Woodturning merit badge - can we bring it back

[hockenbery]

I'd like to find a contact(s) for Scout Merit badges.
I'm sure someone in AAW is either active in scouting or knows someone who is.

BSA had a woodturning Merit Badge from 1930 to 1952.

A couple of us think it it may be worth while to revive the BSA badge and create a GSA one.

I am aware that boy scouts can get the woodworking Merit badge(attached PDF) using woodturning. Several of our Youth student an Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts had mentioned using woodturning for merit badges. I tried matching what one student turned against the criteria to get a merit badge.
He turned at least 10 different projects including a Gavel, a set of 6 napkin rings and a box. He sharpened 2 tools The gavel had the joint. maybe the napkin tings counted as duplicate parts. The box seems to need hinges.

Related to this, Dave Bowers Organized our Youth Turning program. It could easily be the basis for a scout merit badges. It has a number of turning projects. These could be elements for the merit badge. AAW chapters could be resources.

Thanks,
Al

 

[Jake Debski]

Al, great idea for tapping the youth market, especially if the local chapters help by providing instruction, tools, etc. to those interested.

 

[Bill Blasic]

Our club the Presque Isle Woodturners have hosted Boy Scouts three times, we have found that it is better to bring in only enough boys for the number of lathes. This means two different days and the kids and the members enjoyed it. We offered our services to the French Creek Council of BSA to enable any scout that wanted to use turning to get a merit badge. We did this by phone and letter and to this date have never had a query.

 

[KEW]

I'm not sure if there is a way to find out, but it surely begs the question of why they eliminated woodturning from the merit badges.
1952 was before most of the liability driven concerns institutes are plagued with today.

 

[davidwalser]

... We offered our services to the French Creek Council of BSA to enable any scout that wanted to use turning to get a merit badge. We did this by phone and letter and to this date have never had a query.

Perhaps part of the problem is that adult scout leaders, including merit badge councilors, now need now need to go through an approval process that includes a limited background check. That's a hassle most troops would prefer not to put you through until they had a boy interested in the merit badge. Until they've got a merit badge councilor, it's hard to get a boy interested.

Another, larger, part of the problem is the boy's time. There are a lot of required merit badges (those required to make Eagle). All the others are optional. Troops tend to focus on helping their scouts get the required badges by having special classes on Saturdays or some such related to the required badges. Optional badges, like woodworking (or woodturning if we brought it back), are left up to the boys to do on their own. There are exceptions to these tendencies, of course, but, in general, a boy needs to figure out on his own that he which optional badge he wants to pursue and how to fit the required work into his busy after-school schedule.

I'm a merit badge councilor for two required badges. I'd love to help a young man get his woodturning merit badge. It'd be fun and he'd learn a skill that he might enjoy for decades to come. On the other hand, learning how to manage your personal finances and how to be a good, informed, voter (the topics of the two required merit badges I teach), might be just a tad more important.

 

[davidwalser]

I'm not sure if there is a way to find out, but it surely begs the question of why they eliminated woodturning from the merit badges.
1952 was before most of the liability driven concerns institutes are plagued with today.

I'm not sure why the badge was eliminated, but I'm almost positive it had nothing to do with liability concerns. Last time I checked, sky diving was still a merit badge (my son wanted to get one). I suspect the badge was dropped due to lack of interest. With the growth in interest over the last decade and the increase in the number of small projects a beginner can make, it might be time for BSA to reconsider. Someone should call the national office in Irving, Texas (IIRC, that's where it is) and see what they say.

 

[john lucas]

I think this is a ploy to lower the average age of woodturners. We have merit badge university at our school where they bring in a ton of scouts and the volunteers teach them all day. We would have to bring in the lathes to do it and probably have a bunch of volunteers but I think it could be done.
At the Appalachian center for crafts we could easily do it for 8 at a time.
I suppose this is something that has to be negotiated with the top brass in the scouting organization.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Give the BSA staff something to look at - New Woodturning Merit Badge

It should not be difficult to get the BSA organization to authorize a new Woodturning merit badge. They already have examples of merit badges that could all be in one group but have been split into specialties. Take the numerous types of metal fabrication badges for example. The merit badges already authorized already include those that are inherently dangerous. Woodturning is no worse than many. The whole idea of many of the badges is to help a scout to develop awareness of safety as well as becoming proficient in the craft or endeavor.

