# I Think I Need Help



## RedMac (Aug 20, 2011)

First of all, thanks to those of you that sent a note welcoming me to the site. I don't spend much time posting stuff on the web, but I enjoy the discussions on here so much that I am changing my ways.

That said, I think I may have a problem.

Six months ago I didn't even know what a router was used for.

Although my father is an avid woodworker, I never took a serious interest until recently. Apparently woodworking is a genetic trait of some sort that can lie dormant for 35 years and then take over your life.

I rebuilt my kids sandbox using a cheap chop saw and some 2 by 4s and ever since I can think of nothing other than jigs, wood grains, power tools, etc.

When I go to bed at night - and I am 100% serious - I fall asleep thinking about how I want to join the pieces of wood for the shop benches I am building. I am utterly obsessed.

I currently work from home which allows me far too much time to spend in the garage I am rapidly converting to a wood shop. I started out with a low end drill press and chop saw. I recently found a great deal on a discontinued router table system at WoodCraft and have added that along with a Delta dust vac and some jigs I got from the aforementioned parent. I have built, taken apart, rebuilt and replaced benches for equipment I don't even own yet. I have drawings and projects in mind that will occupy me for the rest of my natural life and I can't stop thinking of unnecessary built ins to install in my house. I check Craigslist every 90 minutes to find the table saw I've realized I cant live without and I now own enough scrap wood to ensure I never need firewood again.

I'm looking forward to posting some shop pics and swapping info on here but what I really may need is a support group for this particular brand of OCD.


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

RedMac, welcome to the club. I think you'll find a few people just like you on LJs.

And if you have a bent for designing things to make, just wait till you get to know sketchup or some other CAD program …


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

You are among your own here….


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## luvswood (Apr 10, 2011)

yes….you're one of US now…....!


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## SSMDad (Apr 17, 2011)

Yeppers. You've definitely got the bug. Just like the rest of us! 
I have the tools and wood but am lacking on time right now to do what I'd like.

Have fun and enjoy the ride!


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## BreakingBoardom (Dec 18, 2009)

Welcome to LJA (LumberJocks Anonymous). My name is Matt and I haven't made sawdust in almost a week. Thanks for letting me share. Seriously though, this place will help. Your addiction to woodworking will be limited by the amount of time you spend on here. Not sure if that really helps though. lol.


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## TheKingInYellow (Sep 25, 2008)

When I was shopping for a Jointer, my wife says I was talking about it in my sleep.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

So, what do you need help with. Sounds to me like you have found the right path - grasshopper


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

We all do it. The voices get more articulate over time but they never go away


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Welcome to the club. Whatever you do, never ever buy a used handplane and restore it. If you do…..just remember you were warned.


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

didn't anyone warn you? cheap chop saws are a gateway drug!


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

LOL! Like Don says, forget you saw this:


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Sounds to me like you are eat plum up with it…..whatever "it" is….Noone on here can help you with your addicition, 'cause we all went through it at one time or another. You"ll just have to work it out yourself. That means: have lots of $$$$, have room for the new toys, spend hours away from the wife and kids(?), and just become a loner until it eventually wears off…..NOT…I've been in this game for 26 years, and it is still in my blood…..will be in yours, too….Trust me on this….I know, as we all do…..Happy hunting..


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

there's no cure for WW madness…I used to go to bed and read real books, now WW mags have a permanent place on the nightstand…my waking moments are either doing WW or thinking about it. It started innocently, kind of like snorting coke at a party…I had some basement renos to do…then I bought a cheap TS for the renos…and realized that I needed a workbench…and then bought my first handplane…then a better TS…then a dust collector…now I'm just a small step away from turning tricks for my next Stanley #4 off of Ebay…
Seriously, welcome to the club. Enjoy the ride!


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Following Al''s lead….. Take another puff…. lol


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

the waters warm … cmon in. Stop bogarting all of it Wayne …


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## TimK43 (May 29, 2011)

You've come to the right place, my friend!!! We all have this same mental illness to some degree or other!!! LOL


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## Gonecrazy (Jun 23, 2011)

This sucks bro … you got a horrible disease and it needs cured quickly less you life will be miserable … your kids will hate you … your wife will leave … you'll loose your job and end up in some rehab somewhere mumbling to your self …. the only cure to this is once you buy your table saw (make it a sawstop) is pack up all your equipment into a large create and send it to me .. once it is out of your sight and gone for good you'll feel so much relief and happiness that this burden of a disease is finaly gone ….


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

Now that your feet are wet, jump right in.
My tag line says it all!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Ride, captain ride, upon your mystery ship,
Be amazed, at the friends, you have here on your trip.

