# How much time do you spend?



## ToddTurner (Apr 20, 2009)

My wife asked me what i wanted for Christmas for my shop. I told her i wanted time and materials. I love my hobby and have all my life. I want to know how the rest of you guys manage your time with your passion of woodworking. Are you regimented to 2 hours a week or do you sneak out there every 5 minutes you can?
I think this is an interesting topic as we can share all the secrets and ideas we want but if we dont spend time in the shop, all our efforts are null and void. 
How do you manage your time to get in the shop? How much time do you get in the shop. Okay, PLEASE dont come back with 'whenever my wife lets…'


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## Timberwerks (Sep 29, 2009)

Luckily I do this full time so my wife would rather see me in the studio keeping busy.


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## Padre (Nov 5, 2008)

I am disabled retired so I get to spend as much time or as little time in my shop as I want. My wife still works, and will be working for quite some time, so the shop has become my 'job' and has allowed me to keep my sanity.

I miss it when I can't be there doing what I want.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

Me i love my shop and try to get down there everyday but it's hard cuz i work at a acrylic shop and we make furniture,store card- sneaker- broshure holders and displays, boat winshields and everything inbetween so we obviously have to clean up after this is what makes it tough for me cuz i'm so tired when i get home and plus my pockest ain't that deep so getting supplies are another thing. I can go down there anytime i want just as long as my doughter stayes upstairs i get uncomfortable with her there just in case anything happens, i'll never forgive myself. So all in all i try to get in there as much as i can. i would say about three or four days out of the week, weekends i'm in there all day others untill nine or ten.


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## ropedog (Mar 26, 2008)

this is what i do so i spend as much time as i need to in my shop. could be 20 hours could be 60, depends on what is going on that week.


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## mhein68 (Feb 17, 2010)

Not near enough in my book.. I will sometimes spend an entire saturday in the basement… Between the wife child and work…


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## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

This is my hobby and I have a busy fulltime job that takes up at least 60 hours per week. Occasionally I am able to get in the shop for a few minutes in the evening but am not able to do anything significant, especially involving power tools (our home is attached to the neighbors' on both sides). So the weekend (when we aren't doing something like visiting family or going to a wedding or yadda yadda) is the only time I can get. I've never figured out exactly how much this amounts to, but I imagine it is only 2-3 hours per week of good shop time. I spend at least triple or quadruple that per week on woodworking in general, but since it's usually late at night or early in the morning it only amounts to reading, perusing websites, or planning.

I can only imagine how little time I will have once we have children…


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## MattinCincy (Oct 7, 2009)

Like live4ever I have a 50 plus hr per week full time job and never have enougth time in my shop. I try to get down there very night after dinner for an hour or so, usually working on the home improvement "honey do" list. The wife dosn't mind because almost everything I do down there benefits her in some way or another. I have big plans for my own projects but somehow they always get trumped by her. Go figure!


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

To start with my shop is unheated so it's "seasonal" and tends to see no action from December thru March. Once open, I get out there as our schedule allows. I often ask for "guilt free" time for Father's Day, then do what I want.


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

I just ask my hunny if theres anything she needs done before i grab a coffee n hit the shop. if we have priorities to get done we get it done first, then all day in the shop


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I'm a full time woodworker both contracting and wood shop work.


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## Misesfan (Mar 12, 2010)

I spend as much time as possible, but not enough for my tastes. As well as a bunch of people here, I have a full time job in addition to my hobby/obsession, as well as six children running amok. My wife is compassionate up to a point, but if I build her a nice piece of furniture soon, she may be more understanding. But I am still learning my chops, so hopefully I can get better soon.


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## Rustic (Jul 21, 2008)

I am currently looking for work. But I also want to do this and computer repair full time. So I am working on it. Currently I have 3 projects on the list. Working on one and planning the rest. So I guess I get into the shop when I can


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Todd, I am retired and my wife works full time. In addition both of my sons are grown and have their own places. My current "job" is to keep my 6 year old grandson after school so I can spend all day in the shop (provided I have addressed my wife's project list, of course).


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I have a full time job as a program manager, but I work at home. I am also single so I call the shots on what I do. Frequently during a lunch break I walk down the hall to the shop and get an hour in, and I work a couple of hours in the evening if I dont have yard work or other domestic work to do. I have too many other hobbies so they are what gets in the way.


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## brownkm (Feb 9, 2008)

We have 2 boys ages 5 & 3, so most evenings when I get home from my money-making job, I take the kids off of my wife's hands, since she had them all day. We get a babysitter one evening a week for 2 hours, and on Saturday mornings for 3 hours - that's so I can have "shop time", and my wife can have "girl time". That's about all I get - sometimes I'll do a coat of finish or something quiet after the kids are asleep.

I'd love to have more shop time, but all that babysitting gets expensive!


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## JasonIndy (Dec 29, 2008)

I work nights with occasional daytime work as well. It's nice because I can spend a whole day out in the garage with the door open (in the summertime). Like Wayne, though, my other hobbies tend to compete for time as much as work and family. My wife actually encourages me and loves it since most of my other hobbies take me away from home.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

I make a large part of my living out of the shop. I work 60-70 hours a week with my business and most of it is out of the shop.

I also spend some time out doing bids, designing, and getting out of the shop to do some installation on site is nice.

