Shopsmith Forums

woodburner wrote:The woodworking hobby as a whole belongs to the older generation who grew up in a time when things were made and repaired at home by the people who live there.

I always wonder where the people who keep the big box hardware/home improvment stores in business live. I always see people buying all sorts of things when I myself visit these stores, but I never see anyone doing any projects, not in my neighborhood anyway.

Things change with time. I remember as a teenager being able to work on my cars in the driveway using simple, cheap, uncomplicated tools, but now cars are built so complicated, you need thousands of dollars worth of specialized tools to work on them.

The same with woodworking. Those of us who enjoy this type of work, now called a pastime because a hobby should not be work, are of the older generation. At only 49 yrs. old myself, I find myself in the younger group of woodworkers. I'm the youngest in my fine woodworkers club, and the second youngest in my woodturning club, and the youngest in my model train club. The cost of these hobbies is high, and keeps on getting higher. That is a major stopping block for most young people starting families right now.

What is wrong with me. I find myself almost alone in my age group who enjoys these types of hobbies. Everyone else I know at my age are more interested in talking about finances, politics, who makes the best beer, etc. I'm almost an outcast with my age group.

I feel that it is our own fault that the younger generation (and even those who are my age) has lost interest in these type of subjects. How many of us reinforced the joys of working with our hands to our children? How many of us asked our children for help when we worked out in the shop? Not many I'm sure. I'm guilty of it myself. We only have to look at ourselves for this problem, not the younger people themselves.

There was a time when fathers and mothers passed down these traits/skills to their children, but starting in the 60's and 70's this type of teaching slowed to a crawl and the parents found themselves enjoying the hobbies they love on their own, and letting their children go on to explore their lives on their own also. I know this because I grew up in the 60's and 70's. During this time period, things changed over from "good things shall come to those who wait" to more of a need for instant gratification. The industries/factories became more reliant on automation. I remember reading about the protests held at factories because people were loosing their jobs due to automation. Now it is so commonplace no one complains about it at all anymore. Automation was industries answer to instant gratification.

It's just change. Life changes as we grow older, new interests are created that didn't exsist when we were growing up. I'm sure that if Ipods, home computers, etc. were around when we were growing up, we would have been interested more in those items instead of our father's table saw.

Want the younger generation to take an interest in what we enjoy, then we have to take an interest in what they enjoy also. We need to show them what can be done with your own hands. Take them out to your shop and show them around. I have done this with my children and now the neighborhood children. But I also have an interest in what they enjoy. They showed me all about computers, MP3 players, DVD's, etc. Now I enjoy all those things too.

My children have moved on with there own lives, but I've been blessed with being able to show my grandchildren their "Poppy's" woodshop, and that's where they want to spend all their time when they come for a visit. So maybe, just maybe, not all is lost. Spend some time showing the younger ones, pass along all you can, stir a spark in them. Don't hide in the workshop by yourself, and don't let the enjoyment of your hobbies fade away when you do.

P.S. There is nothing wrong with cristicism. How you handle it and what you do with it is what's important. Don't take what is written on this forum too personally, or it will drive you nuts. Believe me, have you read what some have written about me. I have never met them, don't even know what they look like. If I took it personally, I would have left this forum years ago.

terrydowning wrote:I think part of the challenge is to make whatever you are trying to teach a teenager relevant to them.

Teenagers are necessarily living in a different reality. I call this the age of required selfishness. They have to be the way they are in order to assert themselves, get out of the house, and become productive adults. I find that the problem is not the teenager but the parent(s) of the teenager. Too many times I see a parent getting walked all over by their children because the parent wants to be friend or a buddy to their kid and their kid's friends. This never works. The teen is living in the age of required selfishness so they just take and take. Unfortunately the teen eventually resents mom and dad for not providing what they actually need, boundaries, guidelines, respect, and love. A good parent draws the boundaries and enforces them with compassionate efficiency. The boundaries will be pushed and that is a good thing. As the teen learns and earns trust with their parents the boundaries are expanded. The other problem parent is the overly busy parent that has no time for their kids. The worst thing I see happen with teens is the parent throwing their kid a wad of cash and saying see you later! No guidance, no rules, no boundaries, no involvement whatsoever, trouble always ensues and the teenager while reveling in the independence initially eventually begins to resent their parents because they obviously don't care about them enough to set the boundaries and teach them what life is about.

I have worked with youth and teens for most of my adult life in different organizations and events. Almost every happy teen I have met has strict (But not overly strict) parents that set guidelines and boundaries and enforce them compassionate efficiency. I have seen these kids say "I hate my parents, they're so mean" when they don't get their way, and the kid next to them says "at least they care!" This usually makes the complainer stop and think. I have seen teens say to other teens with strict or involved parents "Your parents are so cool! They show up and help out! I wish my mom or dad would do that."

Make the task relevant to the teen and they will engage. Establish the boundaries and enforce them. I have three children that all have a working understanding of the tools in my shop. Recently my older kids (27 and 25) have both expressed interest in wood working they didn't when they were younger but they do now. My 15 YO son wants nothing to do with my woodworking and has even told me so. I just have to find a way to make it relevant to him and be patient. In the meantime, if I need a helper in the shop, he gets called to assist and I take the time to try and teach him a few things while I'm at it. He'll come around eventually. I see it already in the things he says and his general behavior around his friends. Patience is really required when working with teens.

Just my fifty cents on the subject.

woodburner wrote:Hi Farmer,

Wish I can find one of those cheap RAS's you are talking about. It's hard to find even a used one that's over 20 yrs. old for $100.00 or less where I live, if you can find a used one for sale at all.

• Time is a premium. Good quality work takes time...including the practice time to learn the skills before doing the actual project.
• Space is a premium when you are young. This comes into play both in terms of workspaces, but also in terms of transporting and storing materials (ie: I have to borrow a truck when I want to get materials since my mini cooper just can't fit much). Beyond that, having the space to keep the scraps is not as easy when space is tight.
• Money is at a premium. If you are older and established, then you are more likely to have disposable income. Granted, many young people spend fistfulls of cash on electronics and whatnot, but lets face it - woodworking is an expensive hobby. Beyond the cost of tools, the materials can be really pricey.
• Perceived quality is skewed. While IKEA stuff is not really good quality, the cost of putting something together that looks good and is better than what you could get is high - both in terms of time and money. In a situation where people's living situations and preferences are subject to change, its hard to justify the time/effort/expense of doing fine work if you are going to move 10 times before you settle down. In that time you could easily go from big to small to big places. Further, while I know IKEA stuff will fall apart, its hard to justify paying 10-100 times as much after tools and materials for something that looks similar to most people.
• Knowledge is tough to come by. This may seem odd, but its harder than ever to find true knowledge about woodworking. Sure, there are clubs and such. I have had great luck there so far, but its still tough. I have met more than one person who was concerned about doing lessons anywhere other than woodcraft because of liability concerns. As much as you can read online, it takes real experience - not cheap, and not always convenient.