Are we really woodworkers?

[brucio]

Can we scrollers really call ourselves "woodworkers"?
Yes, I know that our scrollsaw is a very versatile tool, and we use it to cut wood, plastic, metal, etc.
We cut jigsaws puzzles, segmentation, intarsia, portraits, landscapes, clocks, plaques, wooden toys, models, wooden interlocking puzzles (have I missed anything?).
Using blades that look like a human hair (ala Carter J), to monsters like I use (1/8" deep), we slice through material as thin as 1/32" veneer to 2" oak-or what's the name of the very hard stuff- "African Ironwood"?
But anyway, apart from the toys and puzzles, most of our stuff is two-dimensional, and meant to be looked at.
You can't use our work as tables, chairs, sofas, cupboards, wardrobes, beds, or even fully timbered houses. These things are made by proper woodworkers, carpenters, joiners; call them what you will.
I couldn't make anything a proper woodworker could make, but I can make something that the same woodworker would find a challenge. I can make things on my scrollsaw.
You do, too.
And because we do these things using mainly wood, I believe we can call ourselves "woodworkers".
But I still think a rabbet is a small animal that runs round a field at dusk...
Bruce

[lucky788scroller]

we are what we are. I consider myself as a hobbiest woodworker.I am a welder by trade, and dabble with all forms of woodworking, and scrollsawing quite often requires the use of more tools than just simply the scrollsaw.

[Toolman56]

Myself, i look at this way, yes we are woodworkers , but we are also artis too, but to a differnt degree, yes our wood can be around the house in several differnt ways, shelves, shadow boxs, trivets to name a few and very handy too and easy to make on a scroll saw, or how bout stiiting down to a nice brunch with freinds and your wife brings a nice detailed scroll server tray from the kicthen, you scrolled outa round wood , just a old wood tray , someboby toss out ,you took it all apart and scroll in some designs in the bottom,flowers and stuff , put back together and refinshed it and got one of kind serving tray,

[greatdane2]

I think we are woodworkers, those woodworkers that brucio talks about are furniture makers or whatever.A certain type of woodworker as are we. We work with wood and thus are woodworkers. Wether our woodwork is art, firewood or garbage, it is woodwork.
I am not shure what your point is. The world might not end if we stop doing our thing, but who could live without art of one sort or another.
Alan.

[JohnB]

If you've come out of the shed with splinter in your hand, you're a wood worker

[minowevie]

Gosh Bruce, don't take affence, but I don't give a rats patoot, what are title is. I do conseder myself a woodworker. just like I consender my self a cook, housekeeper, gardoner, painter, embroider, etc. and I am still not a vango. or what ever. but I am what I am, and alot of folks like what I do. and even some of the greatest, woodworkers, don't do what I do, only becouse they don't wont to. and me I don't do what they do. but I am learning all the time, and don't need a title to work with wood the way I do. I think if you do something with wood besides burn it. take a scrap of wood and make something out of it, then you are a woodworker. I even had kids, but some don't call me a mom. it is what you do with it that counts, and for why. who cairs about the title. just my 2 cts worth, your freind Evie

[lucky788scroller]

what is a vango?????????????????????????????? I'm off to look that one up! Evie is baffling me with those big words like Gill does sometimes!!!

edit.. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Van Gogh !!! Duhh me! Evie, dont confuse me so late at night, Im tired girl!!!! Figgered it out though, so now I can sleep tonight!

[minowevie]

Dont mention it Dale. glad I could help. sleep tight, or loos what ever, I'll see if I can misspell something tomarrow, so you have a puzzle to figure out. wouldn't wont you to loos sleep.

[GrayBeard Phil]

Bruce:

I have no idea what happened to you that made you start this thread. Then I noticed you are over in England. And got to wonder, does England still have remnants of the old Guild craftsman tradition? That is almost non existent any more in USA, for any practical meaning.

I am a hobbyist first, foremost, and clean to the bone just a hobbyist. My hobby is working with wood. My major tool is the scroll saw. I use other woodworking tools. There is no distinction, nor any stigma associated with my being a hobbyist who indulges in making things with wood, even plywood. But that may just be where I live.

However, I have noticed that people who spend a vastly more amount of time and effort (than I) with making things with wood do get hung up on phrases like Timber Framer, Turner, Heavy Lumber, carver, and gosh I forgot the term I heard for wood steamers and benders.

But try this on for size: Traditional woodworking hobbyist, because of the time to acquire so many of the needed skills, opt out to using power tools with many jigs and fixtures to obtain the accuracy needed to construct a project. Also, so many projects are just too complex and thus take many, many weeks for a hobbyist to complete because of his / her other life interest. Scroll sawing, like carving or turning, has few jigs or fixtures. Our skill is moving the wood freehand past the blade. An easy to learn skill, but it must be learned as it is an eye-hand coordination thing.

It might surprise you to discover just how many furniture projects could benefit from some scroll saw embellishments. And I am not just talking about marquetry veneer work.

Phil

[JimSawyer]

I like what JohnB said. And to that I might add, 'When I blow my nose at the end of the day, there's sawdust in there'. My work is made of wood, so therefore, I must be a wood worker.