Shopsmith Forums

Finding time for the woodshop is one of my larger shop problems lately (and I am retired, sort of) and from what I keep reading it is a pretty common problem.
I keep using my woodshop as a place to go in and make or repair some needed item and walking out and going to the next task that is screaming for my time here on the farm.
I keep telling myself that at some point I am going to have more time for it but I'm not sure when. One good thing is that the biggest time user right now is the horse operation which is something I really love doing.
Increasing daylight hours now will help some. When I run out of daylight I run out of go...
We are about 2 weeks from starting to mow grass and that is quite a time consumer. Fortunately we generally enjoy grass mowing most of the time. It is a good thing because with the horse operation we mow about 8 acres of grass regularly and about another 25 acres of intermittent pasture clipping. Then there is all of the pasture dragging and over-seeding and manure spreading etc. This is going to be an extra busy spring as we work on the expansion of the operation but that will mostly just be one time work. I am hoping to kind of work myself out of that job as sections are completed.
I guess as long as I am doing things I enjoy it doesn't really matter what I am doing... It is just that I am finally building up my dream woodshop but can't seem to find time for it...

What is keeping you out of your woodshop?


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ok, I'll play.

Things keeping me out of my workshop:

1) 40 hours a week job with another 10 hours of drive time

2) a house that is from 1854 that my wife and I purchased last year. So many projects so little time and most of them involve nothing to do with wood

3) 2 english bulldog puppies. Can't leave them alone just yet

4) the upcoming spring weather and yard work that comes with it.

5) and last... building a parade float for a young marines group here locally. I will get to use some of my woodworking skills just on a larger level and nothing that is fine detailed.

Finding time to be in my workshop is tough but last night I turned a few spindles on the lathe just free hand messing around. I just needed to make something and the lathe sounded like fun. I also was trying out the new live center for the tailstock and had to make sure it worked.

I think my biggest obstacle is weather. Since my income is dependent on part-time handyman type work and usually is outside projects, I need to work on nice days. Lately if the weather has been inclimate, it has been wintry. My shop is an old tin barn. The only difference between working in it and working outside is that the wind blows a little less noticeably inside the barn. So, if it's too nasty for me to be working for someone else, it's too nasty to be woodworking. And if it's really nice enough to be woodworking, I need to be working for someone else. This past week I have needed to prime the inside of the belt cover and motor pan on the 510 I found so I can put it back together and begin alignment. The problem is that it has been in the 40s most days and rainy, too cold and too wet to spray primer. Tomorrow will be sunny and in the eighties, and I will be moving landscaping rocks and dirt and basically rescaping a backyard for a client. By the time I get done with that and get home I suspect I will be too sore and too tired to do much more than think about woodworking and catch up on this forum.

I think my biggest obstacle is weather. Since my income is dependent on part-time handyman type work and usually is outside projects, I need to work on nice days. Lately if the weather has been inclimate, it has been wintry. My shop is an old tin barn. The only difference between working in it and working outside is that the wind blows a little less noticeably inside the barn. So, if it's too nasty for me to be working for someone else, it's too nasty to be woodworking. And if it's really nice enough to be woodworking, I need to be working for someone else. This past week I have needed to prime the inside of the belt cover and motor pan on the 510 I found so I can put it back together and begin alignment. The problem is that it has been in the 40s most days and rainy, too cold and too wet to spray primer. Tomorrow will be sunny and in the eighties, and I will be moving landscaping rocks and dirt and basically rescaping a backyard for a client. By the time I get done with that and get home I suspect I will be too sore and too tired to do much more than think about woodworking and catch up on this forum.

robinson46176 wrote:Finding time for the woodshop is one of my larger shop problems lately...What is keeping you out of your woodshop?.

Just like computers, there are basically 2 things I do in my shop. (1) Fiddle with the equipment and (2) productive work. I don't know which I do more of. Cleaning, organizing, maintenance, repairs all take time.

Francis, I am looking forward to seeing your push me pull me SS drill press!

Best,
Tom