How to become a woodworker? Start with these L.A. classes, tool spots
I got inspired to become a woodworker by Vince Skelly’s tree trunk bookshelves. On exhibit earlier this year at Craft Contemporary near LACMA, these are tree trunks with one slot precisely carved out to fit a select stack of exhibit catalogs perfectly. Seeing them felt like Cupid had just shot an arrow into my art heart.
The very next day I returned to Craft Contemporary, where Skelly was participating in a makers panel. At the reception, I asked him for advice on how, as a complete beginner, I might get started on making tree trunk bookshelves. He cordially shared practical advice, emphasizing safety. I followed this advice and the result came out looking like little chunks of nothingness. That’s how I knew I needed further guidance.
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“Start small” is the advice I got next, from Eric Clem, co-founder of LA Woodshop. Aspiring woodworkers get discouraged when they try to build the Gamble House themselves with no training. It’s also very dangerous, Clem warned me.
I followed this advice too, scaling back my first woodworking goal to making my own drumsticks. The pursuit of this doable dream led me into an exploration of L.A. woodworking resources for beginners who feel inspiration ranging from “I want to make something out of wood” to “I want to make woodworking part of my life.”
The path to becoming a woodworker in L.A. extends from taking a one-day introductory class to borrowing tools to enrolling at community college. My exploration has been fulfilling, guided by cheerful people who have exhausted all of their friends and family with obsessive talk of woodworking and would like nothing more than to share their passion with you.