Self directed learning

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I think just about everyone here is a self directed learner whether you realize it or not.
Maybe this is one reason we have some obstacles in attracting and retaining members.
Many of the things we discuss and enjoy doing are very obvious to us or and we have spent uncounted hours researching and practicing our knowledge, craft, and skillset.

We have tried and rejected many techniques, read and dismissed many authors, bought and returned, given away, or just trashed many tools. We have subscribed to magazines, watched internet videos, read books, joined online forums, joined facebook groups, joined woodworking clubs, talked to friends, visited museums, and tried to learn in many other ways.

We are a diverse group with many levels of skill and data from widely known expert to hopeful beginner.

So, how can we make this resource (NCWW) better for everyone to pursue this woodworking experience?

What is great?
What can be improved?
What should be eliminated?

Do you want to help?
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Maybe a maintained and checked out list of trustworthy You-Tubers where differing viewpoints but experienced information is provided. I am completely self taught and boy can I tell you much of the information I was first given was not the best. Some well meaning, just not very good. Just found another good one, a local shop: Brian Boggs. Tips on scraper sharpening that solved what I was doing wrong.

Following along with that, Go-To lists. Sources of everything woodworking.

In the British car hobby we hold tech days, rotating around folks garages to take on one kind of repair or another. My expertise is in electrical and ignition systems for which I have given several presentations back in MD. Mostly an excuse to get together much like our lunches but with an excuse of learning something.

One thing I will add, kind of a take off on a business professor my day had at Perdue. No one can tell you how to succeed in business, but we know a lot about how not to. He had started and failed nine times if I got the story correct, so he was a teacher.

PS: Yea, I really should take some hands on classes to "fix" all my years of self taught mistakes. Somehow, just don't find the time. I al always willing to help, but my skills are probably the "bad example".
 

waitup

Matt
Corporate Member
I agree with Scott that a list of vetted resources would be good. I think the community's willingness to help new folks is great. I have wondered why this forum doesn't have a general "lounge" type forum for people to discuss things other than woodworking. Would this help with retaining membership? I'm not sure what can be eliminated, and I would love to help, just have to figure out how to juggle that with running a business, finishing a house, and being a dad to the great little boy in my profile pic.
 

Wiley's Woodworks

Wiley
Corporate Member
I agree with Scott that a list of vetted resources would be good. I think the community's willingness to help new folks is great. I have wondered why this forum doesn't have a general "lounge" type forum for people to discuss things other than woodworking. Would this help with retaining membership? I'm not sure what can be eliminated, and I would love to help, just have to figure out how to juggle that with running a business, finishing a house, and being a dad to the great little boy in my profile pic.
Matt--I have the opposite opinion in regards to a "lounge" to discuss whatever pops into someone's head. I come to this forum for woodworking information and advice. I don't need or want the price of groceries, Grandma's recipes, politics (we've done a good job of keeping politics out so far), high gas prices, low gas prices, great deals on window blinds, you get the picture. For all that time consuming clutter, go to Next Door. Let's keep NCWW as pure as possible--a site about woodworking for woodworkers.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Yea, lounge lists tend to get out of hand and seem to take a huge admin effort to keep in check.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
What is great?
1. The level of knowledge in our membership and the willingness to share the knowledge.
2. The diversity of knowledge in our membership. (from skill sets, to breadth of knowledge - Turning, flatwork, finishing, hand tool woodworking, tool collecting, tool refurbishing, furniture etc. repairs.
3. The willingness to teach a skill or task.
4. I like coming to a place where I find like-minded people who are talking about a job, hobby, craft that I enjoy (I can talk about woodworking even when I am not able to be doing it)

What can be improved?
1. The "evangelism" of the group - read: Marketing. not enough people in our craft know who we are, or perhaps that we exist. All the growth we have experieced is "organic" someone is searching for something and stumbles on the answer that is posted here via a search engine or "you" tell a friend and they become a member...

2. Member participation. There seems to be a small number of people asking and answering questions. I wish we would hear more from more people... This may be resultant of the point you make "Woodworking is a "self directed" hobby
My question back to the group is "How do we induce more participation?"

3. An easier way to find or search for information that on the site. (or perhaps an instructional article)
For example I happen to know that Steve Coles made a nice write-up on the Byrd Shelix head install for a DeWalt 735.
I searched Dewalt 735 + Shelix and did not find Steve's message, but did find a lot of for sale posts and his one that has nothing to do with a Byrd Shelix nor a DeWalt 735! https://ncwoodworker.net/forums/ind...er-from-one-not-being-used.65613/#post-610115

What should be eliminated?
1. Attitude (bad ones that is) there can be a level of arrogance (intentional or not) that can be off-putting to visitors. I have written and deleted a number of things when I stop and think to myself "If I were new here and saw this post (even if I think it is funny) would it make me stay and want to engage with this person or do I think he (or she) has a chip in his shoulder or are "talking down to me" (the reason I have forgotten other woodworking sites...

