During the 1880s there was a special occurrence. It was an introduction of the industrial art class into the secondary school’s curriculum throughout the United States. Industrial art classes normally consisted of mechanics, printing, metalworking, and woodworking. These classes helped many young men and women on their way to future well paying jobs. Unfortunately, a few decades ago the industrial art classes slowly began to be removed from most secondary school’s curriculum.
One reason for the reduction was due to a decrease in educational funding. At the same time there was also an increased emphasis on standardized testing for every student. This resulted in various electives gradually being culled as more and more schools focused on academics and college preparation.
Simply put, there was not enough motivation or money to allow a sawdust filled workshop to continue operating. Any student who desired this type of career now need to pursue it after finishing high school. They would need to attend private classes at an institute or vocational college.
The industrial art class that was perhaps most missed was the woodworking class. Working with wood is not only a great trade to support a family but it is also handy for anyone owning a home. Homeowners can use a variety of woodworking skills around their home such as building fences, patio decks, planter boxes, framing a basement, and so forth.
Besides, history proves that woodworking was one of mankind’s earliest developed skills. For centuries men have been making important items out of wood including houses, boats, cabinets, shelves, furniture, sheds, and the list is on and on. The workmanship in some of the earlier pieces of wooden furniture is truly remarkable and many wooden antiques today are worth a tremendous amount of money.
The good news for those who happened to miss out on a woodworking course in school is that you can now take a woodworking class in the evening or on weekends. Whether you decide to make it a career or simply would like to add it as a hobby, there are many locations in most communities that offer instructional woodworking classes.
At a woodworking class you will learn important key principles such as how wood behaves and works, how to sharpen chisels, planes, and saws, how to properly use woodworking tools, how to repair or maintain wooden items, how to cut mortise and tendon joints, how to cut dovetail joints, and how do finish and protect your working project. You will also learn many other things including designing and building woodworking projects.
Many people around the world are fed up with all of the modernization that we see around us. Furniture is not built from wood but rather from cheap particleboard or fiberboard. The art of furniture making has all but disappeared except for a few small shops scattered throughout the country.
Wood products, including furniture, are now made in huge factories by monstrous pieces of machinery. Today’s furniture has very little style and is poorly constructed. Therefore, if you would like to enter a world that your grandfather and great grandfather enjoyed, you should sign up for any of the woodworking classes near you.
