Here's another Woodworker Behavioral Question:

[Ed Garrett]

Does anybody else do something this insane?

When I'm making a piece of furniture (remember I take months per piece), I generally get so excited that I'll frequently wake up at 4 or 5 AM (Even 3AM sometimes), bypass the coffee and head straight to the shed. I'll work like crazy for a couple of hours and then head back inside to make breakfast.

Am I the oddball here? Or is this common behavior among woodworkers?

Sincerely,
Ed Garrett
Tallahassee

[Gary Keedwell]

Hi Ed... Little lady still out of town? I don't have a shed

Gary K.

[Jason Beam]

With woodworking, no i don't, yet. I may eventually, though, if history is any indication.

When i was first getting started in programming, i would do exactly that. Ideas would come and I'd sacrifice far more than a sane amount of time to continue the thought. It has gotten so bad that i'd caused personal problems like ... being late for work, missing appointments ... because i'd get so caught up in it that I'd forget teh basics ... even eating!

Hopefully i've matured since then and the woodworking bug won't bite quite as hard as the computer geek bug did :P

[Earl Reid]

When we lived in the Chicago area, my shop was in the basement. There were many times I went down stairs to work on a project in the middle of the night.
Earl

[Jim Becker]

I'm lucky if I get in the shop by 10:30-11:00a on a weekend. You will vary rarely find me awake at oh-dark-thirty unless I'm forced to catch an early plane or train...

[Mitchell Andrus]

Hi. My name is Mitch, and I'm a wood-a-haul-ick.

<Hi, Mitch>

I've been doing this for a living for over 11 years.

YES. I do forget to eat breakfast sometimes, and I've gone til 2:00am just so I can get one more thing "done" that day. I've allowed my favorite TV show go unwatched.... My shop is my favorite place to be.

Ed, I feel your joy!

[Mark Pruitt]

I get close to what you do sometimes. I've been known to brew coffee and take it with me into the shop, failing to eat breakfast. Then around 10-ish I start to wonder why I'm hungry.

[Mark Singer]

I will never start a highly skilled aspect late in the day. Its the morning for me as well....usually about 6:00 or a bit latter. I never will try a challenging part like joinery late in the day....wait until you are fresh in the morning. Early there are no phone calls or interruptions.....its just you and the work! Then I work till about 4:00 sometimes 5:00 and thats it.

[Al Willits]

I commonly wake up at 3-4or 5 am now, ....go to the bathroom and then go back to bed.

I get excited about projects I'm doing, but the early am thing is a bit more excitement than I can muster, especially at that time of the morning.

Al...who's definitely not a morning kinda guy

[Greg Cole]

Unfortunately when I awake in the middle of the night or early am its either from a thunderstorm (like last night here in KC )... and I complain about the noise keeping me up and that's usually when I remember something I forgot to do for the day job! I deal with Euro based manufacturers so the odd time works out well at least as I can make a call or send an e-mail & get immediate response-action.
I do obsess on projects and toil more hours a day on my "off" days than a "work" day. Perfect example... last fall putting the hip & ridge shingles on my roof after work & dragging flood lights up on the roof to finish that night. Not sure what the neighbors thought.... ah well.
I've been known to be found in the "apartment" (aka the shop according to LOML) at midnight & I very much agree with Mark about the early am hours being the best time of the day (then again Dad grew up on a farm & and I was raised hunting-fishing etc... so I've heard that all my life). I love the early am coffee in the shop and looking over what I have done the day before and planning the days progress.

Greg

[Lee DeRaud]

"Bypass the coffee"?!?

Yup, that qualifies as "insane" regardless of how early in the morning (or late at night) you're awake.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm an early morning person for sure........but bypass the coffee.....UH....You might want to get some treatment for that....(slurping coffee in the background).

[Patrick Taylor]

I do the opposite... I get going and then realize it's already 3AM and I still have to get up for a day job in a few hours.

[Matt Meiser]

I rarely get going early. In fact I usually get going later than I want to, whether on a Saturday morning, after work etc. I frequently end up staying out later than planned as well. Maybe I just have a problem sticking to a schedule?

[Nancy Laird]

I'm an early morning person for sure........but bypass the coffee.....UH....You might want to get some treatment for that....(slurping coffee in the background).

I'm a night owl, which is horrible for my day job, since I have to be at work at 9:00 a.m. But coffee? Ugh! Don't touch the stuff, except on VERY rare occasions. Diet Dr. Pepper is my drink of choice--I go through the equivalent of a case a week!!

Nancy (134 days)