Are we in the "Golden Age" of Woodturning?

[Roger Chandler]

There seems to be more people turning wood at the lathe than any point in my lifetime....at least anecdotally, in the last 35 years of woodworking that I am acquainted with, the number of turners seems to be at its highest point? Maybe my awareness is just higher in this respect?

Regarding equipment - lathes, chucks, specialized tools, seem to be the most advanced, and available than they have ever been.


Opportunities to learn/information available - for woodturning, it seems that there is more availability through local clubs, symposiums, mentoring at prestigious schools, videos/DVD's, books, forums, internet [youtube, etc] seem to be at an all time high.


Demand for turned work- the ability to turn a hobby into a sustainable income, especially as a supplemental income in retirement.......not so sure about that one? Economic downturns, less disposable incomes for most households, higher costs of fuel, health care, etc. taking larger chunks of most peoples' resources.


Graying - the median age of most turners seem to be somewhere mid to late sixties.


Are we in woodturnings "Golden Age" now, or is it yet to come, or has it already passed us by?

Your opinion?

[Geoff Whaling]

I think we are in a Golden Age of Woodturning as far as availability of quality equipment and range of options to accommodate budgets goes.

When you look at falling numbers and an ageing membership profile in most wood turning / wood working / Mens Sheds across Australia its hard to say we are in a golden age membership wise. As the later generation of baby boomers (1946-1964) are about to retire up to about 2030 I think wood turning may still have a strong chance of growth. However after that I would not like to estimate its prospects as Gen X,Y etc have had little exposure to "making" they have a more consumer orientated mentality.

[Art Mann]

There seems to be a lot higher participation in the turning forum than I have seen before. However, there are only so many things that one can do with a turned bowl or vase. I suspect only the most talented turners will have a permanent market. That is the way it has turned out with cutting boards.

[Brian Kent]

Yes, I think this is "a" golden age. The communication offered by the internet and the availability of such s wide range of tools contribute to this.

I think that in order to sustain the craft we need to find a way to reach out to young men and women and help them catch the turning bug. I should check out our local "Palomar Community College" with their marvelous woodworking department and see what young people are showing hard work and potential long term interest.

[Thom Sturgill]

Maybe a silver (headed) age.

There IS a resurgence in 'making': hobby electronics, 3d printing, and other things being led by millennials tired of standardized, cheap 'stuff'. We have not seen as much of that age group in our forums and clubs due, I think, to the entry cost and the fact that many of us were exposed to turning in schools that no longer teach the arts due to costs. There might be more, younger turners entering the fray as we pass, or pass on, our tools to younger hands.

Maybe instead of donating to existing clubs, the AAW should donate to maker spaces.

[William C Rogers]

I would say there are more wood turners. I believe pen turning has had some effect. I had a Shopsmith, having never turned before put a piece of wood in the lathe and within a minute sent it flying across the room. Didn't even think of turning for a year. Then I saw some wood pens and thought I would try. Loved it. Now I am learning to turn bowls. i don't think I would have ever just started with big lathe and do other things if I had not turned pens.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Interesting question Roger. I have a shorter perspective on this but in terms of the first two points I think you are right on. I can't speak to the market for turned works but it seems there is pretty stiff competition for utilitarian objects that can be molded from other materials, cut with CNCs or brought in from overseas cheaper. As to the greying, this may be tied to the amount of time people have for hobbies in today's busy lives. I'm still working and with kids at home. Time during the week is virtually nil, and on the weekends it's a competition for time. (Last weekend was a Scout campout for example.) since our kids don't get exposed to woodworking/turning in school these days it's up to us parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to make time with them so they have some exposure, and a chance to enjoy or even fall in love with turning. I took my 15 yr old to Totally Turning and she loved it. I only saw a couple other kids there. Maybe folks should consider bringing younger family members to events like this. Not only do they get inspired, but it's great time together as well.

