A new recruit

1683 Views 22 Replies 14 Participants Last post by marecat3, Feb 15, 2018

Auriga

Discussion Starter · Feb 13, 2018

Hello there! I'm Jerry, based in Germany and I've got a serious case of woodworking addiction.

This is a little bit of a conundrum really, since I don't have that much experience with it, but I still have a decent knowledge of how things work. With this in mind, all my current woodworking projects, ie modifying (insert Swedish company name here) furniture, have been successful.

Sadly, the only bit of workshop that I have is 2sqm of the corridor floor in my apartment which is a major blocker. So..... I suppose the goal for the nearest future is to find an affordable workshop to tinker, get more tools and somehow figure out, how to make cool stuff out of wood and make a living out of it. While the former is attainable, I'm not really sure if the latter is.

Thank you!

Reactions: 2

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

kklowell

· #2 · Feb 13, 2018

Welcome, Jerry. There have been many discussions here about the possibility of making a decent living from woodworking, if you do a search You'll find them. I think the general consensus here is that it's not really likely, but that it does depend on the person also.

Stick486

· #3 · Feb 13, 2018

welcome Jerry..
modifying (insert Swedish company name here) furniture, and being successful is feat in it's own right...
post pictures...
Bosch Job-site tools and a rented storage space might work...

Reactions: 1

difalkner

· #4 · Feb 13, 2018

Welcome to the forum, Jerry!

David

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 13, 2018

Thanks for the warm welcome! Regarding my projects, this might've sounded a bit more grandiose than it really was. Most of the stuff involved very basic woodworking, although one particular project was about transforming a very famous 4x4 cubic shelf unit into a 8x4 bookshelf. So, nothing major yet to show.

DaninVan

· #6 · Feb 13, 2018

Jerry; Welcome!
A fairly common 'thing' over here is the co-op workshop. More like a club really. Woodworkers share a common workshop and the larger, more expensive tools/equipment.
Is there anything like that where you are? Getting to know other woodworkers is a bonus in any case!
If you're working with Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), and you are, fair warning the dust is hazardous to your health. Take dust control seriously, especially not breathing it in.

Reactions: 2

Shop guy

· #7 · Feb 13, 2018

Welcome to the forum, Jerry.

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #8 · Feb 13, 2018

DaninVan said:
Jerry; Welcome!
A fairly common 'thing' over here is the co-op workshop. More like a club really. Woodworkers share a common workshop and the larger, more expensive tools/equipment.
Is there anything like that where you are? Getting to know other woodworkers is a bonus in any case!
If you're working with Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), and you are, fair warning the dust is hazardous to your health. Take dust control seriously, especially not breathing it in.

There are such workshops around, but they're relatively scarce and also fairly crowded, which is sub-optimal for me. My goal is to rent my own, readily available bit of space where I could keep my tools locked.

Also, many thanks for your advice.

I participated in several H&S courses in the past, and the topic isn't foreign to me.

Reactions: 2

DesertRatTom

· #9 · Feb 13, 2018

I know what you mean by addiction. Many of us started with simple DIY projects. Even just repairing something, or modifying something is a great way to learn. Hope you're wearing a dust mask. Cutting MDF and particle board in an apartment means you have sawdust already. Not a good idea to allow that. After you do your work, with a mask on, you need to clear the air. The simple way that works at least, is to tape a heater/AC filter to the intake side of a fan. Go have lunch or see a movie with it running and it will clear a lot of the finest particles out of the air. When you rent a shop, you should be more aggressive about sawdust control. Those fine particles do not come out of your lungs. Lots of older carpenters and woodworkers have breathing problems because they didn't do dust control or use masks every time. BTW Jerry, welcome to the fun place.

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Reactions: 1

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 13, 2018 (Edited)

The best, and probably also the worst thing about my 'addiction' is that I often end up going to bed and spending an hour or two just coming up with some projects and completing them in my head: which tools to use, in what order to do things, etc. This really helps, though. I don't remember any major obstacles in my recent projects...... maybe except for that one time I couldn't drill through hardwood cause of the power drill slipping out of my cheap drill press. I guess I gotta get myself a proper drill press, hopefully without much slack in the spindle.

Did I also mention I'm addicted to tools? Visiting a hardware store is like being in a candy shop.

Semipro

· #11 · Feb 13, 2018

Hello and welcome to the router forum, Jerry

DaninVan

· #12 · Feb 13, 2018

"...Did I also mention I'm addicted to tools? Visiting a hardware store is like being in a candy shop."
Heh...you're in good company here, Jerry! What does a 'Big Box Store' look like over there, if there is such an animal?
Does Amazon do the online thing in Germany?

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #13 · Feb 13, 2018

I've never been to Canada or the US and I simply don't have a point of reference as to how big a "Big Box Store" really is

But we do have some well-equipped hardware supermarkets, akin to Home Depot.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "the online thing".

DaninVan

· #14 · Feb 13, 2018

"Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "the online thing". "

Mail order. It's hurting the 'brick and mortar' retail outlets in a big way. Amazon has thousands of employees over here.
Here in Canada, we have Amazon.ca as opposed to Amazon.com; the difference in pricing between the two is substantial, even taking currency exchange rates into account.
https://www.amazon.ca/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Benchtop/dp/B01F6NAU9G
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.225-hp-combination-plunge--and-fixed-base-router.1001042697.html

Note the Home Depot link is in effect mail-order...free delivery. That's the way the market here has developed.

Reactions: 2

RainMan 2.0

· #15 · Feb 14, 2018

Welcome to the forum Jerry. Good name , as Jerry was my fathers name

Reactions: 1

old55

· #16 · Feb 14, 2018

Welcome to the forum Jerry.

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #17 · Feb 14, 2018 (Edited)

DaninVan said:
Mail order. It's hurting the 'brick and mortar' retail outlets in a big way. Amazon has thousands of employees over here.

Oh, most definitely. Most, if not all, of my precision tools were ordered online through the German Amazon.

And again, thank you all for the warm welcome.

Reactions: 1

Multiwood

· #18 · Feb 14, 2018

Welcome to the forum Jerry

Danman1957

· #19 · Feb 14, 2018 (Edited)

Welcome Jerry,
Depending on your location and circle of people you know are factors that could determine if you could make a decent living with woodworking. Most people don't appreciate the effort required to build a piece of fine furniture when they can buy something for half the price or less at that Swedish place you refer to. On the other hand, if you know a few interior designers and architects that work with high end clients, then the sky is the limit. You could start buy refurbishing old furniture found on the side of the road and selling them. I think the tool addiction is pretty common within this Forum ! LOL

Dan

Auriga

Discussion Starter · #20 · Feb 14, 2018

Funny that you mention it, but refurbishing old furniture was indeed on my to-go list. Thanks!

Reactions: 2

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