What drew you in?

Like you I have no “pedigree” although I’ve dabbled with carpentry throughout my life.

I went over to a fellow cubscout dad’s workshop to build a pinewood derby car. He had a small workshop and the power over wood stimulated a lot of creativity. I would lay awake at night manipulating the shape and lines of that wooden car. I loved working with wood but I hated to have to go to someone elses house to do it.

I bought a drill press, miter saw, the basics. Then I bought a …...............

Handplane. Lord help me.

I hate to think of how much $$ I have spent because of those little wooden cars

-- I hate being bipolar. It's awesome! :^ ) ^:

What the heck. Here they are.

-- I hate being bipolar. It's awesome! :^ ) ^:

Very cool cars Scott, I like you sat up at night thinking about all of the things I wanted to build and how I could be creative. One of the best aspects of woodworking is the fact that it is an art form.

My dad was always had a workshop. Not really woodworking in particular, just the assortment of drills , sanders, screwdrivers, wrenches, chisels, and whatever else your typical DIY type would have in his shop. So I grew up around tools, worked in a hardware store while I was in college, and even spent several years in a home center/lumberyard operation after I graduated.

But it wasn’t until much later, about seven years ago, that I bought a cheap portable table saw on a whim. As soon as I saw all the possibilities that were opened up by being able to mill my own lumber to size, I was hooked. I’ve been buying tools and practicing the craft ever since.

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

I’ve been doing home repairs and remodeling for the past 25+ years. Some time back a customer asked me if I could build a medicine cabinet. I said yes then figured out how. Lost money on that one but learned a valuable lesson, namely that… uhhh…. hmmm… what was that lesson again? Oh well, anyway, then I kept running into situations that called for a custom piece to be made, so I would make it, lose money, learn a lesson, forget the lesson I learned.. it’s sort of an ongoing cycle. I guess it just boils down to I like working the wood and so I do it. Just started getting serious a couple of weeks ago, when I stumbled across this website. Yeah.. me serious… go figure.

Also, I like the smell of most woods, but not zebra wood… looks pretty but man does it stink! And that’s how I was drawn into woodworking.

-- I'll grow up when ketchup bottle farts stop being funny.

When I was in high school, I was not allowed to take ‘shop’, even though my aptitude tests showed I had an interest and inclinations for it. I wanted to go to college like my brother and sister, and my guidance counselor was quick to remind me of that every time I tried to sign up for one of the ‘industrial arts’ courses.

Click forward 35 years to the time we bought a house that needed a lot of TLC, and me with little or no woodworking skills. I decided I needed to learn some stuff, and once I got started in it, it was obvious that I had found something that would be satisfying and occupy my time in retirement.

That was nine years ago. I retired in January, we sold the project house, and bought a new home closer to our kids. We moved in two months ago today, and today I spent a little over ten hours in my new shop.

—Gerry

-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"

I have no pedigree. No shop time growing up. In 2002 I got married. Our small income could only get us a foreclosed or fixer upper home. So I had to learn some minor skills quick. In 2005 I had to build 2 vanities for another fixer upper home and I found some hidden talent and found a love for woodworking. Now in 2012 we have founded a small but growing cabinet shop and so far have been fairly successful doing what we love to do.

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

I’ve done home repair and update things, and always wanted to do some real woodworking, but could never justify spending the money on the tools one needs….Then I met a new friend that was a custom home builder, and I guess he saw that I did a nice job on building the porches, and fences, and remodel in the house…He was getting ready to retire, and he gave me a nice table saw, band saw, scrollsaw, planer, jointer, shaper, oscillating sander, blades,cutters for around 1500.00…All except the table saw are just like new. Thanks to him I can now make most anything my ability will allow…And I really like this site for the learning and ideas one can get here.

-- To realize our true destiny, we must be guided not by a myth from our past, but by a vision of our future

as a child i loved to build things legos , treehouse, whatever in school i loved shop and drafting. A friend of mine worked in a cabinet shop and got me a job, when i built my first cabinet that was it.

I got hit by a car riding a bike 16 years ago
Once I was able to use my right hand again and walk after 7 months of rehab my neighbor introduced me to woodworking 15 years later I am still addictted.

My father died young and I did not know him well as I was just a young boy. However, he was a draftsman and I inherited his aptitude for shapes and geometries.

In school I took drafting and shop classes. I found I was pretty good at drafting, back in those days everything was with a pencil on paper. But it wasn’t challenging enough to hold my interest long term.

That same year I took shop class. As part of my final grade I did a repair/restoration on an antique chair with a broken seat. It was my instructor who clued me in that the chair was A) an antique and B) made with hand tools. I thought it was just an old, cool looking chair made of wood.

It was slow to sink in, but over the years I started to realize that woodworking held a challenge for me that drafting never would.

-- "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain

I have always liked building things.when I was a kid I played with erector sets and built all sorts of things.There was also Lincoln logs, building houses.I worked as a frame carpenter for many years.Then I lucked into a job doing custom woodworking.To me there was no better job than working your hobby and doing something you love.

I started woodworking in grade 7 wood shop. The funny thing is, I never wanted to be in woodworking. I was suppose to be in art class, but there was a mistake in the class list and I was moved to wood shop, even though I really did not want to go. After learning how to make animal puzzles on a scroll saw, I was hooked. I got a scroll saw that christmas and my passion took off.

-- Ryan

I got hit by a car riding a bike 16 years ago
How was a car riding a bike? Ah, I crack myself up.

-- www.newageneanderthal.blogspot.com . @NANeanderthal on twitter

When around 7-8 years old I would go out in the garage and watch my Dad & Uncle build Pirogues. They would give me small tasks that i found fanscinating and apparently started my woodworking fire burning. I built soap box derby cars for 3 years when I was around 12 through 15 years old. What fun!!! I took woorworking classes in 7th, 8th & 9th grade in school and loved every second of it.
I spent many years building custom interiors in sailboats and motor yachts including alot of repairs and restorations.
I have built a lot of furniture and for the past couple of years have been creating sculpted boxes. At 64 I am as passionate about my woodworking as ever.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com