Dang, it's Hard to do Nothin' All Day

[DaveD44]

Brian, when my wife and I built this house 24 years ago with the expectation that I would be retiring in a few years (18 years now!) I designed it with the metal working shop in the main house, with all the benefits of location and with the HVAC system designed to keep the dust out of the rest of the house. Then I started on my locomotive, which I have been building since around 2000. I haven't finished it, perhaps never will, as my joy is spending whatever time I can at the computer doing CAD and 3D modeling and in the shop working on it; I have no desire to run it other than to make sure that it will run well. But I've slowed down, and, like Paul, I don't have enough time anymore. This locomotive project is large and I've approached it as if it were many smaller, separate projects, which has worked well. So I don't have to spend much time deciding what my next project will be--it progresses naturally.

I'm satisfied with dong this, as I have what I call my "mechanical imperative" and must be working on something mechanical. I have the loco and the workbenches high up so my work doesn't make my musculoskeletal problems worse, and I can stand for 3-4 hours a day. The only problem with all this is it tends to get in the way of doing other things that need to be done around this large place, but this work is comfortable by comparison to anything else I do.

Keep up the work and find a new project!

[Robg]

I certainly sympathize with your dilemma of boredom. I’ve been retired for about 8 years now and haven’t been bored for 5 seconds. I’m an avid reader, do some machine shop projects, look through YouTube and I also play a bit of video games (Fallout 76).
The video gaming gets my mind involved and I meet people online from all over the world. I may spent a lot of time, a little time, or no time at all gaming which just depends on my mood at the time or what ever else I have going. If anyone is interested in joining me in Fallout 76, let me know.
The only downside is that I find that the days go by at an alarming rate!

[Dan Dubeau]

This is one of the reasons I love golf so much and never get tired or it. Get tired of the same course, go play another, get tired of your clubs, switch them up. Get tired of your putter, make a new one . It's an almost perfect balance of mental and physical challenge, and It's nice to have that distraction from life sometimes.

[gellfex]

This is one of the reasons I love golf so much and never get tired or it. Get tired of the same course, go play another, get tired of your clubs, switch them up. Get tired of your putter, make a new one . It's an almost perfect balance of mental and physical challenge, and It's nice to have that distraction from life sometimes.

Kayak fishing fills that hole for me. Different target species, locations, techniques etc, plus you get exercise in the great outdoors and the satisfaction of putting dinner on the table!

[RB211]

Kayak fishing fills that hole for me. Different target species, locations, techniques etc, plus you get exercise in the great outdoors and the satisfaction of putting dinner on the table!

I used to kayak every day at my parents lake cabin when we had it. I do miss it very much, remember gliding up to and over fish all the time. Would see a ton more fish from the kayak than motor boat.

[gellfex]

I used to kayak every day at my parents lake cabin when we had it. I do miss it very much, remember gliding up to and over fish all the time. Would see a ton more fish from the kayak than motor boat.

I live a mile from NY Harbor where these guys are

[RB211]

I live a mile from NY Harbor where these guys are

Nice Striper!

[Dan Dubeau]

Kayak fishing fills that hole for me. Different target species, locations, techniques etc, plus you get exercise in the great outdoors and the satisfaction of putting dinner on the table!

I've only kayak fished once, and really enjoyed it (fished out of canoes quite a bit as a kid though). I just don't have that much time for it right now, or I'd own one too as it was pretty fun, and added another dimension to it. Once the kids get a bit older, and age out of team sports, I can see us picking up a couple kayaks for fishing excursions. As it is, my boats weren't in the water at all last year. I get as much enjoyment out of lure making as I do fishing them though. Just wish I had more time to fish them. We're heading to northern Quebec for our biennial fishing trip this Thursday, and I've got a box full of homemade lures in tow hoping to land something on them. It's nice to have a well balanced selection of hobbies. I currently have too many of them.

Funny story when I was about 12/13. I was just a tiny little guy when I was younger, and we had a sports pal canoe (very light aluminum skin/foam backed). I hooked into about a 4' pike and that thing towed me up and down the river in front of my grandparents cottage for probably half an hour. It was a literal fight on my hands to control the canoe, while simultaneously trying to land this monster of a fish. For anyone who knows pike/musky every time I'd reel it in close, it would freak out when it saw the canoe and take off again and drag me with it. It finally dragged me into the weeds, and we both got so tangled up I ended up losing it. My arms were so tired I could barely paddle back home. That's whats fun about the canoe/kayak fishing experience.

[gellfex]

I've only kayak fished once, and really enjoyed it (fished out of canoes quite a bit as a kid though). I just don't have that much time for it right now, or I'd own one too as it was pretty fun, and added another dimension to it. Once the kids get a bit older, and age out of team sports, I can see us picking up a couple kayaks for fishing excursions. As it is, my boats weren't in the water at all last year. I get as much enjoyment out of lure making as I do fishing them though. Just wish I had more time to fish them. We're heading to northern Quebec for our biennial fishing trip this Thursday, and I've got a box full of homemade lures in tow hoping to land something on them. It's nice to have a well balanced selection of hobbies. I currently have too many of them.

Funny story when I was about 12/13. I was just a tiny little guy when I was younger, and we had a sports pal canoe (very light aluminum skin/foam backed). I hooked into about a 4' pike and that thing towed me up and down the river in front of my grandparents cottage for probably half an hour. It was a literal fight on my hands to control the canoe, while simultaneously trying to land this monster of a fish. For anyone who knows pike/musky every time I'd reel it in close, it would freak out when it saw the canoe and take off again and drag me with it. It finally dragged me into the weeds, and we both got so tangled up I ended up losing it. My arms were so tired I could barely paddle back home. That's whats fun about the canoe/kayak fishing experience.

