I was reading Teri’s Charlie Brown post and trying to think back on what influenced me towards wood working. I have come to realize that the decision to woodwork really came from no outside influences. My dad never woodworked. The only thing I can think of him working on was a model train table. I can’t remember my step dad doing anything in wood besides maybe a ramshackle doghouse. I really don’t know why I was drawn to wood. I always enjoyed “This Old House” and “New Yankee Workshop” growing up, but I didn’t do anything about it until my first marriage in 2001. One of the first things I did was to get a miter saw and a cheapo table saw and build myself a workbench. Those tools went the way of my first marriage, but when I entered my second to a woman who actually supported my hobbies, I was able to replace them fairly easily. I’ll tell you one thing, my wife hesitated ever so slightly when I told her I wanted a $400 jointer, but she hasn’t batted an eyelash since I built a raised panel door for the staircase storage area. She has seen what I can do with a bunch of cheapo tools and now she wants to know what I can build with some high quality ones. Thats what enabled me to spend $800 on my new router table. Sure we have to plan these things out in advance, but it is a whole lot easier now. I told her I wanted to get a $1600 table saw a couple of months ago, and she didn’t even hesitate. She just said, “Okay, let’s figure out a budget for it for summer of ‘08.” So I think the biggest influence to get me started in woodworking was inside me, but the best influence to keep it going was my wife. Thanks for reading.
Rob
-- Rob McCune
8 comments so far
GaryK
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8561 posts in 526 days
posted 300 days ago
That’s a good understanding wife you have there.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
Russel
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1325 posts in 477 days
posted 300 days ago
Most interesting Rob. I too can point to no outside influence that led me to wood. I know I like wood and really like building things. It’s all the better when you have the support and encouragement of your spouse.
-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.
dennis mitchell
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3049 posts in 852 days
posted 300 days ago
Good for her…You sound like a lucky man, Rob!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
Teri
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83 posts in 300 days
posted 300 days ago
Rob,
Sometimes I think another thing I like about woodworking, is being able to do things myself. And in most cases save money. I put a 500 sq ft addition on our home and did everything myself, from the original plan to the wood basement, to the finish work in order to save money. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. But there were things I just blindly jumped into (and thank God they turned out okay), when I would have hired out the work if I felt I could afford it.
-- Teri, Kokomo, IN
mrtrim
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1548 posts in 418 days
posted 300 days ago
good gosh man has she got an older sister ?? lol good for you rob , nothing like a good team effort . good luck
Rob McCune
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120 posts in 636 days
posted 300 days ago
Teri, that’s why I became a mechanic, I couldn’t afford to take my car to a shop. After 8 years spinning wrenches I learned that “because you can’t afford it” is not a good reason to do much of anything. Now if I can’t afford it, I don’t need it. I am thinking of adding on a closet to our bedroom, and quite honestly I can’t afford a contractor to do it, but I want to do it for the enjoyment of doing it. I can afford to do it myself, but if it was all about money we wouldn’t get the closet.
And for the record I am a mechanical designer now and enjoy it a lot more than working on cars. In fact I haven’t worked on a car more than 2 or 3 times since I went back to school.
Dennis, I am lucky, something I keep telling anyone who will listen.
Thanks to Russ and Dennis for the support.
-- Rob McCune
Scott Bryan
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9914 posts in 360 days
posted 300 days ago
Wow. I agree you that you have a very understanding wife. But I am sure that the process works both ways.
After 31 years I have learned there is a give and take to marriage- I give and she takes. Seriously though I think that you will find most wives and husbands are supportive of our woodworking “habit”. If nothing else it gets us out of their way and lets them have some personal space.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Todd A. Clippinger
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2673 posts in 637 days
posted 300 days ago
You are very lucky, I am blessed with a very tolerant wife too.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com