What do you do for a Living while Wood Working

[Don Farr]

Holly, I think Drilltech is a smaller sister company of either Tamrock or Sandvik corp. They make everything from well drills to diamond mine drills and everything in between.
http://www.driltechmission.com/

[Arvin Brown]

I've really enjoyed this post. My shop - If you want to call it that - is a small unfinished room in my basement - approx 14'x14'. I expand into the media room (which is next to it) when I need to.

I don't get much time there because of my job and my family. I have three kids (my wife says she has four kids). 15 year old daughter, 11 year old son, and a 8 year old son. With all their activities they keep my wife and I pretty much busy (when I'm in town). Reason why I'm not in town much is because I am a Sr. Program/Project manager for a paper company. I travel around the world managing projects (engineering, operations, and construction) ranging anywhere from $1 million to more than $100 million. Here a few pics of one of my recent projects that totaled more than $125 million and took 1-1/2 years to complete.

First picture is the new building for converting the paper off the new paper machine. The second photo is of the building that houses the new paper machine and the last photo is of the new paper machine.

[Jack Hogoboom]

Hi Holly,

I wanted to jump in here.

I am a corporate lawyer. Basically, I help people buy and sell businesses, big and small, and raise money in the securities markets. So, if you want to buy it, sell it, or finance it with securities, I'm your guy. Not only does it fund my "habit" but it gives me pretty good job satisfaction helping people realize their dreams. Please, no lawyer jokes, as I am one of the "good" guys and hate litigators more than you ever could.

I worked on Wall Street for five years and then "retired" to NJ where I have been for the past 14 years. I am a divorced and remarried father with four kids (6 to 11), who I see nearly every day. If it weren't for them, I'd have a Ferrari and lots of MM equipment. As it is, I have a station wagon and lots of Jet.

My shop is in my basement. It is dark, dank and the only refuge I have on the planet (until my kids invade). Right now, it's hard for me to go down there because it badly needs to be reorganized (just the thought of redoing the dust-collection system is too much for me to handle). My kids like to come down with me, but they trash everything they can get their hands on, so I get very little work done when they're around. Also, I've caught the "spinning" virus and every time I go in the shop I seem to come out with a new bowl. Unfortunately, my new wife doesn't share my love of wood bowls as decorative items, so I will quickly have to move on to something else.

Jim Kelton has been killing me with pictures of his shop construction. I would love to have even one window in my shop!!

Welcome.

Jack

[Bart Sharp]

Congratulations on the grandbaby!! I am an aerospace engineer by degree, and have been working for the largest subcontractor of aircraft structural components for six years now. I started off in R&D, then slid into materials & processes when the new managers rolled in and killed the R&D department.

In addition to that, I am an adjunct professor of management at a local university. I finished my MBA two years ago and decided to take up teaching to earn a little extra coin. Definitely loved it.

Of course, all of that is about to change. As of two weeks from now I will be leaving my job to go back to being a full time student working towards my PhD. I will be moving into a 500 sq ft apartment with my wife and baby, so my lap is going to become my shop. Since my income is going to be reduced to almost nil, I will probably have to get back into photography as a job to make ends meet so that Christy can still stay home with our daughter.

Of course, all of that would be easier if I could get my house sold. Anyone want to buy a house?

[JayStPeter]

I am an EE by degree, but have mostly worked as a software and systems engineer. I have worked for companies that design and build flight simulators and flight management systems. I am currently in the integration phase on a Navy helicopter simulator.
My new basement shop is finally finished. I'm taking it easy with woodworking this summer before starting some projects in the fall.

Jay

[Christopher Pine]

I am a maintenance Technition On f-16 fighter aircraft. I work with the Colorado Air National Guard full time. I was deployed last year to a location Near Iraq... ME at that location next to my airplane and my airplane by itself...
Chris Pine

[Jim Ketron]

Hello Holly I am building a new shop 20x24 moving out of the garage! Woodworking is my hobby. my last purchace was a Jet mini lathe. Have you looked at them its very portable just like your scroll saw? there a lot of fun too!

I am a pipe fitter I install Fire Sprinklers. I was born into the trade Dad is a sprinkler man also. I have been at it for 13 years. and I do some plumbing on the side.

