If you listen carefully in Tom Gorman’s small basement workshop, you can hear the echoes of a distant generation of craftspeople. A master woodworker, he was trained in the old school apprentice system of Ireland, and that skill integrity, productivity, those values and methods of work are clear everywhere you look.

Those tools of history are also, you will come to learn as he talks, the very fundamentals he believes woodworkers can use today to advance their woodworking.

To get to that tidy, well organized downstairs shop you will walk through the main floor of his tidy and comfortable house. Those few steps will take you by handcrafted furniture pieces, special keepsakes, a snapshot of a lifetime of production from this craftsman of purpose.

Gorman’s work is also easy to find in the Southern Alberta Woodworkers Society (SAWS). He has entries in several Fine Works in Wood Exhibitions, along with many examples of sharing and training with the group. His work is always admired, always popular.

But back to the workshop and a look at his thinking on developing skills. Gorman is a practical man and his entire work area and work ethic demonstrate that focus on continual skill improvement and getting work done.

“I like this shop,” he says, as he comfortably shifts around the space, pointing out tools and organizational features, designed to dovetail into a simple, usable system. “It is handy and useful. It’s comfortable, warm in winter, cool in summer.”

Basic, simple; no doubt reasons it is also very productive space. And part of that production output is education of others, sharing knowledge, developing skills. Gorman is a natural teacher, whose quiet demeanor and easy warmth come together with quick willingness to help others interested in improving their woodworking.

“It's been my lifelong philosophy that part of my responsibility as a trained woodworker is to teach and pass along my knowledge to the next generation,” he says. “That’s how I see SAWS -- an organization that needs to be focused on teaching everyone, especially newcomers to our craft, to be better woodworkers.”

Exhibition a ticket to progress

So, what are his best tips to build woodworking skills? Gorman has clear views on what drives progress and what is overrated. All wrapped around the belief that you get somewhere by testing yourself regularly. And spoiler alert, he believes there is nowhere better to do that than the 2025 SAWS Fine Works in Wood Exhibition.

Here is his tips shortlist.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Many times, woodworkers dream of a big shop to be successful. But Gorman has always focused on effective, efficient production first. Exhibition entries over the years, he points out, come from a full range of shop sizes.
Get past the tools and gadgets. There are some wonderful new tools out there, some neat gadgets. Gorman’s philosophy is to get things you will use, then use them. He has no room in his shop or his life for walls of tools to simply look at. His tools are all good quality, but many are common brands, some vintage, sprinkled with a selection higher end modern. All tools within easy reach to encourage use.
Learn from the network. It is what SAWS is about for him. The knowledge, the skills support is in the membership, he says, and the value to you as a woodworker comes in harvesting that. The more you understand that opportunity to improve the more you can learn. He’ll often find himself in someone else’s shop, learning, talking woodworking.
Jump in the deep end. Many times, new woodworkers are hesitant to get into the Exhibition because they look at past entries and don’t believe they are good enough. Exactly the wrong approach, says Gorman. He has witnessed personally many times where people have really grown once they get past the initial fear of testing themselves.
Welcome the critique. The Standards Committee and Jury for the SAWS Fine Works in Wood Exhibition review all entries in two ways, first for work quality, then separately for artistic merit. Sometimes those comments bring concern for entrants. Gorman himself has had his work or work he admired, critiqued. Not always easy, he acknowledges, but he welcomes it. “It’s simply a solid way to learn,” he says.

A new era of opportunity

Today is a great time to build interest and skills in quality woodworking, says Gorman. And this is a great year to be part of SAWS, to enter and attend the Exhibition

“Thirty years ago, I thought that our craft was dying,” he says. “I no longer think this is the case. There are lots of good wood working clubs in North America, the UK, the EU, Australia and elsewhere. All sharing the knowledge directly or through the internet.

“I think we can only go up from here. We will shift from the older members to younger. I am optimistic that the younger generation can fill our shoes; they just need to pick our brains before it's too late.”