Woodworking is a job that requires imagination, passion, skill and patience. All to create something that I can then admire and be supremely proud of. This shelf and this vase? I made these! That office table you’re sitting on, I made that! This is why I love woodworking.
I would imagine something in my mind, then with skill and patience, I can shape it to reality. It takes real passion, if I do say so myself, to be able to complete some of the biggest projects I’ve completed over the years. I’d decide to build something impressive, say. Just thinking of the tremendous work and time I’d need to invest in said projects can be daunting. But then, I start outlining the work and quantifying everything that needs to be done piece by piece. I put it all to paper because hey, I like planning meticulously. And then I start to build. It’s a fever in my blood. I’d work for hours or days on end. Every free time I get, I spend with only my project in my mind‒and in my hands. Then, finally, I can say the magic words. Voila, look what I made!
It’s difficult for me to describe the feeling of satisfaction in seeing the appreciation in my wife’s eyes when I presented her with her beautiful coffee table. Nor knowing that my children sleep in the beds I made or play with the toys I created. The tables, beds and toys that were all slabs of lumber before I got my hands on them.
Aside from being the guy who gives useful and unique presents for Christmas to friends and family, woodworking is a source of income too. There’s not a lot of capital required. I just need good wood, the proper tools, skillful hands and ample time. Not a bad start to turning out a good profit, eh? Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy other hobbies as well. But I don’t believe football, fishing or my coin collection (as hobbies) have given me half as much extra income as my woodworking has.
It really is a fantastic hobby. Yes, I know that I have just waxed lyrical about my love of wood craftsmanship so I’ll stop myself there. But for anyone who wants to give it a try it, do it! I’d advise taking up a woodshop class in a local technical school. Or start even smaller by utilizing the power of the internet. Either way, always remember, safety first.