Sometimes I like to push all of my contracted work aside and just work on something for me. It is a relaxing break.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

I'm retired I can spend as much time as I want depending on how my back is feeling. Some days it's only a couple hours and other days it is 10 hours. Since I got my new lathe I have almost been working with it exclusively. My other machinery is getting covered with dust although I do blow it off.

Erwin


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

Like so many others out there I'm unemployed. 
I have time to get out to the shop but without the money required to buy supplies, I don't get to finish things very fast. 
I have got a lot more done since I've been out of work. 
I do a lot a studying and planning in order to stretch the cash. 
I probably got in 4 hours a week when I was working and now about 20-30 hours a week.


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## Toolz (Feb 26, 2008)

I am retired and can and do get out there whenever I want. The shop is unheated so I don't get much done during the winter months. I just got a great deal on a workbench a couple of weeks ago and am in the process of tuning up my hand tools late in the afternoon when it is warmer. Currently trying to track down leads on some maple and cherry lumber that won't "break the bank"


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## Eagle1 (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm retired and disabled. I spend as much time that I can when I'm feeling good..


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I am retired and still relatively young (58) and healthy. I'm probably in my shop 2 -3 hours each day on average. I spend more time in the shop as we approach Christmas and a little less time in the shop during the summer when there are things to do outside.


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## lumberdustjohn (Sep 24, 2009)

I work and so does my wife away from home. My wife doesn't get home from work as early as I do. So I can have an hour or so to do what I want until dinner time. I try to schedule most of my projects during the winter. During the summer we like to take off for country drives.


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## NathanAllen (Oct 16, 2009)

I try for 2-3 hours per night during the week and 4+ on Saturday and Sunday. Despite that I'm very slow, been working on a mobile combo kitchen cabinet for 3 weeks and still haven't done final assembly.


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## Rasta (Dec 22, 2008)

I am a concrete finisher and don't work in the winter (I am still not working) so as much as I want during those months, when I work I get maybe 1 hour a night and 8-10 hours on the weekend, if I am not working.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

As much as possible usually an hour or two in the evening, as much as possible on weekends


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

I spend way too much time on LJ to have any time left for the workshop!
No just kidding, but I think for the moment I spend more time on LJ, than in the shop…
I'm trying to get a retirement after a bad operation in my neck, so I have two arms, and a neck that are in control of my hours, right now, I think it gets to app 2 hours a day in avarage, but I have spend a lot of this time to do the workshop, since I just moved, and my financial situation are not unlimited.
I will love to spend more time - more time with the wonderful sound of a plane cutting, and the smell of freshly cut wood.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

Being retired, I'm free as to the amount of time I spend in the shop, but I usually spend about 3 to 4 hrs during the day, unless it's a project that really needs to be done right a way, then I'll spend more time than that. 
Barb, & I spend our evenings together in the house.


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## NH_Hermit (Dec 3, 2009)

It sounds to me like there are two types of people here - retired and not retired. Life is about the same for everyone in those two camps.

As for me, I'm still in the second camp and spend about 50+ hours working, so my time in the shop is usually Saturday afternoons after the normal Saturday chores and errands have been done, and a few hours on Sunday.


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## MoreWoodPlease (Sep 17, 2009)

Sleep, Work, Make Sawdust, Spend Time With The Wife, Have A Glass Of Wine, Repeat…


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## buffalo689 (Mar 2, 2010)

Full time woodworker and stair railing installs..


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## fge (Sep 8, 2008)

This is an income for us, we make more at woodworking then I do with my full time job at the state. So I probably do about 25 to 30 hours.


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## kolwdwrkrsgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

Keith and I get out to the shop (garage) usually one or two evenings durring the week, and on weekends.

Durring the week I'm mostly poking in and out of there to see whatever Keith is working on inbetween fixing dinner, and taking care of the kids. Sometimes I try to start on something I'm making, but end up getting frustraited that I have to keep stopping because someone's calling "MOMMY!!!", or my dinner is starting to burn, or whatever the case might be….and I lose my creative train of thought.

We do enjoy our quiet weekend time out there though. My 2 kids go to their dad's, and Keith's daughter goes to her mom's….and we have the weekends basically alone to work on whatever we want. It's really nice! : )


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

I spend about 45 minutes everyday before work. That doesn't seem like a lot , but with the right planning, you would be surprised how much you can get done. Then I spend a night or two a week in the shop, most Saturday afternoons, and 2 to 4 hrs Sunday evenings. All this is after working in our store over 50 hrs a week.

I used to put in about 60 hrs a week in my door shop. That being a very high pressure job, it makes me tired just thinking about it. Now my son does the same thing.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

I'm basically retired, not by choice, but it comes down to how much I can take. Physically, sometimes I overdo it and then I can't do nothing for a few days. I'm the kind of person that once you start something you hate to quit till it's done. It's hard for me to find a balance, my wife knows, she can tell because my leg will start dragging or I'll get back spasms and when I do that, it puts me down and I have to stop what I'm doing because I can't move.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

I work at this between looking after the children and running the home, so I spend as much time as is available to me to get the job done, 40+ hrs a week if the work is there. Don't want to upset the neighbours either so before 9am and after 9pm are usually out, so is Sunday. It's about priorities, if I have a deadline to meet, the dishes/dinner/hoovering, etc,. gets left for a bit. Sometimes get nagged a bit which is fine by me, I head off to workshop and get a bit done - or have a beer.


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## Tim_456 (Jul 22, 2008)

not enough..


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