Well, I still haven't improved much as a blogger. I have, however, gotten better as a woodworker. Still a noob, but better.

I am enrolled in an intro to woodworking class at the Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, CO. It's an intensive course, running from 18:00 to 22:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Just going to class, however, won't get you through the course. There's more to build than there's time for, and the instructors are counting one hour of lecture, and three hours of shop time, as the "class." Then they follow the rule that an hour of class time means three hours of homework! So, eight hours of class time should mean an additional 24 hours of shop time. Hey, man, I work for a living! None of the others has a full-time job -- not even the instructor (at least at the beginning).

My long-suffering wife has become something of a workshop widow as I spend many extra hours at school. On the other hand, she says she's happy for me because I'm enjoying it so much. Still, it always seem she's gritting her teeth when she says that.

I'm in something of a funny position in the class. During the intro on the first evening, each student gave a little blurb about why they are taking the course, and how much woodworking experience they have. Some of the students are in various construction fields, some have fooled around with shelves and such at home. Pretty much everybody has some sort of woodworking experience. Reasons for taking the course ranged from wanting to do fine woodworking after many years of carpentry -- building houses or fitting and installing kitchen cabinets. Others are hoping to get into woodworking as a career. Most of those people weren't necessarily looking to build custom furniture or cabinetry, but just some sort of entree to the woodworking field.

My answer to the why question was pretty easy: I'm hoping not to become a greeter at Mal-Wart in my retirement. But, my answer to the experience question was a little funky. I essentially had no hands-on experience prior to joining the class. On the other hand, I could name every tool laid out on the bench, and in some cases, I could identify the brand -- particularly the chisels and hand-planes -- just by the shape and color. (Irwin/Marples chisels, and old Stanley hand-planes are pretty distinctive.) Also, I could name every power-tool in the shop, describe its purpose, and again identify the brand just by looking at them. (Grizzly jointers and planers are also pretty distinctive; as are the SawStop table-saws.)

Back when I first got interested in woodworking, and pretty much ever since, I've read just about everything I could get my hands on. I bought lots of magazines, many books, and even a few cheap tools. Being a software engineer, and excruciatingly familiar with blogs, forums, and interest-group websites, I also had the benefit of reading a great deal from acknowledged experts in woodworking, almost in real time. Apart from a few misaligned cuts, and a lot of cheap-chisel sharpening, however, I'd never built anything.

It's a little strange, really.

Think I'll save more for sine die.

Raw materials for main class project.