I have an interest in this cause because I earned and was presented with a Woodturning Merit Badge in 1961 only to discover later on that it was obsoleted in 1952. I had to remove the badge from my merit badge sash never to be returned again. It was even in the crimped green khaki twill used for Type D merit badges of the time. I still have to hold back the tears!

It might be helpful to give the BSA something to look at. I have finished the artwork for what I propose the badge should look like. See my attached picture. I have available artwork in .dwg and dxf formats.

I chose to use a solid black figure of the lathe as was used on the original merit badge design. I looked at a number of badges to make sure all design elements were included as shown on the originals. This version has slightly shorter legs to permit the image to be centered and maximize its size. In the original design, at the head stock, the pulleys are floating in space to prevent stitching for the spindle from muddling the design due to embroidery limitations. Also there is no cutting tool rest and no moving tail stock handle on the adjustment wheel. Only the black figure of the lathe was shown on the badge.

To make the design more in line with modern issues of merit badges, I added a floor with wall molding detail to make it look like it is in a wood shop. The green border is representative of the rolled over embroidered detail on current badge designs.

 

[Douglas Ladendorf]

I love this idea. My son just moved up to Boy Scouts and enjoyed working on badges at camp this summer. I would be happy to instruct boys or work on an arrangement with my club.

Doug

 

[Odie]

View attachment 7783

That looks great to me, Dean.......

If a woodturning merit badge existed at one time, I wonder what the reasoning was for eliminating it......?

ooc

 

[Mark Mandell]

I've "worked" with several Scoutmasters locally to give turning lessons to interested boys working on their woodworking merit badges. Very rewarding experience that I recommend to others. We took the badge requirements and worked up a lesson plan that met a substantial portion (but not all) of the badge criteria. Each scout then turned two projects; a candle stick and a small face-grain bowl. Haven't done any in a while; I suspect because, having given the adults some lessons as well, they may be carrying on without me. I know one scout who caught the bug because his father called me up for recommendations on a lathe and tools after the boy asked for them for Christmas.

 

[Scott Longberry]

Having been a WoodWork MB counselor for several years, I have had a few boys finish the requirements using primarily wood turning based projects. However, the requirements for the badge are specific enough that not everything can be done on a lathe (although I kind of ignore the "use a brace and bit" requirement and let the boys show me how to use a drill!). Because of the specific requirements to build a box with hinges and a carpentry project I don't think it would be fair for the BSA to say that woodturning is encompassed in the current WoodWork MB. That seemed to be the case with many discontinued MBs, they were covered elsewhere.

In the event that anyone would like to see what the requirements were for the original Wood Turning MB, I found them here:

http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth310846/m1/19/

Can someone please enlighten me in regards to requirement #4? "Have a general knowledge of an automatic woodturning table". I could teach all of the rest but am not really sure what this one is referring to!

 

[Robert Elliott]

answer

Can someone please enlighten me in regards to requirement #4? "Have a general knowledge of an automatic woodturning table". I could teach all of the rest but am not really sure what this one is referring to!

A lathe duplicator, or a large duplicating lathe. Today known as a CNC wood lathe.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Woodturning Merit Badge Approval Process

There are a few things that need to happen in order to promote the approval process for a new merit badge.

There is an AwardsSubmissionSummary.doc that is too large to load here.

It needs to be submitted by someone in scouting, so, we need to find someone willing to do the submission.

The following is required:
1) A title and description of the award and rationale for submitting it
2) A discussion of how the award relates to a list of scouting objectives and principles
3) A draft of the specific award requirements
4) Additional information for consideration

There is a review process defined after submission. The submission method is defined in the summary.

The process here in this forum would be as follows:
1) Find a Scouting Official to use for submission. Probably best to find at least a Council Level Executive.
2) Generate here the text to be used on the submission form to help out the scout executive and make it easy for him.
3) Find a list of the original requirements for the merit badge to go over here and discuss improvements
4) Draft a new requirements document based on the above discussion that can be used as the basis for the new Merit Badge Pamphlet. If this looks professional, it will make a better impression to decision makers.

