Woodworking In Later Years

[Steve Wardley]

Hi folks.
Got rather an off the wall question here but I'd be interested to hear from all those who took up woodworking later in their lives, perhaps on retirement or after redundancy and how you found the learning curve, did you intend making a living from it or just purely for pleasure. How successful were you at your goals.
Despite being an active DIYer I'm hoping to make serious inroads into "proper" woodworking as I edge closer toward retirement age in about 6 years time, if I decide to retire and was wondering what problems or obstacles had to be overcome, or not.

How was your woodworking journey ?

Cheers, Steve

 

[Ttrees]

Hello
Not knowing if your new to the forum, welcome if you are ...
You will have to define what you call proper woodworking to get a proper answer
here is a thread to get an idea if your looking for examples on what you want to do in the future...
your intended destination so to speak, and not just focusing on the skills you have right now/6 months time.
you-tube-vids-t103482.html

Finding a niche can be a good filter if you have something in mind, likewise your philosiphy can give you more direction onto the persuit
of information you wish to follow.
These might include ...a "hybrid" setup of hand and powertools/machinery, and if you have the location for it
If you wish to make anything close to what you earn now?
And the philosiphy maybe part of your work ethics,
as in depending if you have the patience after working for most of your life, accustomed to getting results fast, 9 to 5 kinda thing...
or take a different approach to your principals, like considering how long you worked, and the effort you've put in....
Can you transform your idea of what hard labour is, be it whatever career you've had, to really striving for the results you wish to obtain..
Making the mistakes and having to work hard on the patientce part instead of the drudgery part...
Its all effort albiet in different ways, I hope I'm making sense

Tom

 

[sunnybob]

TTREES... If you click on a poster's name it will give you a potted history. he joined on the 10th may and has made 14 posts.

Steve, yup, that was me. Hit woodworking from a standing start at 65. After a lifetime of metal, machinery, and custom motorcycles.
Luckily I had no intention of trying to make money. I saw a bandsaw box being made on utube, and I was hooked.
No one to help physically, just some very informative help from this and a couple other internet forums (I didnt take the first advice, which was to go back to metal).
No woodworking hand tool skills to speak of, so i use power tools for everything except final sanding.
I've had just short of 4 years of good fun, and am now actually doing what I said I never wanted to do, I have orders and deadlines. I'm not happy about working under pressure again though, so once these three are finished, I'm going back making what I want, when I want, and then offering that for sale, take it or leave it.

 

[Roxie]

I was given the opportunity to take earlier retirement (which I did) when I was 58 after many years as a research engineer. I had "dabbled" in woodworking and wood turning as a hobby and thought I would continue in this vain. A colleague suggested turning this "dabbling" into a paying hobby, so I went on a furniture repair and restoration course which took my fancy. During this course I put an advert in the local PO window and the whole enterprise took off. I launched a website and I became even busier with work stacking up. Some of the repairs were pretty mundane, wobbly and broken legs and arms on chairs, but every now and again I would get a piece of "antique" furniture to repair/restore that would make the chair work bearable. I did not make any money but I handled some lovely pieces of furniture and with the odd commission it made my "later years" enjoyable. I finally gave up the business after 8 years as it was getting too much to handle and I wanted to spend more time with the wife, playing golf and walking the dogs. I still do the occasional job and am still woodworking as a hobby and will continue until fitness and health catch up with me.

Hope this helps Steve

John

 

[custard]

Despite being an active DIYer I'm hoping to make serious inroads into "proper" woodworking as I edge closer toward retirement age in about 6 years time, if I decide to retire and was wondering what problems or obstacles had to be overcome, or not.

Good question.

Only a fairly small percentage of the people on this forum ever complete meaningful projects. Most woodworkers don't really work much wood, they just kind of mess around and tinker with stuff.

If that's what makes them (or you) happy then fair enough, they're not harming anyone, and of course it's their time and money to spend as they choose.

But if your objective is to be more serious about actually making things, then you'll need solutions to the three big problems that confound most beginning woodworkers. They are acquiring skills, sourcing wood, and finding the time.

Obviously if you're retired then time is less of a problem, but still bear in mind that even fairly modest projects like a side table with a drawer may, initially at least, take you a 100 hours to complete.

Sourcing wood may sound an odd one, but it seems to be an insurmountable barrier for many. If you're serious about woodworking then knocking apart pallets or using salvaged timber is a non starter, you need to build relationships with a couple of good timber yards and learn the ins and outs of how to reliably buy good quality wood.

Then there are skills. Very few people have the self discipline to teach themselves or follow a structured YouTube training programme. If you can possibly manage it face to face training will give you a huge boost up the learning curve, even a couple of one week short courses would yield substantial dividends. Alternatively, instead of tackling a massively wide field like furniture making, you could focus on a more focused area such as windsor chair making, box making, or turning. You could spend a lifetime exploring the subtleties of each of these, but the good news is that a one or two week training course would set you up with the basic skills to be fully self-sufficient in each of them. Contrast that with say cabinet making, where it'll take roughly 1000 hours of structured, organised training work at the bench before you could confidently embark on making rectilinear furniture (so all straight lines and right angles). And if you want to master the full range of furniture making skills required for curved work, compound angles, veneered and laminated work, complex chair making etc, then you're looking at more like 10,000 hours.

