How was the meeting with the carpenters in Sibiu

We announced the other day that on January 20, in Sibiu, Fane Pănăzan and Mihai Ursu (Oak Tower) organised a meeting with carpenters to which Revista din Lemn was also invited. The event was a very successful one, in our view, because it created the environment for discussions about the craft, the problems and trials of a wood business, it brought together experienced and beginners, carpenters and hobbyists. Of the 16 participants 8 have their own workshops, the rest are in the process of opening one or just passionate about woodworking. The discussions covered all sorts of topics so everyone found their place. We hope that the meeting will be just the beginning and that there will be more and more events like this in different cities around the country. We promise that, if we are invited, we will do our best to be with you.

An emotional start to the day

The plan from the beginning was to leave for Sibiu on Saturday morning. The return from Cologne fair was set for the early hours of Friday, so we didn't have much choice. Friday was a beautiful day in Bucharest, sunny and 14°C in the thermometers, so we didn't worry. However, we decided to leave for Sibiu at 6am to make sure we arrived on time. In the morning, however, it was snowing like a fairytale, and the snow had settled on a layer of ice because it had rained heavily in the evening. So our plan was thrown into chaos.

We set off with determination, even though the car dance on the road. On the highway we only saw asphalt near Pitesti. The snow on the ground, the snow drifts and poor visibility slowed us down a lot. Fortunately we were moving forward, unlike those on the other side of the highway where a truck had pulled up on the side of the road. It was only in Pitesti, where the weather had calmed down considerably, that we escaped the fear of being stopped by such an event. But the whole adventure ended with a delay of almost 2 hours.

Socializing, exchange of ideas, personal experiences, raffle

Once we arrived we tried to join the discussions on the fly so as not to disturb too much. We missed the beginning part with the presentations of the participants, but we didn't insist on resuming them in order not to waste the time dedicated to the discussions. We also introduced ourselves briefly, telling about our presence in the wood industry for more than 25 years and the appearance of the Wood Magazine almost 8 years ago.

The discussions touched on a wide variety of topics: where to buy wood, native species, processing methods, tools, sanding materials, how to protect and finish wood, how to be better at what you do, niche activities and products, participation in international fairs, personal experiences. It was a real pleasure to see how people are eager to learn from the experience of others, how they participate in discussions without inhibitions.

There were many great moments that I hope we will be able to present soon in a video about the event. I would like to mention just two of them. Daniel Szekely (Apprentice Daniwho I met at nZEB goes Passive from Cluj) who brought a collection of native wood species that was highly appreciated, both for the wood and the way it looked. Daniel, a Forestry graduate, has two passions, wood and bookbinding. As a result, the collection was presented in the form of an impressively well-crafted book. It brought me some woodincluding a piece of edible chestnut. All the wood species in the collection were collected and processed by Daniel.

Another interesting episode came from one of the participants. She worked for a while in France where she attended a carpentry school. She told us about the learning process, the practice they did there with a large amount of wood so they could make mistakes and learn, the role of the teachers, the costs of such a course. He returned home with the plan to use the knowledge he gained to open a carpentry shop with an associate. She came to the meeting eager to find out as much as she could about what was involved.

At the end of the meeting there was also a raffle where, by drawing lots, everyone won a small item offered by the company Wood-Mizer. We also thank them.

A first meeting that pleasantly surprised me in many ways

The first pleasant surprise was the large number of participants and their seriousness. I know from experience that if they don't have to pay to attend an event, many drop out without letting the organizer know. For the Sibiu meeting, 18 participants signed up in December, before the holidays. There were several requests, but it was not possible due to lack of space. There were very few who dropped out and from what Mihai said I understood that they had serious reasons.

Another surprise was the interest and variety of topics covered. I thought being about socializing, without a carpentry theme like how to make a particular joint or how to dry wood to avoid problems, interest will not be high and git will break quickly. It didn't, as the discussions went on until late.

The experience shared, the advice, the recommendations, the willingness to associate were other aspects that pleasantly surprised me. It seems that slowly the members of the community realize that together problems can be solved faster and better.

In conclusion, it was a good meeting. Of course, after it was over, Fane and Mihai were thinking that some things should have been done differently or other topics should have been tackled. But that's just the pilot episode, and the show is just beginning. 🙂