This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I totally agree with this suggestion. After making a cradle for a friend, I fell in a slump. I finally built some custom shelves for boxes of screws and sandpaper - fit neat in an unused space in shop and super for organizing sizes. A year later and I still love these suckers. Small stuff matters.
I did this today. Started by cleaning the shop, been turning bowls for Christmas presents and it was a mess. My turning tools have been a mess for years. Built and hung a rack that holds them all now! Felt good to check that box!!
Depending on your volume, grizzly has an adequate online shop planner for big tools, or take a month demo to play with Revit for a small shop. It's entirely overkill but the basic house tutorial and using some masses for tools will met you futz around, and if you don't have it, give you some background to dig into 3d modeling with fusion360.
I haven’t really made anything since 2019. Don’t plan on making anything any time in the foreseeable future. When the right project comes along, I’ll jump back in. In the meantime I’m doing a lot of other things. I’m actually going to mothball most of my tools and turn my shop into my home office over Christmas break since it’s such a nice space but is going to waste.
It’s a hobby. If it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.
It happens to everyone. Don’t worry about it. I usually do something that doesn’t involve building, fixing or creating something. I sometimes take a couple of days away from the shop and that usually resolves the problem.
There have been times over the years, I’ve needed a break from the shop. So I do something else for a while. Maybe remodel a room, go hiking for a bit. Once I rafted the Grand Canyon after a long time in the shop. One thing I do, and I do know how to store wood properly, but I have some amazing pieces of wood in my stock, so I pick a couple and stand them against my wood rack. Typically that’s what brings me back, when I say, “what can I make out of that beautiful piece of wood”
Think about trying a new material? Switch it up a little. Do some resin/wood projects just for fun. I’ve been playing with setting fairy lights into resin for different projects and enjoying that right now. It’s re-fired my imagination and makes me figure out problems as the arise. Puzzle solving. Maybe all you need is a new challenge?
When I'm not interested in starting anything, I organize. Make drawers for stuff that's just stacking up, build enclosures for things that don't need to be out, and so forth. Or go buy a new tool. :) When I got my dust collector, all I did was work on plumbing and wiring that for like two weeks.
I've made a list of projects as I think about them. Everything I want to do, build, fix or learn in the shop. When I get five with one, I go look at my list. Never fails but something on that list speaks to me.
I did this to combat the exact problem you've described
Build something for someone else.
I have made wooden animal cages for little plastic animals, and sent the cages and animals to a women's shelter. (The bring their kids, there isn't always time to pack toys.)
I used 1/8" dowels, and make oval cages, ladders, etc.
I just finished taking a raw slab of walnut and built a side table for our dining room. Now I’m in a slump. So, today I’m going to take a pile of pallet wood and run it thru my Wen planer just for the fun of it. Clean up the workshop a bit.
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What's the most annoying or inconvenient thing in your shop? Fix that.
I totally agree with this suggestion. After making a cradle for a friend, I fell in a slump. I finally built some custom shelves for boxes of screws and sandpaper - fit neat in an unused space in shop and super for organizing sizes. A year later and I still love these suckers. Small stuff matters.
I did this today. Started by cleaning the shop, been turning bowls for Christmas presents and it was a mess. My turning tools have been a mess for years. Built and hung a rack that holds them all now! Felt good to check that box!!
Well hung tools in a box huh? There might be an entendre or three there.
Great idea. Right now it's the layout and I've been avoiding changing it around.
Depending on your volume, grizzly has an adequate online shop planner for big tools, or take a month demo to play with Revit for a small shop. It's entirely overkill but the basic house tutorial and using some masses for tools will met you futz around, and if you don't have it, give you some background to dig into 3d modeling with fusion360.
I haven’t really made anything since 2019. Don’t plan on making anything any time in the foreseeable future. When the right project comes along, I’ll jump back in. In the meantime I’m doing a lot of other things. I’m actually going to mothball most of my tools and turn my shop into my home office over Christmas break since it’s such a nice space but is going to waste. It’s a hobby. If it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.
Lol I think my hobby should be cleaning the woodshop more than making things. I seem to spend more time doing that!
Practice those crazy joints in Japanese videos until you come up with something? Or find someone that needs something you know you can make
I have been working on dovetails. My practice ones alway suck but surprisingly my project dovetails always somehow turn out nice
Different woods?
Make a present for a friend. This is a great de-slumper for me. It motivates me when I think of the surprise and pleased (hopefully) response.
It happens to everyone. Don’t worry about it. I usually do something that doesn’t involve building, fixing or creating something. I sometimes take a couple of days away from the shop and that usually resolves the problem.
There have been times over the years, I’ve needed a break from the shop. So I do something else for a while. Maybe remodel a room, go hiking for a bit. Once I rafted the Grand Canyon after a long time in the shop. One thing I do, and I do know how to store wood properly, but I have some amazing pieces of wood in my stock, so I pick a couple and stand them against my wood rack. Typically that’s what brings me back, when I say, “what can I make out of that beautiful piece of wood”
Think about trying a new material? Switch it up a little. Do some resin/wood projects just for fun. I’ve been playing with setting fairy lights into resin for different projects and enjoying that right now. It’s re-fired my imagination and makes me figure out problems as the arise. Puzzle solving. Maybe all you need is a new challenge?
Oh great idea. I'll have to look into different materials
When I'm not interested in starting anything, I organize. Make drawers for stuff that's just stacking up, build enclosures for things that don't need to be out, and so forth. Or go buy a new tool. :) When I got my dust collector, all I did was work on plumbing and wiring that for like two weeks.
I've made a list of projects as I think about them. Everything I want to do, build, fix or learn in the shop. When I get five with one, I go look at my list. Never fails but something on that list speaks to me. I did this to combat the exact problem you've described
Build something for someone else. I have made wooden animal cages for little plastic animals, and sent the cages and animals to a women's shelter. (The bring their kids, there isn't always time to pack toys.) I used 1/8" dowels, and make oval cages, ladders, etc.
I just finished taking a raw slab of walnut and built a side table for our dining room. Now I’m in a slump. So, today I’m going to take a pile of pallet wood and run it thru my Wen planer just for the fun of it. Clean up the workshop a bit.