Why woodworking?

[jim.scrollsaws]

Hey guys,

I'm still new around here and I was curious to get a sense of how others on the forum think. Naturally, I think woodworking is a great hobby. It keeps us active, we can take pride in making our own custom items and I've seen people make outstanding, personalized gifts for their close ones.

But what do you think? What are the main reasons for you to take such an interest in woodworking? Is it just a hobby, or work for you?

I don't expect a lot of long answers, this is just a little curiosity of mine

Also, do you have any other hobbies besides this?

Thanks!

 

[CrealBilly]

Hey Jim

My woodworking is mainly hobby but sometimes business too (although mainly bartering). I own a sawmill also so I take it from standing tree to finished peice.

Why do I woodwork?
#1 relaxation - Fun way to get my mind off stressful things.
#2 make solid furniture which you simply spend a small fortune for nowadays. Most everything mass produced is junk and considered throw away.
#3 just starting to kick up electric bass guitar building which is very challenging and rewarding for me. As it crosses a lot of disciplines woodworking is only part of it.
#4 rewarding - its cool to build something that is useful that you know will be passed on to future generations.

My other hobbies are farming, gardening, hunting, cooking, eating and of course hanging out with my 9 kids, in laws and spoiling grand babies.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

 

[BWSmith]

Jim,I grew up in the biz....that was the lucky part because,after 40 years it is still what gets me out of bed in the morning.Somedays it may be the engineering side.....other times it's the creative art part,or maybe just plain curiosity.But one element that seems to always be present is,I simply couldn't afford the quality if it had to be purchased through normal channels.Best of luck.

 

[Mike Davis]

I have always had to fix what ever I had. Sometimes things given to me that were already worn out, sometimes things I owned that wore out or broke, nowadays seems like everything new as soon as I bring it home from the store.

Wood is easier to repair and lasts longer than plastic so that is what I ended up gravitating toward.

 

[jim.scrollsaws]

Hey Jim

My woodworking is mainly hobby but sometimes business too (although mainly bartering). I own a sawmill also so I take it from standing tree to finished peice.

Why do I woodwork?
#1 relaxation - Fun way to get my mind off stressful things.
#2 make solid furniture which you simply spend a small fortune for nowadays. Most everything mass produced is junk and considered throw away.
#3 just starting to kick up electric bass guitar building
#4 rewarding - its cool to build something that is useful that you know will be passed on to future generations.

My other hobbies are farming, gardening, hunting, cooking, eating and of course hanging out with my 9 kids, in laws and spoiling grand babies.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

Hey Jeff,
#2 - so true! You just can't compare the durability of something done at home (done right, that is) with a furniture piece you would get at (say) IKEA.
#3 wow! now that sounds productive

I think hunting's an interesting hobby as well (been saying for a long time that I want to get my licence, haha) and congratulations on the 9 kids! They are very lucky to have you

Jim,I grew up in the biz....that was the lucky part because,after 40 years it is still what gets me out of bed in the morning.Somedays it may be the engineering side.....other times it's the creative art part,or maybe just plain curiosity.But one element that seems to always be present is,I simply couldn't afford the quality if it had to be purchased through normal channels.Best of luck.

Thanks BW you can't really go wrong by taking what you love and making it your business!

I have always had to fix what ever I had. Sometimes things given to me that were already worn out, sometimes things I owned that wore out or broke, nowadays seems like everything new as soon as I bring it home from the store.

Wood is easier to repair and lasts longer than plastic so that is what I ended up gravitating toward.

It's definitely a good skill to have, Mike. Maybe the reason why they seem to break more and more quickly is because your attention to detail is also getting stronger as you become better (then again, it could also be that furniture nowadays just doesn't last as much as it used to)

And thanks for all the great comments, guys, it's nice meeting you all!

 

[Mike Davis]

Yeah, someday I plan to make a piece of furniture.

Probably have to spend several thousand dollars on classes and big machinery first...

 

[CrealBilly]

Yeah, someday I plan to make a piece of furniture.

Probably have to spend several thousand dollars on classes and big machinery first...

You a funny guy Mike - If I had your talents I would have to have two heads to store it all in.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

 

[danw]

Because rocket science is too hard.

 

[nn4jw]

Like Mike, I grew up having to fix anything I had and learned all kinds of skills along the way as a result. Woodworking as a hobby grew out of that, but it's only one of a number of hobbies I have.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Originally got into it because it was great stress relief. The need to concentrate on a project took my mind off my day job. I give away 8 out of 10 projects as gifts and the genuine appreciation from recipients surprised me. Now I do it for the pure joy of looking at a couple rough boards and with very basic skills, making something that is pleasing to the eye and will last long after I'm gone. My honey do list is quite long so most of my near term work will become part of our new home.

