I can't say that I do it for the purpose of relaxation, but I find carpentry relaxing. Yesterday I spent the afternoon working on a spiral staircase for my daughter. Our house came with a massive play structure that was in disrepair. When she was born, it became my goal to build the structure that I wish I had when I was a kid. Cutting wood and drinking beer in the sun is relaxing.
Gah-woah. We also inherited a moldering play structure. For three years, I've harbored fantasies of sanding, re-staining and then actually insulating and sealing it for serious all-weather playtime. But a) we're renting, and I'm just not willing to invest that much in somebody else's property, and more importantly b) reason (a) is just a flimsy excuse- I destroy every piece of wood I set out to improve. A man can dream, though.
I've always wanted to be skilled in carpentry. How did you start/learn?
To be honest, I have taught myself what I know, and I don't know a lot. Youtube is a great resource, and I was just using it to figure out how I am going to build a curved railing for these stairs. These are my first spiral stairs, and I have learned a lot from the process. The toughest part is that they turn around a rectangular post, rather than a pole. Figuring out how to support them without unnecessary posts and braces was also an interesting challenge. It turns 270° total, and bracing the outer run at four points: 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°, meant I only needed to add support at 90° and 180°. The 90° is a railing post that extends up to a bridge above (which can be seen), and the 180° is a post into the ground (which you can see below). I think my first word-working project was a birdhouse. That's a fun place to start.
Ah woah, this is cool. I was hoping you'd say you learned it on your own, may not be the most efficient but I think its the most gratifying. I best get started on a birdhouse!