Do you want to help?
YUP! what ever little thing I can do to help!
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Well, some of us spend sooooo many years having to be totally politically correct, (DoD) we sometimes fall into our curmudgeon self. I figure I paid my dues and I have earned the right. I don't ever mean to be offensive, but a bit blunt sometimes when someone does need a friendly dope-slap :) If someone thinks I am a bit gruff, you should see what I did not post!

Vender ( mywoodcutters.com) info on the Schelix head was good enough to figure it out. I was amazed the only way to do the belt was to roll it on and off. Terrible design if I say so. One should never roll a belt. Today I put on order that 3D printed 6 inch top mount dust hood and will see if it is even cleaner.

Maybe one forum, that on metal work. Seems woodworkers spend a lot of time doing metal work. Fixing machines, making jigs etc. I guess that falls under workshop.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I hope you didn't take offense - my message wasn't directed at you @tvrgeek , but I have to agree that sometimes I do cringe at some of your posts... LOL

My comment on the Shelix (you cant find it if you search Schelix - another pet peeve of mine since I can't spell) was not so much about finding a video or instructions, there is a plethora on YT and the Byrd instructions are good, my gripe is with knowing something has been posted here on the site and being able to search for it...

Agreed that some metal work is necessary for us to be good woodworkers, but probably workshop or article is the better answer...
 

mgreene93

Mark
Corporate Member
Well, some of us spend sooooo many years having to be totally politically correct, (DoD) we sometimes fall into our curmudgeon self. I figure I paid my dues and I have earned the right. I don't ever mean to be offensive, but a bit blunt sometimes when someone does need a friendly dope-slap :) If someone thinks I am a bit gruff, you should see what I did not post!

Vender ( mywoodcutters.com) info on the Schelix head was good enough to figure it out. I was amazed the only way to do the belt was to roll it on and off. Terrible design if I say so. One should never roll a belt. Today I put on order that 3D printed 6 inch top mount dust hood and will see if it is even cleaner.

Maybe one forum, that on metal work. Seems woodworkers spend a lot of time doing metal work. Fixing machines, making jigs etc. I guess that falls under workshop.
I enjoy a little curmudeony!
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I like the Shopsmith self guided study materials...though its Shopsmith centric-teaching ..its basic woodworking skills that are transferrable regardless of the tools.


Have you considered creating a self study compendium like this ?

b
@bainin We have discussed it (as recently as today, believe it or not!) the real question is how far down that rabbet hole you go...
When you write a guide or an article) that one article or guide leads to other and need to be forward and backwardly compatable or even referencing... it becomes a pretty large task pretty quickly.

Example: wood choice;
1. What are you making?
2. What is your availability (access) for material availability from somewhere other than a big box store?
3. What tools do you have or have access to? (drill and skill saw or are you in a full shop...)

With that simple introduction, nearly everything else we can "teach" or write about has the same number of questions or assumptions going into a write-up.

(I started simply with the thought of hand tool woodworking, but realized quickly that would take a lot of work to create...correctly...)

Still we haven't given up, just tabled until someone like you says "Hey, you know what... this would be something nice for NCWW to offer"
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Easy to get "lounge-y" even inside a thread and take it over. Oops, now I'm guilty.

I was thinking the other day if it would be possible to franchise NCWW.net into other states. HHHhhhmmmm!

Along with the OPs thoughts on self-directed learning is the concept of immersive learning. We do the latter (immersive) in workshops and I would think in shop crawls where we experience someone else's workspace and take away ideas. Anyone ready for a roadtrip to SC at the GA border 3 miles for the I-20?
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I like the Shopsmith self guided study materials...though its Shopsmith centric-teaching ..its basic woodworking skills that are transferrable regardless of the tools.


Have you considered creating a self study compendium like this ?

b
I started transliterating some of the threads into PDF tutorials. You may find a couple in Resources.
It is very time consuming and really needs some judicious editing and additional explanation to be effective.
I just don't have the time it would take to create a comprehensive course of study.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I started transliterating some of the threads into PDF tutorials. You may find a couple in Resources.
It is very time consuming and really needs some judicious editing and additional explanation to be effective.
I just don't have the time it would take to create a comprehensive course of study.
@Mike Davis Can you point to a couple you have translated?
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I believe I put this one together from several threads for Dan.

 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
The posts I like the most here are the ones that don't simply show a pic of a finished product, but show the process of getting to that result. I've tried to emulate those when I share a little project I think others might find worthwhile.

This above I think is the most crucial for perpetuating interest in this forum. No two people have the exact same resources, but most people, when seeing sequence photos of a process, can adapt their own resources to achieve a similar result.

Photographing the process is an annoying and sometimes distracting interruption in the sequence of a workshop project. When I see a thread where someone has taken that time to share with the readers the process, I always appreciate the effort and find such threads most interesting. Its a gesture of respect that isn't lost with me.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
I sure can see the value and effort some take to show their process. Me, well I am usually too engrossed in the project to remember to take a picture. I did send some status to my sister for the table I just finished for her. It is walnut and has a tile top. I did all the joinery by hand. The one joint I had the worst time fitting was the stringer center half laps. Here is an in-progress of two bath vanities. I cut the bottoms and tops and added an Oriental kind of base. Now finished in dark green. I was going to scratch build, but these were 3/4 plywood and very stout.
 

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