The ‘enjoying later in life’ thing is not so simple. Later in life you wish you had made even more lovely furniture for yourself to enjoy during your life. Later in life you wonder why you are making it now, you managed without for so long. Children and grandchildren have a clear need for furniture that take president over your needs! Now is your best chance to make yourself stuff!
Yes you can make a lot with very little, that is the beauty of traditional joints, all of which can be made with just a few tools. Your tool collection is far from spartan! Raw stock preparation may be your biggest road block time wise. A local college may be able to help out?
Old tools as an investment? Even using them to make furniture is a meagre income. ‘People’ have no comprehension of the time and care to make furniture that will last 100 years. They don’t want to invest in such furniture. One of my nephews sells wine in Hong Kong, his customers spend more on a bottle of wine than a piece of fine furniture. You have to be very good to sell them furniture.
An important thought is by continuing now you will get better. Your artistic journey continues and takes you to a place you would never have got to ‘later’.
I’m full of admiration for your small space set up. Despite my 1,400 sq ft workshop with a 14 ft ceiling, all my fine furniture is made on one workbench. Excluding the raw wood prep my set up resembles yours. The rest is storage, piles of wood, a huge plywood storage rack and other manufacturing areas. A drill press I would miss.
More tools that make unusual tasks easier is a luxury. You have to remember you have them because you almost never use them, then you have to find them! The number of times I go through boxes and say “good grief, I have one of those!” Is not even funny! I need to buy nothing! I just have to find it! That 6V halogen bulb I put in a safe place……
Make a furniture list for yourself now before your family give you their list……
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!