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The Women's Woodworking Guild of Colorado: Beginnings

It's hard to say whether or not the Women's Woodworking Guild of Colorado would even exist today if it had not been for the 86 balustrades that Pamela Philpott-Jones needed to turn for a staircase in her family's finely crafted fixer-upper. Having never turned before, she started in the middle of the stock for the first balustrade, and immediately realized that she wasn't going to get far in her fixing efforts if she didn't learn woodworking techniques.

Luckily, on a trip to the lumberyard she met Master Woodworker Paul McClure. She explained her problem to him, and soon became his apprentice. Eventually they ended up writing a book together, Woodworking for the Serious Beginner. Cambium Press, the publisher, decided they were "willing to take a chance on a woman," and published the first woodworking how-to book written by a female author.

Pamela Philpott-Jones with Martha Pearce, woodworking student and guild member.

After that, Rich, the manager of Rockler's Denver store, asked her to teach woodworking classes for his female customers. She was so nervous she could barely speak, but Rich encouraged her to simply tell her audience of 17 women what she knew about woodworking. She did, and the class was such a hit that Rich asked her to teach another one. She had vowed to never do this again, and begged Rich to find a replacement. But he couldn't. Woodworking was such a new hobby for women that there weren't any other women in the area who had mastered it. So, despite her aversion to public speaking, Pamela quickly found herself to be "the only female shop teacher in Colorado." It was from the popularity of these classes that the Women's Woodworking Guild of Colorado was born.

Pamela and two of her students spent the summer of 1999 setting up this non-profit organization. Charter members included 27 of Pamela's original students, who quickly spread the word. It took less than two years for the guild to grow to its current 62 members.

The formation of this guild proved that a substantial number of women were interested in this craft and that women wanted learn and improve their woodworking skills in the company of other women. Similar proof comes from the recent popularity and growth of the WIW forum.

"The time of the woman is coming," she told me, tracing the roots of the rise back to the 1960's, when the push for equality began; through the 1970's and ERA; through the 1980's, when embracing equality also meant being everything to everyone; and into the 1990's, when we realized the super-E-woman of the previous decade was killing us.

Against this backdrop, we can see big things happening among women. We've stopped hiding behind our husbands, our children, and our careers. We've set aside the stereotypes and Dad's "because you’re a girl" excuse. We've heard that we can do or be anything we want, so we are. Together.

Members of the Women's Woodworking Guild of Colorado at their monthly meeting and woodworking demonstration.

The Guild Today
Guild members gather monthly to see demonstrations of different woodworking techniques: cutting dovetails, sharpening tools, constructing furniture, cutting molding, veneering, mitering and any other woodworking subjects that come with a teacher.

When they aren't talking shop, they take a field trip to see one. Destinations have included the workspaces of cabinetmakers and custom furniture builders, with marketing discussions and lumberyard stops along the way. Parties are also planned into their meetings. Their most recent guest of honor was master carver and WIW featured artist Nora Hall. She shared slides of her work while guild members shared chocolate.

The Guild members publish their own newsletter, Out of the Woodwork, and maintain a Web site. They have made appearances on Paul McGregor's Mr. Fixit radio show, and they’ve set up a booth at Denver's yearly woodworking show to recruit new members and plan to set up a booth at local home shows, too. In January 2001, they intend to hold a show featuring guild member woodworking pieces.

The Guild's Future
The guild’s next mission is to establish their own school as a place for women to learn woodworking from other women. The school will be a separate organization from the guild; however, guild members and students will generate additional operating funds through repair work and constructing custom-designed furniture.

A possible layout for shop space in the guild's school for woodworking women.

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