Missing woodworking

[Dale Cruea]

I put all of my woodworking tools away several months ago.
I felt I had lost my passion for woodworking.
I just did not enjoy it anymore.

I converted my work shop into an HO model train layout.

I stop in to SMC every once in a while to see what the old gang is up to.
I find I can not look at an old hand plane without a tear in my eye.
Things of real beauty they are.

I am having a good time building my train layout BUT, I really miss woodworking.

Maybe I can build a large pole barn and put my woodworking shop and train layout in it.

Sure do wish I had the room for both.
sigh.........

I sure do miss woodworking.

Dale

[Jim Koepke]

Not sure that I have a true "passion" for woodworking, but a man has to do something.

I know if my tools were packed away they would be missed. Especially if they were all sold off. Then there would be the feeling of loss with an all too rapidly diminishing sum of cash.

Hope you find some way to have both your hobbies working.

jtk

[John Sanford]

Benchwork, benchwork, benchwork.

Also, if you scratchbuild, you can put a lot of the same skills to use, just on a smaller scale.

Finally, slopping earth colored paint down as the color foundation of your scenery is finishing, right?

[Dale Cruea]

Jim, I did not sell my tools. I packed them away.
My son Adam has a few I hope he treats with respect.

John, It just ain't them same.

Dale

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, I did not sell my tools. I packed them away.


Yes, I understood this. In my case there isn't anywhere to pack them away. LOML would want to take over the shop and set up something else if it wasn't being used by me.

jtk

[Matthew Hills]

Need not be exclusive…
Saw a functioning miniature lumber mill in Victoria's miniature museum:

ttp://cherylyoung.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/mw9999.jpg?w=500&h=214

Matt

[Adam Cruea]

Jim, I did not sell my tools. I packed them away.
My son Adam has a few I hope he treats with respect.

John, It just ain't them same.

Dale

You can have your router plane back.

The Plow Plane though? Sucker. . .you're not getting that thing back. ;)

Actually, I have been trying to keep them clean and sharpened. I think the Plow Plane, though, might have a small rust surface spot where some sweat dripped on it and I didn't see it before it dried. :(

Hopefully when you get your planes back, you'll be happy to know I kept the blades sharpened. I need to put a light coat of oil on the bottom of your router plane, though. Or wax.

And I think, back when I was pre-teen, you told me "this is why things are a hobby; so you can put them away and move onto something else".

[Sean Hughto]

Dale, I say figure out a way to do both. I have hobbies besides woodworking. I like to build models - WWI and WWII planes as well as figure kits (think monsters and dinosaurs). I find it is refreshing to sort of ping between the two hobbies - a really big woodworking project leaves me hungry to build a model and vice versa. One is a nice break from the other and absence makes the heart grow fonder. The aim is to have fun - to have time in your life where you are engrossed in something that leaves you unaware of time passing and that produces stuff (a train set up or a piece of furniture) that gives you a satisfied feeling that only creating can give you.

And woodworking skills definitely overlap with hobbies involving miniatures. I built pretty much everything you see in this Hyde diorama - table, case, vanity, and so forth - except the sculpt of the figure himself (I just assembled and painted him):

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2246/2230139172_7c37e7a2f4_b.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/6235983141_99f4d9433c_b.jpg

[Brian Holcombe]

I took a couple years away from working with my hands, it has a way of calling you back.

[george wilson]

Sean,did you make the glassware in your Hyde diorama?

[Sean Hughto]

I altered some of it by heating glass pipettes and such with with a torch and stretching and bending it. I made things like the test tubes from glass tubing. I added all the colored resin fills and fabricated the lamp and bunson burner from bits found here and there - stuff like that. A lot of repurposing and altering. I didn't melt sand or blow any glass. ;-)

[george wilson]

Very clever use of tubing and pipettes!! I made the glass levels for the surveyor's compass from heating and bending glass tubing,melting the ends shut.

[Jim Matthews]

Jim, I did not sell my tools. I packed them away.
My son Adam has a few I hope he treats with respect.

John, It just ain't them same.

Dale

I'm in DisneyWorld with my kids. It's the World's largest trainset. I think you can successfully combine the hobbies. You just need a bigger scale.

[Jim Matthews]

The first tableau depicts formulation of Axe body spray for hopeful boys, right?

[Derek Cohen]

Sean, that's fantastic! I have seen it before, and I hope to see more.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Dale

Listen to your son. He sounds like he had a good teacher. There is no "must do" in woodworking. There should not be any guilt. Find something to do, to love and be passionate about. Who knows, one day the fire may light again for woodworking. The memories are good and will remain. Visit here when you can.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Sean Hughto]

Hey, Derek, you are too kind. I wouldn't want to litter up the woodworking forum with pictures of models. But figured others might be curious what the heck I was talking about and a picture makes it plain.

By the way, Dale, I would love to see pics of your train set up - or even in progress effort. I love model trains.

[Chris Hachet]

I put all of my woodworking tools away several months ago.
I felt I had lost my passion for woodworking.
I just did not enjoy it anymore.

I converted my work shop into an HO model train layout.

I stop in to SMC every once in a while to see what the old gang is up to.
I find I can not look at an old hand plane without a tear in my eye.
Things of real beauty they are.

I am having a good time building my train layout BUT, I really miss woodworking.

Maybe I can build a large pole barn and put my woodworking shop and train layout in it.

Sure do wish I had the room for both.
sigh.........

I sure do miss woodworking.

DaleI used to be really into HO model railroading, I miss that...am a little jealous of your latest pursuit. but model railroading is much more expensive than woodworking IMHO, and with two children in College and three at home, I cannot afford model railroading and woodworking both.

[Paul McGaha]

I shut my shop down on occasion. Just put everything away and give the shop a good cleaning. Give it a rest, sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes for a few months.

Do what makes you happy Dale.

PHM

[Dale Cruea]

Thanks guys.
Good to hear from you all.
I wish I did have the room for both hobbies.
My work area is 1/2 of a 2 car garage.

My train layout takes that up easily.

My work bench is now covered with heavy plastic and being used for my paint bench.
My once sharpening bench is now my model building area.

If I had the room I would extend the garage to include room to do some small woodworking.
But my lot is full on that side and the house is on the other side.
No room to go to the front and no room to the back.

Maybe I can park the wife's new car outside..... Naaaaa won't work. :p

Dale

[Chris Hachet]

Our cars have not lived inside in years...I have a very patient wife....

[Hilton Ralphs]

Our cars have not lived inside in years...I have a very patient wife....

That does seem like a good idea considering most cars come with pretty good weather proofing and the cost of a carport isn't that much compared to a fully secure garage.