md

mac davis

09/10/2004 4:11 PM

What makes a shop appealing?

In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
few reasons that we do what we do..
I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that really
made sense..

He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine, or
just shows up some nights with his coffee...

He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...

Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the west..


This topic has 21 replies

MJ

Mark & Juanita

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

11/10/2004 6:55 PM

>On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 20:35:19 -0600, philski <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
><snip>
>>Right now my shop smells of incense cedar. I also get a good whiff of
>>white oak and it brings back memories of Jack Daniels for some reason.
>>
>>I like being in the shop - so much so that I have a table and chairs out
>>there as well as a refridgerator (gotta have a cold one on hand!). My
>>neighbor has his woodshop across the street too. So when his garage door
>>is open and mine is open, the saws are running and we often walk back
>>and forth to see each other's ongoing projects.
>>
>>I guess I am a tool freak too :>
>>
>>Philski
>


The smell of the shop as the appealing element makes a lot of sense. The
sense of smell is very strongly associated with memory. Stepping into a
shop with the lingering odor of turpentine from finishes, or the smell of
fresh-cut wood can bring back very pleasant memories either from childhood
or from a previous session in the shop. When we moved several years ago,
our 3 year-old son, when I opened the storage area on the temporary
apartment's porch exclaimed, "It smells just like Daddy's shop at our old
house!" That's because I had stored some finishes that included the
turpentine and beeswax with which I had finished the workbench frame.

pp

philski

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 8:35 PM

mac davis wrote:
> In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
> few reasons that we do what we do..
> I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that really
> made sense..
>
> He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine, or
> just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>
> He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
> hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>
> Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
> realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
> life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the west..
>
>
Right now my shop smells of incense cedar. I also get a good whiff of
white oak and it brings back memories of Jack Daniels for some reason.

I like being in the shop - so much so that I have a table and chairs out
there as well as a refridgerator (gotta have a cold one on hand!). My
neighbor has his woodshop across the street too. So when his garage door
is open and mine is open, the saws are running and we often walk back
and forth to see each other's ongoing projects.

I guess I am a tool freak too :>

Philski

pp

philski

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

10/10/2004 11:13 AM

mac davis wrote:

> On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 20:35:19 -0600, philski <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>>Right now my shop smells of incense cedar. I also get a good whiff of
>>white oak and it brings back memories of Jack Daniels for some reason.
>>
>>I like being in the shop - so much so that I have a table and chairs out
>>there as well as a refridgerator (gotta have a cold one on hand!). My
>>neighbor has his woodshop across the street too. So when his garage door
>>is open and mine is open, the saws are running and we often walk back
>>and forth to see each other's ongoing projects.
>>
>>I guess I am a tool freak too :>
>>
>>Philski
>
>
> I can relate to the table and chairs...
> I have a couple of folding chairs by the garage door and a tv... if
> I'm not listening to the stereo, (every shop has a mega watt stereo,
> doesn't it?), the tv is on, mostly for neighbors stopping by to unfold
> a chair and visit..
> I guess to me, my shop is like some folks "study"... I don't go there
> just to make sawdust, but to be in my "own space" and just relax...
>
> It's a place with no pressure, schedules, or deadlines... and you're
> there because you WANT to be, not because you have to be..
Exactly! You and I are a LOT alike. I too have a TV (small 12" screen)
that is usually on so I can keep track on my Sunday Football...And the
chairs are those Coleman camping folding chairs....Damn! We must think
the same as well. I go out there and just sit to sip a beer and browse
through some woodworking mags or plans and formulate an idea or two...

Philski

GG

Greg G.

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 6:43 PM

mac davis said:

>He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
>hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>
>Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
>realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
>life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the west..

We have a friend like that. She was over one night while I was
ripping up 2.5"x 2" strips of SYP for a workbench top. As the smell
of pine wafted it's way into the house, she just had to come out to
sniff the air. Apparently reminded her of her childhood in Tennessee.

