Shop Time Home Life Survey

[John Weber]

Ok guys, I'm wondering how all the great work gets done. My guess is a fair bit has to do with family situation. Out of curiosity I’m wondering about the family structure of the folks here at SawMill Creek, so I set up this little poll. I’m sure I missed some categories, but try to pick the closest. As for me, I’m married with two small children (2 and 5). My primary responsibility is taking care of them, but I also run a little web based Delta parts business. My woodworking time really runs in focused sporadic spurts, as to get anything done I really need to hit it hard and fast. This might explain some large gaps in my project output. Although I still relax in the shop and have plenty of home maintenance (she 105). In general I often envy others shop time, although I know soon our kids will no longer want to hang with the folks. So what is your situation?

Thanks - John

[John Weber]

Sorry about the typo, it should be:

Married with Elementary School Age Kid (s)

I'll see it Ken or Aaron can fix it.

John

[Ted Daigle]

Oh, man. Your telling my life story here. I'm in the same boat but with four boys, age 5,3,2 and six weeks. (What's causin' all these kids?) Anyway, my shop time story is the same, except now they think it's cool to run the shop vac so they pick up my mess and I can do some non-power tool stuff like finishing and still babysit.

[John Daugherty]

I have an 8 and 4 year old. I try to grab shoptime when I can. It's hard though.

[David Fried]

As a single parent with 8 and 10 year old sons and a 16 year old daughter, I only get shop time when I bring them with me. The 8 year old hammers, saws, and sands - building boxes, airplanes, and space ships while my ten year old curls up with a book or a game boy. (Lee Valley has child sized safety glassses, hammers, chisels, etc) My daughter makes guest appearances in the shop, usually to request something that will be my next project!

[Steve Ash]

Well I am married with a 18 year old and a 24 year old at home. I'm a building contractor so I get lots of shop time...usually work related, but do get more fun related shop time in the winter than in the busy spring/summer/fall months.

[John Miliunas]

I'm lucky, I guess. LOML enjoys doing stuff like painting (faux painting usually), so she does that kind of stuff in the house. I get the "carpentry" end of things, but that still give me a lot of shop time, albeit, sometimes the repetitious work gets a bit boring. Teenage girl spends most of her time with homework or the PS2. Weekends, the girls are usually "gone shopping" for quite a bit of the time, so just MORE shop time for me!

[Tyler Howell]

Dave's got the right idea. Bring them along. You wont get anything done but it's valuable bonding time. Maybe even share or learn some new skills from the kids.

[George Grubaugh]

1 daughter, 21, one son, 17, one daughter, 9, one daughter, 6, one daughter, 4.

One slave driver for a boss (me)

No wonder it takes me 7 months to make a bed!

[Ray Thompson]

I have a 34 year old so I get to go to the shop anytime I want. Hah. The honey-do list now includes submissions from 2 aunts, 1 uncle, wife, mother, 2 sisters, 2 nieces, and 1 nephew. The neighbors I have run off, no time. When the grand nieces/nephews come over everything stops for bird houses, shooting lessons, coloring, tea time, and everything 5, 6, and 7 year olds can think of. What shop time?

Ray

[Keith Christopher]

I have a Son 12 and a daughter 11.

[Frank Pellow]

Retired, with two daughters, four granddaughters, and one grandson. The daughter, granddaughter, and grandson who live in the same city as us are here A LOT and the children have their own (home away from home) bedrooms in our house, so we don't feel like empty nesters.

[Christian Aufreiter]

I'm single, but as a student without any income I'm still living at my parents house on the weekends and during week in an apartment (near university) which they pay for me.

Regards,

Christian

[Karl Laustrup]

Call me MR. MOM! I'm retired, LOML works as GM of a facility, to remain undisclosed. We are also this year the guardians of our 10 Y.O. [soon to be 11] grand daughter. Her dad is going to chef's school in St. Paul.

With LOML working I do all household work/chores. LOML gets home from work and gets to spend quality time with GD. Laundry, clean, cook [which I really enjoy], all the grocery shopping as well as the normal things a guy would do around the house to maintain it. Consequently, this leaves very little time for the shop. Oh, yeah in the summer I get to GOLF 4-5 days a week. All in all I'd say I've got it pretty sweeeeeet.

[Arnie Grammon]

My wife and I have a 23 yr old daughter living at home finishing her teaching degree (almost there!), a 21 yr old son in the Coast Guard based out of in Seattle, and a 10 yr old, a 9 yr old, and a 7 yr old, all sons. The younger boys are just getting interested in "Going out to the shop" to help Dad. Because of that interest, I bought the 10 yr old his own real tool box with real hand tools for Christmas. He loved it.

Incorporation of the younger boys (daughter never showed interest) into shop has always been a puzzle to me......my concerns lie with safety...doing the wrong thing and being maimed for life because of Dad. However, they are getting to the age that they can handle hand tools, thus the gift for the 10 yr old.

IMHO, bringing the children out to a power tool infested shop to babysit the youngins' can have real safety concerns, and should not be attempted without some thought as to where they are going to be at all times. Of course I am referring to a power tool shop.......if you are electron challenged, then the safety concerns are minimal.

That being said, 100 years ago sons learned at the feet of thier dad all the time, and really that is (in my mind) still the ideal. Oh, to have more time.....

Arnie