The world seems to be completely abuzz with DIY (Do-It-Yourself) everything! From the big box home improvement stores to make-your-own pizza shops, you can find places catering to the do-it-yourselfer everywhere. Maybe folks have just gotten more independent around here, or maybe it's the natural desire to try to save a buck that drives this, but didn't people used to actually hire people to do things for them?I suppose that if you're young enough or old enough not to care what the end results look like, a DIY haircut kit is alright. DIY furniture seems to be all the rage with IKEA coming to town, but that's just assembling a kit. Pffft. DIY woodworking is a completely different critter, and sometimes it's really is worth it to hire a pro...
There was a man (he shall remain nameless) that had kind of an odd-shaped bathroom. Well, when it came time to remodel, the little lady of the house wanted a vanity with drawers in it rather than the 35-year-old pedestal sink. Like a dutiful husband, Mr. Nameless measured carefully and went down to the local big box to purchase a cabinet.
Looking over the available cabinets he quickly determined that none were going to work for him, as the 45 degree corner would be might tough to stuff a 90 degree cabinet into.
Light Bulb Moment! -
"I know!", says Mr. Nameless to himself, "I'll build a cabinet myself!"
Our hero figures he has all the tools he needs, so he goes home and catches the last 20 minutes of "Do-It-Yourself Woodworking" on TV, just to brush up on his latent woodworking skills.
You can probably guess where this is headed, so I'll spare you the un-entertaining details. Our intrepid DIY woodworking ace made the following entries in his diary those fateful months:
2/17 - Broke out sink - got wood for bathroom cabinet this morning. Lizzy'll be proud.
2/23 - Saw don't cut so good - got more wood.
2/24 - Got a table saw on sale. $299. I AINT BUYIN' NO MORE WOOD!
2/25 - Finger still hurts, it'll mend I s'pose.
3/08 - Took bandage off today. Ask Paul how to make a drawer tomorrow.
3/19 - Lizzy's mad - wants her sink back
4/01 - Drawers don't fit - I wish it was really April fools!
4/03 - Got the drawers to fit!
4/09 - Almost done with cabinet. Cat's sick - licked stain off on edges.
4/10 - Ask Paul how to remove stain, it's too blackish.
4/11 - Stain can't be fixed, Lizzy ain't talkin' to me much.
4/12 - I ain't feelin' so good. Paul wants $1400 to build a cabinet. Lizzy says do it "or else".
Poor Mr. Nameless, at least he got a new saw out of the deal. $800 spent and he still has to rob Peter to pay Paul.
The downside of DIY woodworking is very real... you need to have tools, and knowledge, appropriate to the project you're taking on. The upside is that you get the satisfaction of completing a challenge yourself, and increasing your skills.
Really, if you think you're going to save much money by doing DIY woodworking projects, once you figure in time, tools and materials, it won't be much if any. There's a nearly irresistible allure though, of starting and finishing a project and doing it well.
I don't want to discourage you from tackling projects yourself, but try to be sure that it really is within your abilities so you don't waste time, money and precious wood. Have someone available that can answer questions and guide you through the rough spots. Plan ahead and know exactly what has to happen at each step before you make your first cut. Get a set of plans that make sense and that you can follow, or get a set of DIY woodworking plans from National Woodworking that has a lot of plans you can choose from, like Woodworking4Home or Teds Woodworking Plans.
Well, get at it, sharpen up the chisels and let us know how it goes! No matter what you do, don't earn the nickname "Stumpy"!
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