Hobbyist or pro woodworker, which are you?

[Two Much]

Having thought I knew the words meaning, I challenged myself to the webster's definition and thus was enlightened with:

2hobby
noun
: a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

Relaxing, ehhh? I have found woodworking to be challenging: physically and mentally, financially expensive - a sheet of nice ply is well over $40 , engaging, mind expanding-must be the dust, but relaxing?
I guess I am just not that good yet.

chopnhack...a few years ago, our son gave me his view on the meaning of a true hobby
...it's something not easy to do, it takes practice, lots of time and
quite a bit of skill... if it was so easy to do, then everyone would do it.
When you said that you looked up the explanation it jared my memory.

Since nobody (as of yet) claimed the title of procrastinating hobbyist, I'll claim it,
as I feel in many areas I put the pro in procrastinating...
It takes me forever to get up -- the get up and go to do something,
but once I do, get outa the way!

[JimD]

I am a hobbyist. I've been making things of wood for at least 30 years. I did a bit before that but was in school without space etc.. The only training I got was in high school wood shop. I made a gun rack, bowl, and a few other things. After I graduated college, I had nearly no furniture so I bought tools and wood instead of furniture. We had a 2 bedroom apartment at first and my shop was the second bedroom. I put a tarp on the floor so I could clean up when we moved. I made a sofa that converts to a bed because my late wife's sister was visiting. I made a large dining table because we were hosting a large group for Thanksgiving. Some of my early stuff I still use, some got given to others when we moved or just thrown away.

I've made bedroom sets for all 5 of my bedrooms + 2 for my daughter and 1 for my son. Kitchen tables for both kids and chairs for all three of us. Bookcases, entertainment centers, end tables and coffee tables etc.. I built some built-in cabinets in my family room, cabinets for one bathroom for my current house and a kitchenette in the basement (which I framed in, wired, plumbed and drywalled). I built a complete kitchen for our house before this one - I also made new interior doors for that house too.

So I've made a few things in my 30+ years. Almost everything was for family or friends, nothing to make money. Just to have fun and get stuff that worked better for us than what we could buy.

Jim

[woodturner]

I've been both - made period reproductions "professionally" for a few years - but found I like it better as a hobby.

It wasn't much fun trying to meet a deadline, and there aren't that many customers willing to pay fair rates for handwork. When you consider that something like a Federal style secretary takes in the range of 1,000 hours to complete, it has to sell for more than $100K (in today's dollars) and there aren't that many clients willing or able to pay that.

I enjoy the work, just not the time pressure, so I just do it as a hobby now. I do still sell some work, but accept commissions only when it's something I will want to keep if the client doesn't buy it, and with the understanding that it is "done when it's done" - I won't commit to a completion date.

[cabinetman]

I've been both - made period reproductions "professionally" for a few years - but found I like it better as a hobby.

Sounds interesting...post some pictures.


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[gsmittle]

Very much a hobbyist. I'd be embarrassed to ask money for anything I've made.

g.

[chopnhack]

I agree Two Much : "but once I do, get outa the way! "
I am the same way, but with wee ones, I often have to stop and seemingly nothing ever gets done.

[garymuto]

Hobbiest here too!

[dbhost]

I am very much a hobbyist. I do make things for the home, but mostly have been making stuff for the shop and just to have fun with it. I guess staring at a computer screen all day makes me yearn for something more tangible to do with my hands...

[cwsmith]

Built my wife a "cookbook room", considering the room layout and space, that's a custom job to maximize the wall space.

cw, what's a cookbook room?

About six years ago, we bought an old house (1887). The house had been extended off the back, which doubled the size of the kitchen, added a room off the back of the dining room, and upstairs, doubled the size of the master bedroom to 14 x 20 and added a room off the back of that which is 10' 6" x 9' 4".

With two other bedrooms, and a finished, walk-up attic we sure didn't need a master bedroom that large, nor did that backroom offer much in the way of usefulness. The previous owner used it to keep her dresses in, but with windows almost fully covering two walls, even that seemed a bit unsightly.

So we decided to turn the large "bedroom" into a library, and then the smaller room off of it, into a room for my wife's cookbook collection. Hence the "cookbook room" label. I did the "cookbook" room first and under the two window'd walls, I built bench-like cases.

CWS

[Two Much]

Well, that sounds nice cw. I'd love to see pic's of the library and
the cookbook room, if you care to share.

[Cochese]

Hobby here. But one of my goals is to one day make something that sells.

[jeepman71]

Definitely a hobby for me, I don't accept pay for what I do. When pay is given it soon moves ot of the hobby category.

Jim

[chopnhack]

Woodturner! You must post some of those pics, reproduction work is some of the highest caliber of woodworking (as is instrument making, IMHO). You know the rules, no pics, didn't happen ;-)

I've been both - made period reproductions "professionally" for a few years - but found I like it better as a hobby.

[Prowoodworker]

Prowoodworker has been my title and my co. for yrs

Testing to see if this will work for me now???? www.picturetrail.com/prowoodworker

Ok I see this worked this time (New here)


I am a PRO woodworker.......And my Co. name is Prowoodworker Co.
I've been in the new construction, and remodeling business for 45 yrs (both residential and commercial)
Built alot of special projects over the yrs......I love the challenges !

[cabinetman]

Woodturner! You must post some of those pics, reproduction work is some of the highest caliber of woodworking (as is instrument making, IMHO). You know the rules, no pics, didn't happen ;-)

I agree...pictures would be great.

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