Doug

[John Keeton]

There is definitely more "artistry" and complexity in turnings today, and compared to my youth half a century ago, more turners. The equipment is far more advanced. However, we may have peaked in many ways. The youth of today, as a group, do not seem to feel a need to create with their hands. The attention span is shorter, and the need for exhilarating adrenaline rushes is exacerbated by video games and related technology. Add to that the "need" to involve kids in activities every free moment instead of spending one on one time with them. Peer pressure to be "involved" in soccer, baseball, etc. is strong. I have encouraged our kids to reduce the sports thing in favor of other activities, but only one of the families has done that. The grandkids are under a lot of pressure to be involved.

I have 14 grandchildren and have exposed all of the age appropriate at various times to turning, but it doesn't seem to provide what they need - physical engagement and/or non-stop excitement. The fact that they may end up with something they made doesn't seem to matter.

So, like many Golden Ages, we probably are there and entering our decline. Thus, the graying effect. Sadly, I suspect the situation will be much different twenty years from now and turning will not be nearly as popular. However, I think those that do turn will demand bigger and better tools, so the economic impact may be lessened.

[Prashun Patel]

Your question underlines my belief that as humans we over-emphasize the significance of the time we live in as either the best or worst of all time.

In 50 years, the technology will evolve to something we probably cannot anticipate (and I'm not talking about lathes with jetpacks) but the materials and tools will evolve to allow us to make things we cannot even conceive of today.

Perhaps in time our successors will read these posts and wonder how we were all so precious to debate topics like this and to create things with no real function like hollow forms. Maybe they'll think we're barbaric for our use and primitive handling of dust, chemical finishes, and unsustainable wood products.

That being said, I'm right there with you! I think it's the Golden Age of woodturning. Not by any objective measure, but because I'm getting all the challenge, growth, and enjoyment out of it that my tempocentric mind can conceive of.

[J.D.Redwine]

A bowl exploding catch could satisfy "the need for exhilarating adrenaline rushes". Kids don't know what they are missing. :)

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I think so..... I agree with John.
We may be at the peak of popularity (that golden age?) OR most of us are 50 - 60ish (or that golden age) OR at the peak of the skill limits that wood can be made into and we cannot make wood look better. (THAT golden age).... I'm just glad to be a part of this. You guys post some spectacular pieces here..... Can't get better than that.

[Glenn C Roberts]

I think you all are a bit pessimistic. 60 & 70's music? Kids love it. I believe that a return to the past will -- is happening. Yesterday, I brought a walnut goblet (not good enough to write home about) in bar, where a bunch of us go to discuss politics, and the 25 year olds loved it. "How did you do that"? So the end result was that a couple of "kids" want to learn how it is done. There are also two young whippersnappers that want to start a youth turner club here because us grey hairs are a bit "too serious and not with it". I don't think the future is (of woodturning) is all that dim.

[Roger Chandler]

I have two sons...one aged 39, one age 36. Neither show any real interest in any type of woodworking. One finds it interesting, but not enough to spend any time in the shop doing any. Both are computer whizzes, and work in computer technology at the University here. Making things for its own satisfaction seems to escape them both, and perhaps it is the time factor, as both have pretty demanding and stressful responsibilities related to keeping I.T. systems going for the university.

[Don Jarvie]

I just recently took a bowl turning class at North Bennett St and it was a group of 8 with 4 women and 4 men. Two of the women were in their 20s and they thought turning looked interesting. Out of the 8 I was the only one who had a lathe and some experience. Most of them seemed unsure if they were going to take it further and get a lathe.

One of the issues I see is AAW not getting the word out to non woodworkers. Unless you start to dig in you have no idea there are 2 or 3 branches of AAW in the area. The local Woodcraft has classes but you need to be into woodworking to know about Woodcraft.

AAW needs to figure out how to reach the younger people and try to get them involved.

[Mike Peace]

One of the issues I see is AAW not getting the word out to non woodworkers. Unless you start to dig in you have no idea there are 2 or 3 branches of AAW in the area. The local Woodcraft has classes but you need to be into woodworking to know about Woodcraft.

AAW needs to figure out how to reach the younger people and try to get them involved.

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.

[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.