 

[Glynne]

Hi Steve.
I was in a similar position with a few years left to work (I was in IT). Having been a DIY’er and a hobby woodworker I decided I wanted to get into more serious / quality woodwork.
Firstly I built a proper workshop at the end of the garden. Previously I’d been in the utility room and then garage, neither of which were ideal. The workshop was built of breeze blocks and then cladded inside and out with an Onduline (corrugated synthetic) roof. Cost me about £5k 12 years ago but there are lots of threads here on different types of workshop builds.
On retiring, I firstly built a “decent”coffee table out of oak to get into the mind set of proper stand alone furniture (rather than DIY stuff with MDF, contiboard etc.)
I then spent a brilliant 5 days with Roger Berwick (Dodge on this forum) who is a professional cabinet maker. We made a console table together in the week but additionally, Roger could watch me using a table saw, planer, thicknesser, bandsaw etc etc to ensure I was using them properly and safely (as I was self taught) and give me advice and hints.
Armed with extra knowledge and certainly more confidence, I now make primarily fine boxes (some posted on here, some on Instagram -@ Glynnedward).
I have supplemented my training with a couple of short courses with Peter Sefton) and now the only thing that holds me back is inspiration!
As Custard says, 1:1 training / coaching is the way to go. Even if you go on a specific course (for example I did the veneering course with Peter) you will pick up lots more knowledge and advice by being with a professional and if workshop.

 

[johnnyb]

It's an interesting post really as it sums many peoples aspirations up neatly. I have been woodworking seriously for maybe 25years. This is as a hobby mainly. But i think the term hobby downplays the activity a bit. I think for me furniture is the least interesting aspect of wood. I found much furniture was quite basic to hang together but the decoration and twiddly bits could take a long time to complete before it was glued together. I spent many years loving making Windsor chairs. But as with all hobbies after your house is filled with chairs you have to stop!
Making furniture in a serious and productive manner needs space and a decent outlay in machines. I know as a lifetime woodworker it's an investment but as a beginner you end up working like a beginner. Cheap tools not capable of accuracy. Frustration. Etc. Finally eBay. My guess is by taking a course you skip the cheap tools slope and your blinkers are removed to the capabilities of good equipment. (And of course the training!)

 

[johnnyb]

Further to making money I've found fitting doors, frames, window repairs to be nice as it's mostly handwork I'm fast and it's in demand. But it takes some experience and fitness to do well. Not fine furniture but the hand skills are probably more to the fore than much furniture making. But fitting 5or 6 heavy doors could never be classed as a hobby!

 

[Yojevol]

My 'Journey' started some 20 years ago when I was all stressed out in my job (project management in power station construction) but fortunately for me new power stations were going out of fashion and the industry was downsizing. So I put my hand up to take part in the redundancy/early retirement scheme. I felt I would need to supplement my reduced pension but didn't want to go down the route of becoming a 'consultant' in the same industry.

I'd always been a practical type and could turn my hand to all sorts of skills at a diy level.
I decided that furniture designing/making would be fulfilling and it had all sorts of connotations besides the actual woodwork.

Fortunately my employer had a retraining budget for the redundancy programme, but very few people were taking advantage of it, so they were very pleased when I announced I wanted to be retrained as a furniture maker. They paid for me to attend the 2 year Btech course at GlosCat, but they were most disappointed when they found the fees were minute because of state funding!

Next problem – a workshop. More good fortune struck in that my neighbour had a derelict farm building which I was welcome to patch up and use rent free. I made it weather proof, put in a new barn door, laid a new concrete floor, insulated it and put in a separate power supply.

Almost ready to go, but what about tools? As a diyer I had a basic set of hand and power tools but I needed to up my game if I was going to do anything serious so I acquired a pre-loved Felder combination machine. Other tools and bench were bought s/h at auctions and private sales (ebay not really significant then). I always took the attitude that I would rather have a comprehensive range of tools even if they weren't top quality – at least I'd be able to get on with the job.

Early jobs came in whilst I was on the course. I offered to fit out the new village hall kitchen for the cost of materials only:-

My daughter found out that her teacher was looking for a maker to make a bed to their design. Professional quotes were out of the way so I offered to do it for material costs plus a small labour fee:-

The course was one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done. Made some good friends who linger on to the present day. One was a guy now known as Peter Sefton Furniture School (dot com even). He started tutoring at GlosCat on the day I started the course. He was still in short trousers back then and I knew him as Pete - and still do! The course was wide ranging and allowed plenty of scope to test your boundaries. Here's a couple of pieces I made:-

Sadly the course was run down over many years and recently disappeared altogether.

