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Is scrolling a fading art form?
I wrote an editorial in the last issue that sure raised a
lot of problems. There was one group that felt they were singled out. I
was accused of wanting to ban free patterns. In all it was just
unbelievable all of the accusations that were made well let me try
another one. This is in part from some of the comments made about the
last editorial.
I see that scrolling as a whole is on the decline. Many
of you may disagree and that is fine. But if we look at the sales of
scrollsaws, and related supplies, the sales are down. I get the
impression that the magazine sales are at a standstill or on a very slow
increase. In the entire scrolling hobby is declining. Now this is my
observation from comments and things I been told. Sure there are small
pockets of scrollers and clubs that seem to be increasing and thriving
well. But overall across the country is what I am referring to here.
Your local club of 50 members means nothing if that is the only group of
scrollers in a 3 state area. If you look at scrolling and compare it to
the increases in other woodworking like lathe turning or carving, we are
not growing. Now again I am talking as a whole, not any one area or
group. Locally in Des Moines, Iowa we have a woodworking club of 400
members, a sub club of scrollers of about 10. I know there are more that
should be scrolling, but I need help on how to get them into the hobby,
How to get them interested.
So what is the solution? I had the idea of the ACES program. A way to
make it possible for any scroller to be able to get the video and put on
a 30 minute presentation to a group. Where I have received reports of
this program being used it has brought more scrollers into the hobby.
But not near enough. Bringing in 200 new scrollers is not building, when
you compare it to other forms of woodworking that have brought in
thousands. I have talked to the local tool stores and factory reps from
some of the larger companies. Other woodworking tools are still strong,
but scrolling is fading.
Some of the comments over the last article were that Free pattern were
bringing in more scrollers. If that were the case then would someone
write up a program or details of how it works? Maybe that is the way to
get more people into scrolling. I don’t have all of the answers, I am
asking for some of you to help generate any new ideas on how we can
build the scrolling hobby into something as large as it should be. There
has to be some type of publicity or program that scrollers across the
country can do to get more people involved in the hobby. Maybe it’s
getting volunteers to go into the schools and teach. Maybe it is
donating our old saws to some organization. But somehow scrollers as a
whole need to find a way to boost the numbers or we may see some changes
we don’t want. I do a seminar at the Woodsmith store ever year and have
about 80 people attending, but it is not enough to generate the numbers
we need. I was told the other day one of the major saws might be soon
dropped from the product line. Now this was what one person told me, so
I am not sure if it is true, but it very well could be. Declining sales
on an already small market was the reason.
My reason for this editorial is to get some ideas on how to increase our
numbers. I am not trying to pick on anything that is being done now.
What is working in your area to increase members is maybe what would
work nationwide, but the rest of us don’t know what you are doing. Many
people need details to do anything, so just saying we talk to people is
not a solution. How do you talk to them, where do you talk to them, what
do you tell them, how do get them started, how do you keep them
interested, do they get more people involved. We need the details so
others can follow what you are doing and what is working for you. Tell
us, we all want more scrollers here too. Without help we may end up like
some of the other things like staving barrel and bucketing makers, which
I was told is a hand full across the country now. Or maybe finding a
true blacksmith with the forge, hammer and anvil, that forms things from
iron. We don’t want scrolling to drop into the lost arts category. |
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