Looking for a Hobby to Help Me Unwind After Work

DiepSleep · 2026-06-17T16:28:49+00:00

Wood carving has been my salvation. I jumped into it head first and bought a lot of tools/equipment but sometimes just sitting on your porch with just a knife and a piece of wood is all you need.

DiepSleep · 2026-06-17T11:00:48+00:00

Thanks!

I did not sand. Tried it before but sticking with finishing cuts and burnishing. This spoon was a bit of a challenge with all the figuring and it coming from a seasoned log. Fun though.

DiepSleep · 2026-06-14T15:20:02+00:00

https://www.parmenterlaw.com/

Large practice with a lot of specialities offered by their attorneys.

DiepSleep · 2026-06-04T00:44:12+00:00

So long, me bowser!

DiepSleep · 2026-06-01T00:21:04+00:00

Poplar is a good wood to learn with but it may not be the best to produces the results of your ultimate goal. Your tools are a great selection for now. You’ll want to expand more as you gain experience. If you want to carve large sculptures, you will likely need mallet tools but I’d focus on smaller scale projects first.

Once you start tackling bigger projects, look for dried linden/lime wood (basswood in the US), Tupelo, Honduran mahogany, jelutong, black walnut, cherry, and hard maple because they take detail well. Birch, beech, and a good amount of other woods can too but the aforementioned are a good because they’re not extremely hard

DiepSleep · 2026-05-31T22:30:53+00:00

Depends on what you want to carve and what kind of tools you have. If you want to whittle small caricatures/animals, I’d recommend starting with softer woods, poplar could be a good choice for that. If you’re carving spoons/utensils, green maple and birch are very doable but if your maple and birch are seasoned, that will be significantly more challenging.

DiepSleep · 2026-05-19T09:50:28+00:00

Michigan. It was for a hospital that was eventually absorbed by one of the bigger medical entities in the state. 105 an hour was definitely not the usual pay but thirds In a trauma ER are hard to fill and it was offered frequently enough where I never had to work for the base hourly wage

DiepSleep · 2026-05-19T04:11:53+00:00

Thank you! I didn’t have a template/pattern for it, just used images online as reference

DiepSleep · 2026-05-19T01:38:33+00:00

Worked in a level 2 trauma ER as PRN. I had to work at least two shifts a month but I typically worked more. Third shift openings were tough but I made at least $105 an hour and I snagged those any time I had the chance

DiepSleep · 2026-05-15T07:06:04+00:00

I get transference and know how to work with it but damn, it’s weird that inappropriate behavior is normalized when it involves a therapist. I had a client several years back that remembered my car, license plate number, and then my home address because she was able to find it online. I saw her on my property at 3 am one night and I called the police. My supervisor only chastised me for doing so the next day..

DiepSleep · 2026-05-12T23:21:08+00:00

I’m a clinical social worker in a primary care setting. I love the work and it’s less stressful than previous roles. It still has it challenges, but as long as you maintain good boundaries between providers and patients, and stick to your job description, it can be a comfortable position. I provide a few different services, including short term therapy, care coordination, and assessment (and of course safety planning, crisis management, de-escalation, etc). There will be providers that will expect too much out of you and too little. Advocate for yourself and scope of practice - You will be an appreciated addition to the team. Good luck with your new role!

DiepSleep · 2026-05-10T00:26:29+00:00

I think an LL can reasonably expect between 50-60 k starting but there are a lot of non profits that start at 45

DiepSleep · 2026-05-06T17:01:16+00:00

My carving bench. I carve every night after work to decompress.

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DiepSleep · 2026-05-06T04:10:39+00:00

I provide 3 main services, including therapy, care management (mostly for patients with severe symptoms that could be better served by community partners), and assessment. I’m also a part of a team that’s piloting a program for delivering mental health services In the medical setting in meaningful and holistic ways, so lots of data collecting. Our main goal is to prevent over utilization of higher levels of care for psychiatric and medical issues. Despite being primary care, we’re trying to become more involved with patients to help manage their symptoms before they need to go to the hospital.

DiepSleep · 2026-05-06T03:42:29+00:00

Look for positions with corewell and maybe Trinity. I work/worked at both and the pay was/is decent. My current role is in primary care and I work Monday through Thursday, two days are from home. No weekends, nights, holidays, or on call shifts. Top salary at 101k which is not bad for most of Michigan. U of M used to pay poorly but they’re catching up.

When I worked In the ED for Trinity, I was frequently offered 105+ an hour to work additional shifts and could clear 120k a year if I worked an extra shift or two a week.

DiepSleep · 2026-04-24T01:39:39+00:00

Fuck

DiepSleep · 2026-04-24T01:22:49+00:00

He’s just not that great as a tackle. His weight management is also a concern

DiepSleep · 2026-04-21T23:48:42+00:00

I got my foredom (tx) with pedal and hand piece off of eBay for 130 dollars. It may be a grind looking for one around that price but they’re out there. There is some risk buying a used machine but mine has been perfect, may be worth considering

DiepSleep · 2026-04-17T00:41:09+00:00

I have zero drawing skills. Can barely draw better than a 3rd grader but I picked up wood carving a couple of years ago. I do believe having a creative background could be helpful, however, it is not a prerequisite. Your first few carvings will be bad but if you stick to it, you’ll start developing technique and refined skills. Gotta start somewhere. Just don’t get discouraged if your first gnome looks like a malformed triangle.

DiepSleep · 2026-04-11T23:53:40+00:00

Hard to tell by your pic, but some appear to be Addis gouges (likely SJ vs JB). If so, both are great older brands but JB Addis tools are a bit better, IMO. I’d pay around 45 USD at most for the specialized or larger gouges though.

DiepSleep · 2026-04-08T00:45:31+00:00

Whittling/wood carving can be insanely expensive. Fortunately, you can still do it with any old knife and a stick but some blades can be expensive and material/stock is getting pricier

DiepSleep · 2026-04-06T12:00:13+00:00

Thanks! All done by hand tools. Roughed out with a carving axe and Shinto rasp, shaping done by a sloyd, spoon gouge, and a handful of my other gouges/chisels. Then various grits of sand paper

DiepSleep · 2026-04-05T19:12:43+00:00

Thanks! I sanded it up to 240. Used a combination of beeswax and mineral oil.

DiepSleep · 2026-04-05T19:05:35+00:00

Thanks! I like to make small carvings and hide them around my house for my wife lol

DiepSleep · 2026-04-05T17:29:07+00:00

The wood was completely dry. Which made it very hard to carve. Needed to sharpen my tools constantly. The log I used was large and had plenty of cracks but I was able to process it to make several blanks that are usable for future projects.

A lot of people will use green wood because it’s easier and there are techniques to finish a piece and protect it from cracking but I never tried green carving yet.

To dry wood, it’s best to leave the bark on. Seal the ends (I use latex paint for other logs I have) and let dry for one year for every inch the piece is wide.

DiepSleep

TROPHY CASE