Shopsmith Forums

I have learned over the years that we have all kinds of different interest here. All of us I presume have an interest in Shopsmiths and along with that I also assume woodworking...
I suppose that some folks here are only interested in woodworking as a hobby like some guys only hunt and some only fish etc.
I fall at the other end of the scale... Much like I am a tool nut I have more hobbies, interest and collections than I could sit here and list off without having to think about it for a while. That is just who I have always been.
Between the guys with no hobbies and guys like me are all of the normal folks with from one to several hobbies. I thought it might be interesting to hear if woodworking is your only hobby and if it is not what are your other hobbies / interest.
I love hearing about other peoples hobbies.

A handful of mine are:
Horses (a biggie)
Old farm tractors and tractor shows
2 wheel garden tractors, especially Gravelys
Genealogy
Blacksmithing
Leather working
Gardening
Camping
I like shooting especially muzzle loaders and have a small gun collection
I collect old chest and wooden boxes, especially wooden tool boxs
We collect decorative Santa Clauses and have well over 800 of them
and something over 300 snowmen as well as other Xmas stuff
I have an extensive library and like old books
I have lapidary tools and jewelry tools but I'm saving those for when I get old.
I have a lot of fishing tackle (nothing special) but I have not used it in many years
My old 4 cylinder Honda motorcycle has been sitting too long due to some of my health problems of recent years but I am doing a lot better and am really determined to get it back on the road this summer. I thought last summer but a med problem held me back. I'm no longer taking that crap...
Oh, one more. After 20+ years of shoe repairing I am pretty good with sewing machines and heavy stitching equipment and lately I am picking up some old Singer and Singer clone machines (about 1950 vintage) and rehabbing them for light leather work and some upholstery work. I can buy non sewing machines at yard sales for very little $$$ and have them sewing again usually in a few minutes. Most just need oil and adjusting. Many of these machines have not worked for years and have had very little use. Low mileage...

Now, what are your hobbies and interest?


.

Wow, that is one heck of a hobby list, farmer!

Let's see, for my "normal" sorts of hobbies, I'd include:

Shopsmith stuff
Woodworking
Vintage DeWalt radial arm saws (four of them have followed me home so far )
Gardening/landscaping/lumberjacking (These tend to blur together, as I live in a house on a wooded lot.)
A smattering of photography
A bit of tennis, hiking, and leisurely bicycling (when I can muster up some family members to join me)
Boating/tubing/skiing, although these days I mostly just drive the boat and enjoy the youngsters

Don't know if this qualifies as a "hobby" of not, although I'm pretty sure that I'm often guilty of giving intellectual stimulation priority over income generation. Regardless, I'm fortunate in that I have been able to make a pretty decent living doing engineering projects that I often find fascinating. BUT, the bucks are almost inevitably earned in activities that require prolonged periods of sitting on my BUTT, mostly in front of a computer. Which makes the active hands-on hobbies all the more appealing.

In my past I enjoyed snow skiing. Even made it as far as ski school director of a small place in Western Montana.
Also in the past was Mountain Biking
I enjoy golf, though neuropathy has pretty much ended it.
Used to autocross (pretend racer car drivers in parking lots)
Collecting books. Lots of cook books and wood working books I will never get to.
Reading. Science fiction, historical fiction, biographies, fantasy (martin, goodkind, etal)
Welding. The sound and concentration helps me relax.
Jeopardy! Thoroughly enjoy that show.
The daily puzzle page in the paper.
Beginning to wood carve.
Design / create / invent /plan Recently I posted about a ZCI and someone wondered about why reinvent something that exists. I guess I like to try and see what I can do. I was that way as a child. Nowadays it also keeps the brain sharp (well it tries to anyway!)


Be well,
Ben

Most of my hobbies have taken a backstage to woodworking but at one time or another they resurge:
Scuba & snorkeling
Astronomy
Extreme orienteering, like 3 day excursions
Archery hunting
Fly fishing
Vegetable Gardening
Chickens
Restoring old stuff. Used to be 60's Ford Mustangs, now it's 50's Era tools ( tools are a LOT cheaper)
As I get older, fewer and fewer of the crew want to get out in the woods as much and I had to join local clubs to find the woodworkers.

Hobbies past
Traveling
Photography
Bible study
Car tinkering

Hobbies present

Woodworking
Bible study
Visiting family, friends and neighbors.

Spend most of my awake time taking care of disabled wife,so wood working is great therapy.

Steve, the old swampgator

I really enjoy restoring model 10's.
I love Gravely 4 wheel tractors(800 & 8000 series to date).
Target shooting although haven't done any for several years now.
Hunting but same as above.
Welding and building custom lawn/garden tractor hitches for Sears and Gravely tractors.
Tinkering with old machinery.
Watching birds at our feeders.
Just started turning bowls on my 10's in February and love it however, This time of year, no time for it.

Mike

We also go through a lot of bird seed and sugar water.

I also like hanging bird houses all around the 100 acre farm.

Another I omitted is pretty much the old peoples national past time, eating out... Not expensive or fancy mind you, just getting out often. We find ourselves eating a lot of $5 meal deals. Cooking is not an interest for either of us.
Sometimes we go to a nearby park with a small river through it and watch the geese and ducks. Sometimes we just go sit and eat a lunch someplace here on the farm. We have a few small woods and I have a 2 acre scotch pine and balsam fir planting where we can sit on a hill and see for miles out over the community. If I were younger and richer I would build a new house on that hill. As it is I do want to maybe build a tiny camp like cottage/screen house up there. Just a place to go sit and maybe spend a night now and then. I like having "spots" around to go to where we can sit and talk and "do nothing". I might run the old motorhome back there overnight soon. It just makes a break in routine. It's also a good way to make sure the motorhome is ready to go or decide if it needs work.


.

I have been told that I have to many .... but I do stay occupied.

They include:
Fishing (both professionally as a guide and competitively in BASS and local organizations)
General aviation and my Piper in general, but I have had many airplanes over the last 30 years
camping
Our Dalmatians (30 years worth LOL) until our last one a few years ago. Still help people train their dogs.
Leather craft, made belts and wallets and such since the early sixties
Used to hunt birds and big game, but haven't in years, black powder, archery, pistol, and rifle including long range (1000 yard)
Hot Rods, Classic Corvetts, and Classic Pickups
Travel
Music (saxophone, keyboards, harmonica, autoharp, and others) and recording

Many others,

My passion now is Shopsmith and Woodworking, can't get enough

Following the advice of my Father, Every thing I do is thought of as a hobby. Life has always been fun that way. Sounds weird and utopian, but this is the way stuff goes here.

Sometimes hobbies have difficulties, but these are only temporary if the hobby (life activity) is worthwhile.

I have taken up an interest in garden railroading.
It is model railroading done outdoors using "G" scale trains which are about twice a big as "O" scale Lionel trains. It allows me to combine some woodworking for building scale structures, some electronics for train control and sound effects, and some gardening and landscaping. My garden railroad is under construction in the backyard and probably will be for years.

Dennis