First, I would suggest that those that want to become part of this indicate their interest by replying to this thread. We can create a new thread to follow through if we have enough volunteers! Or, once a working group is determined, we could use other online tools to complete our work.

Once we get the requirements laid down and establish a structure for the requirements document, this forum can solicit appropriate pictures to go with the requirements. This will make it easier to gain acceptance. It would be useful to review another merit badge pamphlet as an example of what they are looking for today. The Woodcarving Merit Badge may be a possibility.

The Merit Badge Review Committee at the BSA is going to discuss this with an eye toward expense and effort for implementation. If they knew that the AAW had people willing to aid in its creation, it may add a lot of weight to the success of the submission. Are there any of the members here that were Boy Scouts in the past?

Let's see if there is enough interest here to work on this!

 

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

I'm a Scouter (adult leader), my stepson is very near Life rank and towards Eagle

We have a professional carpenter as an Assistant Scoutmaster in our troop - he's been in scouting for probably 30 years, so he might be willing to help. I also have a friend in the Gulf Coast Woodturners Assoc. that is a Scouter and we had previously talked about what it might take to bring back the woodturning merit badge.

All of us are in Sam Houston Area Council (Houston/Harris County area) - so it is a very large council. I think between Keith, Wayne and me - we could find a council level executive that might be willing to listen.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Why did the Woodturning Merit Badge disappear?

That looks great to me, Dean.......

If a woodturning merit badge existed at one time, I wonder what the reasoning was for eliminating it......?

ooc

I do not know why but I can guess. The BSA organization is always making changes and at times they try to streamline their operation. More merit badges mean more administration costs. They appear to have thought that one merit badge or another was not unique enough and thought it could be part of another merit badge they already had.

Also, I think they thought that the wood lathe was becoming a tool of the past and not part of the modern world. We see that is not true now. It is now seen more for the creation of decorative objects than industrial use. The furniture industry is an exception.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Working on Merit Badge Proposal

I decided to start some work on the Woodworking Merit badge Proposal and am providing the following for others to look at.

First are the pages from the Awards Submission Summary to be filled out.

Next is some text for the proposal I have provided to help start the internal process here.

You can contact me by email if you want to make information exchanges faster.View attachment Woodturning Merit Badge Proposal.doc

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I in scouting from 8 years old til my senior year when our troop broke up. Then as SM and ASM for 6 years. I would be willing to help any way I can. Do not feel like camping anymore, but can still help somewhere.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Collecting Materials to Work on Proposal for Wood Turning Merit Badge

I am still collecting information that can be used for the merit badge proposal. I am attaching a few items for you to view. There is an image of what the merit badge booklet looked like in 1931. I do not yet know when the last revision was printed. It would be useful to get one of these old booklets. Attached also is an image of what the current Woodwork booklet looks like. Merit Badge booklets run from 40 to 70 pages generally, with some in the 90's like camping.



I ordered a current merit badge booklet on Woodworking and Metalwork to review so I understand the format and style they use. I will start on an outline of a Wood Turning booklet when that is done. The outline can be posted and we can use that as the main tool for discussion. The outline I put together can be changed of course, so, I will look for input once I have something for you.

To be clear here, we do not need to put together a whole booklet for the proposal but I think those that review the proposal will feel more comfortable if some of the work is already started. Remember that the Boy Scouts of America is going to have to find an author and editor for the actual booklet which means an investment for them. They want things to go smoothly.

One thing they want to know is if there are standardized safety rules and whether there are over-site organizations to reference.

We are also going to need a section on the history of wood turning to included pictures of old equipment. I don't think we should limit our-self to modern equipment as the possible instrument of completing the merit badge requirements. A wood turning machine with a pulley drive is just as valid of a tool. Many of you probably have some equipment that is more costly than needed to do the work. Looking at equipment for sale, I see some used inexpensive machines that actually may encourage some scouts to not only work on the merit badge but allow them to purchase a wood lathe themselves. It is also easier for local councils to invest in a machine if it is not costly. The safety section for the manual needs to include information on safety assessment of old equipment and repairs, maintenance, etc.