I love the smell, just don't like the dust...


Greg G.

JJ

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

10/10/2004 12:26 AM

Sat, Oct 9, 2004, 4:11pm (EDT+4) [email protected] (mac=A0davis)
wonders:
In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a few
reasons that we do what we do.. <snip>

This has been posted before, but easier to just post the URL than
copy it. Scroll down to About My Shop. Pretty much covers it for me.
http://community-2.webtv.net/Jakofalltrades/STUFFMADEPAINTED/



JOAT
I smile because I know my God loves me. You on the other hand, he
doesn't much like.

Sd

Silvan

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

13/10/2004 8:19 PM

Nate Perkins wrote:

>> Just a really cool night, having a brew, listening to some mp3's on
>> the box, and doing all the hand fitting, shaving, etc... my own
>> little world...
>
> Definitely, no beer before or during power tools .. I'd like to keep
> all ten!

No beer during shaving and fitting either! Every scar I bear has been from
a mishap with chisels, saws and gouges (or knives or dogs, or surgery, but
those are other stories.) The nastiest one was from an ordinary dovetail
saw, cutting ordinary joinery 101 tenons on a piece of scrap.

That was when I was sober! :) So for me, if it's Miller time, it's time to
lock up the shop.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

cC

[email protected] (Charlie Self)

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 5:14 PM

mac davis writes:

>In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
>few reasons that we do what we do..
>I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that really
>made sense..
>
>He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine, or
>just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>
>He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
>hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>
>Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
>realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
>life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the west..
>

You'd love the road in front of my house. There are several sawmills, one just
three miles up, and one down a side road. These days, the trash wood (slabs,
sawdust) gets ground up and trucked to wherever. The trucks have mostly open
backs and high side vents, and the intense aroma of resin rich pine tends to
precede and follow them.

Charlie Self
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for
selfishness." John Kenneth Galbraith

LJ

Larry Jaques

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 8:48 PM

On Sat, 9 Oct 2004 15:29:41 -0400, "firstjois"
<[email protected]> calmly ranted:

>Too true! My shop is in the basement (cellar) and I love to open the door
>and take a deep breath. Why hasn't someone made sawdust into aftershave?

THEY DID! Just ask the maid for some.

It's called PineSol. ;)

Wear it at your own risk.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Life is full of little surprises. * Comprehensive Website Development
--Pandora * http://www.diversify.com

nN

[email protected] (Nate Perkins)

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

12/10/2004 11:25 AM

mac davis <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
...
>
> It's a place with no pressure, schedules, or deadlines... and you're
> there because you WANT to be, not because you have to be..

Right on. I have a small stereo ("boombox"), a little 12" TV, a
radiant heater on the ceiling, a good workbench, and a comfortable
stool to sit on.

During the early evening I can mill and use power tools on the wood
(kids are awake), but in the later evening it's all quiet -- layout,
marking, sharpening, hand tools or finishing.

Sometimes a good thick Porter is a handy accessory.

Cheers,
Nate

nN

[email protected] (Nate Perkins)

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

13/10/2004 3:18 PM

mac davis <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
...
> As it got a bit later, (I try not to use power tools after 8 or maybe
> 9 at night so that the neighbors let me live) it was miller time, as I
> won't drink when I'm using power tools..
> Just a really cool night, having a brew, listening to some mp3's on
> the box, and doing all the hand fitting, shaving, etc... my own
> little world...

Definitely, no beer before or during power tools .. I'd like to keep
all ten!

Pretty soon it's going to start getting colder here in Colorado. I've
been thinking about getting an electrician out to rewire my garage,
and maybe install some larger radiant lamps in the ceiling.

