Learning Woodworking: Classes vs. Self-Teaching

I’m pretty much self taught. I learn mostly by reading and doing. I think the various wood working periodicals are a great way to learn. Pick a project that appeals to you and have at it. Over time your skills will grow with your confidence as you tackle more challenging projects.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I had shop classes in school which was a little helpful, but covered an assortment of skills. Mechanical drawing, leather craft, woodworking and other items but not in depth on any of these. I learned (and am still learning) by doing and trial and error. I watch a LOT of videos, look at others work (on here) and read a lot of articles but mostly by doing. The biggest skill builder, I have found, is the basic box. From that I learned cutting skills, measuring, fitting and squaring and I expanded from there. I wish I could take some classes and study under a mentor but that is not possible for me. Most important part of woodworking (I have found) is just to have fun with it, and, for me, a great stress relief.

-- We all make mistakes, the trick is to fix it in a way that says "I meant to do that".

what Bondo said.

-- http://timetestedtools.net - Collecting is an investment in the past, and the future.

I watch Norm, and then try things out. Ask questions and learn by doing. I’m just getting started as well though.

I suggest that you learn as much as you can about each tool you acquire as you obtain them. Then the projects you build will dictate the new techniques you learn as you go. Join a woodworker’s guild if there is one in your area and continue to watch videos on the net. You can also learn a lot at demo’s or woodworking expos if you have any nearby.

-- "Measure twice, cut once, count fingers"

I’ve learned an awful lot right here on LJ’s.

-- http://timetestedtools.net - Collecting is an investment in the past, and the future.

It’s mostly been learn by doing for me. I can’t afford to go somewhere to take any lessons. However, I do learn from books, DVDs, and videos on the internet. I still believe that learning by doing is the best way. Books and videos can get you going in the right direction but when you do it on your own all kinds of problems crop up that you have to solve. For example, when woodcarving the best way to understand what carving with the grain is is to carve with a carving tool. Same thing about sharpening a carving tool. You had better learn how to sharpen by sharpening your tools when they need it. You’re dead in the water if your carving tools are not sharp.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

while most people here are probably self taught – taking a class with an instructor that knows what to look for, and having a class that is focused on a specific aspect of woodworking is priceless and you’ll get much more proficient and much more out of it then self working on something.

if I had the money and time, I would take a class every once in a while even if not to learn something new per se and just to finesse my work.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I absolutely agree, Purplev. There’s no substitute by being taught by a good teacher first hand. However, it’s very expensive especially if you have to travel a good ways. If you don’t have the money or a lot of time it’s not very practical.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

I started learning by helping my father build our home, then I took a couple of years of high school shop, same
mix as Jeffswildwood had. Then work and a family took over, now all the kids are moved out and I am using
the old skills and having fun in the shop fixing old tools and learning to use them, and occasionally I have the
money to buy a nice new tool.

-- As ever, Gus-the 80 yr young apprentice carpenter

self taught – start with wood like pine ontil you get better at it, youtube have a lot of how to viedos…

-- Guyton Stone

One of my favorite quotes: ”Good judgement is the result of experience. A lot of experience is the result of bad judgement”.

Substitute “woodworking” for “judgement” and the principle still holds. Classes, videos, books and private instruction are the result of someone, once upon a time, making a mistake and then passing on the knowledge of how to avoid the same mistake to others, then that knowledge can continue to be passed down the line. That can be very valuable for avoiding common errors and really helps many people in their quest for better results.

At the same time, in order to improve your skills, you have to first use those skills and will make mistakes as a novice. How quickly those are overcome and improved on varies from person to person. Some craftsmen grasp a skill quickly and progress to higher levels, others, for several reasons, take more time. Those that do this quickly thrive as self-taught artisans.

The end result is still that we all learn from either our mistakes (self-taught) or those of others. The variations of how each learns best accounts for the wide array of answers. Personally, I learn very well by reading and demonstration and can apply those concepts much quicker than if I had to go through the processes myself from the beginning.

Which way do you learn best and will improve your skills the fastest? Once you know that answer, the original question will be also be answered.

-- https://www.jtplaneworks.com - In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

I was self taught meaning I gleaned anything and everything I could from books,DVD’s,TV shows like Norm,Roy Underhill and any where else I could pick up information.Even though I had more than 20 years of woodworking I have in the last few years I’ve found a mentor in Charles Neil and now subscribe to his on line Mastering woodworking show. As to taking a class I’m a bit prejudice since I teach a community collage class on woodworking I highly recommend that you take any classes you can afford.

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos

Jim, I belong to Charles Neil’s website and get his DVDs and watch his videos. He’s a great teacher. However, if I had to travel all the way up to Virginia I’d be out of luck. The Internet is a great asset for woodworkers. BTW, I wish the college you teach in was right here in my town. If it were I’d enroll because I know that you are a fine woodworker. Traveling somewhere to a class is an expense that I couldn’t afford in money and time.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

Thanks Charles
I always wanted to attend the North Bennet class in Boston but could not travel that far or afford the tuition.
Charles Neil’s classes and his other materials are a great way to learn with out the travel cost and high cost. I’ve only been in touch with Charles on line but some day hope to meet him in person.

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos