I spend more time then I probably should be online in various chat rooms and forums. However, the knowledge I have gained from participating in these online venues has been considerable. It has also has prompted me to push myself to explore options I have never thought about trying. Lets face it, when you watch woodworking shows on TV, you see a lot of brad nails and pocket screws out there. Up until a couple years ago I honestly though that was the way to go about doing it. Then I would never have dreamed of cutting dovetails with a handsaw and chisels!
So a lot of the text only options could be printed out and taken to the shop with paper. However, in a chatroom often times having the live interaction is very beneficial. Even with forums, keep up with current posts can be beneficial in real time.
I briefly talked about helping each other out with the streaming videos in Part 2. And that is a great way to do it. Setting up a stream isn’t for everyone though. However, with options like Skype, Facetime, instant messengers, and other video chat options that are available, there are a lot of very easy ways to get one on one video help in the shop.
This can really go both ways. When I am having trouble on my lathe, I will often bring up a video conversation with someone far more knowledgeable then I am on turning. They can watch what I am doing, look at what I am doing wrong, and give me advice on what I am doing wrong. (Thank you Roger!) Also getting watch others work, and being able to interact with them in real time is a great way to learn new techniques.
One thing I will say. Whenever I receive help, I always try to pay it forward. As much as I can using the video streaming techniques as discussed above. If I had a questions on it at one time, there are likely others who have the same question as well.