Not much to add to that!


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

*Red*, welcome to Lumberjocks; from what you are saying it sounds like you are going to fit right in here.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Just make sure that most of what you make is for your wife and kids. Let her tell you what she wants, I give her catalogs from furniture stores that we could never afford. She picks out what she wants and how she wants it different, otherwise could be copyright issues, I make it (or something close to it). If I need a tool to make something she wants, she generally finds it for me when we go to shows and stores. One sales person pulled me over to the side and asked me how I did that, he hadn't seen anyone pull that off in 30+ years. I told him that I chose wisely. As a result, I make a diverse array of furniture and stuff, as she tires of a look, I replace it with the new look.

I have fun, she REALLY pisses off her siblings, its all good.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I agree with David, i'd just be careful actually putting it in writing.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

I can because this was the basic agreement when I started doing a lot more in woodworking than fixing the house beyond what it will ever be worth. A dividend of having a high stress job in computers - cheaper than therapy - and more productive.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I've got one of those computer jobs too. Sitting here right now trying to come up with a DNS visio. Definitely cheaper than therapy - and definitely more productive. Might be time for a shop break.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

For those that do not know what Don and I are speaking about. If I make a mistake, 200+ large servers loose their storage from payroll through whatever. If Don makes a mistake, the servers cannot be seen by the people that need them. The stresses are not the same as not being able to use your computer. In my case, 21,000 people would not get a paycheck if this went away. Means that if there is a problem I work until its fixed.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

yes, you keep people from getting paychecks, you best be wearing a bullet proof vest!! I had to do a background check for a project once. A state trooper showed up and asked my wife if she was ok working in such a dangerous job (apparently he thought I was going to actually be a trooper). Her response was "he works on computers for crying out loud. But then, note sentence #1.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Failures are an option - they result in career changes.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

When I'm lying in bed with rapid-fire intrusive thoughts about my job, money, health, family, etc., I think about handplaning some long clear stock into wispy curls. Sounds silly but I associate handtool work with relaxation to the point that it lulls me to sleep. However, I'll read a catalog into the wee hours, devising and scheming all sorts of stuff I'll never do. Two way sword.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Al, there's only one way to say it better:

I've just closed my eyes again
Climbed aboard the dream weaver train
Driver take away my worries of today
And leave tomorrow behind

Ooh dream weaver
I believe you can get me through the night
Ooh dream weaver
I believe we can reach the morning light
Fly me high through the starry skies
Maybe to an astral plane
Cross the highways of fantasy
Help me to forget todays pain


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

LOL with Don, the Dream Weaver.
One day, I'll have to board your fantastic train to the astral plane, lol!


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Yes, but you are not thinking work. The things that you are doing are completely different. Sometimes it seems that it is a substitution but if it is or not, doesn't matter to me. Before I started doing a lot of woodworking I would log into my systems and fix stuff late into the night. Since I don't get overtime or comp time, this was not good. Now I make sawdust instead.

The woodworking keeps my project management and estimating skills also.

Think we got off topic-maybe not - woodworking is therapeutic - how could this be a problem???


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

It's a lot cheaper than therapy and it's a lot more relaxing than golf, at least the way I play it.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

So - who needs help?? From what? Not enough time to do woodworking - THATS IT!!!

Problem solved!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

David, the topic was "I think I need Help". The last line "but what I really may need is a support group for this particular brand of OCD." I think we're right on topic.

Here's a little therapy:


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

NoNoNo - chain saws waste too much wood - must be a bandsaw. How about a handsaw. When you are done - it will be dry.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

^that's like SUPER therapy. I was just pricing Woodmizers this morning. I haven't been home yet, so the dream is still alive.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

If you get one, let me know. I know where you can park it when you want to come and visit the Smithsonians.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Al - if they can deliver today, I know where there is going to be a BIG market!!! Hurricane Irene is a great opportunity for about a million bf. NC - NY - hell who needs a generator, get me a Woodmizer.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

RedMac-I'm having trouble seeing exactly what you think your problem is.

-Gerry


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

ahhh man…I've wanted a real saw mill for so long. Sorry for the winy sound. But i've wanted a saw mill since I worked in one when i was…...well…....much younger.


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## SSMDad (Apr 17, 2011)

I'm right there with you David and Don. If our servers go down then military MD's who connect via VPN to home agency can't get through. I'd rather deal with an irate CEO than a MD Captain. lol


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

All these years I thought it was "Take me to an astral plane" and now I find it it's "Maybe to an astral plane". Crap.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Irene is gone and I still don't have a mil, oh well. Another opportunity gone. Probably for the better, I have not place to put the wood.


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