Woodworkers Anonymous


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I've gone about 18 months now without making a significant purchase (significant meaning - let's call it $500 or more).  I'm not sure the smaller purchases ever really end...task-specific tools, router bits, sandpaper, finishing supplies, interesting materials, etc...

The only time I'm not buying is when I'm not actively building, generally.  Woodworking is definitely a black hole for money.  There's so much to buy.

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There is always some consumable being replaced at the very least.  Sounds like I'm not ready to admit I have a problem yet. :)

I am blessed with a self-limiting environment. If I want to bring anything of a given size into the shop, something of equal mass must depart. Otherwise I would not have room to build anything.

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I think y'all have about talked me out of falling into the black hole. I have enjoyed woodworking in a very small way in the past, but with retirement (maybe) within site and reading this forum I'm thinking a much less expensive hobby may be a better choice for me. Maybe bird watching limited to my back yard. 

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3 minutes ago, BonPacific said:

I find one of the problems that seems peculiar (not unique) to woodworking is that it's really half a dozen (or more) hobbies together. There are so many rabbit/money holes to fall down.

So true.  Perfect example: I'm preparing to try a pearl inlay for the first time...$400 later, I think I have the tools and materials I need. :rolleyes:  Just a tiny little niche of the craft that opens into a black hole.

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1 hour ago, Mike T said:

I think y'all have about talked me out of falling into the black hole. I have enjoyed woodworking in a very small way in the past, but with retirement (maybe) within site and reading this forum I'm thinking a much less expensive hobby may be a better choice for me. Maybe bird watching limited to my back yard. 

Have you seen how much a good pair of binoculars cost?  Besides, you'll need a nice chair to sit in while you watch the birds eat the expensive bird seed you've put out for them.  What better way to spend the afternoon than in a chair you've built?

 

Seriously though...find the part of woodworking that you enjoy and optimize it around your needs.  You might find that you need a far smaller budget than a lot of the posts here might indicate.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, gee-dub said:

  Want sticker shock?  Talk to a serious 'open sea' fisherman or a competitive shooter.

Yeah I live in what's historically been a huge fishing community, so a lot of my buddies are super into open sea fishing.  I enjoy it as a minor hobby but my equipment is the equivalent of craftsman and ryobi (no offense intended).  But yeah my friends have spent easily more than I have on woodworking on their fishing equipment (and that's NOT including the boat itself).  

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11 minutes ago, Jfitz said:

Have you seen how much a good pair of binoculars cost?  Besides, you'll need a nice chair to sit in while you watch the birds eat the expensive bird seed you've put out for them.  What better way to spend the afternoon than in a chair you've built?

Good hiking boots are expensive and I have no idea how much those safari-looking shirts cost.  Plus have you guys bought any trail mix lately?  Damn, you'd think you were buying Kobe beef or king crab.

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1 minute ago, bgreenb said:

Yeah I live in what's historically been a huge fishing community, so a lot of my buddies are super into open sea fishing.  I enjoy it as a minor hobby but my equipment is the equivalent of craftsman and ryobi (no offense intended).  But yeah my friends have spent easily more than I have on woodworking on their fishing equipment (and that's NOT including the boat itself).  

Fly fishing is the same way, especially when you get into tying.  I got sucked into that black hole but managed to find my way out by trading it in for woodworking.  I kept all the hardware and wading gear but the tying crap went bye-bye.  Guarantee I had 5k worth of materials and vises...that I sold to a buddy for $500. :rolleyes:  Whatcha gonna do.

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Just now, Eric. said:

 Guarantee I had 5k worth of materials and vises...that I sold to a buddy for $500. :rolleyes:  Whatcha gonna do.

Yeah all my fishing equipment currently has a layer of GF high performance on it from overspray from my kitchen project.  There's only so much storage space ya know?

