Hello,
Does anyone know if there is a training system for becomming a journeyman woodoworker? Is it easy to get into?
Maybe I'm just looking for general information on the career path for professional woodworking.
Regards,
Depends on what you mean by "woodworking", and where you are.
In the United States, "Carpentry" is a recognized trade, and there is a union training/apprenticeship program, for the construction industry. Specializations in 'rough carpentry' and 'finish carpentry'. Some 'vocational' high-schools offer coordinated training.
"Furniture making", and/or "cabinet making", is a whole 'nuther story. You have the 'factory' production-line operations, and the 'custom' shops. Speaking only about the U.S, there isn't any standardized program that addresses this kind of work. The 'technical high school' in the town I grew up in *did* have a 'furniture factory' program, where they taught serious furniture-making -- big shop ( the furniture factory alone was
20,000+ sq ft), big power (the building had its own substation), *big* equipment (e.g. multi-cutter dovetail machine that could do a _ten_foot_ long joint in a single cut -- one of only a few high-schools (that I'm aware of) in the country that did so.
Daepends on where you're going with this. I don't know of any formalized apprenticeship program for cabinetry in this country. My BIL did his aprenticeship in Denmark. Dave in Fairfax
Dave in Fairfax notes:
Mike Maxwell has a furniture making apprenticeship in Bedford, VA. He's an award winning maker and designer, runs Maxwell Furniture. maxwellfurniture.com
Charlie Self "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
One could regularily check the classified ads in "Fine Woodworking" and "Woodshop News". I've seen apprenticeship opportunities in both publications.
Barry
Try your local vo-tech school, they often have a career path in woodworking or cabinet making available
John
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