woodworkers guild of america worth it?
If you’re just getting started in the woodworking world, you’ve probably already viewed every available woodworking tutorial video on YouTube. You’ve learned a little bit, but you wish you could know much more. The Woodworkers Guild of America was recommended to me by a friend who also enjoys working with wood. Is it reasonable to invest in this guild?
If you want to improve your woodworking abilities, but can’t find quality videos or other materials online, consider joining the Woodworkers Guild of America. Both the Premium and Gold levels of membership cost $129 per year.
For those who are committed to developing their woodworking skills, joining the Woodworkers Guild of America might be worthwhile due to the abundance of professional resources and educational opportunities available to them. However, some have complained that it’s tough to get out of membership commitments once they’ve made them.
Keep reading if you haven’t decided between WWGOA and the Woodworkers Guild of America yet. I’ll fill you in on the company’s background, the services it offers, and further price details in this piece. You’ll find out if the WWGOA is a good investment by the time you finish this article.
What Is the Woodworkers Guild of America?
Those interested in woodworking, whether as a hobby or as a means of making a job, are encouraged to join the Woodworkers Guild of America (WWGOA), a professional organisation.
World Wildlife Fund & Global Ocean Alliance has a wealth of information at your disposal. What I saw astounds me.
As a preview, let me say that their substance is substantial; I’ll go into more detail in the following part.
But why should you put your faith in the WWGOA? Teachers and videographers aren’t amateurs; they’re all experienced woodworkers who collaborate on the projects.
However, the WWGOA site is not one of my favourites. The aforementioned link leads to a website that, surprisingly, lacks a “about” page. Despite its name, the site’s Browse tab did not lead me anywhere.
Here is the scrap of information I managed to gather regarding the WWGOA. They operate out of Minnesota.
According to a post on their Facebook page, “At WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA), we recognise that woodworking is more than a pastime for you — it’s a lifestyle.” We hope you’ll consider us your go-to resource for satisfying that hunger for knowledge, creativity, and camaraderie among like-minded woodworkers.
is woodworkers guild worth it
Is Woodworkers Guild Of America Free?
The Woodworkers Guild of America does not provide any free membership tiers. In order to join, you must select one of two membership levels.
How Much Does It Cost to be a Member of the Woodworkers Guild of America?
Pricing for annual memberships ranges from $55 for the Premium level to $129 for the Gold level. The Premium membership has a monthly payment option of $6, while the Gold membership has no such option.
I was unable to determine when exactly they offered membership discounts, but I know they do it occasionally. It appears to be at random, so here’s hoping.
I’ve also included a list of useful Woodworking links that I found on this site.
What Resources Can I Use If I Join the Woodworkers Guild of America?
Now, what exactly do you get as a member of the WWGOA for your membership fee (no, there is no free membership)? So, as promised, let’s talk about all the amazing stuff the WWGOA provides its members with.
Premium Videos
WWGOA collaborated with industry heavyweights to produce in-depth videos covering many aspects of woodworking. You may also see how things are done in the woodworking world, from the ground up. There is more than a hundred hours of material to consume.
Have a look at the best videos they have to offer here in their premium video area.
Video Downloads
Some of the videos on WWGOA can be downloaded in their entirety if you enjoy seeing them and would like to watch them again without visiting the site. Some, because WWGOA is fussy about the videos it allows you to download. Your video download limit is set at a maximum of eight and a bare minimum of two.
Unfortunately, you are not free to pick any two or eight videos. They have already been chosen for you. Yes, WWGOA is a discerning organisation, as I warned you.
Woodworking Plans
One of the best things about belonging to the WWGOA is access to their extensive library of woodworking plans. There are a lot of designs and projects available for perusal on their website, and you can even download them to use whenever you choose. Just like the amount of woodworking videos, the number of downloaded plans is between two and eight.
Take a look at their woodworking blueprints. The blueprints were very helpful to me.
Newsletter
You can use this function for free, unlike the rest of WWGOA. Enter your email address on their site, and you will immediately begin receiving their newsletter. However, if you expect to get access to the vast majority of the newsletter’s content and tools without having to pay for them, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
WWGOA Academy Classes
Learn a thing or two about woodworking from the experts at WWGOA Academy. Only three of these courses are available, but WWGOA estimates their worth to be $120. You, as a paying member, would have access to a Q&A session with the course instructor and additional resources.
These are the available courses they provide.
WWGOA Academy Mini-Classes
Class sessions at WWGOA Academy are recorded, while mini-classes are held in real time. Tune in to a Livestream to learn woodworking from seasoned pros. You can post questions and receive fast answers, much like in a traditional classroom setting.
Short courses are available here.
Ask the Expert
Feeling at a loss for what to do next with your current woodworking endeavour? The matter is not really important. If you get stuck while working on a project, you can reach out to an expert via the Ask the Expert section for assistance.
You can sign up for a membership that grants you access to the Ask the Expert service by clicking here.
Woodworking Articles
Furthermore, WWGOA claims that there are hundreds of articles written by industry professionals that are available to you. There is a wealth of excellent woodworking ideas in these articles’ tips and blueprints to keep you busy for a very long time.
What Do I Get For My Membership?
Take a look at what each subscription tier offers in terms of content.
Premium Membership
When you sign up for the Premium plan, you’ll have less access to features and benefits than with the Ultimate plan because it’s the cheaper option. Give me a chance to illustrate my point.
In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes, but only if you pay annually as opposed to monthly.
If you pay annually, you can download two videos, but just once.
Save 50% on all downloadable videos
Regular email update
Any and all woodworking blueprints, books, and projects
Exclusively high-quality videos
Contrary to What You Should Know,
The WWGOA Academy is closed.
