Woodworking as a hobby -- is it dying out?
#41
(12-03-2019, 10:37 AM)mound Wrote: Judging by the number of YouTube channels showing woodworking by younger folks, I'd say no!

I hope the number of new channels is an indication of new woodworkers, but I don't know. Could just be me, but it seems a huge amount of youtube channels now are geared for people who just want to watch woodworking. There's seemingly an emphasis on the redundant parts of the projects and not the parts someone wants to see who intends to actually make the project. There may be several reasons for this ranging from the desire to sell more detailed plans to youtube preferring longer videos to it taking effort create a video that's as detailed and concise as a printed article. 

Anyway, I'm 37 and into it. Not very good, but I make better things than what's available at Ikea or the marts.
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#42
I live about 5 minutes from Oracle's HQ and less that 15 from Facebook and Google is just a bit further down the road.  I see the sales of high end hand tools doing well and Woodcraft runs a shop in Google or Facebook possibly both.  I think the techies having a need to slow down and work with their hands and create things that bring them comfort and quiet.  Older US made tools are sought after here vises and planes have a big market.  For those that have space for larger tools Sawstop seems to get lots of play because they all need every finger to operate a keyboard.  The guy that started Techshop is local and the Crucible in Oakland is thriving.  In my opinion if Techshop had better management they would be thriving instead of out of business.  It is really difficult to  stay in business here if renting space as the prices are crazy and only getting worse.  I know people said that Computers would do away with books and the opposite appears to be true
Phydeaux said "Loving your enemy and doing good for those that hurt you does not preclude killing them if they make that necessary."


Phil Thien

women have trouble understanding Trump's MAGA theme because they had so little involvement in making America great the first time around.

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#43
(12-06-2019, 11:05 PM)Bob10 Wrote: I think the techies having a need to slow down and work with their hands and create things that bring them comfort and quiet.  Older US made tools are sought after here vises and planes have a big market. . . . .

I work in tech (software), and I agree that the younger people who sit at screens all day long coding or diagnosing networks are, after several years, looking for something more concrete to do on their off-time other than to continue to sit in front of screens and play video games, or go  skateboarding, biking, etc.  As they ease into their late 20s, lose their roommates and collect a significant other, they want to create things to use in their home environment; i.e., nesting.  When they come to me to discuss joint ventures, licensing schemes, etc. for business, and see pics of furniture I've made I've put on the door in my office, the business is sometimes forgotten and they want to know all about actually making things.  More than half of the tools I sell I don't even get posted, word of mouth brings people to me, and I ship an amazing amount of vintage tools to Seattle, Bay Area, LA, Austin, Durham, DC, NY, Boston, Chicago, mostly to young (compared to me) people.  Many don't have large shop space, are in apartments, noise is an issue for them, so they gravitate to hand tools.  Many ping me for project advice as well.  I think the hobby will stick with some, and not others, and that's really how its always been....
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#44
I think that WW is taking turn from building things from ground up and into more of restoration to chic. Slap some funky chalk pain on it, scuff it up and call it vintage looking.

Iam 41 years old and in charge of a lot people half my age the youngest being 18 right out of high school. When I council my men I ask them what they do to decompress after work or deployments. Most all respond with video games, gym or worse drink. Not one has a hobby like woodworking. None of them really show interest in doing things constructively.

I would say its fading out but not dying out. Theres always going to people who enjoy working with their hands. I think what else could be an issue is the lack of clubs, schooling or willingness to take someone under their wings, at least where iam at. I've been looking and asking around and there isnt anything..

I've asked a couple of wordsmiths locally if they would be willing to take me on as free labor, just teach me and allow me to grow with them. But none could be bothered to give me a shot. So imagine a young person looking for something like this and be told repeatedly NO.. kids now a days cant handle being told NO.. trust me I work with a bunch.. so they give up and look for something else.
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#45
"
I've asked a couple of wordsmiths locally if they would be willing to take me on as free labor, just teach me and allow me to grow with them. But none could be bothered to give me a shot. So imagine a young person looking for something like this and be told repeatedly NO.. kids now a days cant handle being told NO.. trust me I work with a bunch.. so they give up and look for something else."

I'm pretty sure every generation of old people says this.
Semper fi,
Brad

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#46
Everyone has their own definition of dying out.

35 years ago, I lived in an older neighborhood, and we had a good share of people who did woodworking/carpentry or something like that. Today, in a younger community, I could count the same kind of people in one hand. I don't hear machine noise as I used to even on weekends in the summer time.

Of the people I know in their 20s to 40s (lots of them), only one has expressed interest in woodworking; all others only in the end products. One guy spent over 1k in some tablet or phone without a second thought...but complained he wouldn't have any money for a woodworking hobby.

Simon
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#47
(12-09-2019, 02:47 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: but complained he wouldn't have any money for a woodworking hobby.

If you were to watch something like New Yankee Workshop, it might just give you that impression.
mike
I ain't a Communist, necessarily, but I've been in the red all my life
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#48
Back when i was younger and got involved it was Norm and all the power tools.

Now it seems like there are more younger fudge getting into the handtool, primitive side of woodworking.

Maybe I'm only seeing that side as that is where my interest lies now, but I see the Mortise and Tenon mag guys, or the Benchcrafted guys.  Seems like a lot of the hand tool stuff I follow are younger people.  Kind of seems to be following suit of the craft brewers and that sort of thing.
"Oh. Um, l-- look, i-- i-- if we built this large wooden badger" ~ Sir Bedevere
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#49
I was watching a news story on tv about some local "gaming" get together, and I told my family that I am glad I do something like woodworking instead of that. I don't think I would get much pleasure out of being good at a video game. I hope I get pleasure some day out of being good at woodworking.
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#50
A tablet or smart phone requires no skill to be immediately and immensely useful. They also require zero real estate, which is immensely expensive.

Ww'ing tools require great skill and they're dangerous. Apples and oranges.
Semper fi,
Brad

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