One of the things I do as the wife of a woodworker and co-owner of our business is read articles relating to our industry. There are some really good ones out there with many helpful, and general tips of the trade.
Over the last three years, the advice has begun to change. At first it was all about the new and latest tools and equipment. Or even sharing information on how to make a handy jig. Now the concentration seems to be on how to help the traditional woodworker to stay a float in this struggling economy.
Something I see often in these magazines is a push for automation. Very rarely do you see the other side of the coin insisting on more training for woodworkers in the industry. I'm not saying it doesn't happy. It does. But the vast majority of articles I come across are backing the former, not the latter.
Being married to someone who spent four years training under a master to learn his craft, it is a little disturbing. I do see the advantages of automation when one is talking about mass production, however in concentrating on that aspect of the industry we are losing the true artist in the field.
Too many are signing on to work at shops with no experience. They are taught to do one aspect of the process while ignoring all the others. It is a job to them. Not a career choice.
While automation has its uses, I believe training is much more important. It will help shops stay competitive in a way that automation can't. Furniture making is and always will be an art form at its heart, and to those craftsman to whom it is their lifeswork and passion.