Cheers,
Nate

Rg

RKG

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

13/10/2004 8:44 PM

Silvan wrote:
> Nate Perkins wrote:
>
>
>>>Just a really cool night, having a brew, listening to some mp3's on
>>>the box, and doing all the hand fitting, shaving, etc... my own
>>>little world...
>>
>>Definitely, no beer before or during power tools .. I'd like to keep
>>all ten!
>
>
> No beer during shaving and fitting either! Every scar I bear has been from
> a mishap with chisels, saws and gouges (or knives or dogs, or surgery, but
> those are other stories.) The nastiest one was from an ordinary dovetail
> saw, cutting ordinary joinery 101 tenons on a piece of scrap.
>
> That was when I was sober! :) So for me, if it's Miller time, it's time to
> lock up the shop.
>
I can agree with that, my other hobby is winemaking and my #1 rule is
when the first cork is popped the shop is closed.

Rick

MH

"Mike Hide"

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

10/10/2004 2:17 AM

What makes it appealing the same as a bell ,a crapper ...excuse me a
clapper.....mjh

--
http://members.tripod.com/mikehide2
"firstjois" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> mac davis wrote:
>>> In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
>>> few reasons that we do what we do..
>>> I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that
>>> really made sense..
>>>
>>> He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine,
>>> or just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>>>
>>> He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
>>> hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>>>
>>> Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
>>> realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
>>> life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the
>>> west..
>
> Too true! My shop is in the basement (cellar) and I love to open the door
> and take a deep breath. Why hasn't someone made sawdust into aftershave?
>
> Josie
>
>

pp

patriarch <[email protected]>

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 8:11 PM

"firstjois" <[email protected]> wrote in news:kdGdnVt34L-noPXcRVn-
[email protected]:

<snip>
> Too true! My shop is in the basement (cellar) and I love to open the door
> and take a deep breath. Why hasn't someone made sawdust into aftershave?
>

Pure gum turpentine? ;-)

Patriarch

pp

patriarch <[email protected]>

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 10:32 PM

mac davis <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
> few reasons that we do what we do..
> I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that really
> made sense..
>
> He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine, or
> just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>

I enjoy just having a reason to visit with my friends. For some folks,
it's golf, or other sports. Others get together to play bridge, or
pinochle or cribbage, and/or enjoy an adult beverage.

My wife quilts. I don't know that I've ever met a disagreeable quilter.

For me, it's an excuse not to be an old grump.

SR

"S R"

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

10/10/2004 2:42 AM

Tools.

Stephen R.


"mac davis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
> few reasons that we do what we do..
> I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that really
> made sense..
>
> He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine, or
> just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>
> He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
> hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>
> Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
> realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
> life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the west..
>
>

ff

"firstjois"

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 3:29 PM

mac davis wrote:
>> In the thread about burning out on woodworking, we mentioned quite a
>> few reasons that we do what we do..
>> I wanted to add something my neighbor said the other night that
>> really made sense..
>>
>> He comes by when he has a project or if I need help on one of mine,
>> or just shows up some nights with his coffee...
>>
>> He mentioned the other night that one of the reasons that he liked
>> hanging out in my garage was that he loved the smell of sawdust...
>>
>> Thinking back to my dad's sign shop and his wood working tools, I
>> realized that I've been addicted to the smell of sawdust all my
>> life... especially pine or fir, 2 common types of lumber in the
>> west..

Too true! My shop is in the basement (cellar) and I love to open the door
and take a deep breath. Why hasn't someone made sawdust into aftershave?

