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Thread: Do people talk you out of wood working?

  1. #16
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    When it comes to things made of wood, my wife and kids are well schooled on woodworking workmanship and quality. While I can't compete with mass produced wood items the things I make will last several lifetimes.

    I occasionally have people asking about having something made for them. As noted above most are shocked by just the cost of materials. They have no idea of the labor involved. My prices are probably well below the custom woodworking market level but I'm not in it to pay shop overhead and it keeps me going.

  2. #17
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    Most people are amazed that I have ability to undertake and complete such projects. It is not my skills are that great, there are not, I must just look like the neighborhood idiot.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Goodin View Post
    Most people are amazed that I have ability to undertake and complete such projects. It is not my skills are that great, there are not, I must just look like the neighborhood idiot.
    It's been my experience that most people are pretty helpless. They can't change their oil, do basic home repairs, deal with simple computer problems, understand plumbing or electricity, or a variety of other things. Being able to build your own wood projects must seem like pure witchery to such people.

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew More View Post
    It's been my experience that most people are pretty helpless. They can't change their oil, do basic home repairs, deal with simple computer problems, understand plumbing or electricity, or a variety of other things. Being able to build your own wood projects must seem like pure witchery to such people.
    I've never had anyone try and talk me out of woodworking. I'm not sure what anyone would have to gain by doing so. Sometimes people will marvel at how much time and effort is involved, which might be what the OP is getting at.

    I agree with the above. Most people are highly dependent on hiring someone to solve most of life's problems. Maybe I'm eccentric, but I get a huge sense of independence and liberation from being able to fix things myself, build things myself. Being as self sufficient as possible is a gift.

    To me taking a stack of boards and converting them into something functional and beautiful is like magic.

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    I've never had anyone try and talk me out of woodworking. I'm not sure what anyone would have to gain by doing so.
    Drag you down in the hole they're in. Sometimes it's easier to pull somebody else down, than to pull yourself up.

    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    I agree with the above. Most people are highly dependent on hiring someone to solve most of life's problems. Maybe I'm eccentric, but I get a huge sense of independence and liberation from being able to fix things myself, build things myself. Being as self sufficient as possible is a gift.

    To me taking a stack of boards and converting them into something functional and beautiful is like magic.
    I agree 100%. I'd extend that to a lot of other things in life besides woodworking. Sometimes when I talk about doing my own electrical, or climbing ladders people bring up the dangers. I can respect somebody's decision to not want to take certain risks, so I get that. Sometimes it's just dumb, like such as when it comes to simple things like painting or doing drywall.

    I also hear the "What's your time worth?" argument, but I've yet to hear it from somebody who was capable of turning their time into more money, and wasn't using it as a cop-out. I'm sure there are people who can make that trade, but it's far fewer than the ones making the argument.

    I also understand that some people are just not talented in certain ways, though I think talent comes into it a lot less than people might think. One of the things I've noticed with wood working is that the right combination of jigs and technique can avoid a lot of talent problems. Maybe not when it comes to carving things by hand, but a lot of other stuff, just using the tool corrects for it.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew More View Post
    I also hear the "What's your time worth?" argument, but I've yet to hear it from somebody who was capable of turning their time into more money, and wasn't using it as a cop-out. I'm sure there are people who can make that trade, but it's far fewer than the ones making the argument.
    Let me pose this in a different manner. If the task is something you hate doing, does hiring it out cost less than your time is worth or not? I paid someone to come and reseal screws on a metal roof. Can I do that? Sure, it's not rocket science. Was it worth the couple hundred to have one less task on my list? Especially one I really don't enjoy? Absolutely.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  7. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by mike stenson View Post
    Let me pose this in a different manner. If the task is something you hate doing, does hiring it out cost less than your time is worth or not? I paid someone to come and reseal screws on a metal roof. Can I do that? Sure, it's not rocket science. Was it worth the couple hundred to have one less task on my list? Especially one I really don't enjoy? Absolutely.
    I agree with you 100% but I just characterize it a little differently. I see it as trading away aggravation for money. It's more to do with quality of life than economics. I do it all the time. Any job I enjoy is not a chore.