Regarding cheaper equipment, I have seen a wood lathe for sale at Harbor Freight. Does anyone know if this is suitable for a novice to learn on?

Finally, you can see a picture of my original merit badge. It is the last version that it was issued in.

 

[hockenbery]

Dean,

The AAW has a young turners program that Dave Bowers spearheaded.
The youth pages have safety and getting started tips.
I think you could choose some sets if projects from the AAW page for the merit badge plus some mother criteria that you outlined.

From my perspective the mini lathes are great for kids with one minor exception the motor lock on the jet gets filled with chips and the kids can't lift it up to change speeds
The harder they lift the tighter techies pack in. Big advantage of these machine is that the motors stall if something is way wrong.


Dave's Young turners article
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.woodtu...rogram.pdf?hhSearchTerms="Youth+and+projects"

Young turners pages
http://www.woodturner.org/?page=YoungTurners&hhSearchTerms="Young+and+turners+and+projects"

Safety,

Project Instructions:
Honey Dipper
Spin Top
Bottle Stopper
Gavel
Goblet
Key Chain
Lidded Box
Morse Taper
Napkin Ring
Natural-edge Bowl
Open Bowl
Ornament
Ornament Stand
Screwdriver Handle
Slim Line Pen
Sphere
Weed Pot
Whisk Handle

 

[Dean Mohr]

Draft for Wood Turning Merit Badge Proposal

Here is the raw text what I recently filled in for this form: The sectioned titles come from their document.

Woodturning Merit Badge Proposal
Short Title of Award Proposal: Re-introduction of Woodturning Merit Badge
Description of Award and Rationale:

This proposal is for the re-introduction of the Woodturning merit badge that was discontinued in 1952. The requirements for the original merit badge were reviewed, modifications, and improvements were made for modernization and to conform to the presentation style of current merit badge offerings in the Merit Badge Series (booklet) requirements and study guides.
There has been an underlying interest in the re-introduction of this merit badge for some time. The proponents are ex-scouts who were old enough to have earned it in the past, scout leaders who have tried to use the existing Woodwork merit badge as a vehicle to teach woodturning skills, and adult woodturner professionals and amateurs that would like to promote their craft to a younger generation entering scouting.

Woodturning was founded as an essential trade skill for industrial and commercial use. It found practical use in consumer products. Today, it is still found in furniture design, in architectural design elements, as kitchen wares, in decorative household items, and uses still exist in industrial support applications. There are career opportunities requiring woodturning skills and the field has expanded even into the use of Computerized Machine Tools. The final product has the ability to catch the beauty of wood in ways that other technologies cannot.
Discuss how the award proposal relates to primary areas of consideration below.

• Fit with Scouting: Woodturning provides a scout with an opportunity to learn a time honored craft that has evolved into a modern pursuit for the personal satisfaction of working with ones hands and developing valuable manual skills. It develops project visualization and planning skills. It requires a scout to take instruction, develop a respect for safety, and apply himself. The sense of accomplishment aids his thinking process in a search for his future career path. By its nature, woodturning requires a novice to engage with a mentor and it develops interpersonal communication skills the scout will always find of value in his life.

• Practicality: Today there are a growing number of people engaged in woodturning as a hobby and willing to share their skills. Organizations like the American Association of Woodturners with 350 chapters throughout the country are evidence of the interest and a source of valuable information and support. These chapters have their own outreach programs and are developing new chapter associations all the time. The AAW forum has discussed the revival of the Woodturning merit badge for some time and there are former boy scouts among them that would be a good source of merit badge counselors. Amateur woodturning hobbyists that would be interested in being merit badge counselors all have their own equipment they could use for instruction. There are online and television programs that give instructional programming. Even programs that are more general woodworking in nature try to add a few episodes of woodturning into their schedules. Woodturning equipment and materials are easily available and can be obtained at reasonable prices.

Woodturning is a craft in its own right with skills that require more attention to detail than can be included as part of another merit badge.

