- Joined
- Nov 14, 2016
- Messages
- 3,006
You are kind of unusual in that it seems most people just use their tools as a means to an end, to make something and the tools are secondary. In your case what you make is not the end goal you are far more interested in the process.
I get that, I'm not as extreme in that view as you are but I got into machining to make stuff and along the way have found learning to use the machines is almost as big a part of it as what I make. I don't need a shaper, or horizontal mill, most of their uses can be done using other tools but I like to learn how to use the different machines and I like having the options. Even having these machines I'm still likely to use alternate methods just for the experience. I certainly don't need all the little lathes I've acquired, but I like using different ones, seeing their advantages or limitations, it actually helps me long term in deciding what features matter to me.
I haven't just built a shop in my basement, I've built a DIY shop class for my personal use. I like learning things even if I will only use that technique one time to decide, that there are better ways to do it. While I do enjoy making things and that is the primary reason I have the shop, I can happily spend hours just tinkering with the machines and making nothing. I've had most of them apart at some point and have learned a lot about how they work and gained a lot more confidence with them as a result.
I've been there on the working to pay off the debt, and didn't like it. I had a job that was in theory 9-5 5 days a week, but that is because the government is stuck in the 1940s and hates the idea of paying people to sit round the clock to be ready to respond to an emergency, so instead it pays for a lot of 2 hour call backs for 30 minutes of work and massive amounts of overtime. That theoretically 40 hour a week job in a typical year averaged closer to 60 hours a week, with much of it highly compressed into 80-112 hour weeks during the summer and 40 in the winter.
I quickly found OT to be a fickle and an unreliable paycheck, too many things could interfere, slow seasons, bad timing, injury, and exhaustion. Having to work the OT because you need the money also interferes with the ability to have any kind of normal home life. It was so nice when I could just tell my boss, I don't care that it is July and half the state is on fire, I'm using my leave and going on vacation with my family.
That only happened after I learned to be patient and earn the money before spending it. If I failed to get earn enough money then it just put the purchase off further, rather than having the stress of another bill to pay. It also makes working for the money more enjoyable as I can look forward to buying something I want when I'm done instead of just writing a check to pay down a bill when I get paid. Working for a check that is already spent is a real drag.
I think most DIY hobbies tend to attract people who are frugal in their spending. For many saving money is what brought them to DIY stuff in the first place. As a result you get a lot of posts about never having any debt, stuff all your loose change into savings, buy an old machine and fix it up rather than buying new etc. I happen to agree with most of this so not saying it is bad advice, but it is not "normal".
You have spent a lot of money on your hobby, with the machines and classes, but that is your main expense in life. As I recall you own one older vehicle which you share with your wife, you own your home, you don't take expensive vacations (except for your various welding, bicycle repair etc schools) and you don't seem to spend much money beyond your basic living expenses.
$70,000 on your shop seems crazy, but lots of people spend that for a new 4x4 diesel crew cab pickup that they "need" to drive their kid to school 2 miles away, a truck that never leaves the pavement, drives in the snow or tows anything. With a 4-1/2 foot bed they also can't haul anything bigger than a large bag of dog food. Personally when I see $70,000 I think
but spending that on a shop seems a much better use of the money than on truck that a used Toyota Corolla can do what is needed better for 1/10 the price.
They say the average American family has $155,000 in debt, so while I'm in the keep debt as low as possible camp, you are still below average on the whole. You are realizing that you can't keep going at the rate you have been, or you will not be around to enjoy your shop. Maybe getting more time in your shop will also help control the spending. I find when I don't get a lot of time in the shop I tend to buy more stuff for the shop as kind of a surrogate to shop time. If I'm actually busy working in the shop then I'm too busy to shop for nice to have things.
I've not got a lot of room to talk about slowing down and enjoying life. I theoretically retired 4 years ago but when you add up the hours I've worked since retiring it is close to 2-1/2 years of full time work.
