Thread: Not sure if I like woodworking/cabinetmaking

And Anutherthing

You seem like the sort of bloke that just throws stuff out there to see what sort of reaction you get. So I guess you are used to these robust types of replies. There is a lot of wisdom coming at you from a lot of experienced blokes (blokettes? Can't tell with some of the user names )

Take your time. It's expected that young people make mistakes. That's why some old blokes, my self included know stuff .

TT

You need to distinguish between furniture construction and cabinet making. There is a high probability that if you do a cabinet making trade you will find yourself doing a lot of highly repetitive cutting of melamine boards and assembling pre-made components for kitchens and vanities. None of this is all that exciting. There is a much smaller market for products made of solid timber and constructed by craftsmen using the sorts of skills which you may be taught in some introductory courses.

I should also add to my post above that the use of hand planes, chisels and other hand tools that you are learning about is very limited in most cabinet making shops and factories. The reason for that is simply money. Products made by simple construction methods, machinery and fewer skills are cheaper to make and quicker to sell. It may well be that the old cabinet making skills are more likely to be kept alive in the home workshops and back yards of enthusiastic amateurs rather than professional cabinet makers. This is no disrespect to cabinet makers who have an entirely different set of objectives than the home hobby worker. For the former getting a reliable product made, in a speedy time and at a competitive price is the goal. To the backyard hobby worker, fussing away in his shed on Sunday afternoon profit, time taken and the like are probably no consideration at all and should not be.

Originally Posted by Wood101Work

Hey guys. I just started Cabinetmaking program in a trade school.


Another thing we're doing now is learning how to use hand tools. I learned how to use the planes, chisels, and marking gauge. Are these really used often in the industry? I was attracted to the machines and power tools, not hand tools. But I guess it would be important or helpful if a cabinetmaker knew how to use them?

Should I wait abit longer and maybe the enjoyment will come over time? I have little interest in these elements of cabinetmaking, but maybe I will come to enjoy it more later? What I was attracted to doesn't come up later into the program, which is about 3 months from now.

Coming in late here:

Patience is the key.

You have to know how to use hand tools first before you start to use machine tools. If you don't, then you make big (and costly) mistakes.

Machine tools are basically just hand tools on steroids. You have to have the technique down properly first with hand tools before you graduate to machine tools.

Cheers,

eddie

Hey dude, a bit of a reality check...Suck it up !!
I doubt there is a single person who has ever undergone any apprenticeship or trade course who has enjoyed every element of what the course entailed. Like yourself they probably thought "whats the point of this" and rebelled against it at the time, only to realise the importance of these elements later on in life.
I think the machine Vs hand tool issue has been addressed enough here. I will add however that if you change your mind set a bit and accept that the hand tool,and understanding timber parts of the course is not going to change Thereby allowing you apply your energies to learning these things rather than focusing on the negatives you might actually enjoy it a lot more and even learn something.
Good luck with your decision.
I wish i had all this great advise when i was a youngen

For me it's dead simple. If looking through a Lee Valley catalogue doesn't stir your loins then perhaps you'd better change magazines.