#41: How do you fit your woodworking into the rest of your life?

Having retired, but with 2 additional households with children,  my woodworking seems to be in continual demand (along with childcare, of course).  Consequently,  it's a on-going balancing act  between the shop and the family.  As the kids get older, the balance point is a moving target as the children want time in Pop-pop's shop.

Tough question
I am semi retired, I have spent a lifetime building projects we needed, such as beds, cabinets, tables etc. I always planned that by this stage in life that I would be making woodworking items for the sole reason that I wanted to do them. Now with four married children and rapidly growing grandchildren I still find that I am building according to other people's wants and needs. I just got a request from my wife for a set of quilting frames and a request from my daughter-in-law for a free standing cupboard. The days of purely recreational woodworking may never come. That being said, and in answer to the question, I find my best time to fit woodworking into my life is during spring and fall evenings. In the winter my shop is too cold and it takes too long to heat it up to justify a few short hours of work. In the summer we are too busy with lawn, garden, woodlot in the evenings to allow for much woodworking time.

Mark Mandell wrote:

Having retired, but with 2 additional households with children,  my woodworking seems to be in continual demand (along with childcare, of course).  Consequently,  it's a on-going balancing act  between the shop and the family.  As the kids get older, the balance point is a moving target as the children want time in Pop-pop's shop.

An then there's the X-Factor of adults, having seen and used the bowls and jars scattered around the house, asking to learn to turn wood.  Gotta call my tree-guys to get me some fresh poplar for training!!!

What is recreational woodworking?  All of my woodworking is a means to make an object that is needed for some purpose, whether it is a cabinet, desk shelf or a toy.  I have a large cabinet project for my daughter coming soon and I am currently making a toy for a local charity fund raiser.  I rarely if ever look at woodworking as work.

Woodworking is my way to relax from work etc.  

I've moved a few times now since my first real shop in 1993.  I'm in my 3rd shop and will be moving again in a few years to another home that will have a shop.  Wood working and work are a delicate balance for me, still not retired at 67 but looking at future projects that can burn down some of my wood hording inventory.  I almost had my inventory down till I picked up a part time job working at a local wood store, Exotic Woods in Burlington.  I had to leave that job as I was never bringing how any pay, just wood.  My wife Melanie says she has projects for that wood so I guess I'll be making more things.  One of my stepdaughters has just recently gotten married so here's hoping that I will be making things for our grandchildren soon.

I do woodworking for family and friends.  I've built very few pieces that I have charged anything more than the cost of materials.  I like to stay busy and since I retired, I have more time for things such as woodworking.  There are always more things that can be made and different ways to make them.  I'm currently working on a bench for a small alcove in my daughters house.  The first step will be to rebuild the alcove so it has some resemblance to square and plumb with some added structure to support a coat rack.  There are also some electrical switches and outlets that may need to change locations.

Some local idiots decided to drive their UTV across a narrow foot bridge on the back of our property which resulted in the near total destruction of the bridge.  Between those idiots and the beavers that have taken up residence on the creek, I'll have to make some changes when I repair the bridge.