CharlieL

I'm with Al on this subject. Woodworking was something that I loved and was proud to do, but now I'm wore out. It took me quite a few years to figure out how thankless of a job that it actually is, and it's not getting any better in this country. The industry is killing itself off. I've often thought of selling the machinery that I have, but know someday that I'll need it for projects around the home, so I still have it all.

Herb, as I mentioned earlier, I'm not retired, and don't know if I ever will be able too. The last couple of years have been tough on me, this country has not been very kind to the blue collar workers for quite some time. I've been a hobbyist woodworker / handyman for about 30 years. I use to enjoy it a lot, and I was proud of what I did. But the general public just beat the sap out of me by assuming that If I was a woodworker I must be retired and have nothing better to do, so they could take advantage of me. They liked the work I did, but when it came to paying up I was often belittled. Well those days are over, and for me to get any bit of self esteem back I'm starting to stay away from people that want to take advantage of me and beat me down. I've lost so much motivation that if I didn't have projects that needed to be done in our home, I'd sell most if not all my woodworking equipment. I don't think that I'm alone in this experience, woodworking in this country has been declining for a few years already, the compensation has been getting to be even less every year. Plus there are probably less people that are able to retire. Understandably it's a dieing art. I guess that I can't say that I gave it a good shot. The bottom line is that perhaps I don't belong in a group of people where most are retired and have a totally different outlook on things then myself. You may be enjoying what you do, and I use to also, but now all it does is frustrates me everyday. Call me stupid.

I don't know what planet that some of you folks are from, but your enough to drive anyone nuts. I'm done explaining what should be common sense to anyone.

Refresh my memory, what thread was that in ? You do realize that people have a right to decide what they want to share ( intellectual property ) without being bullied into it, as you are trying to do with me. Perhaps I was busy. I'm not retired, and I don't have the extra time to compose long articles.

I'd be surprised if Cliff comes back with this project after the I'll keep my Kreg comments, and the others that liked those comments.

Yep, that is where I'm headed. Please explain your blanket accusation towards me.

Disappointed would be a better description.

Who said I was angry ? Why do you feel that it is not a reasonable thought from someone when they are in a room full of strangers, and a few of them are directing me towards a retailer to buy a new tool ?

A Rockwell 9" table saw / 4" jointer combo that I use to own.

And the few that do, it's probably not much.

Posts like this make me and probably others wonder how many members are here just because they are on a retailers payroll, or have some connection to them.

It's nice to see someone else that is also honest enough to admit how things really are.

I'm guessing that the above statement from Mr Moody was directed towards me. First of all don't assume that everyone here is retired. It's not whining, it's the facts weather you like it or not, and choose to ignore them.

Ok, I'll throw this example at you. In this post http://thepatriotwoodworker.com/topic/21528-i-want-to-build-a-thien-baffle-but/ it seems as though the American craftsmen here would rather take a chance on a cheep imported knockoff, rather then support a American worker. I feel no different, I support this woodworking hype site by contributing some of my time in sharing my 30 years of experience as mostly a hobbyist woodworker. Yet most here would never support me, they would rather, or in some cases insist that I show everybody dimensions of one of my products and how to make one. Thanks, I'm motivated now ! Not ! And ya, I did it to myself apparently by expecting better from people in todays society, I'm a fool.

You can bash the general public all you want about their interest in woodworking, but if the compensation is very little to nothing people are not going to be interested, plain and simple. Do I need to remind you of a post that you started not all too long ago ? http://thepatriotwoodworker.com/topic/20041-no-profit-margin/ I've been at it for about 30 years, and much like a lot of other folks, I've become very disappointed with everything that involves woodworking so much that I've lost a lot of interest in it in the last couple of years. I'm sick and tired of being takin advantage of. Until things change, the industry will continue to decline.