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average age of a turner

Are your results being skewed (pun intended)?

Please don't flame me people but I think Turner23's results might be skewed. I think younger people who have been messing with computers longer are more likely to be active on this message forum. I know there are thousands of exceptions. I am just thinking of my father-in-law who is an awesome turner who I am sure has never been on a message board in his life. I am 48 by the way and he is just short of his 70th birthday.
 
I first started turning in junior high, at age 14. Been a avid woodworker since but have been turning exclusivly ( except for "Honey Do's") since '95. I'm 50 now.
 
Was first exposed to turning at 11, took it up seriously 9 years ago at 33.

I believe that I am third youngest in my club. The others are 36, 32, and 13 years old. The eldest are, I believe, 84 or 83 years young. I can only hope at being that spry at the second half of my life. Median age is in the late 50s to early 60s.


Aaron
 
age

Hi I am 58 been turning for 3 years ,got into it as something to do after retirement. Been a carpenter all my life woodturning is a lot more fun! George
 
I took up woodworking as a hobby at age 8. Bought first lathe at about 12. Upgraded to Dunlap wood lathe in 1947. Made sister a doll's high chair, ash tray stands, lamps, humidors, doll houses, and than many many laundry carts. Demand for laundry carts by newly wed vets wives soured a teenager on woodworking (it did pay for the first year of college). Sixteen years later workshop was running again. 39 years later my wife said no more furniture. So I sold my Delta with the Reeves drive and bought a Powermatic 3520A. I'll be 77 next month, so for (69 minus 16) 53 years I've been making chips and dust. I'm self taught, when there were no bowl gouges, so I am trying to learn how to use modern tools and break old habits.

Three of us started a wood turning club in Wilmington in 2004. There are about 60 members now, I would guess that at least half are over 65.

Howard Lang
 
I'm no doubt the oldest and longest turning. I'm 87. I acquired my first lathe as a teenager in 1936, over 70 years ago. I didn't do any turning in the 40's...WW2 and a few other things got in the way. I bought my second lathe in the middle 50's and have been turning ever since. I recently bought lathe number 9, probably my last. It's a Oneway.

I've been teaching turning for about 25 years. I no longer teach classes, just one on one in my shop.
 
48, I blew up my knee trying to Snow Ski on New Years Day 2000. I needed a cane to walk for about 6 months. So I carved myself a cane. That led to a run of maybe 20 canes over the next two years. I came to the point where I wanted to make the staffs fancy than Dad and I could turn on his Shopsmith so I bought a Jet mini with an extension. That was Thankgiving 2002. I haven't made too many canes since. So 6 years turning come Thanksgiving this year. Woodturning - What a great thing to be thankful for!

Frank
 
JRutten said:
Please don't flame me people but I think Turner23's results might be skewed. I think younger people who have been messing with computers longer are more likely to be active on this message forum. I know there are thousands of exceptions. I am just thinking of my father-in-law who is an awesome turner who I am sure has never been on a message board in his life. I am 48 by the way and he is just short of his 70th birthday.
Click to expand...

That is a good point.
 
Well, let's see. Started turning in 1952 in HS. Loved cedar. Got a catch on a cedar knot and cut off the end of my finger. End of turning! In 1995 I attended a Woodworking Show in Portland, OR. Saw 3 old guys (that's very relative these days) turning on old Shopsmiths. I had one like theirs at home so went home and set it up as a lathe. Since then I've had two Jet minis, one of which I still have. Next came a Nova 3000, which I still have. Then I got my Powermatic 3520a and have no desire for anything else. I had a short hiatus of about 2 years while moving to East Texas in 1997. Since then I've joined 3 clubs and spend just about every day I'm home in the shop. So, 68 years old (in Nov.) and about 11 years of actually turning. Oh yeah, I started bass fishing about the same time. Anyone want to buy a bass boat? ;>}
 
Anyone want to buy a bass boat? ;>}
Click to expand...

i was lucky Ed, i only have a 12 alum v-hull, i use it now to cover some cedar and black walnut logs, works great as a tent!!!!!!! :D
 
i am 83 been turning for twelve years..had a woodworking shop since 1949. finally discovered woodturning..not much else since. still make to the basement for a couple of hours most days.
 
