On Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at 11:47:20 AM UTC-4, Morris Dovey wrote:
Corner of My Mind wrote:
| I live in Broward County, Florida, US and am interested in picking
| up woodworking as a hobby and to do home improvements like
| built-ins or trim work. The time I have available are night and
| weekends.
|
| Last time I worked with wood was in high school (late 1980s) and I
| remember I wasn't very good.
|
| I'm trying to think of different options available for me to learn.
| * Reading:
| * This newgroup
This is a good place to ask questions. Many of the people posting have
links to their web sites in their sigs, and you can find answers to
questions you'd never think to ask by browsing them.
Keep an eye on news:alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking to see what
people are working on (or have just finished working on).
There's a home repair newsgroup that might be helpful for some of what
you're interested in.
| * Searching google
STFW is always a good idea. Sometimes an image search turns up what
you might have difficulty finding with a site search.
| * Books
Of course. Browse your library as well as the web.
| * Hands-on:
| * Community College Class? (I'll have to search and see if this is
| available in my area)
Don't forget to check for high school adult ed programs.
| * Volunteering for FREE with a local woodworking business. May
| not make sense since they are probably on open the same hours I'm
| at work.
Somehow I suspect that you won't be received with much enthusiasm,
BICBW.
| * Find a new friend? I don't know anyone in the area
| that does woodworking. (I wonder if there are any clubs in the
| area that people meet physically instead of online.)
Unless you already have too many friends, this is a great idea. Keep
your ears peeled for the sound of woodworking equipment coming from
garages in your neighborhood on Saturday afternoons. Avoid wasting
peoples' time, but don't be bashful about asking if they'd be willing
to answer future questions.
| I really believe I would learn best by seeing someone do something,
| with me helping, and later doing it all by myself.
Ok - but don't be afraid to learn the safety rules for the tool
'something' takes and then giving it a try on your own.
| Any other ideas?
I found it helpful to learn to work with hand tools before I bought
the power tool to do the job faster. It wastes less wood and perepares
you to use the power tool more safely.
| Who taught you? Your dad? friend? some other way?
Mostly I learned by making mistakes - but that was before the advent
of usenet and on-line sharing of experience and advice. There's a lot
to be said for making mistakes and spending the time to figure out
/why/ it was a mistake. Just don't make mistakes that cause bodily
damage.
HTH
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/solar.html
There is a new woodworking school in Southwest Ranches.
www.southfloridawoodworkingschool.com