What is your age?

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What is your (general) age?

  • 18 or younger

    Votes: 25 2.4%

  • 19-29

    Votes: 64 6.3%

  • 30-39

    Votes: 144 14.1%

  • 40-49

    Votes: 233 22.8%

  • 50-59

    Votes: 259 25.3%

  • 60 "and better"

    Votes: 299 29.2%
  • Total voters
    1,024
This month first week became 78 yrs of age.

Unlike the majority not the least ageist from a very early age never regarding any activity as belonging to or owned by anyone.

Army National service as an apprenticed Electrician I saved most all my money married immediately after on 20 dollars per week. Always paid a full board at home bought all my own clothes from age 15 when I commenced work. Military service part time some years as well.

Built with a builder, me digging foundations and many tasks wiring my home on completing my apprenticeship signed for the work then aged 20..

For many years I worked three jobs determined TLOMLife would be able to enjoy motherhood and security without ever working again.

Been turning pens from when Slimlines were new still making lots of them with Streamline
centre bands enjoy living within my means, as a member of the IAP try to share and enjoy.

In avoiding Eliteism or ageism look forward to making, enjoying what I do.

There is no division in Country, Creed, Colour for me. Blessed in so many ways I can not list.

Kind regards Peter.
 
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61 working hard on 62. Got kicked out of 7th grade shop and never attempted to do any kind of woodworking until 3 years ago. At that time a very good friend gave me a pen he had made on a lathe and inspired me to believe that I too could do such a thing. That was without a doubt, one of the most meaningful and important gifts I have ever received, as I not only can now turn pens, I can build a cabinet or two, plus I'm always working on trying new things. Last week, with some great help, I re-sided my 8x12' garden shed, something I never would have considered a couple of years ago.

Thanks for giving me the confidence to try Steve!!!!

Rick (mtgrizzly52)
 
I'm 57 with 13 grandkids... so far. The oldest three are old enough for me to start teaching them to turn and two of them want to. Not that I've got the shop back running, And I'll be doing just that when I'm not busy with orders. Dang, that means I've got to get my other Delta midi running. Guess I'd better get on it.
 
47. Started woodworking with my Dad about 35 years ago. Took my 11 year old daughter to Woodcraft last christmas to turn a pen for Grandpa. She got hooked. We bought a mini lathe earlier this year and we are both turning pens and other small assorted things now.
 
48...I have been doing woodwork for many years. I started collecting old fountain pens and when I began restoring them I decided to try making one. I prefer custom but have made kits. Now I'm hooked.
 
Pushing 48. First woodworking project was when I was 5. Dad taught me to use a small handsaw to cut a board. Small hammer to drive nails etc. All very small tools.

I was taught to maintain and store tools properly before I could use it. Only after hand tools were mastered including sharpening edged tools, etc. was I allowed to start using the Power tools. I still use many of the very same tools that I started with oh so long ago, including my 1955 Shopsmith. There were long periods of time, that I was unable to pursue woodworking due to location, availability of tools, materials etc. but I've always come back to it.

I turned my first spindle when I was 10 (Helped dad make knobs for the kitchen cabinets) and my first bowl when I was 14. Only in the last few years have I returned to turning, and I'm glad I did.
 
I'm old enough that I can't remember my age anymore!
I just did the math.....holly cow I'm 58 already!
 
I only bought a lathe March of 2011. had a few other tools and now I hope to learn how to make everything imaginable. I started with pens and have turned a few bowls and lidded boxes. Oh yeah I am 41.
 
I just turned 64. Used to say I was older than dirt. But I think it would be more accurate to say I'm as old a good forest mulch. I used to build dollhouses in my 40's. I built myself an aviary once. Sometime lately (less than 10 years) I saw a penturner demo at Rocklers. Bought a Mini lathe and all the stuff the Rockler guy said I'd need to start, went home and started turning.
 
I'll be 66 in October. I've been making and fixing stuff all my life, started making stuff when I was in my single digit years. I didn't start making pens until about 2007 when I was forced into retirement and wanted to stay busy. Since then I've started 2 small businesses, a Wood Crafts Business, and a Pro Shop at our small town Bowling alley. My goal was to stay busy and it sure is working.
 
Seeing a partern amoung members.......while many of us seem to have started young there dont seem to be too many young ones repacing us!
 
45 .. it kind of just migrated from knives.

As a full time job I deal with intangible Physics and software so the knives came from a deep need to produce something tangible a need that got greater the older I got. My dad was a machinist/engineer for Rolls Royce so I guess it's in the blood. I learned to turn in school about 33 years ago.

I just like 'tinkering' ...

T
 
Looking at the results of age, it occurred to me that you have to be old enough to remember a time when Lawyers considered you where responsible for you own actions for you to fit in the mass.
 
STARTED turning at 55 I think the patience of age is a factor,I'm not sure that I could appreciate the calm that pen turning brings me when I was younger.
 
I am 31. Learned to turn pens from my father when I was 13 or so. Then it was more like work... Now it's my addiction.
 
I'm 27 and female. I definately feel like a minority. I started pen turning last month so I have not been doing it long. My love of the lathe started in middle school with candlestick holders and bowls then eventually a chess set in high school. I decided on pens because my grandfather made them before he passed away. I used to think they were the coolest thing ever, now when I look back they must have been the wobbliest, most poorly constructed pens I have ever seen. Still I wish I had one...
Jillian from Santa cruz
 
It would mean more if there was a two part question.

1. How old are you?

2. At what age did you start turning pens?

One without the other is misleading.
 
Interesting statistics, of 617 respondents over three fourths are 40 and above. Do you think that woodworking is waining? I worked for a company that sold woodworking machines and we found that sales were declining. We thought is was due no new blood in the hobby.
 
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I think it has to do with the fact the over 40's didn't have computers and video games in the house. Not to mention TV's got 3 stations where I grew up and cell phone were not even around. It also has to do with the disposable income. Starting out, I was focused on my career and starting a family. YMMV
 
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