Poll: Age distribution of woodworkers?

[Frederick Skelly]

The resurrected "shop time in retirement" thread got me to thinking about the demographics of woodworking - a topic we've touched on before. So here's a simple and hopefully interesting poll.

[Alan Bienlein]

Gonna turn 50 this November.

[Pat Barry]

I dont understand the groupings. What about the 70 year olds, 80 year olds, and 90 year olds? Also teenagers?

[Frederick Skelly]

I dont understand the groupings. What about the 70 year olds, 80 year olds, and 90 year olds? Also teenagers?

Hi Pat. There wasn't really any science to the groupings. I was trying to see how many "young people" do woodworking (under 35), how many at or beyond retirement age do it (62 or older) and then simply anyone in between.

My thinking is that the "retirement age" grouping had the "opportunity" to take shop in high school (though many didn't), while the under 35 group may not have had the opportunity to take shop in school, depending on where they grew up. After thinking more about it, the two middle groups (36-50 & 51-61) are kind of "shades of gray" (though I didn't conciously plan it that way). The 51-61 group probably also had the opportunity to take a high school shop class, but shop class was probably slightly less available to the 36-50 group. In hindsight, I probably should have made the young age group less than maybe 28, but you can see my basic thinking.

I was just trying to keep it simple, is all.

Best regards,
Fred

[Bruce Wrenn]

I don't know if you saw picture in current issue of Wood of their 2015
Wood Event, but with the exception of a couple young ladies, most were grey / bald headed.

[Frederick Skelly]

I don't know if you saw picture in current issue of Wood of their 2015
Wood Event, but with the exception of a couple young ladies, most were grey / bald headed.

Yeah, I noticed that too Bruce. Bummer, huh? Guys I know who are into cars tell me that their hobby is "graying" as well .....

[Susumu Mori]

I think these three categories happened to be perfect because they all have similar numbers.
Surprised by the small number for 35 and less

[Jeffrey Martel]

I'm only 28. Always the youngest person in the store (minus kids tagging along with dad) when I go to Rockler, Woodcraft, or the lumberyard.

[Matt Day]

Phew, made the "young people" group by 3 months!

I did have limited metal and wood shop in HS, but working with my Dad and his tools is really what planted the seed.

[daryl moses]

Looks like us old farts are pulling ahead!

[Larry Browning]

I wonder what the OPs age is. My guess is that he is in one of the youngest 2 groups. Also my prediction is that the 2 oldest groups will will be more than double (maybe even triple) the 2 youngest. And that the 62 and older will win by a wide margin.

[Michael Stein]

I wonder what the OPs age is. My guess is that he is in one of the youngest 2 groups. Also my prediction is that the 2 oldest groups will will be more than double (maybe even triple) the 2 youngest. And that the 62 and older will win by a wide margin.

Funny this thread was posted, as after I made my post to that thread, I was thinking about the same thing. I often wonder how many other people around my age, 29, are into woodworking. I do have a couple friends who are very much DIY type guys, the kind that can fix or build anything, though none are really into the craft of woodworking. Myself, I am a mix between the two, I just enjoy working with my hands. My favorite thing is working in the shop, taking an idea from paper to product, and solving all the problems in between.

I taught Project Lead the Way (high school 3 & middle school 2) for 5 years out of college, before I got into Healthcare IT. I used to do an "about me" type activity on the first day of each semester. I would always tell my students that one of my hobbies was problem solving. Now, working in IT and problem solving being the majority of my job, I feel right at home in the office.

[Keith Weber]

Apparently this is my old man hobby. Time to get out the dirt bike to young it up a bit.

[Joe Jensen]

A second poll on how long have we been woodworking would be interesting. I have been doing it for almost 40 years. Took my first paying job at 14. It's a hobby since college but I've been at it a long time.

[George Bokros]

I wonder what the OPs age is. My guess is that he is in one of the youngest 2 groups.

He is in the 36 to 50 group