a little older I tried my best to get him to buy some woodworking tools but he never would. So I would say I got my start there. I have always like to fish, hunt, and shoot guns so WW took a back seat to the other three. Due to some health issues I can't do other things, even mow the yard, so I now wood work every day. Ain't that great. :smile2: What I have learned about woodworking has come from WW forums like this one and the Router Forum a sister forum to this forum. I have also learned so much from You-Tube. For the past three or four years, I have really been trying to improve my woodworking. 

So God bless my dad and all of you for helping me out.


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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

As a kid I was all ways tearing stuff apart and building other things. As I got older I would work with a few uncles who had carpentry crews. At the age of 17 I started working construction jobs with boilermakers, steelworkers, millwrights, etc etc etc and by the age of 22 I was working as a journeyman pipefitter/welder. Later I joined the Boilermakers and worked both trades depending on which was able to keep me busy.
I dont think I ever learned woodworking like most folks seem to. I just have all ways liked some thing finely crafted especially wooden things so when I was medically retired and had to much time on my hands I decided to set my own wood shop up. Ive never lost the desire to build things and I can only fish so much. So now when I run across a skill I need to for a project I talk to folks like yall, I read all I can on it and then I try my hand at it. i may not get it perfect the first time or the 33rd time but I will get it close.
Now days if I can step back and look at some thing Ive built and feel a bit of pride at my accomplishment Im happy.
So thank you all for the help you have all ready given me and the help I know you will share in the future.


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## mjadams61 (Jan 1, 2016)

My Dad taught me when I showed interest when I was 6 yrs old and I continue to learn off and on thru out the years. My fondest memories especially when I was 8 and my Dad and I made a cherry wood bookshelf for my Mom birthday. He taught me how to do dados with a router plane and wood chisel .


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