Woodworking Is A Most Dangerous Hobby

No! I don't mean this kind of dangerous, although when using power tools this is considered a given. Any number of people have cut, cut-off, broken, etc. important parts of their anatomy while using the tools in their "shop"..... and they don't even have to be "power" tools!

No, I mean this is a hobby that can quickly turn into the acquisition of tools.... LOTS of tools! While I love tools just about as much as the next guy, I'm more in it for what I can build and add to the lives of our little family. I don't want this to be the place where I go and hide-out and I've got so much invested that it's a financial burden on our budget. There are guys out there that have so much money tied up in their tools that they might as well just go out and buy everything instead of making it and be financially ahead of the game. 

Although, I must say that I'm in somewhat less danger than some because we park at least one car in the garage AND have a ton of stuff belonging to my elementary teacher wife in there as well! So, my situation is more akin to the above where using tricks like folding benches are the order of the day. That in itself places a limit on what can be bought and stored in "my" shop.

Therefore, the end of the hobby that I'll be more involved in will be things like this; concepts in storing, getting the most out of my space. I can't tell you how many times that I've literally sat in the garage staring at the walls to imagine how the space is to be used! It's a little weird for my wife, when she comes looking and find me just sitting out there. I think, as much as anything else, my interest has become "space utilization". 

All this germinated years ago when I lived in Lubbock and had a friend named Jeff. He was an engineer who loved to tinker. In his backyard, he built a shed that looked somewhat like the one depicted above. He equipped it with tools mostly picked up at garage sales and pawnshops for relatively little. Out of his little shop came many repairs and wide assortment of self-built items. I was hooked! 

As many of you are aware, being a homeowner isn't simply living in, and enjoying the building. Unless you are well-heeled to the degree where you're just OK to pay someone to do everything, there are lots of little things to take care of, and lots to keep around. These can range from lawn-care equipment all the way to the tools necessary to do simple around the house repairs, much less the tools to actually build things.

Sure; a lot of it such as installing the new programmable thermostats only require a screw-driver and a smartphone, but other things are more complex. In the coming weeks, I'm hoping to discuss the variety of things that get worked on and built in our home which require the use of a workshop (however small) in some way shape or form. Stay tuned!