Most relaxing/absorbing would be the chisels and my hand-crafted wood rasp, while carving on a classical guitar.
Most nerve-wracking would be using a router to cut shelves on the guitar body for the ebony edge binding inlay: the surface is curved AND domed, and if my cut is off by as little at 0.003" or so then it seems to show as a pretty nice gap. Seems easier on this 4th guitar; was mostly white-knuckled on the first two!
Cheers,
Scott
Nerve wracking? Probably the shaper.
Relaxing? 1. Any handplane - shavings are cool. 2. Dust collector - after dealing with a shop vac for years a real DC is nice to clean up with (phwoop and crap is gone).
Fun (even though you didn't ask)? Lathe - instant gratification and it just makes cool stuff.
Good thread!
The most relaxing activity in the shop is using a big, sharp handplane to edge joint a board, or a whole stack of them for a project. The rhythm, the workflow, the blood flowing with the mild exercise. I think of my grandfathers, and all the great stuff they did before there were electric powered tools.
The least relaxing power tool in my shop is the telephone, since it usually drags me back to the reality of the rest of the world. If I could just afford to retire now...
Patriarch
Tools wake me up, and for two reasons, serenity (fun), and danger. I don't ever want to be around a power machine that doesn't wake me up.
Most relaxing (creative) - definitely the bandsaw. For reasons mentioned in an earlier post.
Most terrifying - Tablesaw, because two major things can happen, I meet the blade that wants a part of me, and I meet a piece of wood that had a fight with the blade that wants a piece of me.
Honorable mention goes to the other power machines in my shop. The planer jointer is a danger because its so fricking quiet, I have an Inca. The router table is a masquerading dentist drill. The belt sander can be aggressive when I want something done yesterday. This sometimes results in a piece flying into the next room. And the chop saw makes a noise more nauseating than the router.
Geoff NJ
This week is has to be my Dad's old miter box saw. I'm trimming out a couple of rooms and forgot how nice a really sharp back saw in a good miter box is for some trim work. There's no noise, no power cord to bother about, no dust flying about, just a nice clean cut. It was top-of-the-line before power miter boxes came into widespread use and is still my tool of choice for trim carpentry.
Jim
I'd go along with that, except I love my lathes. OTOH I love my planes. I hate decisions, also my TS. How about fairly quiet and real quiet, that let's in the planes and the lathes. Dave in Fairfax
My 31Db attenuating ear muffs.
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 23:48:02 GMT, "Preston Andreas" brought forth from the murky depths:
In about 3 minutes, dual featherboards and a push-stick/pad would take all that fear and danger away, Pres.
G2405 and/or H3308 at
- Every day above ground is a Good Day(tm). -----------
I can't argue with that choice, and I've been known to "waste" time in the shop planing boards just because I was in the mood to do so. But, over time, I've come to consider spokeshaving to be the most relaxing. Leisurely peeling off curlies while you turn a square piece into a round one and watching the burnished surface a shave leaves (even on endgrain) is a treat. Carving would be right up there, but you've got to be totally on top of things or you can wreck a piece in a heartbeat.
Chuck Vance Just say (tmPL) In general, any woodworking that can be done while listening to music is relaxing.
Most relaxing: A ROS, No danger, no effort and great results.
Most rewarding, a razor-sharp chisel.
Most nerveracking, a tablesaw- the only tool that I've been injured with
Barry Lennox
I very seldom clean my shop, because if i get rid of the shavings I have to stand on the hard uneven concrete floor.
You have my permission ... LOL!
I went out to clean, looked at the mess, looked at the temperature, and decided to come back inside.
But I *almost* did just that today. :)
Hand saws for me. I'm making (turning) a lot of things with a little waste piece on the end, which I have to cut off with a saw. I've cut my finger three times so far. It's starting to look like a chopping block.
The screaming Crapsman router. I really hate that thing.
Welp ... I also moved the bandsaw ... a move I've been contemplating for a while, but been too busy to do. I am not sure that I am going to like it where it is, but it took some extra 'sitting back and cogitating' time after doing .. another past time I find myself doing more and more as I realize I'm not as young as I once was.
I'll admit to going out there and just sitting for a bit, without doing anything at all. Maybe listening to the radio, but I only got a radio very recently.
Sad, really, that I would prefer to spend time inside a 10x12 shed than inside with my family.
I think I'm turning into a bona fide hermit.
Or maybe facing-up some rough-sawn stock so it's ready for use.
Wooden spokeshave.
For a power tool that is relaxing to use because it isn't too likely to damage either you or your project, it's hard to beat a 1/2 sheet orbital sander (e.g., PC 505) followed by a ROS as a distant second. Next would probably be portable drills. After that, it's all downhill, because even minor attention deficits are going to hurt either you or your project or both.
Tim Carver snipped-for-privacy@twocarvers.com
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