Helping to Keep Woodworking Alive

Schools face the tough decision to end woodworking shop classes every year.  Woodworking is an important skill that is learned.  Students take pride in their accomplishments and gain self esteem.  Woodworking skills require the application of math & science, and teach problem-solving skills.  Skills learned in the workshop helps students in the classroom. Where will young people learn vital woodworking skills?  Who will step up and help keep woodworking alive?

The members of the Kansas City Woodworkers' Guild are passionate about woodworking.  Here is a quote from the very first sentence of their bylaws:

"The purpose of the Guild is to promote the skill and craft of woodworking, and to provide education, information, fellowship and organization to those interested in working with wood."

To that end the Guild started offering woodworking classes last year.  From the Kansas City Star, http://pressreleases.kcstar.com/?q=node/38548:

Home-schooled students offered practical woodworking course

MERRIAM, Kansas (August 10, 2010) The Kansas City Woodworkers Guild, located in Merriam, Kansas and in its 26th year, is making available a course in practical woodworking for the home schooled student.

“We offer home schooled students, 14 years of age and above, a unique opportunity for a hands-on encounter with the application of practical woodworking”, said Clifford Bell, V.P. of the Guild. “Project planning, applied math & science, and problem-solving in the woodshop help the students in all their other classes.” 

The 13 week course (three hours, one day a week) focuses on necessary skills, tools, and techniques to introduce the craft of woodworking and furniture making. The course successfully meets the needs of multiple experience levels in a safe, well equipped, spacious, supportive, and  congenial educational environment. Students will take pride in their accomplishments and gain self esteem. 

The classes will be taught by a Certified Industrial Technology Teacher, with 20 years of public school teaching experience. The class emphasis will always be on SAFETY 

This fundamental course stresses the historical development of tools & woodworking machinery, workshop safety, and woodworking skills. Students will gain knowledge in the safe use of hand and power tools, woodworking machines, project planning, problem solving, and applied math and science. Students will experience different types of wood and choose their best application. In this project-oriented course in woodworking, students will be assigned to plan and construct several small and medium sized projects.  

The Kansas City Woodworkers’ Guild, with over 345 members, shares with the Kansas City Woodturners Club a 10,000 square foot shop and meeting facility in Merriam, Kansas. For more information about the Kansas City Woodworkers’ Guild visit their website at: www.kcwoodworkersguild.org (email: guild@kcwoodworkersguild.org) or the Home School page at www.kcwoodworkersguild.org/Education/School.htm .

Submitted by Kcwoodworkersguild on August 10, 2010 - 2:03pm.

The decision to coordinate and fund an event like the Kansas City Woodworking and Fine Art Show was an easy one to make.  A woodworking show brings in woodworking vendors to not only showcase products and services, but also to give presentations, demonstrations and clinics related to woodworking.  Education breeds interest.  

A woodworking show gives local businesses and non-profit groups (such as guilds and clubs) an opportunity to promote themselves to those interested in woodworking.  Interest breeds passion.

A woodworking show gives those that are passionate about woodworking an opportunity to educate their community.

We want to help keep woodworking alive. Will you join us?

--The KC Woodworking Show and the KC Fine Art Show together make up the Kansas City Woodworking and Fine Art Show which is primarily sponsored by the Kansas City Woodworkers' Guild