what does the craft of woodworking mean to you?

I would say you hit it pretty well. However i would say that anyone can be a woodworker, however a true craftsmen could create a beautiful piece of work and look at it and say “how did i make such crap!” I think a true craftsmen is never fully happy with his/her’s work.

-- If you can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Your answer is basically the same as mine. It’s all about the personal satisfaction I get from turning something raw into something functional and/or beautiful. It’s about having a creative vision, and making that vision a reality. And it’s about leaving a little piece of me in everything I make. (And no, I’m not talking about power tool accidents.) :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

By day, I am an engineer.
When I am not building something in my head, I am planning, organiging, calculating, problem solving.

On alternate nights I am also an artist and jewelry designer. I am a partner in a retail jewelry store and do much of the jewelry repair and most of the custom design work. I want to be building something with my hands.

Woodworking gives me a way to combine my “right brain” mechanical way of thinking and designing with my “left brain” creative, artistic way of designing and building. It’s the perfect medium for me, and it’s something I can do for myself and my family, not for the company or the public.

-- Michael :-{| Diapers and politicians both need to be changed often; and for the same reason.

It means I get to have some fun. It means that I get t mke some stuff and use it in perpetuity or for so long as it lasts as well as ingratiate myself to others by giving some of the stuff it to them.

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

Among everything else that it is, I think it provides me the opportunity make people happy.

-- Jerry Nettrour, San Antonio, www.topqualitycabinets.net

Today my answer is ”*%^* &^(%^ $ $#^ %$+#$ !!!!!” Maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow.

-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."

To me, it’s picking up where my Grandfather left off when he passed away and keeping that piece of him, and his tools, alive.

He was an incredible woodworker, and while he passed before I was old enough to truly learn much from him, I think he would be proud of how far I have come in the craft. That alone makes me feel good, not to mention my love for creating from wood.

So, I’m not sure if my answer really fits the question, but it’s why I do what I do and the reason I’d rather work wood than do anything else.

-- Kenny

I think it taps into a very primitive and satisfying part of our psyche to shape pieces of wood into our service. It goes way back to how we first expressed who we were and how we saw the world before there was even language.

-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"

I’ve honestly never thought of woodworking as a ”craft”. It’s just what I’ve always done, career, hobby or art.
It has just been ”life” to me.

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

To me its an escape from ever intruding horrors, a way to beautify my sometimes ugly thoughts, Its my release into nothing while creating something. Nightmares can disappear, while dream images can come to life. Its therapy without needing to ask for help. Its peace in encroaching turmoil, a way to forget and a way to silently remember.

-- There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. ~William J. Clinton

I don’t think I’m overstating it to say that woodworking has really helped me with some major emotional issues. I was a combat medic in Viet Nam and my head was really damaged. I got a lot of “help” from the non-English speaking psychiarists at the VA and intensive counselling kept me going while I learned some coping skills.

Woodworking, however, took me to another level. It hellped me learn who and what I really am and what I’m capable of creating. It’s a journey that I am truly enjoying. I’m still not much of a “joiner” but I’ve discovered my fellow woodworkers are some pretty good people. I’ve posted elsewhere about a get together in SW Ohio. All are welcome.

-- Please Pray for Our Troops / Semper Fi / Bob Ross / www.theborkstore.com