I'm 57 years young and have been turning for about 22 years, the last 14 years as a fulltime production turner in a custom cabinet shop. About 8 years ago we started to use a HAPFO AP 7000 CNC lathe to do more ornate work, a lot of flutes and reeds, and some twists. I program and run the CNC lathe. And I have been involved in the designing of new turnings.
I still get to do a lot of hand turning in my work, whenever I chose to.
I have a total of 40+ years in woodworking, and turning has been a natural part of my progression as a woodworker, and has been the most fun.:cool2:
 
The Novice

I have been a woodworker for 50 years. Started turning as a result of going to a East Texas Woodturners show. So at 65 years old I am a novice turner. My neighbor who is 73 also just started turning this year as a result of the same show. Sure am enjoying the change.
 
Likely Skewed

I agree that the stats are likely a bit skewed due to age and familiarity with technology. Of the 49 postings to date, the average turner's age comes to 54.86 years old, with the youngest being 24 and the oldest 87. The average number of years experience is 12.61, ranging from less than 1 year to over 70 years . I suspect the true average age is higher, and likely the same with experience; more or less what I expected when I began the post.

Thanks to all for their responses!

Nick
 

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68 and turning for 1 year and I love it. I'm definitely a novice.

My vocation was computer software (and corporate management), but I have used woodworking as an outlet most of my life. Just never got around to turning until last year.

I'm teaching a grandson (13) and granddaughter (11) ever chance we have. They love it and I have no doubt they will be teaching me before long.
 
I would be interested in a comparison of age, sex and experience. Just to see if the demographics of age and experience are different between females vs. males.

I am 33 and I am pretty sure I am the youngest female turner in either of the clubs I am involved in and one of the few females that is not related or married to another wood turner.

People asked me how I got involved in woodturning and I took a pen turning class at my graduate university's craft center (which has now been closed due to budget cuts). I have turned off and on since then which was about 7 years ago. I had a 3 year break from turning due to not having a place where I could have a lathe. Been back to turning for about 2 1/2 years.
 
woman, 57, 7 years

I first turned a candle holder as a 13 year old in a Sunday school summer craft class. That was as close as I got to woodworking classes in the days LONG before title 9, etc. I must of been infected with the bug, because I bought an old dunlop lathe and 6 woodcraft turning tools about 25 years ago. But I did not get it up and working until after I took a pen turning classin 2001, realized the old lathe did NOT have a morse taper, bought a small jet and learned to turn for real.

I am related to the 2 nephews, 3 nieces and one brother in law I have introduced to turning over the past 4 years. I took a nephew and niece to the Portland AAW bash, where the nephew won one of the turning packages. He has been turning for 4 summers at my house. I intoduced his father a few weeks ago so they could take the lathe home and play together. The BIL's grandfather did some nice turning in the 50 - 70's.

I like to do spindles better than bowls so far.
 
38, been turning for 2 years. Bought it for a toy, and now it's an addiction. We have one person in our club that is 90 and has been turning since he was 10, and still turns on a regular basis now.
 
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Nice to see a few more female turners...

I didn't consider comparing sex, might prove interesting. Unfortunately, many of the posts in this thread do not specify gender. I would suspect, however, that while the average age of female turners is probably close to that of male turners, the average experience is likely less?
 
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turner23 said:
I didn't consider comparing sex, might prove interesting.
Click to expand...

OK - another data point......

........ I really enjoy it.... .......maybe even better than turning.....;)

Rob
 
I'm 50 & been turning for about 2-1/2 yrs now. A friend who is a master plumber, came to my house to help with a plumbing project told me to come to his house to try his lathe. I went & made LOML a pen & been doing it ever since.

Chuck
 
Im younger then you all

I am 17(not 70) been turning for three years now. Just getting into production bowl turning.
Wyatt:
 
How Old

I am 59. I have been turning seriously for about 2 years. I have "made" things on a Shopsmith over 10 years ago. In my shop I have a 50 yo, a 10 yo, and a 47 yo using my lathe.
 