 

[Phil S]

I have an addiction to constantly build something, almost anything. I almost never do the same project twice and on the rare occasion I use a plan, I find myself changing it.
I found woodworking to be the best cure. With the same tools, I can make a rc plane and then a boat and then switch and make a wedding gift or as I normally do work on all of them at the same time. I cannot do that with my other hobby, the vintage sports cars take up way too much shop space

 

[Hmerkle]

Jim,
thanks for posting this question.
As you can see, I think it is different for everyone, even if there are some similarities.

I always thought I could support my tool buying habit with the sale of items... unfortunately my desire to have more tools, or learn more skills outpaced my buying habits!

I think the real reason I choose wood was to simply create... in various mediums and methods.

By that, I mean we can scroll, turn, do flat work, with machines or by hand.
Through learning these skills we can fill a home with furniture, create gifts, or supplement our income with projects!

What I really enjoy about the craft is talking about it! (probably why I enjoy NCWW so much!)
Talking with hobbyists, and professionals alike - The craft is something of an "Evener." I have discussed the craft with Mike Darlow, Christopher Schwarz, Roy Underhill and many many more, While I am awestruck - they are simply having a conversation with someone else who enjoys the craft like they do!

 

[Rick M]

How:
Industrial Arts was mandatory in Jr. High and introduced me to woodworking, printing, leather working, and drafting. After that I took every woodworking class my school offered and tried to take them twice but they wouldn't allow it, been woodworking off and on since. We had an amazing wood shop with industrial size machines, full dust collection, a ventilated finishing room, tool room, lumber room, nice workbenches, and a skilled teacher. I was very fortunate. After moving to North Carolina in '94 I got more serious about woodworking and studied everything I could find by Tage Frid, Frank Klaus, and other 'master' woodworkers. Norm kept me fired up with a desire for power tools. Now, years later, Roy keeps me fired up about hand tools, plus I don't like the noise of power tools anymore.

Why:
I love creating something tangible, more than the sum of it's parts.

P.S.
I've also been in printing off and on since, and work in printing today. I also took every drafting class my school offered which was quite a few, basics, engineering, architectural; then after the Army I went to school for Autocad but never worked in the field because as companies transitioned from paper to computers, they needed fewer draftsmen. The only thing I never continued was leather working (but sometimes I think about it). Jr. high industrial arts had a ridiculously big impact on my life.

 

[kooshball]

Fortune and glory!

 

[Hmerkle]

Fortune and glory!

:rotflm:

 

[ScottM]

WW is my outlet. After working which invoked endless hours in front of a computer and on conference calls I needed something. I always like to make and fix things. My first serious adventure becgan with the purchase of a cheap scrollsaw from Lowes. The rest just grew.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

I got into it after my father in law purchased a curly cherry table made by the Amish in PA. I had never seen figured/curly wood before and I immediately fell in love. My father in law then made us a curly cherry and when I picked out/purchased the wood, I started thinking that I wanted to build something out of beautiful materials. After that I was hooked for good.

My other hobby was playing the guitar, but woodworking has "clicked" with me in a way that the guitar never did. I only do this as a hobby and I don't see myself ever selling any pieces. My wife has a list of projects long enough to keep my busy for a long, long time. I have just recently starting building some projects for some family. That is also very rewarding.

 

[eyekode]

I am like many who responded who like to make tangible objects. I also like to learn. And woodworking provides many opportunities.
I also like creativity and art.
One thing that has kept me hooked is the variation. Every piece of wood is different. That is one of the reasons I like turning bowls. The beauty inside firewood is amazing! In fact I recently picked up some firewood from Scott Smith and I could bear to burn some of the random drops. Can't wait to make something out of them .
Salem

 

[DaveD]

I got into it probably more out of necessity than anything else. Too poor to hire the work out. Never happy with the stock sizes of anything. Or thought I could improve quality wise on store bought.

Out of the army, got married, bought a house and realized I could buy tools to fix/make stuff and basically break even cost wise vs paying someone to do it. Basically traded my labor for tools.Woodworking was a relatively inexpensive hobby to get into in the mid 1960's. After all only Sears and Montgomery Ward sold power tools.

Built my own kitchen cabinets and some more basic stuff. Worked with guys that were brought up like me so we were always feeding off each other. Besides we all were computer programmers so we constantly needed a mental break from that work. Got to the point nothing seemed impossible. Remodelling a small home was relaxation to me. Built in bookcases were pure pleasure to build.

Always managed, and still manage, to rub elbows with people that had/have hands on mechanically oriented hobbies, woodworking included. Once you see the basics first hand they are much less a mystery.

Last 10 years or so have expanded my hobbies into welding, machining, basic metalworking, etc. Now those are hobbies where there is a need of a fair amount of disposable income to have fun. The proverbial 'money down a rat hole' comes to mind. But the same kind of satisfaction is there.

I will have to say adding metal working to woodworking opens up new possibilities in the woodworking arena. You can hide the strength in the steel rather than bulky lumber.

 

[striker]

I owed/operated a machine shop for 20 years. After being out of the business for a number of years I realized I really enjoyed building things. I quickly realized I could buy everything LN sells for less than a down payment on a Haas machining center so wood it became.