Thinking of taking a woodworking course

In My Humble Opinion
1

I really like wood - furniture, floors, trim, what have you. I’ve often thought that woodworking is something I might like to look into at some time - perhaps as I near retirement (I’m 46). When in high school, I took a couple of woodshop classes, making the obligatory cutting board, shelves, chess board, bowl, etc., so I have a faint recollection of some of the tools and processes involved.

One thing that has been keeping me from doing more than thinking about woodworking, is the initial investment in tools and space. As is, I have only Craftsman jig and circular saws, and assorted old tools from my dad including chisels and plane (both dull), wood drill bits, etc. And I lack any space I could dedicate to woodwork, other than one of those collapsible “Workmate” benches in my garage.

The other day I thought of checking out the local community college, and sure enough, they offer Woodworking I and Woodworking II at a local high school. The course description of Woodworking I reads:

Safety and basic use of woodworking equipment are emphasized. Included are selection and reading of patterns, selection of appropriate wood, tool safety and usage, construction and finishing techniques. Projects include the construction of small cabinets, pieces of furniture or other wood items. (1 lecture hour, 2 lab hours).

I thought I might take a class from January through May. If for nothing else, it will help while away the dark winter evenings. But at a couple of hundred bucks I thought it would give me a good opportunity to see if this is something I would really like to pursue to a greater extent.

I know there are some woodworkers/carpenters on the boards. I was wondering what you thought about checking out this kind of a class, and if I do, how I should approach it and what I might expect to get out of it.

My youngest kid is a HS junior, and it is likely that in 2 years or so we will move to a different house. If so, that would be a time at which I could consider setting up a shop. I also have this (probably unrealistic) image of myself installing arts-and-crafts style trim throughout the house, perhaps even building furniture or built-in cabinetry, or maybe such things as a screened-in porch or something. Any thoughts on a logical progression I might consider to see if my “dreams” will ever become a reality? Hell, the last thing I want to do is go out and buy a bunch of tools only to have them sit gathering dust when I learn I have neither the desire nor skill to do woodwork of an acceptable quality.

2

Take the courses and have fun learning the basics. Don’t buy a thing until you know for certain it’s a hobby you want to continue. Once you’ve taken the courses and made that decision, start watching your local Craig’s List and classified ad’s. You’d be amazed at how much iron comes up for sale from people who have changed their mind or inherited something they don’t want.

Enjoy it, I do.

3

I’m actually taking my first woodworking class this January as well. I’ve decided not to make any specialty tool purchase until I find out if I have any skill or desire after completing the six-week course.

I am taking the beginners course at The Chicago School of Woodworking.

I’m starting to daydream of furnishing our house with my own creations and giving original gifts. Who knows. At least I won’t feel like such a load while my wife gets her CFP.

We’ll have to compare project pics/tips when we’re finished.

4

The one piece of advice I would give is to invest in a good dust mask before the class. I once took (with my wife) a woodworking course at the Boston Center for Adult Ed, and you could barely see through the fog of wood dust. By the end of a single session, my mask was so choked with dust I had to throw it out. OSHA would shut the place down in a nanosecond if they knew. What you may find is that there are people who take the class for no other reason than to have access to power tools they don’t have at home. So the place can be noisy as well as dusty.

It also seemed to me that the class I took focused purely on machines, and not on core skills like sharpening. And sharpening is of course key. (I suspect that certain people rely entirely on power tools because they don’t know how to sharpen.) But deciding where you want to focus your efforts – power tools or hand tools – is as much a matter of predilection as anything else.

5

That would be a riot!

6

No woodworker am I, though I’m also interested in taking it up. I’ve found that a decent way to start an activity is to read up on it – while this may not apply to you (as it sounds like you already have a passing familiarity), it dovetails rather nicely with a question I’ve been considering posting.

[slight hijack]
Can anyone recommend any books/references that cover woodworking (at an intermediate level)?

I’ve spent a lot of time googling, but usually it takes an inordinate amount of time to find decent information. I’m not looking for something like “Woodworking for Dummies”, as that type of book tends to be useful for all of an hour or two; something more along the lines of Schmid’s Beginning Glassblowing, which inspired to me to take an excellent glassblowing class last year (if you live near Kalamazoo, MI, I highly recommend checking out the offerings of the West Michigan Glass Society).
[/slight hijack]

7

Definitely take the class. I’m purely a hobbyist at woodworking, but I enjoy it quite a bit. A class will not only tell you whether or not this is something you will enjoy, but it will teach you the right way of doing things instead of hacking around on your own.

You don’t need to go out and spend a fortune in tools to get started. If you decide that this is something you want to do after taking the class, start with a fairly basic set of tools. Add a chop saw, a router, a belt sander, a finishing sander, and maybe a drill press (or you can get by with just a hand drill) to what you already have and you’ll be able to do quite a bit.

Don’t try to be Norm. That bastard has a special tool for everything.

8

And what’s wrong with that? We can all aspire to such greatness, can’t we?