Not even WWGOA Academy has little classes.
Gold Membership
If you’d prefer take advantage of everything WWGOA has to offer, you can upgrade to Gold membership for $50 or more. The following are examples of this:
Get Answers From the Professionals
Mini-courses in four subjects offered by the WWGOA Academy
Three Courses at the WWGOA Academy
7 DIY Woodworking Projects
There are eight videos totaling a minimum of 75 minutes each.
Shop in the WWGOA store and save 20% on everything except videos!
Learn from the best instructors at a 20% discount with this WWGOA Academy coupon!
Plans can be downloaded at a 20% discount.
Discounts of up to 60% are available for video downloads.
Regular email update
Any and all plans and projects for working with wood
Exclusively high-quality videos
WWGOA claims that each mini-class in the WWGOA Academy is worth $15. Full-length video downloads cost $17 each, woodworking plans are $7 each, and WWGOA Academy courses are $40 each.
The company’s official recommendation is that you go for the Gold package. The value of a Gold membership in WWGOA, according to the organisation, is greater than $370 because of the “ongoing discounts, and perks exclusive to GOLD Membership.”
How Do I Join the Woodworkers Guild of America?
How do you feel about being a member of the WWGOA? All you need to do to get started is check out their website right here. The “Become a Member” button is prominently displayed in bright red at the top of the webpage. Additionally, there is a Shop tab at the very top of the main page.
Researching the WWGOA website extensively has led me to the conclusion that pretty much every link you click will take you to the membership page.
The Woodworkers Guild of America is accepting new members right now.
After choosing between the Premium and Gold plans, enter your billing information (name, country, home address, state, zip code, phone number, email address, and account password) and submit the form.
You should now decide whether or not to subscribe to the WWGOA publication. If not, deselect the “Communication Preferences” box.
The last step is to enter your payment information. Modern electronic payment systems like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Pay are not accepted at WWGOA.
Once you click the red “Complete Order” button, your transaction will be finalised. Watch for the email confirming your order. Then you should accept our hearty congratulations, as you have just become a member of the WWGOA.
How Do I Unsubscribe from the Woodworkers Guild of America?
It’s not easy to discover, but the WWGOA website does have a frequently asked questions section that, among other things, explains how to cancel your subscription. However, the WWGOA cancellation policy may not be to your liking.
If you haven’t been satisfied with WWGOA’s service within the first 30 days, you can cancel your membership and receive a full refund by contacting the organisation directly. However, this is only relevant if you have opted for the Premium annual subscription. There is no need for Gold members to worry about this, as their subscriptions renew automatically each year.
To discontinue your membership, please contact either [email protected] or 1-855-253-0822.
You’ve been a member of WWGOA for longer than 30 days, yet you still don’t like it. WWGOA promises a prorated refund for annual plan subscribers who cancel before the year is out. Members who pay a monthly premium cannot be returned under any circumstances.
You might not mind losing $6 if you only paid for one month of the WWGOA and then realised it wasn’t for you, but what if you paid for four or five months and then changed your mind? You would have paid more than half the annual membership fee by the fifth month ($30) but you wouldn’t get a refund.
How Do You Define Pro-Rated Basis?
After 40 days, you can cancel your Premium membership and get a return of about $48.97. You won’t get your complete $55 refund if that occurs.
Based on my own estimations, it is how I understand what they said. This could mean different things to different people.
On Facebook, some consumers have expressed their dissatisfaction because cancelling is more difficult than the WWGOA website suggests. One client stated that despite calling and emailing, they had not heard back. It goes without saying that you cannot cancel your membership in the WWGOA if you are unable to contact the company’s customer service. In other words, even if you willingly wanted to stop making payments, you would still be required to do so.
How Do I Cancel WWGOA Membership?
Send an email to [email protected] or call 1-855-253-0822 to cancel your membership.
If you pay the annual membership cost and cancel within the first 30 days, you will receive a full refund. After the initial 30 days, cancellations will be repaid at a prorated rate. Monthly subscriptions are non-refundable.
Is the American Woodworkers Guild Worth It?
Personally, I believe that the $129 Gold Membership and the $55 Premium Membership are well worth the annual cost. You’ll have the opportunity to unsubscribe after a year, and I have no doubt that you’ll learn something beneficial from the resources they offer.
There’s no denying that the WWGOA has set up its Premium and Gold membership tiers in a way that tempts you to switch to the more expensive Gold plan. The cost-benefit ratio is actually fairly good when everything goes according to plan. You will have access to manuals and video tutorials made by professionals in the field. Professional woodworkers frequently stream their workflow live online for viewers. Where else may you have the opportunity to do that?
New members are now being accepted by the Woodworkers Guild of America.
I’ve noticed reports that Premium users being bombarded with upsells to Gold membership. One Lumberjocks client alleges that the downloading video files wouldn’t even play for them and that they tried contacting them about it but never got a response. There appears to be a trend there. It’s possible that this is an anomaly, though.
However, if you pay a monthly fee for Premium, you will always lose out. You will not get a refund if you terminate your WWGOA membership, in addition to losing access to the membership benefits. That makes me pause, to be honest.
Conclusion
woodworkers guild of america membership
The Woodworkers Guild of America (WWGOA) is a trade group for woodworkers of all skill levels that offers classes and other resources. The cost difference between the Premium and Gold plans is not insignificant, thus the latter is the most cost-effective option.
There are negative aspects to the WWGOA. Video files reportedly don’t always operate, and several members have complained that WWGOA hasn’t responded to their requests to cancel their subscription.
Despite its limitations, I think the WWGOA would be useful for anyone who has tried YouTube tutorials and woodworking periodicals but still feels they need more guidance and training.
