Are we in the "Golden Age" of Woodturning?

[John Keeton]

Regarding the AAW, and with no intent on starting a separate conversation, the magazine topics have drifted more into sculptural and highly artistic. IMO, most of it is outside the skill level of the majority of turners, or simply doesn't interest them. I doubt it grabs the interest of potential turners that might have the opportunity to read thru the magazine. From my personal perspective, the magazine offers little. I get the online version and it takes me less than five minutes to scan thru it.

I realize there are the members only FUNdamentals, but they are not the "face" of AAW. The organization does do a lot of promotional work with clubs and youth, but most of that, by its very nature, reaches those already exposed somewhat to turning. I don't know the answer, but I do believe different approaches might be more successful in reaching those that have no exposure to turning.

Probably the best benefit of the AAW are the charter clubs. That is where the exposure happens and new turners learn. I would prefer to see a far larger share of the resources funneled down to the clubs. One example is the insurance. The change in the coverage was tough on clubs. Our local club chose not to pay the higher premium for D&O coverage. I had previously served as director and president, but without D&O coverage, I would not risk my personal assets.

[allen long]

I believe woodworking has always been and will always be a more mature person's hobby.

The reason is, that a person's first fixer-upper house is the biggest gateway drug to woodworking. Taking on a fixer-upper typically takes place in a person's early-mid thirties. It is only as we get even older and have more income that the addiction becomes acute to the point we start to seek out other woodworking addicts. Thus, it only seems like it is a game of old men since younger men (and women) are hiding their addiction behind activities with kids and fixing up "stuff" for their spouses.

Woodworking is the gateway drug into woodturning.

Once I started gathering tools to do various major fixer-up chores and honey-dos, I quickly became enamored with woodworking for making other than repairs or built-ins - namely sculptures. It was only then I turned to woodturning to complement those activities.

My sons had little or no interest in woodworking until . . . they moved into their first houses (in their 30s)! Almost immediately they started getting the woodworking bug for not just repairs, but for building stuff for their wives, and then for more precise (less crafty) woodworking.

I also taught my boys that whenever the wife or girlfriend asks, "Can you fix this?" or "Can you make That?" their response should always be "Sure Sweetie, but I'll need XXX tool to do it." Since I also taught them to only date women who are at least as smart (preferably smarter) than they are, the women in their lives will certainly understand this game very well.

Such is the tree ring of life.

Many Kind Regards . . . Allen

[John Solie]

This is a challenge. There are far more woodturners out there who do not belong to clubs and have never heard of the AAW. The challenge is getting the word out there thru various woodworking stores that sell woodturning equipment and have turning classes. There is little incentive for the Woodcraft stores, for example to promote AAW. One of the local WC store turning instructors does not belong to AAW.

Then there are people like me, who are members of the AAW, but don't go to a local club. Yes, I know there are two clubs within an hour's drive from where I live, but the meeting times are what makes it difficult. That being said, my son-in-law, who's in his 20's, loves making pens and wants to expand into larger objects. One of my two sons has made several pens and bowls, but is so busy with school and work, he doesn't have the time.

Woodcraft might be a good place to go fishing for new woodturners, but, like what Don said "you need to be into woodworking to know about Woodcraft." I wonder what it would do for woodturning to see if Home Depot or Lowe's could host a "turn a pen for a service member" event.

Not wanting to cause "scope creep" in the thread, if we aren't in the Golden Age, we are definitely in the "bald" and "white-haired" age. It's great that we have all sorts of new tech to experiment with in turnings: carbide tools, new chuck designs, new types of steel, new types of finishes, different materials, and new methods of decorating pieces.