Anyway, you need to take care of yourself, you have built a nice shop and you need to be around to enjoy it.
I get that, I'm not as extreme in that view as you are but I got into machining to make stuff and along the way have found learning to use the machines is almost as big a part of it as what I make. I don't need a shaper, or horizontal mill, most of their uses can be done using other tools but I like to learn how to use the different machines and I like having the options. Even having these machines I'm still likely to use alternate methods just for the experience. I certainly don't need all the little lathes I've acquired, but I like using different ones, seeing their advantages or limitations, it actually helps me long term in deciding what features matter to me.
I haven't just built a shop in my basement, I've built a DIY shop class for my personal use. I like learning things even if I will only use that technique one time to decide, that there are better ways to do it. While I do enjoy making things and that is the primary reason I have the shop, I can happily spend hours just tinkering with the machines and making nothing. I've had most of them apart at some point and have learned a lot about how they work and gained a lot more confidence with them as a result.
I've been there on the working to pay off the debt, and didn't like it. I had a job that was in theory 9-5 5 days a week, but that is because the government is stuck in the 1940s and hates the idea of paying people to sit round the clock to be ready to respond to an emergency, so instead it pays for a lot of 2 hour call backs for 30 minutes of work and massive amounts of overtime. That theoretically 40 hour a week job in a typical year averaged closer to 60 hours a week, with much of it highly compressed into 80-112 hour weeks during the summer and 40 in the winter.
I quickly found OT to be a fickle and an unreliable paycheck, too many things could interfere, slow seasons, bad timing, injury, and exhaustion. Having to work the OT because you need the money also interferes with the ability to have any kind of normal home life. It was so nice when I could just tell my boss, I don't care that it is July and half the state is on fire, I'm using my leave and going on vacation with my family.
That only happened after I learned to be patient and earn the money before spending it. If I failed to get earn enough money then it just put the purchase off further, rather than having the stress of another bill to pay. It also makes working for the money more enjoyable as I can look forward to buying something I want when I'm done instead of just writing a check to pay down a bill when I get paid. Working for a check that is already spent is a real drag.
I think most DIY hobbies tend to attract people who are frugal in their spending. For many saving money is what brought them to DIY stuff in the first place. As a result you get a lot of posts about never having any debt, stuff all your loose change into savings, buy an old machine and fix it up rather than buying new etc. I happen to agree with most of this so not saying it is bad advice, but it is not "normal".
You have spent a lot of money on your hobby, with the machines and classes, but that is your main expense in life. As I recall you own one older vehicle which you share with your wife, you own your home, you don't take expensive vacations (except for your various welding, bicycle repair etc schools) and you don't seem to spend much money beyond your basic living expenses.
$70,000 on your shop seems crazy, but lots of people spend that for a new 4x4 diesel crew cab pickup that they "need" to drive their kid to school 2 miles away, a truck that never leaves the pavement, drives in the snow or tows anything. With a 4-1/2 foot bed they also can't haul anything bigger than a large bag of dog food. Personally when I see $70,000 I think
but spending that on a shop seems a much better use of the money than on truck that a used Toyota Corolla can do what is needed better for 1/10 the price. They say the average American family has $155,000 in debt, so while I'm in the keep debt as low as possible camp, you are still below average on the whole. You are realizing that you can't keep going at the rate you have been, or you will not be around to enjoy your shop. Maybe getting more time in your shop will also help control the spending. I find when I don't get a lot of time in the shop I tend to buy more stuff for the shop as kind of a surrogate to shop time. If I'm actually busy working in the shop then I'm too busy to shop for nice to have things.
I've not got a lot of room to talk about slowing down and enjoying life. I theoretically retired 4 years ago but when you add up the hours I've worked since retiring it is close to 2-1/2 years of full time work.
Anyway, you need to take care of yourself, you have built a nice shop and you need to be around to enjoy it.
