Why we love woodworking.

I’m a network manager for a school district and if I do my job well nobody knows I exist. It’s nice to physically make something and say “I did this” and have something to point to.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

I do it for the fame, money and chicks, of course.

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

I have to totally agree with Eric … It’s the fame.

I’m a straight line kind of guy, so most fine art is out. Straight lines with wood … I’m a happy camper. It’s the sawdust in the morning …....

-- Odie, Confucius say, "He who laughs at one's self is BUTT of joke". http://woodstermangotwood.blogspot.com/ (my funny blog)

I agree with Eric lol

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

Gee, Eric- I have all that! ;>)

I am sort of in Greg’s situation. Worked in computers and electronics all my life. You can toil all day but when you go home there is little tangible evidence that you even existed. Maybe it’s ego but woodworking verifies your existence. It says- “Look, I made this!”

Lew

I like making stuff, though the whole chick angle sounds pretty good too.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I must be doing it wrong, no money, fame or chicks. I do it to detox from my job as a corrections supervisor and for the feeling you get from the journey through each step to completion.

When I gave up cigars and women over 70, I had to do something.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

With my present occupation, everything that I design, build or install will be trashed in twenty years or less; technology is constantly evolving and older generations are being left in the dust. One of the things that attracts me to woodworking, is the fact that I can build something that could potentially last 300 years or more. It is one of the best chances that I have of leaving something of value behind – my legacy, I guess…

-- Festool4

cause powertools are KEWL…

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Because I put my fishing pole in the shop and can’t find it anymore.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

my wife thinks im a freak woodworking is simple i love the feel of wood it so tactile and to to produce something from nothing but a peice of wood is just the best feeling in the world i just wish i was close to some of what you guys put on here….....

-- cut it saw it scrap it

For me it is the opportunity to get away from all the hassles of the day. The sounds of the power tool or hand tools working the wood to me are like Calgon to a lady in a bath tub. I also need the time away from my wife when she is getting on my nerves: that why I call my garage my break room!

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

I enjoy working on something that others will trully appreciate and can use all the time. I also agree with Eric and PurpLev…. :)...

-- Steve-o

It has given us a lot of solid walnut furniture that we probably would have a hard time affording to buy. Someday I will post pictures. My “chick” (wife of 48 years) loves the stuff, she does a lot of sewing on a fancy machine.

But seriously, I enjoy being able to make something entirely by hand, and to know that it was a great challenge to do so. I also realize that most people who will see the stuff I make won’t have any idea how difficult it was, if they even notice it at all. That’s why the satisfaction and reward are mostly just internal. So I love LumberJocks because at least when I post about my victories and struggles in the process, lots of others out there know what I’m talking about and can relate!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

I am like Lew and Greg…. Completely virtual…. some even surreal….
I went to grad school in India and got my engineering degree in electronics engineering. In the first year, they teach every one all the trades in the workshops. So I learnt engineering drawing (plan views, isometric projections), wood working (made dovetail joints uses saws and made a small switch box), lathe for metal and wood, welding, fitting and God knows what…

I always wondered why they taught me all that as my major was engineering. My dad, professor of mechanical engineering and man of wisdom told me that it is all required to be a good engineer. If you cant mke it work with your hands, your are not an engineer.
Years later (11 to be exact), I moved to Canada and discovered Ikea and realised how much basic training in engineering helps me understand and do stuff….
Now the ‘real’ engineering that I do, is in my wood working… I enjoy it, destresses me…
I also find the pieces I build are great conversation points with friends and others who come over…

-- Ashish, Mississauga, Canada ( http://www.powertoolexchange.com )

I do it because my day job is creating and designing information systems that you can’t touch. I do it to satisfy my design/create/build drive in a tangible way.

Plus I have a place to go when I am bugging my wife.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

I do it because…well…I LIKE WOOD!

-- Don, Pittsburgh

Like others who posted it helps me decompress from the day job (network admin)primarily. I can “take a break” from the family to be alone. The satisfaction of being able to say I built that.

I simply love to create something. I work in a corporate office; you just don’t get the same sort of satisfaction do that work as I do woodworking. I love the smell of wood and the way the shavings curl from a plane or off a chisel….

-- Chris

For me, there’s just something about the infinite variations of wood grain and color. It always reminds me that nature is the ultimate artist.A well finished piece just begs to be touched and admired. Being able to blend nature’s art with my own vision is very satisfying.

I also find that woodworking is a metaphor for life in many ways. Good projects, like good relationships, take time, effort, and patience. And no mistake is ever so bad that we can’t start over.

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

Cuz most furniture for sale today is expensive…yet cheap. Cheap materials, cheap fastners, cheap joinery, cheap finishes, and cheap hardware.

So I get a charge out of building my own.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Before I got into wood, I was first a welder/fabricator. Then it turned into painter/pinstripes/airbrush. These were hobbies in addition to my regular job that paid the bills. No brag but I was really good at that and still am. I think what really got me about wood is that you have one shot at it. You can’t fix it with weld and a grinder, you can’t fix it with lacquer thinner, sandpaper, and hi-build primer. With wood, measure three times, cut it, still too short-use your head and make something out of it next month. In the meantime, re-cut, re-mill, re-do. It teaches you patience, which is in short supply these days. You guys know what I’m talking about. bbqKing

-- bbqKing, Lawrenceville

The only thing I can draw with a pencil is drawings to work from “Blueprints” I can paint a picture, or play a musical instrurment.
But I love the the camera, and woodworking. I find it easy to create in both of those worlds. I have the ability to look at a piece of wood or a sheet of plywood and see the way I want it to turn out. For the most part it is being able to create something that brings joy to someone weather it’s a family member, friend or a client.

-- Ed - Milan, IN

Because I love to.

-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Cause it’s awesome to reply to “Where did you get that beautiful table?” with “I made it!”
But also because it makes you a chick magnet :)

I deal with destructive things and people all day at work. They only want to tear down their community or each other (don’t get me wrong, I deal with good people, too). It’s nice to get into my shop, listen to some music that I like, and create. It’s one of my outlets for all that negative energy.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †