Ever Wonder Why. . .
Have you ever wondered, for the most part, why the great majority of wood turners are seasoned citizens; why there are so few youth involved in our craft? I have given this much thought over the years. I would like to share my conclusions as to why we attract the more experienced crowd.
I believe it has to do with growing up. When young people are in the 20’s and 30’s they are busy acquiring spouses, cars, houses and little children. Their woodworking usually involves home fix-it projects or upgrades to the house. The next items in demand are practical furniture such as occasional tables, dining room tables, bookcases, bunk beds and other household items needed for their growing families. Their woodworking tools involve mostly table saws, routers, biscuit joiners, band saws and drill presses.
In their 40’s and 50’s they pretty much have all of the furniture needed for their family, but now it’s on to outdoor projects like decks, sheds and upgrading their workshops. At this stage there is time to make items for themselves and their spouses and perhaps the grandkids by now, jewelry boxes, hope chests, soapbox derby cars, etc.
When many of us reach our 60’s and up, we’ve already made all of the “necessary things” and can afford to take time to acquire the more delicate skills needed for highly evolved woodturning. In my opinion, learning to properly use HSS wood turning chisels on a spinning block of wood requires more user skill than just about any other type of woodworking. Routers have guides and bushings, table saws have rip fences and cross cut tables, planers and jointers only require that you feed the wood through them, etc.
The artistic license granted to the wood turner requires much more time, training and practice to master. When we are younger we don’t have the extra time to just “learn-how-it-works”. Before then there is a practical purpose to each woodworking project and usually pretty well defined time constraints to produce a finished useable item. While we are still working at a regular job we have a family to care for, soccer practices to observe and often coach, and dance recitals to watch. Actual leisure time can be pretty scarce.
Only in our later years for most of us, can we afford to make sawdust or shavings with little or nothing of practical value. The artistic value can be very high and require the many hours we now find ourselves able to devote. At this stage, the idea of carrying full sheets of plywood to the table saw and pushing them through it is much less appealing that spinning a five or ten pound chuck of firewood on a lathe. My conclusion is that our "butterfly stage" involves salad & biscuit bowls, bottle stoppers, pepper mills, and pens. Your mileage may vary, but always remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this week’s message:
Prov 24:32 NIV I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.
Genesis 30:30 MSG The little you had when I arrived has increased greatly; everything I did resulted in blessings for you. Isn't it about time that I do something for my own family?"
1 Timothy 5:8 MSG Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That's worse than refusing to believe in the first place.
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