News The Woodworkers Association celebrates its 40th exhibition
Author: Janelle Fisher
City page editor
Over the past four decades, the Carpenters Guild of Northeast Wisconsin has built a community of local woodworkers through education, friendship, resources, and a love of the craft.
Now, with more than 100 members, woodworkers find their way back into the community in many ways.
For some union members, like Randall Hendrick and Jim Michels, it was existing members that sparked their interest in joining.
“I retired 15 years ago and started working with wood a year after I retired,” Hendricks said. “A few years later, one of the guys I worked with from the fraternity came up and asked me to come over a few times and I liked what I saw. “It was really nice to talk to other people who had similar ideas and interests to me.”
“They asked me to go to a meeting and that was it,” union member Stan Fisher said. “I signed up wanting to see what other people were doing and how they were doing it. “I gathered a lot of ideas.”
“For me this was an approach to other woodworking disciplines,” said union member Gerald Jensen. “I've done some wood-turning,” I said, "but there are other things I want to know." I have gained some knowledge in furniture making, canoe building and other types of woodworking as well as other areas of interest. I may never do these things, but I want to learn more and the guild provides that. I."
However, it's not just showcasing new ideas or technologies that attracts members to the guild, as the group also provides resources to help with projects already underway.
“I retired, bought a lathe, and struggled for a while,” union member Pete Schuh said. “The guy at the woodworkers’ warehouse said to me, ‘Well, the woodworkers union has a library where you can watch videos about wood recovery and things like that.’” So I joined the union.
The guild is open to woodworkers of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals.
“I wasn’t really interested in carpentry until I started thinking about retirement,” Jensen said. “Then I realized that maybe I should do something after I retired. I was about 58 when I took my first woodworking class and soon after discovered the lathe and have been working with wood ever since.
For the other members, woodworking was something they had done before, but had recently started taking more seriously.
“I built a crib and played boxes and stuff, but I never really got into my business,” Hendricks said. “I always knew I was going to start some kind of business, so I set it up before I retired, and when I got there, a year after I retired, I bought all my equipment and moved out.
Some members remember their love of woodworking in high school.
“It was eighth-grade industrial art,” Michels said. “Then I started raising a family, and when I retired I built a shop and went back to carpentry and basket weaving.”
“It all started my freshman year of high school,” Fisher said. “We used all the machinery out there... Before that, I built my first canoe; I think I was in seventh grade and I made it out of plywood and stuff, and yeah, it was pretty cheap, but we used it. When I had grandchildren, I got very involved in the business.” And I was able to make them: rocking chairs, swings, cribs, everything.
Members of the Berea Carpenters Guild work on many wooden objects and projects such as baskets, bowls, toys, decorations, bookcases and even boats.
Each year, members have the opportunity to display their work at the guild's annual art show at Wood Show and Sale, which this year is held on November 11-12 at Denmark High School.
While the purpose of the show is to give guild members a chance to share their work with the community and perhaps even sell something, it makes sense to let people talk about their work and see what they do for others.
“It's the interaction with the people who come to the show,” Jensen said. “It's always fun to talk to them and find out what their interests are.”
Hendricks echoed this sentiment, saying, "That's the best part of the show — just talking to people."
“You can spend five hours talking and maybe not sell much, but spend five hours explaining how to do it, why you tried it, etc.,” Schuh said. "This is the fun."
“My favorite thing is seeing what other people are doing,” Michels said. "Each of us has different talents and abilities. It's amazing the talent and skill you have and what you can do with a piece of wood."
“With the talent that some people have, it's impossible for them to do some of these things in another life,” Fisher said. “But talking to people is my favorite thing.”
For people interested in getting started in woodworking, Jensen says the best advice is to start early.
“It was really helpful if they let me take workshop classes or something like that while I was in school,” Jensen said. “One thing that's really sad is the number of schools that have dropped business or industrial arts programs. “We need to go back because we need people who know how to work with their hands and develop the discipline necessary to work with wood.”
“It takes a long time to improve your skills,” Hendricks said. “I think people should start working with wood as soon as possible.”
It can be very helpful for new woodworkers to meet others involved in woodworking, such as membership in a carpenters union, Michels said.
“It's hard to learn on your own,” Michels said. “You can read, you can watch videos, but surround yourself with good, knowledgeable people. “The advice they give you is worth your time.”
And what's the best way to start getting inspired? Try attending a Woodworkers Guild show.
“Go to the show,” Schuh said. “Look around and see what catches your eye: As you pass by you'll see sculptures and scroll saws and wood lathes. Wait until something catches your eye and you say, 'Man, I'd love to do that.'" You can always start there and branch out as you go, but to get started you have to Be interested in something.
Once a project piques your interest, the final hurdle really begins.
“I have a friend who is a doctor and he likes the boats I build,” Fisher said. “He's never built anything out of wood in his life, and he'd like to start... but he's afraid of it... That's the problem with most people: they're afraid to do it, or they're afraid to do it.” Do it, do it." One mistake. But that's how you learn."
Joining a woodworkers' association helps woodworkers connect with others with similar experiences and alleviates the fear of starting by providing a wealth of resources for starting a new project or troubleshooting when things go wrong.
Surrounded by other woodworkers, members have the opportunity to learn different ways to approach the same project.
“I like being part of the union because I can see what someone is doing and visualize in my mind how I would do it,” Fisher said.
“If we all did the same thing, there would be six different ways to achieve this,” Schuh said. “You put yourself into this and learn from everything you talk about.”
Guild members not only gain experience, but also form bonds with each other.
“I developed relationships with other woodworkers,” Jensen said. “We meet regularly at each other's stores and talk about things we're working on and projects we're working on and feed [each other] a little bit, which is a good way to learn.”
“I like talking to people and asking questions,” Hendricks said. “I get three-quarters of what I do and a lot of what I do because people taught me how to do it, whether it's with a cutting board or a box of duct tape...it all comes from union members.” “I've talked to people doing similar things.
When you start a new project, you'll likely learn something and maybe make mistakes, but guild membership means members have the opportunity to minimize those mistakes by learning from each other.
“I think everyone who works with wood makes mistakes,” Michels said. “The beauty of the union is listening to people and hearing their stories... You listen to people, you talk to people, you learn and you make mistakes. You still do it, but you learn how to recover and make less.
To learn more about the Woodworkers Guild, the annual fair or how to get involved, visit newwg.org.