I also did a lot of canoe fishing as a kid. The main difference between canoe & a sit-on-top kayak fishing is you're not so susceptible to wind or waves in the kayak. I can take a wave breaking over the boat and it just drains out the scuppers, and the lower profile with 2 paddle blades makes handling wind easier. When my boy was small I'd take him out in our 15' Grumman and with such low weight in the bow it was a bear to control! I went as far as putting a 5 gal jug of water up there.

Back to machining, making molds for casting lead jigs, and making other gadgets does create some synergy. Here's my anchor reel, still a work in progress.

[Dan Dubeau]

I also did a lot of canoe fishing as a kid. The main difference between canoe & a sit-on-top kayak fishing is you're not so susceptible to wind or waves in the kayak. I can take a wave breaking over the boat and it just drains out the scuppers, and the lower profile with 2 paddle blades makes handling wind easier. When my boy was small I'd take him out in our 15' Grumman and with such low weight in the bow it was a bear to control! I went as far as putting a 5 gal jug of water up there.

Back to machining, making molds for casting lead jigs, and making other gadgets does create some synergy. Here's my anchor reel, still a work in progress.

Nice anchor. That's the problem with all my hobbies, is that they all kinda blend into one, and that is designing and making things. I sometimes think I just enjoy all the other stuff just so I never run out of things to come up with and build lol. I never seem to run out of ideas, just time to complete them.

The kayaks are a little easier to control than canoes for sure. I had some wild adventures in that old sports pal as a kid on the river. I remember having to get out of it and walk home one time and grab the boat to tow it home as I just couldn't paddle against the wind anymore lol. Fun though, and quite a workout for a teenager.

[gellfex]

Nice anchor. That's the problem with all my hobbies, is that they all kinda blend into one, and that is designing and making things. I sometimes think I just enjoy all the other stuff just so I never run out of things to come up with and build lol. I never seem to run out of ideas, just time to complete them.

That's what I was saying upthread to Brian about the fun of solving a random problem like building a better anchor reel. Another person may think they're going to create an anchor reel manufacturing empire, but I'm too jaded and lazy to think that's me. I just like the satisfaction of thinking I could! It's my observation that many entrepreneurs are people who had one (possibly) good idea, and flog it into a business. I've had way too many ideas to be precious about them, and know most successful products are more about relentless marketing not innovation.

Here's my newish anchor, just a refinement of ideas floating (sinking?) around out there. It's an unsnaggable 'reef anchor', if it gets hung up in rocks it just bends to release if you haul on it. In the 3rd world they weld these large out of rebar, this is 8" of 3/4 water pipe filled with lead, and # 4 wire.

[brian Rupnow]

Went to see the surgeon today, and had a bunch of x-rays. Surgeon showed me that basically I have no cartilage left between my lower leg bone and thigh bone. Surgery is backed up for 11 months until I can get slotted in. I told him my biggest fear was my allergy to all the good anti-biotics. So---Next week I start a series of shots to find an anti biotic that I'm not allergic to.

[BCRider]

Fishing stories aside (how is Brian going to handle a boat with the current medical issue anyway?) I think the idea of finding a new "table top while seated" activity is probably a good one.

Brian, I feel your frustration at not having any sort of hand and tool activity to fill the day. I go off camping with friends where it's all just sitting, walking and talking. And those are great times too. But a few days of that and I need something to do with my hands. Four or five days and I'm actually looking forward to getting back home and back to the shop activities.

Last time out I bought a hook knife and re-shaped a cheap camp hatchet into a carving axe and made a couple of wooden kitchen tools from the firewood pile. Just having a piece of wood and a hunk of firewood pile "stump" at my chair as a "work bench" was enough to take away the "crafting withdrawal shakes" while still fully sharing in the chatting and joking around.

Not saying that it's "spoon and spatula carving" which will be your solution too. Just a nudge to consider a new craft/building hobby that you can do while being primarily seated.

[Dan Dubeau]

That's what I was saying upthread to Brian about the fun of solving a random problem like building a better anchor reel. Another person may think they're going to create an anchor reel manufacturing empire, but I'm too jaded and lazy to think that's me. I just like the satisfaction of thinking I could! It's my observation that many entrepreneurs are people who had one (possibly) good idea, and flog it into a business. I've had way too many ideas to be precious about them, and know most successful products are more about relentless marketing not innovation.

Here's my newish anchor, just a refinement of ideas floating (sinking?) around out there. It's an unsnaggable 'reef anchor', if it gets hung up in rocks it just bends to release if you haul on it. In the 3rd world they weld these large out of rebar, this is 8" of 3/4 water pipe filled with lead, and # 4 wire.

I like that one, and it looks like it would work pretty good. Seems like it would hang on good enough, but release when you really want it too. Wouldn't want to get it hung up with today's copper prices though lol.

Brian, you're a pretty creative guy, I'm sure you'll find something to tie into your existing skillset, but joggles your brain differently enough to be interesting. Sometimes you need to step back and approach something from a different angle. Hopefully the knee operation is a success, and gives you some renewed energy! If you want I can loan you a few hobbies for a while to keep you busy

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I honestly think you'd enjoy a 3d printer, as you've got one of the biggest hurdles down as a pretty solid skillset already. From there is a short hop and a jump into casting......and from there you're right back into model engine making but from a different perspective.

[lugnut]

Brain's post label reminded me of a conversation between me and the wife last week:
Wife: Mel what are going to do today?
Me: Nothing.
Wife: That's what you was doing yesterday.
Me: I know, I know, but I didn't get it finished, so I working on it some more today.