Woodworking school

[Mitchell Miracle]

I am new to woodworking. Have built the usual builtins, book cases, and small projects. I was just wondering where most of you learned the craft. Is it trial and error, formal training, a mixture of all. Please share your experiences so that I can better set my course. Also, does anyone know of a good wood supplier near Orlando Florida. Thanks.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

I my case it was mostly error.

[mike holden]

Mitchell,
Most of us start on our own, trial and error, maybe read a book or two. Then we discover classes at our local woodstore (Woodcraft and Rockler are the national chains there are many others), then we join a local club, and then the big name schools for more advanced classes, then the really big name instructors where you go and "glue yourself to his hip" for a while.
Depends on your interests and how far you want to take it.
But you DONT NEED formal instruction!!

Unless you are doing it for a living, you DONT NEED formal instruction.

Have fun, make mistakes (it grows on trees, you know!)(grin), and ask questions.

We have all been beginners, and none of us knows it all.

Have Fun!!

Mike

Oh, and welcome to the creek!

[Karl Brogger]

Unless you are doing it for a living, you DONT NEED formal instruction.

Actually I only know of one person who does this for a living that has any kind of training beyond on the job training.

[Peter Quadarella]

Read up a bit on safety before you use the power tools. Other than that, buy some wood and make a mess of it. I've been making a mess for about 1.5 years now. My wife's garden is doing better from all the mess I dumped there, and I'm having fun.

Actually, formal training would be great, but it's definitely not a necessity.

[Peter Quinn]

Ditto all the above responses. Although I do know a few very accomplished wood workers that began in a formal training program, the majority of professionals I work with learned OTJ over years. Mine has been a mixed bag of life experience in a family of tradesman, classes at woodcraft on specific topics I am not learning OTJ, and lots of hours working. I still have a lot to learn, I hope that never ends, but my results have become more predictable with experience and my burn pile seems to grow at a decreasing rate over time!

As with most things, it takes time to learn wood working, the advice and teaching of others can help soften the learning curve, but in the end you learn the most by doing it yourself. Have fun, don't be afraid to make mistakes and play like a child without reservations. But take the safety seriously and learn to operate any machines safely, they can be stern teachers with harsh lessons on their own.

[Martin Shupe]

I am a hobbyist, who has little real woodshop time due to my job.

I go to school for a week at least once per year.

I think it is money well spent.

I have been to Marc Adams in Indy, and Kelly Mehler's in Berea.

Both can be found with a quick google search.

Both schools are excellent. One has more variety, one has smaller classes.

You can PM me if you need more info.

[Tom Cross]

Tage Frid's three books are still available and were my woodworking bible when I started out. I highly recommend them. Then I got Woodsmith and made many projects using their step-by-step learn-by-doing approach. Then it was on to designing my own furniture and using the skills I had acquired by experience. Now I learn from Fine Woodworking, Woodworking Magazine, forums like this and videos posted on-line. So after 25 years, I am still refining my skills.

As I have progressed, I have narrowed my selection of joinery, hand tools and power tools to those that produce reliable results without fail in a reasonable period of time. So I often pass on what I see and adopt ideas that fit with the way I like to work - mostly power tools with occasional hand tool use though that is increasing.

I do go to a woodworking show every year and visit other woodworkers and cabinet makers shops (e.g. Kennebec cabinets last year - fascinating shop tour of this high end cabinetry shop in Maine) every chance I get to see how others do things. I am also a big fan of Lie-Nielsen Tool Works for hand tools and the excellent videos/ information they put out.

I have also learned a lot from high end trim carpenters. They use many of the same tools we use in a production environment producing some amazing quality work. Gary Katz's videos are outstanding. I have learned so much about using a miter saw, pocket screws, layout, etc. Gary's site is a must visit often site for me:

http://www.garymkatz.com/

Chris Schwarz, editor of Woodworking Magazine, is an exceptional woodworker and author. He specializes in hand tools and work benches. I learn things daily from his blog at:

http://popularwoodworking.com/wwmhomepage/

Finally, Jeff Jewitt is the master of wood finishing. I was terrible at it until I read Jeff's books and videos and pestered Jeff with e-mails. Jeff's site is

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/

[Jim Finn]

I attended night classes offered at a local high school when I lived in Calif. I learned a LOT of saftey information and basic things like proper sequences in processing wood to make a flat streight board and how to edge glue them to form panels. Then a lot of trial and error on my own at home. I still make things of free construction scraps many times over before using hardwood to make them. The fun is in the learning.

[Jim Becker]

Error and re-trial...

Seriously, self-taught here, for the most part. The only course I've taken is a three-day turning workshop with David Ellsworth. Everything else came from just doing, reading a lot, participating in forums like SMC and just making mistakes and more importantly, learning how to fix them. I also have a policy of trying to incorporate "something new" in every project when I can.

[Laurie Brown]

I learned mostly through reading books and magazines, and watching lots of New Yankee Workshop. Then making lots of mistakes in the shop. Each time I build something new, I learn new skills, make new mistakes I learn not to do next time, and usually end up with a project I had fun making and am proud to show in my home. And every project turns out a little better than the one before, so practice really does hopefully eventually make perfect.

I think it would be great to have some classes to go to. My local Woodcraft does have classes, but they're generally classes on stuff I have no interest in (scroll sawing, pen turning, etc), or classes on stuff I already know how to do.

But if there is any kind of woodworking club in your area, definitely join up and mingle with other woodworkers. That's mainly what I use this forum for, meeting new woodworkers, sharing ideas, and learning new things.