Teaching others about woodworking in his home shop inspired Ricks in unexpected ways. "It sparked my creativity. If I built something for myself, I'd struggle with a plan and it would take months and months. But a friend could come over and we'd build a whole piece in a weekend. I'd ask. 'How did we do it?'
While working full-time as a theater equipment designer, Ricks began talking about opening a community woodworking studio. Finally, partner Gary Bewick said: "You have to do it or stop talking about it." So he and Buick went into business together.
From the beginning, Ricks and Buick wanted to create a space different from traditional makerspaces, which tend to be non-profit volunteer spaces that use donated equipment. This model is "perfect for people interested in building and crafting," Ricks says. "If you have knowledge, you can build something and other members can help you. But it's hard to overcome the learning curve."
Membership at The Joinery costs $95 per month, and a $45 introductory course teaches new members how to use the equipment safely. The location is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although more expensive than a traditional craft store, Ricks says the price ensures he can provide high-quality tools that are always sharp and ready to use. Because he and Buick work full-time, their goal is to keep the business open, not to make a profit. They hope to soon offer discounted memberships to high school and college students.
According to Ricks, The Joinery is a place where people learn directly from master craftsmen. Ricks has a master's degree in furniture making from the Mark Adams School of Woodworking and teaches the introductory class, which runs one day a week for five weeks. He also hired other professionals to teach him crafts like stained glass, art framing, bookmaking, painting, and more. Members and non-members can register for courses.
Ricks especially likes giving startups a chance to start their first project. In the first session, two students said that they had tried to do their own project but were too scared to start. "We sat down at the table that night," Ricks says. “People who had never cut wood with a table saw pushed the wood through the tree. Now you make and cut joints and all kinds of interesting things. That's why I wanted to do it. "Oh I Can Do" Flower.
Tim Nolan, who had no previous woodworking experience, joined The Joinery when it opened. "It's a great set-up," says Nolan. Nolan uses the studio's CNC router to build kayaks, but his motivation for joining the studio isn't just to learn a new skill or complete a larger project. "I am 60 years old. "I'm starting to think about retirement, and one of the things I want in retirement is community," he says. Nolan has already taught other members how to use a CNC router, which he considers "the first generation of the community."
Another member, Wendy Russell, has been a carpenter for over 30 years. "We all bring different ideas and different skills to the table with a common interest." Russell will offer several woodworking classes next year, one on frame construction and another on knife scales, wooden knife handles.
Another goal of Ricks is to attract a variety of artisans to the area. "One of my concerns from the beginning was that I didn't want him to be an 'old white guy,'" he says. Ricks was surprised when the first introductory woodworking class offered students of all ages and as many women as men.
Summer is a good time to try new creative activities. “Take an art class, take a ceramics class. It shouldn't be here, but I think you'll find that if you try something, you'll find something that makes you happy. After all, crafting is about creating something unique and meeting other creators along the way. You can leave it at the end. "I did it." It wasn't there before, it is now."
