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My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

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Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#151

Post by themodelplumber »

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #29
contingencies wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use an old copy of Sketchup (the offline version) and it does me. Blender and FreeCAD are both good open source options. You can also alternatively draw an SVG in Inkscape, import in to one or the other, then 3D extrude it.

For those who have never used these tools, they are very good but have an _extremely_ steep learning curve. If you just want to make stuff but see this software as a roadblock, you can still accomplish a lot with good old pen-and-paper.

100%. You can even learn to render in 3D well enough with pen and paper. Sometimes with simple maker projects you can even start with a loose 3D render and do the rest in your head.

https://youtu.be/oJ7WHuvdsjI

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#152

Post by munificent »

pen2l wrote: post #5

It seems so fulfilling, being able to make such beautiful things. But also a bit expensive eh... to get the woodworking skills (presumably by taking classes at a technical college?), the equipment, and the time involved. If any folks here are capable of doing this stuff, would you please share details of your journey, I feel inspired to learn some of this myself. Did you feel it was all worth it, what would you do di…

It is expensive in both time and money, yes. But what better way to spend than on creating something meaningful that others can use?

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#153

Post by gummydog »

Arainach wrote: post #113
gummydog wrote: post #47

My woodworking journey started when I was quoted $2500 to fix my porch railings. $1000 in materials, $1000 in tools mix in youtube tutorials and patience and now I'm hooked. The sliding compound mitre saw was the life changing tool for me. It was what was holding me back all these years from doing my own projects. I was always outsourcing this type of work for simply the cutting of lumber and thought I could do bette…

I enjoy woodworking quite a bit, but before anyone gets any misconceptions, cost savings is NOT a reason to get into it. Unless you need very specific custom dimensions, IKEA can sell a piece of furniture significantly cheaper than I can get raw materials (even if my time is valued at zero).

I saw my rotting railings as a way to fund a new hobby. Since that project I've built a gate, a few planter boxes, fence repairs, a table with the scrap wood and a few other minor things. Enjoyment aside, my cost savings including the value of my vocational time would be reason enough but like you said I have specific cases that can't be bought off a shelf. It is also difficult to get skilled labour to perform small jobs where I live so it is almost a necessity at this time.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#154

Post by Stronico »

blhack wrote: post #88
malwrar wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a really honorable and amazing occupation you've found for yourself and I'm glad folks like you are out there changing people's perspectives and lives. Do you have any resources you'd recommend for learning welding? That's been a skillset that I've wanted to pick up for awhile.

Just buy a welder. Seriously. The machine I learned to weld on was a lincoln 140, and the machines we have at our space are miller 210s (which are LUXURY imo). There are probably thousands of videos on youtube that will show you how to use it, but here's the thing: if you use it wrong, who cares? You really can trial and error your way to it.

Essential Craftsman has some great videos on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40qxyX6HpvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy5wRgNOIkE

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#155

Post by anjc »

Jaruzel wrote: post #14
pen2l wrote: post #5

It seems so fulfilling, being able to make such beautiful things. But also a bit expensive eh... to get the woodworking skills (presumably by taking classes at a technical college?), the equipment, and the time involved. If any folks here are capable of doing this stuff, would you please share details of your journey, I feel inspired to learn some of this myself. Did you feel it was all worth it, what would you do di…

> presumably by taking classes at a technical college? Trial and Error is all you need. I've never formally trained myself in woodworking and I'm pretty good at it. I could definately replicate what this guy did if I had the time and money. My wife and I have a book collection that currently lives on eight 2.5 metre high by 1 metre wide Oak bookcases that fully line two walls of our living room (which we call the Lib…

> I could definately replicate what this guy did if I had the time and money

Perhaps you can but for anyone else reading, this is a big and complicated project. Far beyond the capabilities of an enthusiastic/studious beginner. Your mitre saw or cross cut jig/sled being just a few thousanths off will mess this project up. This guy did a really great job.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#156

Post by brianush1 »

nicolas_t wrote: post #69
orliesaurus wrote: post #52

What a nice thing to do! However I couldn't not notice the typical anonymous mob commenting. Some of the comments on that reddit are so mean. How evil can some folks be when someone just went through his wife's passing.

I didn't see much of that, most of the comments seems to be nice and supportive (at least I've felt a bit uplifted from how nice a lot of the comments were)

Most of the bad ones have been removed now: https://www.removeddit.com/r/DIY/comments/j321gz/my_wife_rec...

Lots of comments talking about how it's too little too late and accusing OP of karma-whoring.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#157

Post by anjc »

wegs wrote: post #12
pen2l wrote: post #5

It seems so fulfilling, being able to make such beautiful things. But also a bit expensive eh... to get the woodworking skills (presumably by taking classes at a technical college?), the equipment, and the time involved. If any folks here are capable of doing this stuff, would you please share details of your journey, I feel inspired to learn some of this myself. Did you feel it was all worth it, what would you do di…

It's less expensive than pre-made furniture. A good place to get started is construction lumber -- just 2x4s. They're not bad once you clean them up with a sander and potentially planer and finish them, and they have a certain industrial aesthetic raw. They're cheap enough that if you mess up or change your mind, you can throw them away and try again. And if you want to redo a piece of furniture, you can do that too.…

> It's less expensive than pre-made furniture.

Not a chance. Perhaps if you live in the Pacific Northwest, but outside of certain regions wood can be very very expensive.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#158

Post by blhack »

codegeek wrote: post #76
blhack wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YES! This is why it's SO important to keep this sort of stuff in schools. Sliding compound miter saw is a magic tool. Now just wait until you get a MIG welder and a bandsaw, you'll be UNSTOPPABLE and the world will suddenly look a whole lot different! Sidenote: I'm the program director at a nonprofit where I teach/create curriculum. One of the workshops that I love teaching is a week long where we teach the following…

I am intrigued. What is the minimum age requirement for this workshop ? Do you have a website for this ?

The ideal age is 13+ for that class. There have been some really bright kids that are younger who have done it, but that is the right age for the kids to get the most out of it.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#159

Post by khazhoux »

gummydog wrote: post #47

My woodworking journey started when I was quoted $2500 to fix my porch railings. $1000 in materials, $1000 in tools mix in youtube tutorials and patience and now I'm hooked. The sliding compound mitre saw was the life changing tool for me. It was what was holding me back all these years from doing my own projects. I was always outsourcing this type of work for simply the cutting of lumber and thought I could do bette…

It's only in last few years that I've learned the key thing about tools: if I'm doing any work and struggling, I'm probably using the wrong tool.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#160

Post by elboru »

dekhn wrote: post #92
gummydog wrote: post #47

My woodworking journey started when I was quoted $2500 to fix my porch railings. $1000 in materials, $1000 in tools mix in youtube tutorials and patience and now I'm hooked. The sliding compound mitre saw was the life changing tool for me. It was what was holding me back all these years from doing my own projects. I was always outsourcing this type of work for simply the cutting of lumber and thought I could do bette…

Miter saw (even without sliding) was transformative for me as well. A cheap table saw complements it nicely (I then splurged and got a CNC router, too, which opens up a wide range of techniques). AFter that I ended up playing with chisels, which I always thought were very primitive, but you can do a surprising amount of nice work with just a chisel and a hand saw. I'm a computer programmer but I expect that more and…

That’s the exact reason I (as a programmer) want to start doing some wood work, there’s something about creating tangible stuff that web programming just doesn’t fulfill.

You talk about the table saw as a complement. I thought it was a must have, legit question, how do you make precise long cuts without a table saw?

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