I don’t consider myself to be a woodworking noob anymore but I have been participating in conversations in the Wood Talk Forum quite a bit lately that have been started by very new woodworkers. I’m talking about guys that have nothing in the way of tools besides maybe your standard cordless tool set from the big box store for DIY type projects. They have been bitten by the bug and are anxious for information and advice on next steps. The enthusiasm is contagious and the more experienced ilk are all ready to help. However the more I read through threads about which tool to buy next, how to flatten stock, which joint when, etc, etc, the more concerned I am that we the woodworking community are not helping but rather hindering. There are so many ways to build that our eagerness to help inundates this hapless neophyte with differing opinions and he/she leaves the conversation with more questions than when it began. I can’t say that I really have a solution to offer here because you never want to close someone’s mind to the alternatives and options that abound in our fine craft, but this feeling of being daunted by the overabundance of information and perspectives is something that I can relate to intimately.
If you’re reading this you know that I recently redesigned my site, changed hosts and domains, and now I’m building a virtual hand tool school. Despite many years working in IT, I am not programmer and developing these sites has put me directly in the noob chair wondering which way to go. I have been the initiator of many forum threads like, “ftp? what did you call me?” and “CMS or see my mess”. In other words, I am the web development version of that poor, lost soul with a cordless drill and reciprocating saw wanting to know how to build fine furniture. Being so new that you don’t even know what questions to ask or what terms to use is tough and you have to reach out to someone because the Internet just seems to fill your head with more questions. The blessing as I see it is that the woodworking community is so welcoming, respectful, and friendly whereas I have seen some nasty stuff going on in the developer forums to the point where you find yourself afraid to even ask questions.
My point is that woodworking is awesome, we all know that. More and more folks are coming to this same realization too and wanting to be a part of it. Reach out to a newbie, virtually shake their hand, and offer to be their guide. Just remember that micro bevels, fleam, foxtail tenons, spelching, tear out, A2 steel, ogees, breadboards, Goncalo Alves, medullary ray flecks, alternating tooth bevels, Roubo, Jennings Pattern bits, riving knives, and bentback gouges are the woodworking equivalents of HTML, tags, XML, frontend/backend, SOAP, Cold Fusion, .NET, encapsulation, htaccess, instantiation, and database joins.
Now go rive some Quercus Alba and bodge already!
Goncalo Alvez…love that guy…didn’t he pitch for the Mets? Oh wait…nevermind.
I totally agree, though I love the rabbit hole – but man you can waste many a day/evening on the ‘net. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is to continue to post and say “just do it”, as you have been recently. The information is great but I think noobs (and me too!) need to be constantly reminded to just “go cut wood”.
I even find in my own shop when I know the steps, I’m constantly re-thinking the process, next to-do, etc rather than just diving in. Pick a direction and go.
I agree Morton. I often get stuck in the “gotta learn more before I try it” technique rather than picking up the plane, saw, or whatever and work the wood.
Part of the problem for me is not wanting to waste a single inch of lumber (hate wasting money too). I’ve been trying to purchase my wood so that I get just enough for the current project and have very little waste – which is what I need, to keep practising on!
Got my new Wenzloff Large Tenon Saw this afternoon and I was hard-pressed to find a scrap of wood to try it out on. Found a piece of pine – cut through it like butter – then a small piece of oak. That was a little harder, which I expected, but after a few dozen cuts, I believe it was teaching me to cut straight. I could ‘see’ where I was going wrong and felt it when I was going astray.
Back to the internet problem… the difficult part is finding a reliable source of information. I have opinions, already, on how things ‘should’ be done. But if anyone saw my work, they’d know not to listen to me!! lol
Great post, Shannon. If only we could all think before we answer, proceeding as though we are giving an answer to someone’s question rather than demonstrating our expertise to thsoe who don’t need to ask them.
Cheers — Larry
Woodworking advice is like a-holes, everyone has…well you know.
Well, all I can say is allow me to return the kindness you’ve shared with me many times on the Wood Whisperer forums. As a web developer with more than 12 years under my belt, if you ever need help with anything web related, please let me know. I’m on twitter @protectedvoid, or email me any time. I’ll reply as quickly as I can.
Shannon,
If you need any help, or just have some questions about web related stuff, feel free to drop me a line, and I will be happy to try and help. If I don’t know the answer, I can usually point people to some source that does.
Shannon,
I found your site from your LumberJocks profile, you just commented on the tote that I made for a restored Stanley no. 8 plane, thanks for your compliment. It seems you and I are opposites, as I’m a ten year web developer and am just re-starting in woodworking. I say re-starting becuase like many of us I was introduced in high school wood shop. Please consider my door open to you for web site questions, I know it can be daunting as there’s so many things to know, it can make your head spin. Anyhow, please email me any time and I will get back to you.
You make a good point. It is easy to get lost in what tools to buy and what to learn next. Within the last 2 years I have found out that I am a woodworker and have found myself on the same path. I am grateful to you, Matt, m\Marc, and Steve for bringing great content to the web. It has helped me with more plenty of fundamentals. The best advice I can give to another person starting out is find a project that fulfills a need and go build it. The first one won’t win any awards, but you can still say. I built that. Anyone that says they are afraid to waste any wood needs to go find themselves a couple of Pallets that are headed for a landfill anyway to practice on. Bottom line enjoy your time in the shop. It is just as expensive as a therapist and we are all happier when the wood talks to us anyway.