One of my hobbies is woodworking (when I have the time), another is being a musician. Put the two together and you get a woodworker that wants to learn to make his own instruments. I recently attended a class to do just that at Woodcraft.
First, I have to say, the person who is just learning to make instruments should NOT start from scratch raw wood and very little idea of how to proceed. Even a book or two and a set of plans and drawings isn't going to help (although those books and plans are widely available). What Woodcraft does, is gear this class to any level of woodworker, whether a beginner or a very experienced or master cabinetmaker and sends them down the path to learn the basics of how an instrument goes together. Yes, we all started with a kit guitar, but we had to shape the neck, insert and file the frets, drill the holes, shape the bracing and a number of other "basics" related to making a guitar.
The manager of the store, Herb, taught the class. One of the things about teaching a class like this is having life experiences to share with the class, having a sense of humor and be willing to field every question that comes at a person. Herb handles all of this with poise.
Not everything about the store or the class are perfect. In fact, when it looked like we were not going to finish our instruments in the specified amount of time, Herb extended the class for a few more sessions.
The store itself doesn't stock all of my woodworking needs and at times I think the wood is a bit pricey, but at least a person can look at the lumber they're buying here, as opposed to having to buy something from a discount lumberyard online, have it shipped and not be able to check the condition before it arrives. The lumber here is pretty good quality. Most of the tools are also pretty good quality.
For the person who wants to steer clear of cheap deals on garbage tools, it makes sense to talk to Herb. For instance, I bought a set of Groz planers and I got to talking to Herb about the trouble I was having tuning them to work properly and what he told me was to bring them back and buy something different.
Regarding supplies, if they don't have it, Herb can tell me my next best option as to where to get it (especially if I need it that day), or he can see if he can order it if I'm willing to wait a week for an item.
A Good store with a mix of product quality - remember one thing about tools - you usually get what you pay for, but that doesn't justify spending $2000 on a table saw that will do almost everything for you except mark your board, cook your dinner, or wash your dishes; or maybe it will?
What I like most about this woodcraft, is the variety of shop ideas, plans, paints and polys they carry as well as some oddball pieces of lumber every now and then. I like looking for the oddball pieces of lumber - if it's unique (and sturdy), it needs to be used on something I'm making in my shop. read more