I’ve got an excellent one at home. I’ll look it up tonight and get back to you.

9

Taunton Press has a good selection of books.

The Woodnet Forums is another resource, one that is free.

As per the OP, it sounds like you need to invest in some sharpening stones, and a good book on the subject. Maybe add a handsaw and you can start with small projects like cutting boards, small boxes, etc. Upgrade and add to your tools as you need.

10

Yup, take the class. I took one in high school back before electricity (well, maybe not that long ago) so when I took up woodworking the first thing I learned was how much I’d forgotten. A couple of local master craftsmen agreed to let me hang around a little, though, and it all came back pretty fast.

It is important that, after the class, you decide what kind of woodworking you want to do. Big pieces (cabinets, dressers, bed headboards, etc.) take a Norm-size shop, so if that’s what you want to do, stake out enough space that you can grow into that. Some people prefer smaller projects – jewelry boxes and stuff – and that takes different tools and a different setup. One important thing to pay attention to in the class: Shop setup (if it’s covered.) Trying to design your own shop from scratch can be a pain.

Good luck! Have fun!

11

Digital Stimulus,

The book I mentioned earlier is The Woodworkers Visual Handbook by Jon Arno.

I have other books, but if I were to choose just one, it would be this one. It’s well illustrated and it covers a broad range of topics.

12

If you have a Woodcraft store in your area, they offer classes. I got Ivylad a Wordworking 101 class for our anniversary, and he liked it so much he signed up for Woodworking 102 for the next day.

He’s also a little overwhelmed by the tools…there’s so many neat things to make, but he doesn’t have the money to buy the tools.

That’s why I like knitting…the tools are relatively cheap. :wink:

13

Thanks, Tully Mars and Ford Prefect. I’m going to order that Arno book; furthermore, the related links at Amazon had some others that looked really worthwhile.

14

When it does come to buy the tools, watch Craigslist in your area. Some great deals show up there from time to time.
I got an excellent radial arm saw for $50 for example.

15

Crap!
At the most convenient location for me, the class is being taught in double-length sessions for only 1/2 the semester. 5-9:50 p.m. every Wednesday from Jan through Mar.
As eager as I am to take this class, I can’t imagine starting off this hobby by taking time off work and missing family dinners for a 5-hour straight committment during the coldest/snowiest/darkest months of the year. The next closest alternative would be a 20 minute drive that could be 40 min + in the middle of rush hour.

I see that this fall, they are offering the class at the location I wish in normal length sessions. My wife, who teaches at the school, tells me they often alternate sessions like this. So I’m going to wait and see if it is offered more conveniently next fall.

So take pics of those projects, Mooch. We’ll still compare them, but it just might take me a little longer…

16

Holy cow! I paid $80. :smack: Oh, well, when you consider that a new one costs upwards of $500, and what I got was a Dewalt … guess I can’t gripe too much. And I love my radial arm saw – after the table saw, it’s practically the centerpiece of my shop.

17

I re-read the OP and this last paragraph caught my eye. You have picked four very different types of woodwork. There are definitely carry over skills, but building a screen porch will not tell you if you like making furniture. Given your toolset, space and experience level, I would look at simple bookshelf plans. You could build one in a weekend, it wouldn’t cost a lot of money and once you can look past all the little flaws (which only the maker sees anyway) you will either have a sense of accomplishment and joy or you won’t.

18

Dins, ivylass mentioned Woodcraft Stores - there’s one near you. You might want to ask them if you want to get going on this right away.

7440 Woodward Avenue
Suite A 107
Woodridge, IL 60517
Phone: 630-435-9663

Alternatively, you could hang out with my husband. He just finished a built in for a lady in Schaumburg - and the two of you building stuff would mean all those leftover pieces of wood in my garage would be OUTTA HERE!!! Win-win, man! :smiley:

19

Depending on how far you are from Schaumburg (Why the heck does Chicagoland have two Woodsides??) Rockler has a series of demos and workshops on Saturdays. They also have a location in Tinley Park.

That page lists a handful of clubs, which can be invaluable. For all you know, there may be someone on the next block that would be willing to have you come over for an evening and use their surface planer/jointer/lathe/plunge router/dovetail jig/etc, that you can’t afford to buy, or don’t have space to house, or even borrow an armload of clamps.

I’ve found woodworkers are either unredeemably antisocial weirdos, or are the most gregarious and outgoing people in town, and will happily talk for hours with someone about their hobby. With luck, you’ll find some of the latter.

20

A decade or so ago, my Mom decided to take a workworking course at the local High school. She loved it so much she went on to take the next and the next and then to keep repeating. Basically, the course allowed her access to the HS’s very nice shop with the added bonous of an expert on hand. It’s not like she was going for a PhD in woodshop.

I ended up with a beautiful oak dictionary stand as well as some other nice items. Can’t even keep track of what all my siblings got.

I say go for it. If you think of the “class” as an opportunity to use the HS wood shop (and some of these are really nice) with expert help on the side, you can’t go wrong. Heck, now you have me thinking about it.