© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) Betienne Bird runs a piece of wood over a saw in the workshop of the San Diego Carpenters' Association, whose members are now 22% women. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)Warm banter and easy camaraderie filled the room as several dozen members of the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association temporarily left their projects at the Sorrento Valley members' workshop. It was early November, and the members were gathering in a central room to discuss their current efforts, all of which would be presented to the public at the group's annual Christmas gift sale later this month.
In the past, these gatherings of members were mostly "old white men," several members said. Only 3% of the members of the carpentry shop, which opened in June 2017, were women.
That has changed, according to Escondido general manager Dallas Cake, 71, who has been in the forestry industry for 55 years. She said women now make up 22% of members and that percentage is growing. about a third of all new applicants are women.
More than a third of members reporting on vacation home construction projects on Friday morning were women. Attendees enthusiastically displayed their latest creations, members shared business tips for solving problems they had encountered, and shared tips on how best to complete pieces.
© (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Members of the group make everything from furniture, cutting boards and trays to boxes, jewelry and home decor. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)His beautifully crafted work includes cutting boards, game boards, skittle bowls, trays, boxes with lids of all sizes, wine glasses and wine glass stands, home and holiday decorations, jewelry and pens, as well as furniture, sculptures, wall art and the Craftsmanship is limited: only with his creativity. For 2022, members have created and donated nearly 1,500 items for sale, most of which will be crafted as part of the weekly Christmas gift-making sessions in the member's store.
Woodworking has traditionally attracted men as a hobby. Observers say this is mainly because boys were given shopping lessons earlier in school, while girls were sent to home economics lessons to keep them away from "dangerous" items in electronics stores. As craft classes disappeared from schools and new opportunities opened up for girls and women, many began to try their hand at woodworking.
Many of the women in the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association have been in the woodworking industry for 15 to 20 years or more and own their own home equipment. The experience of others ranges from a few months to five or six years. Many have retired from medical, professional or engineering careers or have flexible schedules, and many have a history of sewing, knitting, crocheting or cooking, often using their hands, sharp tools and appliances.
The word "community" was key to describing what brought them into the world of woodworking and why they stayed. They shared the genuine kindness and warmth they felt upon entering the organization's shop.
© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) Jennifer Young positions pieces of wood to stabilize them while working in the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association workshop. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)Sharon Sikora of Rancho Bernardo is a retired registered nurse at Grossmont College, where she currently serves as executive director. Sikora, 71, has been in the woodworking industry for about 21 years and joined the association before the shop opened. Now it's mostly there twice a week.
“I sewed a lot and worked with two-dimensional patterns, like woodwork. People who use sewing machines often find a band saw useful as well.”
"I always said my next hobby would be carpentry," says Sikora, "then my friend told me about a guy who sold carpenter's tools." Create a home improvement store.
Like many of the members, including most of the women, interviewed for this story, she took classes at Palomar College, which she describes as the "gold standard" for carpentry education.
Gary Anderson, 72, a former store manager in La Mesa, recalls asking Sikora after the store opened how they could attract more women. Through word of mouth, Sikora and the other female members encouraged friends and acquaintances interested in woodworking to join the business. Many have now risen to branch management positions, serving as committee leaders, shift supervisors, and teaching assistants.
© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Society-Tribune) Finely detailed woodcuts of members of the Fine Woodworkers Association in a San Diego workshop. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) 
© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) Members donated nearly 1,500 gifts during the group's annual Christmas gift sale. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)Among those who learned of the Woodworking Association shop from Sikora was Oi Ling Kwan, a Rancho Bernardo resident who had retired from UCSD Medical Center as chief cardiologist and artistic director. Handicrafts, especially knitting and crocheting, have also given them pleasure for a long time.
“I wanted to broaden my horizons,” said Kwan, 72. “I have always loved wood. is fantastic. I was in a yoga class with Sharon. I found that SDFWA offers an introductory course.”
A Hong Kong native, he took his first introductory woodworking course in 2017, taught by Anderson, who has been in the woodworking industry for 65 years and is now chair of the board. He smiled as he recounted his skill progress.
“At first, Oi Ling was terrified of power tools. We taught him how to use the tools, safety first, and he landed his first job. He was very nervous but it turned out to be perfect" Anderson said with a smile.
Kwan remembers how that moment boosted her confidence.
Gary told me to relax and get on with the band saw. he said.
Kwan then took lessons with Palomar and is now the assistant to the head preschool teacher, shift supervisor, and weekly construction break manager who comes to the shop three or four times a week. He has been named a "Super Volunteer" for all of his contributions to running the business.
Kwan is especially fond of making small decorative items, especially Shaker-inspired boxes and items. He commented on the "wonderful sense of community".
It's a sentiment that Sikora has echoed.
“I can't say enough about how helpful the people are in the shop. Women are afraid of how they will be received, how they will be treated. Instead, they salute themselves,” Sikora said. “(Rookies) ask who needs it. We refer them to someone who is friendly and has the right skillset for their interests.
Rita Hanscom, 68, a retired Hillcrest district attorney, discovered the art about seven years ago from a classmate who was taking lessons with Palomar.
“I realized that I can do a lot of repairs myself. Now I make furniture,” says Hanskom. “Before watching SDFWA on YouTube, I figured out how to do everything. Then I met Sharon (Sikora) and Marty Jacobson and asked them, 'Where are the women? I entered the store to have more community," he explained.
Jacobson, who has been in the woodworking business for nearly 25 years, recently completed a ukulele that he built "primarily in the Palomar class." Top it off with Luthiers, a special interest group dedicated to making stringed instruments.
