Woodwork
The Ancient Art
"Woodwork" and "woodworking" both refer to the venerated and respectable craft of cutting home furniture, decor, and useful goods from trees. Woodwork is experiencing a comeback as people are now motivated to live more harmoniously with nature. Real estate outside the cities is becoming popular again, as well, so many a carved or whittled home sign is giving a cheap rural home its "rustic" look.
Woodwork can be done using hand tools or power tools. It can involve sculpture, carving, whittling, sanding, and many other woodworking techniques. In most cases, woodwork is performed on local wood rather than imported wood; raw wood more often than 'finished' wood; and it's ordinarily used to make items that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, such as a detailed and impressive house number plaque, or small boxes sculpted to resemble animals.
The Renewed Popularity of the Home Sign
Perhaps the most prominent area in which woodwork has undergone a revival is in that of the home sign. The home sign used to be a standard 'accessory' for all homes - a simple plaque beside the door showing the house's number. In some cases, people would have their 'house numbers' replaced by a customized home sign with the family name or the house name on it. Having a home sign was a symbol of status and wealth; a discreet and understated sign of the ability to indulge in small luxuries.
When high-speed, low-cost building became commonplace during the 1980s and 1990s, the home sign all but disappeared. The home sign was no longer a standard accent on most houses, nor was it very common on its own. While some retired and wealthy homeowners were still keeping alive the tradition of the house number sign, most younger homeowners were ignorant of its significance or cultural meaning.
Now, with the world concerned about the future of its ecology, more and more people are trying to live in a "green" manner. For some, this means not buying imported goods. For others, it means becoming a vegetarian. For still others, it means striving to find replacements for all the plastic, metal, and chemically crafted alloys we've come to depend on in our modern day-to-day lives.
There has been a simultaneous boom in the housing market, so that families are able to purchase first homes at a younger age than their predecessors. Homeowner's pride coupled with a desire to support local craftspeople and live "green" has lead to a sudden resurgence in the popularity of the wooden home sign - often designed, carved, and finished by a local craftsman.
A skilled woodworker is in a unique position to feed a growing demand for custom home items crafted from wood. Many home sign manufacturers employ woodworkers of remarkable skill to help fill their orders, guaranteeing their customers high quality without removing the human touch from the creative process.