Robs thought for the day .......$30 what will it get YOU for your wood hobby?

Rob Keeble

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So i got done getting my lumber cart back together yesterday (new big castors are a dream) but as i was doing this i got to thinking about a point Allen Levine made many years ago about the cost of woodworking as a hobby. Up until Allen's comment i had always thought about woodworking being a relatively cheap hobby given what i have witnessed others spending on say Golf or what i had spent in the past on sailing for example. That was primarily because i was thinking in terms of tools, the point being that once you got a set, if you care for them you pretty much setup.

But loading the lumber cart got me thinking of the wood, finish, hardware, glue sandpaper screws etc that you need to have to be able to use your tools and i thought........Yeah Allen's got a point.

But in that same vane this morning a commercial on the news for some latest movie had me reviewing what it costs locally for a night at the movies and what value comes from it. We seldom go to the movies but i know we never get to go for less than $30 for the night out.

So i thought about it and thought heck what is left over from a night at the movies and what can i get for the equivalent in terms of woodworking supplies.

$30 can buy me a 5x5 1/2" sheet of BB ply here or at $3.25 per board foot (for many local hardwood shorts at Century Mill Lumber) I could get about say 6 board foot of lumber, still have change, then get to buy some glue and a few screws and be able to make something.

Something that will entertain for more than an 90 minutes and something that will be around for some time to come but may even be useful.

Now if one has a lathe heck wood for that is not even going to set you back if you keep your eyes peeled or make hay when the storms take place and stock up on downed wood.

So what would you do with $30 in your woodworking hobby?


If you consider what Stumpy Nubbs managed to do with a HF $10 plane converting it to a scrub plane heck he would still have $20 left over. :D Now i have not gone mad suggesting you run out and buy a HF plane but it is possible to do.

Its here if you want to watch it.


So Allen i agree if one gets to thinking in terms of making new dining room set or kitchen cabinets or some other fair size furniture or woodworking project then yeah the materials can be expensive but at the same time you wont get a round of golf in my neck of the woods for $30 and i don't believe you have to have $1000 + machines or buy a premium Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen plane to enjoy the hobby.

So my question is would you rather go to the movies ( and i don't mean watching it on Netflix ;) or pirate dvd etc) and what would a night out at the movies cost you or would you rather spend the money on something for your woodworking hobby and if so what would you buy for that cost?

I mean do you really need to see the latest version of Hercules ?????
 
I spent less then that yesterday, getting a short and some 1/4" thick walnut for making some Raspberry PI computer cases (both myself and my father). A new model is out and there isn't the case selection yet.

I see too many people that spend way more on drinking, then is spent on constructive entertainment.
Why'd you have to bring up Hercules? I can't stop laughing now and I can't explain here.:rofl: But thanks for the chuckle.
 
There used to be a place down by Cassville MO that made tool handles (shovels, hoes, rakes, etc). The cut offs (2"x2"x12" or so) from each end they would dump in the back field. They charged $5 a truck load (you load it), so could probably get a semi load for $30.

Randal, How's the new PI? If I recall they added a couple of more usb ports and went to a micro sd? Any other new features? Great idea on making your own case. :thumb:
 
I can buy $30 worth of wood - create something from it - and sell it for more than $30, say maybe $60.

Then take the $60 and turn that into $120

Then the $120 to $240

$240 > $480

480>960

960>1920

1920>3480

3480>7680

7680>15360

Eventually I can get to the point that I can build a 48 x 48 x 12 CNC router and it really didn't cost one red cent.

Then I keep going ----

Anyway - that's how I think of it.

A Jet Ski - cannot do that.
 
Back when I was spending time in my shop on a regular basis, about the only thing I needed to spend money on was finishing supplies and expendables like abrasives and bandsaw blades. The vast majority of my turning wood was free stuff I either found or had given to me. It took me a few years to get to the point where I didn't really feel the need to add more tools, but eventually I got there.

These days, it's not too hard to burn up $30 in an afternoon of shooting, and even more than that if I pay to go to a range. (There is BLM land relatively nearby where unregulated shooting is allowed.)

My guitar habit has been costing me more then my other hobbies lately, but at least I do get some return on my investment in the way of paid gigs, and I suspect I'll eventually stop buying so many additional guitars one of these days. :D

Randal mentioned drinking...back in my drinking days, it was pretty easy to drop $30 a night, and I did it pretty much every day of the week. :rolleyes:
 
I like Leo's thinking! A lot! But I am going to try to with a book. Unfortunately, it will cost a lot more than $30 to get that launched!
 
Randal mentioned drinking...back in my drinking days, it was pretty easy to drop $30 a night, and I did it pretty much every day of the week. :rolleyes:

My habit is a lot more gentle than that because I average about $20-30 per 5g batch of beer which lasts a whole lot longer than a day!! :eek: And I get the pleasure of making it which is pretty high for my part (same reason I like cooking largely science with food!).

I can't remember the last time we went to the movies, although we do occasionally do a night in with a netflix show and some homemade popcorn.

I admit to being a sucker for cheap wood as well, although sometimes I suspect it ends up costing almost as much as buying it depending on the processing :D

Cost vs benefit is certainly complicated and largely personal I think.
 
my woodworking expenses are much greater for someone my age due to the fact that I didn't start woodworking(hardwoods) until I was 53/54.
People pick up tools over the years, its not felt as much as constantly needing things to get a job done.
(quality tools, not disposable tools)
And 1000s of bf of cherry and other asst hardwoods cost money, a lot of money.
But its for my children and me, so I feel its worth it, but that doesn't make it any less expensive.
 
There used to be a place down by Cassville MO that made tool handles (shovels, hoes, rakes, etc). The cut offs (2"x2"x12" or so) from each end they would dump in the back field. They charged $5 a truck load (you load it), so could probably get a semi load for $30.

Randal, How's the new PI? If I recall they added a couple of more usb ports and went to a micro sd? Any other new features? Great idea on making your own case. :thumb:

Wondering if that is the handle supplying place for Epstein's? (Harry Epstein's, good toy, er tool store)
I haven't even had a chance to boot the new PI yet. (debating which use I want it for) Supposed to be more power efficient, combined composite with audio jack and two more USB (still don't know if it is powerful enough for some wireless cards the old one would have an issue with). I've been thinking of some of those monitors/screen's Adafruit sells, Framing them in walnut with the PI on the back, and hanging it on a wall with a wireless keyboard and mouse on top. Maybe as more of a message center/kitchen recipe type of tool.

Eventually, I would like to take the PI's I have (five I think) and try the super computer thing, just to learn.
 
Wondering if that is the handle supplying place for Epstein's? (Harry Epstein's, good toy, er tool store)

Eventually, I would like to take the PI's I have (five I think) and try the super computer thing, just to learn.

I used to be a regular at Epsteins when I worked downtown, haven't been there in several years now, but always interesting to see what you come across there. Took me a long time to realize the prices were written backwards on the shelf labels.

Would be interested in seeing your progress on the PI when you get things going.

Btw all...I thought of something to spend that $30 on at 3:15 am when the grandson was wanting fed last night. A cheap hotel room to go get a full nights rest. ;)


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Honestly it depends. We just recently went to the drive-in and saw two movies, we each had a cheeseburger fries and a coke along with popcorn and Norma had to have her junior mints all for a whopping $42.00.
 
I got a honing guide and a new flush cutting router bit for about $35.00{tax included} today....not the going rate for a Dentist I believe, surely must be worth more than that...I mean it was a lot like pulling teeth getting SWMBO to let loose of her grip on the ol' pocketbook :rofl:
 
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