Amateur woodworkers - Do you do woodworking to relax?

[Duane N]

Nice.  Where do you source the rings?

I make them myself out of 1/4" soft copper tubing.  I roll the soft copper around a 1 1/2" piece of conduit and make a spring then cut the rings on a band saw.  I usually get 8-10 rings out of the coil of copper I rolled around the conduit.

[handi]

I do woodworking for a living. And for relaxation!

I do a lot of videos for various manufacturers, and shoot my TV show. 
I LOVE the shop time. The video editing and such is less so, but it is part of the package for me. 

I try to choose projects that challenge me and force me to expand my skill set. Yes, things may go awry, but if it were easy with no chance of failure it would be boring.

[Tapper]

I think whether you consider woodworking relaxing or not depends on your perspective. In the previous responses I've found pretty much all the reasons I love woodworking. More than one mentioned the "smells", i.e. the smell of wood as you prepare it - love those smells, especially QSWO! I ALWAYS look forward to spending time in the shop. The wood, the machines, the hand tools, the creativity it takes to make something and then the final product make it all very satisfying and worthwhile.

I first encountered woodworking with my dad when I was pre-teen "helping" him build wooden boats in our back yard (I handed him tools and did all the menial tasks). It was a hobby for him and he was wonderful, meticulous and very skillful at it. So much so that folks began to stop by our house to place orders for their boats, but I digress. I spent a professional career in Aerospace, sales and management with a large company. Sometimes it was difficult to see the tangible fruits of your labor, unlike woodworking projects. I've used my woodworking shops and skills to completely remodel (including large additions) to three homes for my wife and I. These projects required a lot of creativity and problem solving, things that exercised my gray matter.

Can't wait to get down in the shop tomorrow!

Doug

P.S. Been on this board many years and always enjoy the exchanges of ideas and information - thanks to all who gather here!

[fredhargis]

I'm not sure what (if any) the difference between an "amateur" versus a "hobbyist" (me), but I do find it relaxing. I'm not in a hurry to do anything, but I do like the results (usually). What I'm most happy with is that anything I make is better than anything you can buy...albeit often 2 or 3X the cost. Another thing I found out after I retired 17 years ago is that you need a way to stay out of your wife's hair, and having a shop gives you that ability. But then, I've always been one to enjoy working with my hands; many folks don't enjoy that at all.

[Joel H.]

"I retired 17 years ago is that you need a way to stay out of your wife's hair, and having a shop gives you that ability. "

Like Fred, I knew at 55 y/o (2004) that I'd be retiring at 62 y/o and needed something to take my time and keep me out of my wife's hair.  People spend lots of time planning for their finances at retirement (and rightly so) but they don't realize how much TIME they'll have.  Before 55, I hadn't touched wood in anger since high school shop class.  

I really enjoy ww and like making things that will have value for many many years.  Relaxing?  Maybe, but I like taking a picture my kids or grandkids give me for their wishes.  I'll draw up the plans and joinery - I enjoy that just about as much as the building. 

I wouldn't build for sale - that would ruin the "hobby".  I have made some things for friends when they bought the materials - tables and kitchen island - but that's pressure and I don't enjoy it near as much - guess I don"t like pressure.

Enough, but I do it for the love of planning and building the project and seeing the joy in the eyes of the recipients.

Joel

[jcredding]

I also find it relaxing (not a perfect word, but a good one for it), in the sense it gets me away from thinking of work and allows me to create something - I’m a lawyer in a good size law firm and travel a lot for work, so it can be stressful and woodworking gets me out of my head (at least that part of my head). I build what I want, when I want, and sometimes I mess it up horribly but simply don’t worry about it. I come in from the shop at ease and with a sense of accomplishment (even if the accomplishment is simply puttering, cleaning, tuning machines or something else). If I learn something new, great.

Part of what allows me to relax is that I don’t sell anything I make. I make what I want on my own schedule and if my wife would like it, we keep it (doesn’t happen often since I’m usually building what I want and not based on what she wants - though I do ask). If we don’t want it, I happily give it to someone - I’ve given away tall clocks, end tables, chairs, etc. I’ll build sets of things, but like someone said earlier, I rarely build the same thing twice. If I were selling and having to worry about other people’s schedules, I don’t imagine I would find it relaxing at all.

[camp10]

What is this 'relaxing' concept you speak of?

I'm not the type to sit around. Neither was my dad or grandpa. I need to be doing something. And for some reason, I need some excitement in my leisure. If I'm not pushing wood through a spinning blade, I'm biking or skiing. Biking turned into mountain biking. Racing though twisting singletrack through the woods is a good way to hurt yourself. Already a couple ER visits. And skiiing has turned into backcountry skiing. I joined up with a group that leaves the ski area behind and finds adventure with an avalanche bag strapped to your back.

So, I think the element of a bit of danger draws me to it. And because I only build furniture, it appeals to my practical side.

[Handplanesandmore]

Some woodworkers are risk takers. You're probably one of them, even if not in the woodworking sense.

Simon

[R Clark]

My Dad retired at 57; he replaced an active work life with what he called "relaxing":  a TV remote and a recliner.  His slow decline and eventual passing was neither graceful nor dignified.

Sitting around is not my idea of relaxation; I'm always off doing something, either in the shop or around the acreage.  The only time I regularly watch TV is when I'm on my exercise machine early in the day.  I get stressed when I'm sitting with no apparent purpose to the day.  Doesn't mean I always work at top speed, in fact, I rarely do.  But I enjoy physical activity and being somewhat productive.

[5thumbs]

Ever since I retired, I've been doing woodworking to add stress to my life! Why else would I screw up so many projects?