Hey, I have tried several times to begin woodworking in san doria but when I ask for materials information the game freezes up. I can look around with the camera and use chat but I can't move or anything. I have to ctrl alt del then log back in with this happens.

Get recipes online not through the NPCs.

Is this still an issue, and if so does that mean it's impossible to get guild points so you can sign crafted gear etc?

From my understanding of it, it's just the recipe request dialog that is broken. You can get synth support, guild points, aprons, and make signed gear for sure.