I like good tools

[Dewayne Reding]

I enjoy a combination of old and new tools. I have the skills to repair most anything. Rehabbing old planes and chisels makes sense. So would an old tablesaw. That 70yr old Dewalt RAS saw I bought, not so much. After days or disassembly and cleanup, I figured out what it was really going to cost in time and parts. It just wasn't worth losing a half a season of woodworking time and the expense for a tool I likely wouldn't use all that much in the end. Didn't matter the saw was almost free. It took a ride to the scrap yard. I kept the stand and the motor. Probably had a few parts somebody else could use so I even regret that hasty decision.

[Matt Lau]

I don't have Dewayne's skills, but I totally agree.

If it's not fun, don't do it!
If you don't like it, sell it! (I'm in the process of selling stuff).
If it's great, enjoy it!

We're here to have fun, right?

I got into this hand tool thing because I wanted to build guitars, and didn't have $20,000 in power tools. After playing around a bit, it got super addictive to take rough wood and make it into something pretty...the feeling of perfectly planed wood is something you can't normally buy.

[Dewayne Reding]

If it's not fun, don't do it!
If you don't like it, sell it! (I'm in the process of selling stuff).
If it's great, enjoy it!

We're here to have fun, right?

I am a man of many hobbies and I frequently have to remind myself of what you just stated Matt. It is indeed completely about personal enjoyment. That is my definition of a true hobby. I visit a lot of hobby forums, and several are friendly like SMC. The potentially troublesome threads almost always have a similar theme.

"Why would you spend a ridiculous amount of money on a hand plane or a fly fishing rod when there are far less expensive options?"

"Why would you waste so much time dealing with something old when you do not have to? Is your time worth nothing?"

After 25 years on hobby forums, I am sure of one thing. Any time I spend being overly concerned how somebody else thinks, or enjoys the hobby is a true waste of time. We should all choose our own course, with full freedom to change our viewpoint to reflect what makes sense now. I used to have a substantial income, and now I don't. Now I have have substantial free time. That changes many things. What it doesn't change is my ability to fully enjoy my hobbies, and I hope it never does.