    You made a rational choice with the screw reseal job even though you are capable of doing it yourself.
    I think what Andrew was getting at is many people don't have the option of doing it themselves and then rain on those that do.

  8. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    I agree with you 100% but I just characterize it a little differently. I see it as trading away aggravation for money. It's more to do with quality of life than economics.
    Exactly. Avoiding misery is one of the best uses of money, IMHO. Though I think what's miserable is somewhat subjective. I'd also add in your example, that anything to do with a roof is high risk as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    I think what Andrew was getting at is many people don't have the option of doing it themselves and then rain on those that do.
    Honestly, I respect people who can't do for themselves. I've helped out my neighbor a few times, but she's 80s, and no longer capable.

    When one of my 20 something friends tells me they can't, and they're clearly physically and mentally up to the challenge, my opinion of them drops. Worse, I've never had my 80s year old neighbor make such comments, but I have had some 20 somethings make these sorts of comments.

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edwin Santos View Post
    I think what Andrew was getting at is many people don't have the option of doing it themselves and then rain on those that do.
    Sure, but I went and re-read this thread. I'd have offered my lift (assuming I had one) too, just because working on the floor sucks in comparison.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike stenson View Post
    Let me pose this in a different manner. If the task is something you hate doing, does hiring it out cost less than your time is worth or not? I paid someone to come and reseal screws on a metal roof. Can I do that? Sure, it's not rocket science. Was it worth the couple hundred to have one less task on my list? Especially one I really don't enjoy? Absolutely.
    This is a valid thing, Mike. There absolutely are certain tasks that I choose not to do for one or more reasons including the task being something I really don't enjoy, especially if it's pretty involved. Sometimes it's for safety reasons...like I don't prefer to get up on the roof anymore if I can avoid it. I try not to do gas line work, too.

    I think that around the original question, however, I'll stay with the very real fact that so many folks today don't actually understand that they "can" do things, that they "can" build things and that they don't understand that many people actually enjoy creating and building and so forth. Those folks are often inclined to express something akin to "why would you even want to do that?" I guess it's how they grew up which clearly was different than me. There are a lot of things that I can afford to hire out, but I prefer to do them because 1) ,I can and 2), I enjoy it. But as in my first paragraph, I try not to be stupid about it, too.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Selzer View Post
    At home my wife doesn't care what I make or how long it takes, not even what it costs. She knows where I am at instead of being gone to a bar, golf course, strip club or whatever.
    She does get concerned about the tools I buy, mainly how much money goes out.
    Her criteria is it has to have knots so that people know it is real wood, no paint or heavy stain, minimum to no plywood, and moveable as she rearranges furniture constantly.
    Quite reasonable, I think your wife is a swell gal.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    I think that around the original question, however, I'll stay with the very real fact that so many folks today don't actually understand that they "can" do things, that they "can" build things and that they don't understand that many people actually enjoy creating and building and so forth. Those folks are often inclined to express something akin to "why would you even want to do that?" I guess it's how they grew up which clearly was different than me.
    That's a much better way to express it. There seems to be a bit of a learned helplessness, along with everything becoming more and more specialized. People seem to think they need to be an expert in something before doing it, which won't happen if they don't do it...

  13. #28
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    I haven't had anyone try to talk me out of it but they tell me all I do is work. How is it work when you enjoy it. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and normally results in something I can be proud of. A few times it resulted in fuel for my outdoor wood boiler, but I learned something and got some BTUs out of it.
    Thank you,

    Rich Aldrich

    65 miles SE of Steve Schlumpf.

    "To a pessimist, the glass is half empty; to an optimist, the glass is half full; to an engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be." Unknown author



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