Reading the room

The profiles of the people I learned woodworking from

Woodturners of the Virginias teaching kids at an event I hosted in 2019

When I was growing up I became passionately devoted to woodworking. Unfortunately for me I was not in a family of woodworkers. But fortunately enough my father did a small amount of woodcarving and he exposed me at a young age. He also recognized when he did not have more to offer me and would tote me around to woodworking clubs and events simply so I could satisfy my thirst for more. This meant a 9yr old little boy was running around talking with 50-70 yr olds picking their brains and listening to the talk to pick up the slightest morsel of knowledge watching a David Ellsworth demo from the perch of a barstool by the coffee pot at 10. I think I asked more questions in that demo than the rest of the adults combined which also meant I walked away without anything unclear about what was taught.

As a child I quickly learned there were different kinds of adults in the way they answered my questions and I would attach myself to ones I considered allies.

The ego

These were those that saw my insatiable curiosity as a threat and were guarded in their answers. They would use vague language with lots of adjectives to conceal any helpful information while attempting to make themselves sound important. Getting credit for their ideas is very important, in their mind they are the main character.

The Genius

These adults often were very skilled and sometimes very popular with celebrity type status. However they were often self absorbed and critical. Their presence often sucked a lot of oxygen from the room making interacting with them more exhausting than what it was often worth. So watching them work was best.

The curmudgeon

To the curmudgeon I was an annoyance and they would reply with snide platitudes to brush me off. Or they would straight up tell me they didn’t think it was any place for a child to ask a question. These adults were assholes and my strategy was to simply show them up by making better work than them.

The advocate

These adults were infatuated with the idea of a child showing interest and would defend my right to take up space. They were not often the best woodworkers but they always encouraged me. They were the ones that would build the plywood box for me to stand on at the lathe or save me a seat in the front row. The ones that would pick me up for a club meeting when my parents couldn’t take me.

The tourist

The tourists were there for entertainment. While they may have valuable information stored away their answers to questions would likely digress into them name dropping famous people they saw demonstrate or them telling you about their high school football career. They were the people that taught you crude jokes and woodworking pop culture. They were the People’s magazine of the woodworkers. If you wanted to know how Sam Maloof ordered his steak they were your person.

The encyclopedia

When these adults answered a question you had better be ready. They would dump a library of information in 15sec which may or may not be relevant but always informative if you could take notes and follow it up later. They were the person to ask for book recommendations or which issue of a magazine had an article about a specific topic.

The instructors

These were the most valuable woodworkers. They could take a complex topic and break it down into simple to understand language. They often realized you didn’t have fancy tools and would offer alternative approaches to work right out of the gate. 5 min of their time and you had what you needed to go home and make shavings.

There are definitely more than these and sometimes there are variations or blends but 25yrs later I realize that these profiles are still somewhat the same. It’s really no different as an adult, just less of a power dynamic. It also means I likely fall into one of these profiles, both an uncomfortable and self reflective thought. The learner is not always a 9yr old They may be a 55yr old newcomer or a 30yr old mom of 3.

Some types play an important role, we all need an advocate or encyclopedia in our lives.

I think the more sobering thing now as an adult is meeting or working with many of the contemporary “celebrities” in the space and realizing that the 9yr old Shea would not have been encouraged by interacting with some of them. That someone being competent or talented does not make them a healthy person to be around. A genius solves a technical problem but their solution is archived in the collective work of the greater community. The instructor and encyclopedia will carry that solution forward to shape the woodworkers of tomorrow. Reflecting on all of this gives me pause when I think about my own contributions to the community and I think of the 9yr old Shea and hope that whatever form he takes in the people I interact with that I would take the time to encourage him to keep learning and keep making.