Word got round that I was available for furniture projects and a steady stream of work appeared as if from nowhere – mostly by word of mouth. One project came about through early social media – Friends Reunited. It turned out that a lad I had been friends with as a Boy Scout had been living only 10 miles away for the previous 20 years (our childhoods were spent 100miles away in Surrey). He was looking for somebody to design and make a dining table and chairs. This was the result (+5 chairs):-

Not only a wonderfully satisfying project but we were friends reunited as after a break of some 40 odd years.

Over the years I have had the pleasure and challenge of making some important items for my local church, some of which will be on view at the biennial Flower Festival this August bank holiday - http://www.deerhurstflowerfestival.co.uk :-

I'm also picking up a few orders from my daughter's interior design business. These tend to be quite contemporary designs using more unusual timbers which is a nice development.

The profits I have made over the years have been mainly used to upgrade my portfolio of tools although they are still largely s/h. The two machines I have bought new are a replacement Felder combo and a Startrite bandsaw. I recently upgraded my belt edge sander with an almost new m/c that became available here on the forum. I enjoy keeping an eye on the market for used tools and often pounce in the last seconds to secure an ebay sale. I can't claim to have made much money but I usually refer to it as a self financing hobby. I once made this remark to a professional at the 'Celebration of Craftsmanship' held annually in Cheltenham. His reply was 'I think there are a lot of us in that position'

So what are rewards of taking this seriously as a retirement hobby?

Job satisfaction of a project well executed.
Satisfaction of a pleased customer.
Keeps the brain active.
Scope for artistic input.
Development of drawing skills – pencil and CAD
Being part of a community of like minded fellow travellers.
Plenty of scope for specialisation, eg turning, box making
Leaving a legacy.

Can anybody add to this list?

So Steve I hope this gives you some encouragement to go for it.

Brian

 

[Roland]

Retiring has allowed me to pick up things which got squeezed out of my life by education, career and family. I’ve always enjoyed making things but, as a teenager, I didn’t have the space, funds or time for woodworking. Now I do.

My intention is to remain an amateur, and delve into things which interest me. Last year it was scroll saw work. This year it’s turning. Next year who knows.

My wife asks “how many bowls/guitars/bread boards do we need?”. Then a birthday crops up and we have an instant present, and can I make a fretwork birthday card? Our Christmas cards were cut on the scroll-saw.

As for training. I’ve learned a bit over the years, read books, and recently been wading through YouTube. The latter is a revelation. Not all the videos show good safe practice, but you learn more than books can show.

 

[devonwoody]

I had a small endowment policy mature at 65 and decided I would use a portion to purchase some woodworking equipment and for me it turned out to be a good lifetime investment. I eventually outlayed more than that original investment but I had a marvellous 15 years of enjoyment and a fulltime retirement interest. It even via the woodworking forums took me to Australia three times (one trip lasted 6 months with their forum members and return visits as well).
Alas my age or health in the years since means I have slowed down those activities and now dream of the past and of the future.
So my comment is if you are so inclined I would recommend the path I took.

John Devonwoody since 2004 in Devon.

 

[johnnyb]

One aspect of this "thing" that's possibly the key is contact with other woodmen. Men in sheds is a great thing and is spreading fast. Although woodwork can seem solitary in my experience joining an organisation of some sort can reap huge dividends. There's no furniture making clubs i know of but turning woodcarving marquetry clubs .
But I'm not interested in those things i hear you say. Many of the people going to the club have other interests and crossover.
It's also a huge resource because many members have all sorts of machines.
Going it alone or even using courses isn't to me a long term thing.it can pique your interest and make sure you still got most of your digits though!

 

[MikeK]

I'm on a faster retirement schedule than you, and might retire next year. During the previous two years, I gave a lot of thought about what I wanted to do in my abundant spare time. I thought I would devote more time to photography, but that muse abandoned me and my camera equipment had not seen the light of day in years. I had always been interested in furniture and cabinet building, and even apprenticed for two summers with a cabinet maker when I was in my early teens.

With no debt, stable income, and plenty of time, I started going through my options. I narrowed my list down to buying a Ferrari, now that I can afford one, getting a Swedish au pair, or building a workshop in my basement. While the first two options would be fun to ride, my wife suggested they would ultimately be more expensive, so the basement woodshop was the winner.

To kick start my shop, I sold all of my pro photography equipment and started buying the shop equipment. The sale of the photography equipment funded over half of my shop project so far. Part of the project included building a dividing wall and dust collection closet in the finished basement for the shop. One half of the basement will be my shop and the other half will be whatever my wife wants it to be. I ran a new 3-phase feeder to a power distribution panel in the shop and installed plenty of single and 3-phase outlets throughout.

At this point, time is the one resource I don't control, so I had to decide on buying or making some of the hand tools. If I buy tools, do I buy new top-quality tools, or used tools that need fettling? I decided to buy once and buy big. After all, I have never seen a trailer hitch on a hearse.

I do not intend on making money with my shop. It is for my enjoyment only and my wife has a long list of things to build for our house. My next challenge is to expand on the meager training I received decades ago and find suitable woodworking courses in Europe or the UK.

 

[custard]

Here's a couple of pieces I made

Outstanding work, really superb!

=D>

That's what I'd call doing retirement well!