Burnt out ? What do you do?

[LeftyTom]

Like some sorta pointed out above, maybe the burn-out is a mild form of boredom. You can try some WW'ing you have not attempted, or read books and mags with articles on those uncharted grains of WW'ing.

[sawduster]

I go through cycles as well . I sit there on a beautiful Sat morning wondering if I have lost my mind because I am simply not motivated to get in the shop.
I've learned that this is normal and will eventually sort itself out. On the few occasions when I have forced myself to go, the outcome is messy and even more frustrating , so I allow myself the guilt free option of not working on anything
Sometimes I clean up , sometimes I just take a little time to sit there in wonder at what I have put together . Sometimes I just stay away and wait for the spark again.
Some of what I do can be so intense and time consuming that I just don't want to start and be committed to it. Small " instant gratification " projects rule the day when I'm like that
It's OK to stay away for a while . Odds are you will be back to it.
Let's face it , passion is what sets us apart from the mainstream. Without that passion, we are simply the makers of messes and manglers of wood
Strike the sails and wait for a new breeze. It will come and the everything's gonna be alright

[b4man]

I can't count how many times I've thought about selling off my tools and turning my shop into storage. I've been tinkering with WW'ing over 30 years. Never did a lot to show for it but every week I found myself needing to fix something in the house or even just cut tomato stakes and to the shop I went.
I think your phase is normal and I hope you'll just consider it as such.

When I was diagnosed with throat cancer, I knew I might as well close up my shop. I began thinking of who in my family and friends would like to have my tools. I thought about telling everyone here to come by and make me an offer. I didn't darken the door of the shop for 4 months. Then one day I was writing back and forth with Cathy Skipper and something she said (probably ' start now') sparked the desire to get back out there and clean it up if nothing else. The next thing I know I'm on line finding out how to fix something, make something, etc.

Take the summer off. If you still don't have any desire by Thanksgiving reconsider. But, what ever you do Jon, don't leave us here on the forum for long. We would miss you terribly!

[SteveColes]

When it's your job, it's one thing, but when it is a hobby, there really isn't an issue. Remember, it is a hobby. Hobbies are done for fun, not for deadline or guilt or any such other issues. Don't feel like woodworking, don't.

[Larry Rose]

I don't know if "burn out" is the right term but I certainly have a hard time getting motivated to start a project at times (like right now). I've been asked to build a bed head board for a friend and just can't seem to get interested. He wants it made out of common yellow pine and stained very dark and I quess I'll have to do it anyway against my better judgement.

[garymuto]

I hit a lack of interest zone from mid 2004 until early 2006. Ironically it was the period that I lived in Raleigh. Moving from MI to NC, then back to MI, putting stuff in and out of storage, dealing with damage and loss of tools... this was all overwhelming. By March of 2006, it was almost 2 years since I had a functioning shop that had my tools stored in 1/2 emptied boxes. I finally hunkered down and never looked back. My wife had even metioned that I was more relaxed once I got back to having some shop time. (I get an hour or so maybe 3 nights a week and 4-8 total on the wekends. I have a better shop than ever now thanks to previous experiences. I still don't get the time that I had to dedicate to the hobby up until 2004, but that's due to a high stress job. Having a varitety of hobbies helps keep my interests active.

[Glennbear]

With the sale of my house in NJ and the prolonged time it has taken to set up a shop here in VA it has been over a year since I was last able to do woodworking . I find myself feeling guilty that I am not out in the shop every available moment setting up. Burnt out? perhaps, like others have suggested I concentrate on other things such as my new garden. Steve said it well when he reminds us "it is a hobby" hobbies are fun and we should not let it become less than fun. As Sawduster and Bas pointed out a steady diet of ANYTHING leads to boredom and we are by nature cyclical critters. Walk away for a while and the interest and motivation will likely return.

[Bigdog72]

I burned out on bass tournament fishing. Was going to sell the boat, the 20 rods, all the tackle. Then I moved closer to my son (who had also burned out on "having" to go fishing. We both decided that we would fun fish when we have the time, no pressure. We go out for 3-4 hours and have a good time together. My point is, everyone burns out but it is how you handle the feeling that makes your life better.

[DaveD]

You have to realize these 'things' are 'hobbies' and not something you should be compelled to participate in every time you have a spare moment.

I started woodworking 45 years ago to help me with boredom while in the Army and to make some basic tables and stereo cabinets I couldn't afford otherwise. Other hobbies I was into were hotrodding and small construction projects helping friends in similar circumstances build things.

Over the years some of those hobbies were going 'full bore' and others were on the 'back burner' Sometimes for many years at a time. But I never lost my 'mental' interest in any of them. In the last 10 years I have expanded even more. I really got into welding (and its associated costs) and am now getting into metalworking (talk about $$$$).

Basically I have never sold any of my hand tools (power or otherwise). I always buy top of the line and they tend to 'cross hobbies'. Stationary tools are another animal though. No bandsaw, jointer, dust collector(never did have one of those), table saw.

I still have a drill press (that would be the last tool to go) 13" delta planer and 12" radial arm saw.. Use the planer about twice a year and the radial about once a month. I do woodworking 'when it strikes me'. Sometimes its for myself, other times its for someone else. Sometimes its for a month straight or just a day a month. Been busy working on cars and welding lately.

