NGL making tools to make tools to make tools scratches a persistent itch in my brain. That all sounds very satisfying.
Comment on Yeah I see you...
Bluewing@lemmy.world 6 days ago
I got into making and designing small tabletop model steam engines because they are cool. So I needed to buy a small lathe, a mill, a metal cutting bandsaw, and all the tooling each machine needed. So much tooling…That’s the part that will break you financially.
And then you discover you need to design and make a jig or fixture to make a special tool to make another special jig and fixture to make a tool to make that one tiny part for that engine. None of which you will probably ever use again. You end up making tools to make tools to make tools. You can spend 6 months to a year designing and building tools just to get to make that one little part.
I’ve got thousands of dollars and thousands of hours into making engines that I just give away over the years. But I can’t stop this hobby. And I have added 3D printing to my list of hobbies as well.
At least it got me away from collecting fine antique shotguns and importing hunting dogs.
villainy@lemmy.world 6 days ago
Bluewing@lemmy.world 5 days ago
It is very satisfying. That’s why I was a toolmaker for a dozen years or so until I got so cranky and pissed off angry I had to find a new career before I DID skin some idiot alive and nail their hide to the wall.
But I do enjoy the process of making a good and accurate tool. The problem is, I tend to be a perfectionist. And when I realize I’m on the third iteration of a tool that really isn’t that important, it can be hard to pick up the old thread again. But I do enjoy it.
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 6 days ago
I’ve realized my hobby is optimizing my space to do my hobbies. If I ever get my workspace just like I want it for projects, I won’t know what to do with myself. The workshop is the project.
Bluewing@lemmy.world 5 days ago
You ain’t the only one in that boat. And there is nothing wrong with that either.
RagingRobot@lemmy.world 6 days ago
This sounds more like skills than hobbies. You might not get paid for it but you totally could. What you are making is valuable to someone
Bluewing@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Yeah, I was a toolmaker for a while. So there is more than a little skill and knowledge. But I had issues doing that kind of work and had to find another career.
Some people love woodworking. I love working with steel and making tools.