There are safety rules for woodturning equipment. Instructional materials and equipment guides all provide details of how to operate a wood lathe safely. These details can be incorporated into the merit badge manual and be vetted by existing organizations associated with woodturning.

Woodturning has its safety risks as do many current merit badges. Its safety issues are a fast turning spindle (loose clothing hazard), sharp cutting tools need to be held properly and applied to work safely (cutting and pinching hazards), general electrical concerns (shock hazard), and a need for use of safety equipment (eye and dust protection). Nonetheless, woodturning is inherently safer than the metalworking merit badges. Earning this merit badge is partly an exercise in teaching safety awareness and the necessity of following safety rules that are part of our modern world.

• Fun and engaging: Working with a wood lathe is easier than other pieces of equipment of this size. It is a good vehicle to show a scout that he is capable of mastering a skill not all will have had an opportunity to try. There is much to learn here and different techniques are used for different available projects. The process of selecting wood for the project or laminating scraps together to use for his design projects is enjoyable in itself. Most scouts do not even know the diversity of objects that can be made with a wood lathe. This is an exploration. A scout will not only develop pride in his work but will find it enjoyable because it requires some concentration to get the results he wants. The objects he creates can be beautiful to look at and will stimulate his imagination.

• Resource requirements:

Aside from the cost of editing and publication of the Merit Badge Booklet, the main cost involved in pursuit of the merit badge is the cost of wood for instruction and projects. Fortunately, the repurposing of wooden objects and laminated wood scraps for projects can be fun and provide interesting results. It would not be expected that scouts or scout units would have to invest in equipment for this merit badge, although the equipment expense is by no means prohibitive (maybe $250 on the low end for a small lathe). Cutting tools can be bought on the used market and reconditioned by a knowledgeable person. Merit Badge counselors would be the main access point for the equipment. There are woodshops that rent equipment on-site as well. This is not a camping activity, but it is possible that some councils may have their own shop skills development events where they have available equipment. It could be a point of contact for boys to meet prospective merit badge counselors and then complete their requirements at a later date.

Original awards requirements (1930):
WOOD TURNING MERIT BADGE
A new Merit Badge with the following requirements:
1. Demonstrate the proper use of the roughing gauge, turning gauge, skew chisel and parting tool and know how to sharpen each.
2. Demonstrate the proper method of putting stock in the lathe and taking it out, between live and dead centers and on the face plate.
3. Have a general knowledge of wood turners, lathe, and how to figure the speed at which the lathe is turning.
4. Have a general knowledge of an automatic wood turning table.
5. Turn a project using a face plate and one between “centersâ€.
6. Make duplicate parts in a project such as four legs for a table or two candle sticks or bud vases.
7. Know how French polish is applied.

Draft of new awards requirements:
(To be drafted with the help of AAW members)
Note this is not the draft of the Merit Badge Booklet text (a document that is maybe about 90 pages long – easy large text with many pictures).

Additional information for consideration: A perusal of the popular optional merit badges in past years shows a strong interest by boys in handicraft related subjects. Wood, metal , and leather are the most easily available and obvious of materials for use in this type of handicraft. These choices provide a strong attraction for the boys to invest their energies into something challenging that can produce very satisfying results.

Though not the objective of this proposal, it may be interesting for the scouting organization to consider Specialty Merit badges that go beyond basic skills and maybe require completion of another merit badge as a pre-requisite, such as the Woodwork merit badge to begin a Wood Turning badge. This could even be distinguished by having a special border for these types of merit badges, let’s say a purple rolled embroidered edge instead of green. These little twists can generate a lot of excitement as seen previously by the historical Gold Border merit badges.
Nearly all woodturning organizations and interest groups are members of the American Association of Woodturners. The AAW has a lot of manpower able to help solidify the requirements and the ability to generate technical detail needed to put together the merit badge booklet. They would consider this to be a further opportunity to expand their outreach efforts.


I have not heard from Dave Bowers yet, but I need someone like him to help with some of this. Certainly the Young Turners Program has already developed the kind of material needed for this.

