Using My Hobby to Clear My Head
One of the things I really love about my wife is that she thinks I can do anything. She’s always telling her friends “my husband can do that” every time something is broken or needs to be built. In the three an a half years we’ve been married, she’s turned me into the resident “computer guy” and “Mr. Fixit”, so her friends don’t hesitate to call when they need help. I don’t mind helping out but I need a break sometimes. Recently, when one of my wife’s co-workers saw an advertisement in the newspaper for adirondack chairs, she was very quick to offer my services.
I have been wanting to build some Adirondack chairs for our patio for a very long time, but I never got around to it. When I visited the site mentioned in the newspaper ad, I got excited because the majority of the woodworking plans they sell are simple projects and require a minimal amount of tools. What made the plans even better was that they were full-size and written so that almost any idiot could follow them. Check them out at U-Bild.com.
I’m not an idiot by any means and I have a fair amount of woodworking tools. I spent a lot of time with my Dad doing woodworking projects as a teen, and he taught me well. I was in wood shop in high school and even won first prize in the woodworking show for a goblet I turned on the lathe. I don’t spend as much time as I would like to working with wood, but it’s my favorite hobby. Woodworking suits me because it satisfies the two things that drive me: Creating something from nothing and solving problems.
My primary interests in woodworking are wood carving and turning pens on the lathe. I chose both these methods because I could produce results with very few tools. I don’t have a complete wood shop like my Dad does, but do I have some basic power tools: miter saw, band saw, drill press, midi lathe, and an assortment of hand power tools. I could really use a table saw, but I really don’t have room for it in my garage.
Here are some things I’ve made:
Kokopelli Carving - I made this for a friend’s birthday. He told me it was the best present he ever received.
Miniature Country Bears - I made a full-size set of these for my Mom, but I thought it would be interesting to make a set of miniatures. These are only about three inches tall, but took the same amount of time to carve as the full-size versions.
Hand-Made Pens - These are some of the pens I made. I make each pen individually so they are all unique. The last pen in the picture is made of green crushed pearl acrylic instead of wood. I sell each pen for $20-$25 depending on the material (wood or acrylic). If you want me to make a pen for you, contact me and we can discuss it.
Since I’ve wanted to build some adirondack chairs for awhile, I wasn’t too upset that my wife had already volunteered me to make them for her friend. I opted to purchase the plans for the adirondack quartet instead of just the single chair, so I could complete an entire patio set for us.
The plans were really simple and straight forward, and I had a blast making them. It’s been a nice diversion for the last few days and they turned out beautifully.
This is the first chair I made:
These are the chairs I made for my wife’s friend:
I made the first chair for myself because I wouldn’t feel right about giving someone else a piece of crap if I messed it up. I learned a lot from making the first chair which helped me make the other two much better and in less time. On average, it took about eight hours to make each chair. I did make some templates out of one eighth inch fiber board, so each subsequent chair will take even less time.
I spent about $50 to make each chair, which includes the lumber, hardware, and finish. Not too bad, considering lesser quality adirondack chairs can cost upwards of $100 each. I didn’t have to buy any new tools, which was a bonus, but I spent a little extra on some drum sanding bits and a countersink bit (which I broke on the last chair, dammit).
Even though it was a lot of work to make these chairs, I was able to clear my head and actually enjoyed some time off. Now, I’ve got to get busy on some footrests and tables.
What do you do to clear your head?
woo….You made it?
Can’t Believe
You can become a Good carpenter for the chair
lolx.
Yes, I made them with my own two hands. You only need some basic woodworking techniques to make the chairs.
The hand made pens take a little more skill and finesse, but not much more. I taught myself how to make those using a few books and resources on the Internet.
Thanks!
no good did goes unpunished :). but if you are good at it you should enjoy it. i like cooking friends call me over to cock for them. i decided to do that with a smile and since than i enjoy that
Very useful
Hungary Real Estate: I still have lots to learn to consider myself good at it, but I enjoy it and that’s what matters to me.
I wish I could cook but I was single for far too long. I follow instructions well, so as long as there is a recipe I can muddle through.
While the chairs turned out great, I think the pens are what’s uber-cool. Everyone and their brother has a Parker, Papermate, or whatever - they all look the same and are the same. Except, the ones you make are hand crafted, which says a lot, especially if it’s a gift to someone. I’ll be sure to bookmark this link, so that my partner will know what to get me next time she’s at a loss for a gift idea
Thanks, I appreciate your kind words!
The pens are by far my favorite to make. They don’t take too much time and people really love them because , like you said, they are hand made.
I am thinking of running a contest on this site or my new blogger site and giving away some really cool pens. What do you think?
Maybe your birthday will come sooner than you expect.
Rockin stuff ya got there Donovan
Thanks!
Wow! You’re quite crafty. I actually like the pens you made.
Thank you very much!
Hey….awesome to see the finished product! They turned out very nice! Now, about that bench and table around my dad’s tree??
Thanks!
I’ll IM you about the bench!
good strategy, i use it all the time