What Is My Hobby Today?

About this time a couple years ago I was browsing the internet and found an interesting article about woodworking. Since I am a somewhat obsessive person (I like to find new things to read, do, create and then dive in, not surfacing for air for weeks on end), and I had an opening for something new, I decided right then to take it up. I read a few more articles, jumped in my truck, and headed for Home Depot.

To be honest, this, like most other things I decided to take up, was prompted by something that happened to me. A week or so prior I had my mower taken in for service. The driver that came to pick it up asked me for some scrap wood so he could rig a simple ramp for the mower.

Scrap wood? Why exactly would I have scrap wood lying around? The driver seemed astonished, and the look he gave me when I said I had none communicated “pardon me, I thought you were a man. Men have scrap wood. Its as simple as that.”

So, the only way to have scrap wood is to build something, and have leftover wood that is collected and saved for just such occasions.

I walked into Home Depot and told the first employee I saw what I wanted to do. He escorted me to the tool section, and I left shortly after with a table saw, jig saw, sander, planer, chisels, a Woodworking for Dummies book, and other assorted tools. Wow, I thought, this was expensive. I only forgot one thing. Wood.

I found a cool looking piece of furniture in the Sundance Catalog that was $299, and looked simple enough to build. It was a two-piece pine storage unit with bins that looked like old chicken coops. I studied the picture, drew out a plan, and commenced building. It turned out pretty good, and now sits in our guest bathroom faithfully holding extra toilet paper rolls and other assorted items. And including the wood and tools, only cost me $600 to make!

This week I built my first picture frame (I would give myself a D+ on it), and also a stand for our laser printer (B-). Next up, a replacement doll house for the girls (the one Santa gave them a couple years ago has collapsed. Elves nowadays need Woodworking for Dummies too), a cat condo and a crèche (Michelle asked for this one- its some sort of a backdrop for her nativity characters).

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