"Now I'm learning to play," he said.
Jacobson, in turn, hired La Jolla neighbor Darcy Siegel, a mechanical engineer and carpenter, after seeing Siegel's home business.
"I love building things, especially furniture," says Siegel, 64, who has been in the woodworking industry for about six years.
© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) Kirsten Clark, 51, of Point Loma, has been a carpenter for about a year and a half. She said she is learning as much as she can and hopes to grow her business with her new hobby. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)Mary Russo is a retired clinical laboratory scientist from La Mesa who has been working in wood for 15 years. Russo, 70, is now a shift manager and furniture maker who enjoys turning bowls and making checkered tables and shaker bowls. He also took lessons in Palomar.
Kirsten Clark, a Point Loma native, gave up her media career during the pandemic. When he decided to build something to sleep in in his garden, he started being a carpenter. I designed a couch from YouTube classes before taking an in-store dating class, followed by classes at Palomar. Though Clark, 51, has only been a carpenter for a year and a half, he said he's learned as much as he can and hopes to grow his business.
Sikora explained that women have formed an informal but supportive network within the woodworking industry, but are more integrated into the wider community and buyer interest groups focused on specific skills.
“Cleaning is no longer a rarity. We are not an endangered species. Don't treat a woman who you think might want to be a carpenter but who you're afraid of,” Sikora said. There's a lot of help. You're not throwing yourself to the wolves.
© (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune) Members of the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association gather for a workshop in the Sorrento Valley, where they often receive tips and advice for their projects. (Eduardo Contreras/San Diego Union-Tribune)About the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association and its members
After seeing beautiful handcrafted furniture in San Francisco in 1981, Lynn Rebarchek realized that San Diego carpenters had nowhere to display their work. Rybarczyk, who is still active in the organization, was inspired to join forces with other volunteers to organize the first Design in Wood exhibit at the San Diego County Fair, then called the Fine Woodworking Exhibit at the Southern California Fair, both by the San Diego Association fine carpenters. . Provides collaboration opportunities and exhibits for woodworkers in San Diego.
Today, the SDFWA is the largest woodworking union in the United States and has grown as a non-profit organization that hosts an annual district fair and community service programs, as well as offering a variety of educational programs, tours and a newsletter for its members. The membership of the association reached 1690 in 1999 and it currently has about 1100 members.
“Ten years ago we noticed that the number of members was declining. The public school windows are gone,” said Gary Anderson, 72, of La Mesa, the store's co-founder and former store manager.
“We had plans to start classes, but we needed a structure where we could have classes,” Anderson said. "We also wanted to offer work to those who don't have a shop at home."
Anderson and other volunteers spent three years developing a business plan, raising $100,000, and finding a suitable location. Many members have donated high-quality power tools and equipment for the shop to the non-profit organization. Talented volunteers did the design work for the stores, adding custom cabinets, shelving, furniture and fixtures to their design and layout.
After finalizing their operational plans, they finally opened their 3,000-square-foot dream store in June 2017, and 125 members signed up for store privileges, and classes began shortly thereafter.
The store has proved so popular that it has expanded twice since it opened, and the current expansion, when completed, will provide 5,000 square feet of workspace and allow for an additional 375 store memberships.
Many members who own home businesses, including Keck and Anderson, prefer working in a fellowship business because of the sense of community.
“We work together, learn and are inspired by each other. It's a very special place," Keck explained. "It's the glue that holds everything together. We refer (new) people to others who can fill the gap."
Membership director Nancy Busker, 47, agrees.
“The shop has energized the organization and the entire woodworking community,” said Bosecer, a Mira Mesa software engineer who was introduced to woodworking at a county fair. He says he likes to build various things, from cutting boards to looms. bathroom toilet.
Want to join the carpenter community?
You may be intrigued by the amazing exhibits at the San Diego County Fair Wood Design Show and wondering how you can learn basic woodworking or improve your skills.
Attending a meeting of the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association, whose purpose is to "educate, promote, and appreciate the principles and practices of fine woodwork," is your best bet. Members normally meet on the last Wednesday of odd-numbered months at 7:00 p.m. plus April at Our Lady of the Faith Catholic Church, 3131 Governor Drive in University City. Each meeting has a speaker on some aspect of woodworking and is free and open to the public. Membership costs $35 a year.
SDFWA offers introductory, advanced, and specialty woodworking classes at its woodworking shop located at Interstate 805, 5360 Eastgate Mall, Suite E, Sorrento Valley, off Miramar Road.
To enroll in the course you must be a member of the association. Future chapters are listed on the website.
Additional membership to the Woodworking Shop is by application and interview only and is currently limited to 375 members, but may increase once the current shop expansion is completed. There is a waiting list, but new members can sign up every month. Store membership requires willingness to participate in volunteer-led store operations and a Christmas gift-making workshop. Please refer to the website for detailed requirements.
“For new members, we evaluate their hobbies, skills, willingness to volunteer, and class attendance. We try to connect (people) with experiences and hobbies. My personal goal is to get more women and minorities on board,” said Nancy Basker, director of membership.
The shop offers a wide range of professional mechanical, electrical and digital woodworking equipment listed on the website. Each member must pass a practical safety test in order to use any type of equipment.
The annual membership consists of two tiers. The Silver Membership costs $295 a year and includes 15 years of three-hour store hours, suitable for the average home user. Ո ո անդամությունը է $ 550 է է 50 տարվա շրջան խանութի խանութի հաճախակ գոոած:
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