 

[Odie]

Dean.....you obviously put a great deal of effort into this, and I hope you are successful with it. Be sure to keep us informed.

ooc

 

[Dean Mohr]

A Look at the Woodwork Merit Badge Booklet

I received a copy of the Woodwork Merit Badge Booklet to use as a Reference.


Contents: with subsections: (project detail left out)

Trees and Wood
*Kinds of Wood
*Tables of Wood, Qualities, and Major Uses
*Plywood and Verneers
Timber and Lumber
*Planting Trees
*Harvesting Trees
*Selection Cutting
*Shelterwood Cutting
*Clearcutting
*Seed Tree Cutting
*Milling Lumber
*Grading Lumber
*Sizing Lumber
*Composite Woods
Tools and How to Use Them
*Measuring and Leveling Tools
*Squares
*Fastening Tools (Hammers, Nail-Sets, Screwdrivers, Clamps)
*Cutting Tools Saws, Rasps, Chisels, Planes, Drills, Sanders)
*Safety Pointers (Equipment and Clothing, Materials and Procedures)
*First Aid
*Sharpening Tools
Project 1: Make a Bench Hook (Materials List, Dimensioned Parts View, Steps for Fabrication, Glues and Adhesives)
Project 2: Make a “To-Do†List Holder
Project 3: Make a Wood Duck Nest Box
Project 4: Create Your Own (Sketch Working Drawings w/ Views, Create Bill of Materials, Recordkeeping - Time Spent, etc, A Number of Different Project Ideas Given)
Project 5: Fine Woodworking (Beveled and Rounded Cuts, Curved and Incised Cuttings, Joints)
Project 6: Wood Toys or Service Project (Paddle Boat, Drawings, Steps to Make, Cutting List, Materials List, Donate Toys You Make)
Finishing Wood (Wood Preparation, Sanding, Protecting and Covering)
Careers for Woodworkers: (Training, The Work, To Learn More)
Resources for Woodworking (Scouting Literature, Books, Magazines, Videos, Organizations and Websites)
Acknowledgments, Photo and Illustration Credits

The Wood Turning Merit Badge Projects will be different of course. Each project could highlight a different skill and use of cutting tools. Of course there will be information for sharpening the different cutting chisels. A different approach to woods can be taken. Specific information regarding how different woods turn and what is appropriate for different projects is necessary. How to find wood for turning would be an interesting section. Laminating wood for projects would be of interest. Finishing of the wood projects should be discussed thoroughly. Discussion of turning some synthetic materials could be briefly discussed. I think the booklet should start with a short history of wood turning. Some old and new equipment could be displayed. A discussion of evolving power sources and drives for wood turning lathes should be added. A diagram of all the elements of a modern wood lathe should be shown and a scout should know how to draw a basic lathe and label the parts. A scout should be able to list all of the basic cutting tools and describe their uses. Finally, the pictures need to be very instructive and there should be plenty of pictures of finely crafting turnings for the boys to marvel at.

 

[Scott Longberry]

Hi Dean,

It is easy to tell that you have put a lot of work into this, it is looking great!

I do have a couple of comments

Woodturning is a craft in its own right with skills that require more attention to detail than can be included as part of another merit badge.

I think that this needs to be emphasized more. I am only guessing, but I think some resistance to reinstating the Woodturning MB will be in the form of people who do not know the difference believing that Wood Turning is only a subset of WoodWorking and should be covered under that MB. By emphasizing the differences I think that this can be overcome.

Though not the objective of this proposal, it may be interesting for the scouting organization to consider Specialty Merit badges that go beyond basic skills and maybe require completion of another merit badge as a pre-requisite, such as the Woodwork merit badge to begin a Wood Turning badge. This could even be distinguished by having a special border for these types of merit badges, let’s say a purple rolled embroidered edge instead of green. These little twists can generate a lot of excitement as seen previously by the historical Gold Border merit badges.

I would leave this out. While it is an interesting idea, I believe it side tracks from the main focus of getting the Woodturning MB reinstated. The proposal really needs to focus solely on that.

Another piece of information that might be of help in this endeavor involves the Geocaching MB. Groundspeak (the company behind the geocaching.com website) is heavily involved with the MB. For one thing the boys are required to set up an account on the geocaching.com website as part of the MB requirements. I am pretty sure that Groundspeak was involved in getting the MB approved.

