Introduction

So any new blog requires an introduction by the author, and this blog is no exception.  I have attempted writing blogs in the past, but none have really stuck around for more than a few months.  Hopefully this one will not follow the same trend, but I make no promises!

This blog, if you cannot tell, is about woodworking.  To be more specific, it is about my obsession with woodworking!  I actually have a slight obsessive personality and tend to dive head first into my hobbies.  Most of those hobbies die off as quick as they entered my mind, but woodworking has been an exception.  With that, here is my “real” introduction.

My first experiences with woodworking were shop/industrial arts class when I was in the 6th and 7th grades.  It was enjoyable to build things with my hands, but I was a little intimidated by the power tools we were using so I was a little timid in regards to pressing forward with woodworking.  Years later when I was in High School, I helped my Dad build a deck in the backyard which was fun, but nothing really came of it.  I was a teenager and did not have any real motivations in life besides sleeping, hanging out with friends, and playing guitar in my band.

When I was 21 I joined the military and with that came focus and motivation.  When I first joined I worked in aircraft maintenance which obviously required me to work with my hands.  The first year I was in I stumbled across a project that I wanted to build. The infamous MAME cabinet.  For those who are unfamiliar with what a MAME cabinet is, visit http://www.arcadecab.com/ for some examples of what I wanted to build.  I did a lot of research, which I tend to do when I become obsessed with something, and I decided to start buying the tools I needed in order to build my own MAME cabinet.  My first two tool purchases were a Skil scroll saw and a fixed base router.  Those initial purchases were as far as I got.  Lack of money and certain personal issues that I won’t go into here did not allow me to continue with this project and the tools were placed in a box and not used for several years.

Fast forward about 6 years.  I met and married my wife, Angela, and life was good.  During our marriage I started thinking about a productive hobby that I could get into.  I hung up my guitar years ago so I needed something that would fulfill a need that had been empty for some time.  I am sure there were plenty of contributing factors that lead to my decision to step forward into woodworking, but I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was finding out that my wife was pregnant with our first child and I wanted to have something that my son could be proud of.  My only other hobby was playing board games (www.boardgamegeek.com) which is a great hobby to have especially for families.  It is a hobby that I will always have, however it wasn’t scratching the right itch.  Like many years ago when I saw a MAME cabinet project and was inspired, this time I saw a Crokinole board (http://www.crokinole.com/) and was inspired.  I did a lot of research again and found out I needed all sorts of tools that I did not have.  Within that research I found how much I would enjoy building all sorts of things.  My wife mentioned building a toy box for my son which really lit the fire for me.  I could build things with my hands that others could use and possibly admire.  The only downside was how expensive tools are and when it comes to tools, or anything for that matter, I don’t like being too cheap and getting stuff that will either break or not work as well as a more expensive tool…  That’s where I am today.  I’m in the military and I honestly do not make a lot of money.  On top of that I have a family to provide for so I have to be patient and save money before I can buy tools.  Also, to make matters more difficult, I have to consider the weight of all the tools I purchase because I could move at any time and I have certain weight allowances that the military is willing to pay for.

I continue to do research and buy tools slowly. In future blog posts I will show pictures of tools I already have and the reasons why I purchased those tools specifically.  I will also discuss what tools I plan on purchasing next as well as how I plan on saving money in certain purchases and going all out on others.

Finally, the objective of this blog is to chronicle my woodworking obsession. At a later date I may be motivated to create a podcast and post videos, but in the meantime, I will be posting to this blog.  I think this initial post was fairly long-winded so I will stop typing your ear off.  Have a good one and thanks for reading!

-Joe