Jim

[Richard Gillespie]

Welcome to the creek Holly! I have an Artic Fox that I slide into the bed of my pickup on the weekends and my wife and I can go where we want to. It is fully self contained but she frowns on my bringing any tools along. Since we live in it it's a little bigger than the one you show. My shop is now what was a rather small two car garage.

I worked 30+ years for a natural gas distribution company. Worked my way up from draftsman to mid level management before I chose early retirement. After retirement, I've tried various things including 4 years as a cabinet/furniture maker in a local shop. Found that I didn't like production wood working and that I'm allergic to some wood dust.

Now I work as a handyman. Real Estate agents refer me to their clients for touch up work on a house before it goes on the market. It's keeping me rather busy and the pay is twice what I was being paid as a cabinet maker.
I even get to do some shop work for some clients. Recently I worked on a very old house and had to duplicate some molding. Ended up using hand planes and scrapers to duplicate the profile. That was fun.

Been going to the local community college studying computer science. Still love working with databases.

[Danny Jennings]

Hi Holly,

I am a "newbie" to the Creek and a hobby level "woodworker". Finally got a shop this past year but it still needs power. That's on hold until some patio remodeling is completed.

I taught high school classes in speech, debate, and history for ten years until burnout/"hunger" caught up with me and the family. Went to work for a major chemical company as an operator working 12 hr shifts. I have been doing that for the last 25 years. Not fun but it has provided a good living and I can see "light at the end of the tunnel". Hope it isn't a freight train

[Wes Bischel]

Hi Holly,

Great question - I've really enjoyed reading what everyone does for a living - pretty diverse group. As for myself, I'm an Industrial Designer - spent 17 years at a Fortune 500 corp. - new concept and product development. Two years ago a new regime took over, canned the department manager and offered me the position. Well, I had to decline, I had a better offer (see picture below). So I was promoted to stay at home Dad - Mr. Mom if you will. Plus I do some freelance work for tool money.

Wes

[Martin Shupe]

I operate heavy equipment for FedEx Express. Most of the time, it sure beats pushing papers across a desk. Except, of course, at 3 a.m. over Kansas, when you are trying to pick your way through a line of thunderstorms, and you know you have 3 hours to go before you get to the hotel in Seattle.

[Ed Falis]

Martin,

That sounds like some pretty heavy equipment you're talking about there.

I'm a jack of all trades (development, sales, training, consulting ....) at a small "Free Software" company that provides software development tools. Our customers do avionics, simulators, train controls, defense work, space systems (yeah, rocket science), various kinds of safety-critical systems etc. It's been interesting being involved in a lot of these projects over the years. It's also been pretty cool having software I wrote on airplanes I've flown in.

- Ed

[Greg Tatum]

Hello Holly...my full-time job is being a nurse at home as well as at a local hospital...My wife, also a nurse, and I own 2 Adult Family Homes one of which we live in....My shop is 1/2 of the garage...I should get a digital camera today and post some pics ....I got my start as an army medic and well remember sitting on a site and waiting to be called....since we didn't have scrollsaws we just used to whittle with our desposable scalples
Welcome to the creek.
Greg

[Holly Mosser]

Jim I haven't looked at the Jet Mini Lathe, but I have seen alot of beautiful work done with the lathe. Also the Jet seems to be a popular brand name, must be one of the better lathes. Maybe I will have my husband look at one for me and where do you purchase the Jet Mini Lathe and what is the ball park price.

Hello Holly I am building a new shop 20x24 moving out of the garage! Woodworking is my hobby. my last purchace was a Jet mini lathe. Have you looked at them its very portable just like your scroll saw? there a lot of fun too!

I am a pipe fitter I install Fire Sprinklers. I was born into the trade Dad is a sprinkler man also. I have been at it for 13 years. and I do some plumbing on the side.

Jim

[Rob Bourgeois]

I am a stay at home dad with 2 kids. A 3 month old boy and a 2 and half year old girl.

I am supposed to be a biologist as that is what my Masters degree is, but my wife got a good job in a place with very little work for a marine biologist. So I am Mr. Mom.

I figured I would have a lot of time for wood working but the 3 month old kinda put a damper on that. My daughter was just getting trained to sit by the desk and color while daddy worked, now I am starting all over on that with the new shop apprentice.

Nice thread, sure is a lot of interesting jobs on here. Looks like many of experts in all sorts of fields.