Josie

md

mac davis

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

13/10/2004 2:45 PM

On 12 Oct 2004 11:25:42 -0700, [email protected] (Nate Perkins)
wrote:

>mac davis <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>...
>>
>> It's a place with no pressure, schedules, or deadlines... and you're
>> there because you WANT to be, not because you have to be..
>
>Right on. I have a small stereo ("boombox"), a little 12" TV, a
>radiant heater on the ceiling, a good workbench, and a comfortable
>stool to sit on.
>
>During the early evening I can mill and use power tools on the wood
>(kids are awake), but in the later evening it's all quiet -- layout,
>marking, sharpening, hand tools or finishing.
>
>Sometimes a good thick Porter is a handy accessory.
>
>Cheers,
>Nate

Exactly!
Last night was a pretty good example... I'm building drawers for a
rolling bench/router table... cut out most of the parts over the
weekend..
I took advantage of working at home to glue up 4 drawers yesterday...
I'd take a break from work, go out to the shop and glue and clamp a
drawer, then work for an hour or so and come back out and do the next
drawer...
In the evening, I cut and routed the drawer guides, face moulding,
etc.. lots of wonderful noise, saw dust, chips, etc...

As it got a bit later, (I try not to use power tools after 8 or maybe
9 at night so that the neighbors let me live) it was miller time, as I
won't drink when I'm using power tools..
Just a really cool night, having a brew, listening to some mp3's on
the box, and doing all the hand fitting, shaving, etc... my own
little world...

md

mac davis

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

10/10/2004 4:34 PM

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 20:35:19 -0600, philski <[email protected]>
wrote:

<snip>
>Right now my shop smells of incense cedar. I also get a good whiff of
>white oak and it brings back memories of Jack Daniels for some reason.
>
>I like being in the shop - so much so that I have a table and chairs out
>there as well as a refridgerator (gotta have a cold one on hand!). My
>neighbor has his woodshop across the street too. So when his garage door
>is open and mine is open, the saws are running and we often walk back
>and forth to see each other's ongoing projects.
>
>I guess I am a tool freak too :>
>
>Philski

I can relate to the table and chairs...
I have a couple of folding chairs by the garage door and a tv... if
I'm not listening to the stereo, (every shop has a mega watt stereo,
doesn't it?), the tv is on, mostly for neighbors stopping by to unfold
a chair and visit..
I guess to me, my shop is like some folks "study"... I don't go there
just to make sawdust, but to be in my "own space" and just relax...

It's a place with no pressure, schedules, or deadlines... and you're
there because you WANT to be, not because you have to be..

ff

"firstjois"

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

09/10/2004 6:46 PM

>> "firstjois" <[email protected]> wrote in
>> news:kdGdnVt34L-noPXcRVn- [email protected]:
>>
>> <snip>
>>> Too true! My shop is in the basement (cellar) and I love to open
>>> the door and take a deep breath. Why hasn't someone made sawdust
>>> into aftershave?
>>>
>>
>> Pure gum turpentine? ;-)
>>
>> Patriarch

Hey, that's it? Now I know what to buy!

Jois

pc

patrick conroy

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

11/10/2004 4:06 PM

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 16:34:22 GMT, mac davis <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>
>It's a place with no pressure, schedules, or deadlines... and you're
>there because you WANT to be, not because you have to be..

Hmmm - maybe your neighbor is "casing" the place? :)

md

mac davis

in reply to mac davis on 09/10/2004 4:11 PM

14/10/2004 5:52 AM

On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 20:19:55 -0400, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Nate Perkins wrote:
>
>>> Just a really cool night, having a brew, listening to some mp3's on
>>> the box, and doing all the hand fitting, shaving, etc... my own
>>> little world...
>>
>> Definitely, no beer before or during power tools .. I'd like to keep
>> all ten!
>
>No beer during shaving and fitting either! Every scar I bear has been from
>a mishap with chisels, saws and gouges (or knives or dogs, or surgery, but
>those are other stories.) The nastiest one was from an ordinary dovetail
>saw, cutting ordinary joinery 101 tenons on a piece of scrap.
>
>That was when I was sober! :) So for me, if it's Miller time, it's time to
>lock up the shop.

oh, I wouldn't use anything dangerous if I was drinking...
last night, I spread the parts out on a workmate next to my chair and
played at hand sanding them while I listened to music with a few
friends.. kinda like ladies knitting, I guess.. lol


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