By Philip S.
It’s simple: carpentry is an amazing skill. A few years ago I was sitting at my desk, doing some work, when suddenly the desk just collapsed in front of me. Everything – my laptop, my books, my papers, my coffee, everything – just went all over the place. I was shocked. I picked up my things, threw out my ruined papers, and started looking for a new desk online.
That evening I told me brother what had happened. He asked to see the desk. “Why are you buying a new desk?” he asked. “Because this one is completely broken!” I replied. He explained to me that the only part of the desk that was broken was the joint between one leg and the top of the desk, and I could fix that easily myself instead of spending money on a new desk. And that’s how my adventure with carpentry began. I’ve loved it ever since. Here’s why:
1. You can easily build almost anything
In the past few years, I’ve discovered that with a few basic carpentry skills you can build almost anything. I used to think that you had to be a professional carpenter to build a shelf or a desk, but it turns out that you only need a few skills and some wood to build anything from a chair to cabinet. My house is now full of things that I’ve built myself, and that’s a real source of pride.
2. Carpentry will save you so much money
When something breaks, or my house needs something new, my first instinct used to be “call someone else and pay them to fix it or make it.” I don’t want to think about how much money I wasted doing that, not realising that I could have done it all myself. After a couple of carpentry lessons, I was able to fix my desk, my creaking doors, my wobbly chairs, even install a window frame. After I bought the initial equipment, my house maintenance costs have gone way down.
3. There is so much to learn
Learning carpentry is like learning an instrument: you will never be done. Just like you can never learn all the songs, you can never finish discovering new and interesting carpentry techniques. This makes carpentry a real hobby for life, full of little lessons and big ones, so you can learn at your own pace and never get bored.
4. Carpentry is a great way to destress
If I’ve had a bad day at work, or a stressful day in general, my carpentry projects always put me back in a great headspace. Whether it’s making a wooden cup or a salad spoon or just a funny-looking object to put on the shelf, I always know that I can come home, do a little bit of carpentry, and calm down. This is one of my favourite stress management techniques.
These are just a few reasons to start learning carpentry, there are many more. But don’t take my word for it, try a free online short carpentry course yourself and see if you like it. You never know; it could be the start of a great lifelong hobby.