The reason that I bring this up is that it sets precedent for the AAW to get involved directly in the MB if they so choose. One example that I can think of is that currently if a youth completes the AAW young turner's curriculum, they can get a free 1 year membership to the AAW. Would it be possible to offer something similar to boys that complete the Woodturning MB? I have no idea and am just thinking out loud here, but it might be something extra to show that the AAW as an organization supports the MB.

Just my $0.01 worth (it would hav been $0.02 but inflation is taking its toll!)

 

[Mark Mandell]

Finally, the pictures need to be very instructive and there should be plenty of pictures of finely crafting turnings for the boys to marvel at.

And girls

 

[Dean Mohr]

Thanks Scott and Mark

I read Scott and Mark's comments above and was about to make changes and then decided I should wait for others to comment and write their own suggested text solutions.

The text I had written referred to "boy" only because the merit badge program is not yet accessible to "girls" either in the coed "Explorers" or "Venturing" programs. Maybe that will change.

So, how do we expand on the idea that "woodturning is a craft in its own right"?

Dean

 

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

Woodturning is a craft with a unique set of skills that require more attention to detail than can be included as part of another merit badge.

 

[AnnHerbst]

AAW involvement?

The text I had written referred to "boy" only because the merit badge program is not yet accessible to "girls" either in the coed "Explorers" or "Venturing" programs. Maybe that will change.

Dean

The reason that I bring this up is that it sets precedent for the AAW to get involved directly in the MB if they so choose. One example that I can think of is that currently if a youth completes the AAW young turner's curriculum, they can get a free 1 year membership to the AAW. Would it be possible to offer something similar to boys that complete the Woodturning MB? I have no idea and am just thinking out loud here, but it might be something extra to show that the AAW as an organization supports the MB.

Dean,
If it is desirable for AAW to be involved in the woodturning MB program as suggested by Scott, I encourage you to use inclusive language. Boy Scouts may currently restrict access for some youth, but AAW does not. If the AAW promotes this at all, many people not in BSA will read about it. In the long run having inclusive language where Mark suggested will help shape the dialog about BSA MB and the AAW.

As an AAW member I wish to get as far away as possible from the "good old days" when girls did not get to take shop classes.

Ann

 

[Mark Mandell]

Dean,
If it is desirable for AAW to be involved in the woodturning MB program as suggested by Scott, I encourage you to use inclusive language. Boy Scouts may currently restrict access for some youth, but AAW does not. If the AAW promotes this at all, many people not in BSA will read about it. In the long run having inclusive language where Mark suggested will help shape the dialog about BSA MB and the AAW.

As an AAW member I wish to get as far away as possible from the "good old days" when girls did not get to take shop classes.

Ann

Bravo!, Ann.

Mom's who got me started in woodworking. The "old man" had to be taught which way to turn a screw to get it to go into the wood.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Inclusive language

I will revise my text as suggested. Keep commenting as you get an idea to help me.

If we could get something together for the boy scouts, I am sure it would also be a possible package that could be offered to the girl scout organization as well.

Think about how woodturning is different than woodworking. What are the "uniqueness" differentiators? What kind of skills are different?

Does anyone here know if there are any young turners that can add to the discussion? There perspective may be useful here.

Dean

 

[Thom Sturgill]

As a one time scout master and programmer I taught the computer science merit badge once in the late 80s. I found it impossible to locate the old punch cards which were part of one of the badge requirements. Be careful not to include requirements that might get made obsolete. Dressing a grinding wheel comes to mind for example. I expect that in a decade AO wheels will be all but obsolete.

 

[Dean Mohr]

Rewrite of Description of Award and Rationale

Here is a rewrite of the first section of the proposal considering input given so far.

****

Description of Award and Rationale:

The Wood Turning merit badge was discontinued in 1952. The following argues for its re-introduction.

There has been an underlying interest in the re-introduction of this merit badge for some time. The proponents are ex-scouts who were old enough to have earned it in the past, scout leaders who have tried to use the existing Woodwork merit badge as a vehicle to teach woodturning skills, and adult woodturner professionals and amateurs that would like to promote their craft to a younger generation including scouting.