I still buy woodworking tools occasionally but they are more of the kind I can fit in a shopping bag.

The big thing I cut back on was the dedicated shop size for woodworking. At one time (at previous house) it was probably 800 sq ft. Now its jammed into a 2 car garage with the other 'hobbies' and I can still fit one car in there (on a good day). EVERYTHING is on casters so it can be pushed up against the walls.

Sometimes I think if you have a big and/or dedicated shop (for any hobby) you can get caught up in the mental debate of HAVING to ALWAYS use it to justify its space. At that point its no longer a hobby but a job.

[woodrat]

Man, burn out is natural. Humans need new things and tend
to get bored (burnt out) with the same old thing all the time.
New skills, projects, tools, can add the spark again. Please do
not sell your tools. This will pass.

2 years ago I was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, my
wife left me, and I had to sell most of my tools just to pay my
bills and keep my home. I was not burnt out as you might think.
I missed my tools very much. That was what kept me going and
when I had to sell them, I sunk to a new low. I hardly went out
of the house, became very lethargic, and just lost interest in
just about everything.

Well, I decided I was not ready to die just yet. Got up off my
butt, and started living again. Started looking for used tools to
put my shop back together, and met a some very nice people,
again. I've now got the shop back to the point that I can again
start enjoying working in it. I don't go to the 'shop' every day, but
instead, I go when I want to. That will make a difference for you.

So, the moral of this story is: Don't sell. You need the inspiration
to make something. Take a break, buy some woodworking books,
learn some new techniques, then get back out there and make
some saw dust....but wear a mask or respirator, PLEASE!


Woodrat

[CaptnA]

Burn out Its almost a way of life anymore it seems.
In my profession it seems more people burn out than retire. In the past 5 years we have hired over 100 people. Of that number only around 27 are still employed with us (or any department). It seems people get burned out or disillusioned or whatever. Some simply move on. Some have a plan that keeps them transitioning.
My advice and what I tend to do ( for what it may or may not be worth)
- take some time off totally from the work.
- make no definate plans (don't burn bridges) until you are sure of what to do and on what time plan. The tools you sell for "$1000" today, you couldn't replace for "5000" in two years.
- find out if you can WHAT has 'soured' you. Money, interest, time, or a combination of not enough of these? Were your expectations too high? Were you expecting to be your own boss and rake in tons of money? Did you have several hard to deal with customers in a row and they all took their collective toll? Is something else 'calling' to you? No magic answers, but once you found what and why - you MAY see a path to clearing up the cause(s).
- Look into ways of seperating your work time and 'play' time. If you make cabinets 60 hours a week and go to the shop to unwind - standing in front of the tools you labored on all week, your chance of success isn't overly high...
- Pray for guidance. Sounds odd? It may. And we all know it isn't for everyone. Hope you and noone else take no offense at the suggestion, but turn to whatever higher being you acknowledge or choose - and seek advise/options.
- Make a sound thought out decision based on your situation. Embrace your decision and make it work for you. It just might not be fun anymore. It may be just a job - and that thought scares me. I HOPE to turn to this when I retire. Sounds better than standing at the grocery store 8 hours a day calling out paper or plastic? But I don't want to HAVE TO spend "X" hours a day in the shop to make ends meet.
We've found that its easier/possible sometimes to 'salvage' employees rather than replace them time and time again. Not everyone can or needs to be 'salvaged'. Like a bad marriage - at some point when its over- its over! And nothing can fix or save it.
Hope you make the best choice for yourself....
Good luck to you!

[Mike Davis]

Young folks always think it has to be all or nothing.

My tools were stacked in a barn for 10 years, did I give up and sell them?

I never have been able to sell my wood work at a profit, does that make me quit?

I have tried all kinds of projects and still want to try more, I have learned a lot and helped a few other folks to learn. There is still a lot for me to learn and maybe some day I'll get it right, but I will never give up.

You aren't looking at the big picture, the long track, the distant future. Short term plans never account for the odd twists life will throw at you. Keep your tools, clean up and close the shop for a month or two. Read, go camping, volunteer at a nursing home or at church. Get this cold spot out of your system then you'll be ready to get back in the shop and make things you never thought you could.

Most likely you have hit a wall, just like super athletes do. You've got to a point where you think you've done it all and can't do anything bigger, better or different from all you've done before.

Give yourself a rest and time to refresh the natural creativity that got you into the shop in the first place.

[JackLeg]

One good thing about woodworking is that we set our own schedules for the most part. Sooo--- step back, turn out the lights for a while, and before long your brain will start craving the scent of fresh planed lumber, the sound of the tablesaw running, and in the process your hands will heal up!!!

Just remember how blessed you are to have a shop and all the people who would give anything to have one or have the ability to work in wood.

U'll be fine!

[JimmyC]

Everybody gets tired sometimes, I'm finally getting to the point that I have my shop back in fairly good shape. After having kids in 2000 and 2002, taking care of my elderly father, working 60 hr weeks, and moving down here in Oct.2005, I was never sure that it would happen again. But now I do what I need to do( around the house), and when I get stressed and it starts to feel like work, I try something new. There are so many mediums; casework, machine work , hand tool work, scrolling, turning, veneering, so on and so forth that I know I'll never have enough time in my life to get good at all of them . But I'm going to try.

Jimmy

[jeff...]

I hear the catfish are biting ,