Having fun vs. being productive

Breakout was complete and joinery was well underway. I was going to use loose tenons to join some horizontal rails to the legs, and machine the mortises with my Festool Domino XL. I always love using it, as it’s fast, accurate and very flexible.

I always assume every woodworker would like a Domino, and the only thing stopping them from getting one is the price. These machines aren’t cheap. I can justify having one because I make a living building furniture, but most woodworkers aren’t in the same boat. For me it’s easy: Build a quality piece the fastest way I know how, get paid and move on. It’s obviously not quite that simple, but that statement sums it up nicely. Another aspect of my work is enjoyment, albeit a smaller factor.

Doesn’t everyone think like me?

It then occurred to me some woodworkers wouldn’t want a Festool Domino, even if the cost wasn’t an issue. Hobby woodworkers build things for many reasons. I bet having something concrete to see at the end of a project is near the top of the list. Also on this list is a collection of all the steps along the journey; the process of designing a piece, breaking out material, creating joints, assembling the project and applying a finish. I’m sure spending quiet time alone in the shop also ranks high.

The Festool Domino might actually take away some of the enjoyment for a certain percentage of folks out there. What it adds in accuracy and speed, it detracts with noise and the lack of need for hand cutting a joint like a mortise and tenon. For some woodworkers, it’s the thoughtful and quiet process of hand chopping a joint that they look forward to. I’d bet many woodworkers have designed a project with the joints as the central focus of their enjoyment, while the finished piece is just a side benefit.

My work-to-enjoyment ratio

Although I’ve never thought about this subject quite like this before, I guess we could all put values on what we’re doing in the workshop. The “work” value would be about being productive in the shop and getting things done, while the “enjoyment” value would be about doing things in the shop just because they’re fun.

These values obviously change, depending on the situation, but we can likely average them out to find our rough ratios.

When I started working wood in my parents’ dimly lit basement about 30 years ago, I’d say I was somewhere around 10:90, meaning I did 10% of the things in the shop because I wanted the final product and 90% purely for the enjoyment of it. A great example of this would be a red oak spice rack I made in high school. I loved woodshop class, but I was far from the best cook in the world. I could do the basics, but other than salt and pepper, I likely didn’t even use any spices. I just needed an end goal to aim for, and a spice rack was an everyday item that I could give to my parents, be installed in our home and provide a basic function. I just wanted to work in the shop, learn as much as possible along the way and have a blast doing it.

Today, I’m likely the mirror opposite: 90% of what I do is for the end result while 10% is purely for the enjoyment. That’s not to say I hate 90% of my time in the shop and get little satisfaction out of it. Now, I get enjoyment out of completing a project and (naturally) getting paid.

How about you?

Hopefully, I haven’t taken the subject of shop enjoyment and dissected it too much. I think a mix of work and enjoyment in the shop is great. My guess is this ratio skews heavy on the “work” side for professionals and heavy on the “enjoyment” side for hobbyists. I also bet there are those of you who don’t want a Festool Domino even if the price dropped dramatically. The important thing is that you’re doing the type of woodworking you want to.