I'm 38, and have been turning for just over a year now. I first got interested in it after seeing some of my great grandfather's work when I was young. I lived in a different state, so I never got the chance to learn from him. In the following years, I put it in the back of my mind as something I might do when I retire. I did some flat work here and there, along with some metal work and bike building, but when I got the chance to turn a pen at woodcraft to be sent to the troops, I was hooked. It took me a year to finally get a lathe, but that year gave me a chance to learn an awful lot, and meet some great people. (yes Chuck, you are one of them ;) ) I would say however that the average age of those in my club is well over 50, with very few women.
 
female, 65, 4yrs.

Watched Norm on New Yankee Workshop and thought turning would be neat. Husband bought me a Rikon lathe, bought myself a set of Crown tools, a couple books and joined a local club. Had absolutely no previous exposure to the lathe but have always been a hands on type. I now own a Jet 1642 EVS and am totally and forever hooked. Club has about 25 members, 2 of whom are women. I would guess the average age is about 60 with anywhere from 1 year to 30 yrs. experience.
We are actively working on plans to expose more young people to the joys of turning - cub scouts, boy scouts, YMCA camps to start with. Our club is only 5 years old.:)
 
i'm 58 been turning only 1 year but have had a lathe for more than 30 years. i retired and took a pen turning class at woodcraft, a few months later i took a "logs to bowls" class at woodcraft. now i'm hooked.
 
I am 63. Have been turning for 10 yeras or so. My wife brought a weed pot home from an art show. I thought "I can do that". I get my fathers old lathe from his old shop and turned a weed pot. I have been through that old lathe , 2 Sears lathes ahd how am turning on a PM 3520.
 
I am 63 too. I started turning when I was 12 on the pedal lathe I use for my avatar. As I was too light weight I had to jump with both feet on the pedal, and when the lathe was at a correct speed I was jumping out of the pedal down to the floor and using the inertia of the lathe for a few seconds and then starting again. I sincerely love the variable speed lathe I'm using now.
 
I'm 48 and have been turning pretty seriously for about 10 years, though I did my first commissioned piece while in college. As a wood major at an art college in Philadelphia we had the privelage of having David Ellsworth give a talk and that was my inspiration for turning as art. I didn't get to do too much with that till I had a place to really set up (and by that, I mean a garage) but I try to make up for lost time.

As for a new generation of turners, I think, as someone said, our society is so geared towards "technology" over "hands on" that we must take every opportunity to talk it up, teach, cajole, bribe or otherwise bully people into turning. Just kidding about that last part, but I had the good fortune of teaching wood turning at our local community college and was really impressed with the way some of the students took to it.

I really think that if more people knew first hand how much fun it is, there'd be a bunch more turners around. IMHO
 
I'm 53 .
and basically self taught.
I was about 14 when I did my first turning at high school ..... one shallow bowl , about an inch thick ..... :)

On and off over the years I have came across a lathe , so I had a play :D

I have only owned lathes for about the last 8 years ,
and not done all that much on them , as yet :p

cheers ,
Jock
 
I'm 22, and have been turning off and on for 4-5 years. A lot self taught, and a couple years after I started advice from here and a video.
 
I will chime in here.

I am 48 and been at it about 10 years. Being an OCD type personality, when we moved I had no one to share my previous obsession with (cycling) and was looking for an outlet. My wife said if I took up woodworking I HAD to take a class. Went to Woodcraft for pen turning and ended up spend ing about $750 that week on a lathe, etc.
That lathe paid for itself with sales of pens at art shows and such and have since had two Oneways, which also paid for themselves. Since then upgraded several bandsaws, chainsaws and now into glass and wood.
Helps found the DAW, Dallas Area Woodturners (although I wanted Guild at the end so it would be DAWG)
Been fortunate enough to demo at a few AAW symposiums as well as many venues across the county. Also been able to combine my photography skills with woodturning and had 4 articles published.

Got into sandpaper as another way to help pay for the addiction. And it truly is an addiction. This is being composed on a laptop in the shop.

Took over the two car garage, no cars in here for years now.

While this thread wasn't for resumes, thanks for reading.
 
I'm new here and new to turning. I've been turning for about 2 months and I love it! I'm 56 years old.
Chris
 
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