Woodturning is a craft in its own right. It is the only wood related endeavor in which the object being worked on is in motion for the duration of its creation. It requires as a centerpiece of its execution a lathe that is a large tool requiring its own set of rules to master. The skilled use of the cutting tools used during its use is not the same as using a common wood chisel or gouge. Much more knowledge and developed technique of use on wood is necessary.

Turning wood to create useful objects became an obvious application once pulley and belt driven technology was born out of our early industrial roots. Its continuation is an affirmation of our heritage. It can result in the fabrication of objects that cannot be imitated with other woodworking skills. The final product has the ability to catch the beauty of wood in ways that other technologies do not.

The Wood Carving merit badge is an example of a merit badge that could have been rolled in with the Woodwork merit badge but it remains separate. It remains separate because it is the most popular elective merit badge that the BSA has. Handcraft merit badges are popular. The use of one’s hands in the creation of something useful or decorative is very satisfying. Woodturning is a time honored way to continue this. Merit badges that draw a scout’s interest are of paramount importance to promoting scouting itself.

When the Wood Turning merit badge was discontinued, the equipment and support organizations were not as accessible or as prevalent as they are today. Today there is the American Association of Woodturners with 350 chapters throughout the country. And not surprisingly, they are busy promoting their craft not only to adults but they have an outreach program called “Young Turners†aimed at young boys and girls. Substantial support infrastructure exists for woodturning in this country.

Woodturning was founded as an essential trade skill for industrial and commercial use. It found practical use in consumer products. Today, it is still found in furniture design, in architectural design elements, as kitchen wares, in decorative household items, and uses still exist in industrial support applications.

There are career opportunities requiring woodturning skills and the field has expanded even into the use of Computerized Machine Tools

The awards requirements for the original merit badge were reviewed, modifications, and improvements were made for modernization and to conform to the presentation style of current merit badge offerings in the Merit Badge Series (booklet) requirements and study guides. Details are addressed later in this proposal.

****

I think I have added more punch to the message. Please comment. I will start rewriting some of the rest.

Dean

 

[Jerry Bailey]

dunno how I missed this thread
am new to my area (about 2 years), but have been approached by several scouts about wood working/wood turning
I am more than willing to help these local lads out in any way possible, and love!! where this thread is going.

And I also agree, can't make this a boys only club, as we had girls in school wood shop 40+ years ago
and in my travels, have worked with many women cabinet makers that were more qualified than their male counterparts .......

will be keenly watching this thread

 

[Scott Longberry]

I have another minor suggestion. This one is going to sound nit-picky, but based on the audience you are sending this to, please be sure to capitalize Scouts and Scouting.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have another minor suggestion. This one is going to sound nit-picky, but based on the audience you are sending this to, please be sure to capitalize Scouts and Scouting.

While we're at it, another suggestion is to have it reviewed by one or more disinterested persons, not for content, but who would be qualified to assess the clarity of message, grammar, spelling, and avoidance of "fine writing". If you know a newspaper editor or college level English teacher, I think that they would be excellent resources.

For information purposes, here is a borderline example of what the "English Style Manual" calls fine writing:

Not a writer can be found but is Willing to denounce fine writing in the abstract, but the trouble is, each fellow thinks what he writes is just within the line that separates the true sublime from rant.​

Also, the word "disinterested" does not mean "uninterested". It is used to describe somebody who does not have a stake in the outcome and is not biased one way or the other -- in other words, the type of person that a judge wants to serve on a jury and neither the prosecution nor defense would be interested in finding.

Here are a few guidelines stolen from The Economist (who stole it from George Orwell) that fit today's style of writing:

The first requirement is that it should be readily understandable. Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible. Keep in mind George Orwell's six elementary rules ("Politics and the English Language", 1946):
​

1. 
   [*=1] Never use a Metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
   [*=1] Never use a long word where a short one will do.
   [*=1] If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.
   [*=1] Never use the Passive where you can use the active.
   [*=1] Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
   [*=1] Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.