The Results Are In – Workspace Survey
Many thanks to all 1058 of you who took part in our recent survey asking ‘Which of these best describes your space?’. The results are in and make for some interesting reading (if you like stats!).
We decided to collect the results for paid and free members separately. This shows us that the average free member is not necessarily working in the same conditions as the average paid member. While there are general trends that will be helpful for informing what space people have available for future projects, as ever we will continue to work all inclusively and support those of you working in less common work spaces.
The most common space used by free members is ‘A small room in my house’ at 18.3% which came as a bit of a surprise to us, alongside the fact that over 5% of people have no dedicated space! It’s amazing to see how people get woodworking in whatever space they have available and we will keep trying to cater for that.
The most common for paying members is to use a single car garage (17.2%) followed by two car garage (16.5%). These are also common for free members, with single car garage being the most common workspace used overall (16.9%). We were quite surprised how many paying members have a dedicated workspace for woodworking (13.8%)!
Again, thanks to all. This will be invaluable in our planning. Look out for more surveys in the near future.
Very interesting! Thanks for publishing, and for both of your hard work.
For what it’s worth, I don’t understand exactly why you chose to use both bar charts and pie charts. Unless I’m missing something, a single “stacked bar chart” would convey the info in the last three charts more understandably. Just for example:
https://goo.gl/jok75k
I like the bar charts better, too, Luke. My guesses as to why Phillip did both: 1) he realized that some people respond better to different presentations; 2) he was asked to fill a certain amount of space and adding a couple of redundant charts would meet that objective quickly; or 3) he likes bright colors (as do I – I must admit I’d be tempted to do those pie charts just because I could 🙂
Love the stats! It’s encouraging to see how many of us don’t have a lot of space in which to work. I think a plausible explanation for why so many members use ‘a small room in the house’ is that they do not have a garage available. For instance, there may be quite a few apartment woodworkers in this community. Perhaps a follow-up survey?
Quite right. I have a small house with no garage. My friend lives in an apartment. So we both use a small room in our home. That being said, we’re both going to build workbenches from Paul’s new series. Endeavor to persevere.
Just found this from a link. The segregation is very interesting and sadly telling. I understand my place better now.
Paul, Thank you for your inspiration. Thank you for your vision for the craft to continue. Thanks to your team that is making better videos and enhancements that are engaging and instructional. Keep up the good work and keep that vision alive.
The Missouri Mule wondering the streets of Beijing China.
My new work shop is almost done. Maybe 2 more weeks. After working on a 2foot by 2 foot table on a small corner of my balcony, this is going to be like heaven to me. Work shop size 12 feet by 13 feet, give or take a little.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to working with you and see any videos available from lovely Paul Sellers
With hand tool joinery naming the space in which one works, does not mean that the entire space is being used for woodworking.
An 8 foot bench and a tool board on the wall by it and perhaps a couple tool cabinets/chests in a two car garage with the cars, is similar to a small garden shed or room in the house. What is different is the allowable size of the object being created ( remove the cars temporarily). If on the other hand you have a large compliment of machinery, you will likely use the entire space.
Perhaps those that said they have a large space have a lot of machinery and are also performing hand tool joinery.
Just sayin, JIM
PS
Love the program! I liked the old set with all the tools around and in view. Raised panel walls would have been better than brick for a wood working set.
My workshop space is in my mind my own (not so) little doomsday clock. Its rehab has become my biggest project, and I am pretty sure that its completion will coincide with my much-awaited (sadly, not just by me!) departure from miserably crowded, tense, expensive NJ, USA.
My shop, a 32’x24′ room in my basement, houses among other things a bunch of stationary tools – oops, machines, sorry Paul! – that make it much larger, dustier, and noisier than it otherwise might be. When I retire and move to what I imagine will be my last home, I hope to separate those items from my main work space, into the middle bay of a three-car garage, for example. (Just move the cars out, et voila, instant in-feed and out-feed space! Hand tool woodworking is very enjoyable and calming, but I do love the convenience of knocking the wood down (close) to size efficiently with my electric beasts.