That's not to mention all my guns that essentially collect dust in a safe now.  I only have time for 1.5 hobbies*.  And really not even that much.  Woodworking and boating.  I won't give either one up, but woodworking has taken precedence over the last few years.

Hell I have had red sox season tickets since 2004, and the number of games I go to every year has comically dwindled**.  A big part of that is moving out of the city and having kids, but still.  In 2004 I went to 72 out of 81 red sox home games.  Barely had enough money in my pocket to pay for beers at the game (and that's back when they were "only" $6 each instead of like $17 now).  I think last season I went to 6 games.  Thank god there's still enough demand that I can sell them easily, allowing me to keep the tickets in the delusional hope that someday I may hit 72 again.

*I know, world's smallest violin playing just for me.

**see above.

 

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6 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Good hiking boots are expensive and I have no idea how much those safari-looking shirts cost.  Plus have you guys bought any trail mix lately?  Damn, you'd think you were buying Kobe beef or king crab.

Two trips to African bush in two years. Dent and ding store protein granola fills every void in my diet for those three weeks. Also, don't buy true Safari shirts. Wait until December and buy the old model fishing shirts. Same concepts, a quarter the cost. I am not sure there is a woodworking equivalent. 

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Aside from a few backpacking/canoe trips per year, woodworking is it for me anymore.  Home improvement too but that's basically in the same category.  Ain't nobody got the time or money for other hobbies once woodworking infects you.

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Seriously, I renewed my woodworking interest in 2002.  I had virtually no tools leftover from former days.  I have yet to spend as much as I spent on golf before I realized my score was never going to improve.  Want sticker shock?  Talk to a serious 'open sea' fisherman or a competitive shooter.

 

Competitive shooting is crazy expensive but also so time consuming. Ever tried to make enough hand pressed rounds to satisfy your need for a thousand round practice session? It eats up far more time than any hand cut dovetails or hand chopped mortises ever could. Thank God I never really dove into that world.

 

But shooting sports aside, does anyone collect fine spirits or wine? I think I could have upgraded almost everything in my shop for how much bourbon I have. The funny thing is I don't drink that much of it, I'm saving it for a hopefully big payday in the future. ☹☹☹

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Jfitz said:

I'm not "super" into sea fishing, nor am I any good at it.  But I just bought a boat, and well...let's just say I don't ever want to think of the effective price per pound of fish.  It's just a hobby - like woodworking - and the cost is worth it to me.

What did you get?  Where you keeping it?

I have a sailfish 218cc and I dock it in Scituate harbor. 

All of the jokes and sayings about boats and money pits...are 100% true. And I say that as someone who does all my own maintenance and repairs. God help the people who hire it out. 

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My brother in law loves to drop semi-subtle hints of how I shouldn't buy the best tools because I'll just dump a ton of money into a hobby, and those tools will just end up broke anyway,  etc.  I have to remind him that this is my only hobby....he does a little woodworking, metal working, bee keeping, beer brewing, motorcycling, dirtbiking, and a bunch other stuff I can't think of.  

I have spent too much trying to get my shop up to par quickly, but whatever...its still cheaper than therapy. 

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1 minute ago, bgreenb said:

What did you get?  Where you keeping it?

I have a sailfish 218cc and I dock it in Scituate harbor. 

All of the jokes and sayings about boats and money pits...are 100% true. And I say that as someone who does all my own maintenance and repairs. God help the people who hire it out. 

I feel like we've had this conversation before :)

I just upgraded to a 30' dual console.  We boat out of Falmouth, spend a lot of time around the Islands.

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1 minute ago, Jfitz said:

I feel like we've had this conversation before :)

I just upgraded to a 30' dual console.  We boat out of Falmouth, spend a lot of time around the Islands.

Lol yup we definitely have. 

Thats awesome. Such a great area. I'm going to oak bluffs for a week in July and bringing the boat. And my parents rented a house in Falmouth heights in August so I'm gonna go down for a few days. Great boating down there. 

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