The Modern Woodworkers Association started in 2010 as a way to organize woodworkers participating in online communities, help spread the word about the network of woodworkers and the knowledge they share, help connect people, who share a love of the craft both online and off, and build a framework for growing the craft for the future.
Today, a vast amount of information can be found online through woodworking communities, forums, blogs, and other social media such as Twitter and Google+. Through these online connections, woodworkers learn from one another and build camaraderie with fellow woodworkers. Through the Modern Woodworkers Association, people get connected, both online and in real life to share, learn and have fun.
Our Mission:
- Promote woodworking education for all levels and all types of woodworkers, from beginner to pro, hardcore hand-tool user to power-tool fanatic, and educate on ways to share their knowledge, spread the knowledge-base, find the answers to their questions, and help build the craft for the future, online and off
- Forge and reinforce online connections and create real-life personal ones with local gatherings in many regions across the country and around the world
- Provide resources and opportunities for making connecting simple, and for making you a better woodworker
Here are just some of the things we do at the MWA:
Online:
Offline:
Online:
- Connect via MWA blog and social media and share what you know:
- Ask advice, offer answers
- Share your methods, tools, ideas
- Talk Shop
- Keep up with the latest news about woodworking events and shows
- Create your own blog, newsletter, or share the latest from your shop
- Share with other woodworkers on the Modern Woodworkers Association sub-forum of WoodTalkOnline
- Bi-weekly Live podcast with interviews of notable personalities in the woodworking world, book and tool reviews, shop-talk, and woodworking news.
- Participate in the discussion, in any way you can!
Offline:
- Translate online connections into real-life networks at:
- Events, shows, exhibits...
- Casual meetups to eat and talk shop...
- Group classes, seminars, & educational events...
- Buying trips to tool/lumber suppliers
- Encourage woodworkers who might not otherwise leave their shops to come out and join the fun, network with others who share their passion, and introduce them to the community, online and off.
What can you do?
- Participate. Connect with woodworkers around your region, connect online, start sharing your knowledge and learning from others. Come out and meet your fellow shop-lovers.
- Volunteer. This is an all-volunteer organization whose primary purpose is education. We strive to grow the craft, by connecting people, helping to disseminate the collective knowledge of the community, and grow the community itself. Volunteer to help promote the cause and the group at events, help host a get-together around a woodworking happening, or just to talk shop over a meal, or ask us for a myriad of other ways you can help!
- Lead. No MWA chapter around you yet? Help spread the word by starting an MWA chapter for your region, then start planning some events. Interested in starting a chapter? Ask us how!
