Thread: Bring out your dead!

Immm im 43 so wear do I stand I'm not 20 but I'm a little off retirement

I am 38 now, I was introduced to turning at about 8 years of age, got a tiny sherwood at about 12 and progressed from there, I turn weekly and have a few repeat customers locally that get me to do things each year which pays for the hobby, i only feel like an 80 year old, but dont look a day over 50 but generally speaking 85% of turners I come across are older

I'm 18 with 22 years experience!!! I've turned jobs from phone orders and when customer picked up job stated they were expecting someone older!

thought I better add its not just a hobby it's part or my lively hood! On my way to Big shed now! The craft side of turning is at home less pressure that turning at work!

I'm 29, been turning for about 2 years,
at our local club there is a few members under 30 and a few more in the 30-50 bracket but there is a lot that are older, I thinks it's more that younger people have other things to keep them busy,
cheers Ben

I was thinking something similar at the Melbourne show the other week.

I am 34, and only relatively new to the game, but have noticed that most interest seems to be among the retired/retirement aged folks.

I think I may be one of the lucky ones, in that I found this hobby a touch earlier than some, so *fingers crossed* I may actually have a little skill by the time the government allows me to stop working and I can then produce some artistic masterpieces instead of just "wow, dunno how I did it but it looks great".

Dont get me wrong, I have the utmost respect and love the passion that all craftsmen have, and whole heartedly enjoy chatting to and gleaning the wealth of knowledge that everyone seems eager to share. Without everyone being so helpful I gaurantee I wouldn't have lasted 2 weeks until I would have given up.

I guess the point I am making is this;

Although it may seem it is a hobby/love for the older generations, I assure you that it is alive and kicking in plenty of younger enthusiasts but without everybody taking a little time to share their knowledge and experiences then there wouldn't be such a strong interest across all ages.

So in short, through my (so far) short journey, although I don't attend clubs as time doesn't permit and I'm not the most social of animals, and I don't have the knowledge to post many useful answers on here, I believe that everyone engaged with this hobby is always tackling it with youthful exuberance regardless of their actual age.

Think I'm really rambling on here (maybe old age is getting to me), but I will take this opportunity to say thanks to all on this forum young and old as without it I'm sure I would just be sitting on my playstation for countless hours achieving little, but instead I have found a hobby that I believe bridges all age gaps.

Cheers
Gab

I'm 30 with a small family. I generally have to turn after the kids go to bed on weekdays (to keep the boss happy ) and I get a bit of time on the weekend. My boys get right into it as well and quietly hoping it is something that they continue as they grow up.

I'm still on the callow side of 40 for a few more months, and I've been turning for almost 3 years. I had a similar experience to Gabriel when I was at the woodworking show, where I felt I was significantly underage compared to most of the visitors.

It is quite likely that the sub-retirement age wood turners are mostly using their available time to do other things than go to exhibitions/demonstrations/woodturning events or join clubs. I know that I'm one of those; I have no desire to join a club, and what little time I have to do woodwork is spent doing it, rather than meet up with others to look at or talk about woodwork. Younger turners will still be out there, but they may well not be engaging with the social side of the hobby.

Then again, maybe there aren't that many? I am the only woodworker/turner of my acquaintance of any age group and the only one who owns a lathe (including work colleagues, friends, relatives and anyone who I have known long enough to learn their name).

Cheers, Mike

I think, regrettably, you are largely correct. The root cause of the problem is that
turning is no longer recognized by the education authorities as a stand alone or integral to a trade course. (closure of Lidcombe TAFE)
It is largely redundant in that sense, except for a unit or two in the furnituremaking/cabinetmaking course/s?
So it is therefore a hobby course and therefore attracts retirees unless you have had the prior trade experience or
have been taught at an early age by family or friend. I think it is a tragedy that young people doing
industrial technology at High School are not given any real lathe work. Teachers themselves are not trained for this purpose, although
there are some exceptions, with those trade qualified. So we have a deskilling of the workforce and seem to be going in a different direction to
some overseas countries. Drillit.

I have just turned 75 and only took up woodturning as a hobby when
aged 68. My only regret is not having started much earlier in life
because I have gained enormous enjoyment from it.

Interestingly, our Northern Woodturners Club, which now has some
60 members has quite a few younger people involved. We see that
as very promising for the future.

Allan

I think many in my age group acquired a taste for manual arts at school and always had a yearn to do something along those lines.

Retirement has brought the time and opportunity to get stuck in and satisfy the cravings. Apart from that machinery has become much more affordable so why not?


At our club here in Hervey Bay we have sessions on Mon., Wed., Fri., and Saturday. Older fogies generally through the week with the odd youngster turning up on days such as pupil free days at school. This is really good to see!!

Saturdays are basically for the cohort of young folk and I have seen some good work from them. Quite a few are girls and that is pleasing to see.

I must get my act together and see if I can help out on Saturdays as a reinvestment in what gives me such pleasure.

I started in high school and then bought my first lathe at 21 and I'm still turning now.....no family distractions either

Well I am glad to hear there are in fact young folk still getting into turning. At 51 I guess I'm midway. Got my first lathe at 15 and glad I did cause it's given me so much enjoyment (as you mentioned Alan at Wallan).
School was where I first saw a wood lathe and was immediately attracted. If schools don't teach woodturning in there Tech/industrial arts departments anymore then that is a shame.
Drillit quote(The root cause of the problem is that
turning is no longer recognized by the education authorities as a stand alone or integral to a trade course. (closure of Lidcombe TAFE). end quote.
Fair point, I don't think any of the TAFES teach pattern making anymore either. Probably heaps of other trades that are in the same basket.

I'm another young'un at 43.

What we were taught at school, was thrown out the window when starting the trade course! Glad I got to do it in the 1990s. Only 3 apprentices and the other 9 were retired, or already could turn and wanted a trade certificate.