# What are your hobbies besides cooking?



## 4meandthem (Nov 8, 2011)

One of my other interests is Vintage HO slot cars and collectable slot cars from the 60's and 70's. 

What's yours? Got any pics?


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## pacanis (Nov 8, 2011)

That was my heyday of HO car racing. My track took up most of a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. When my parents sold their house I gathered my old toys and sold them to an antique toy collector. I wonder where they are now...

I like guns and I like riding my Street Glide. I guess those are hobbies.


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## Selkie (Nov 8, 2011)

*Photography* - An expensive hobby that I have indulged in... _just because_. You could buy a new car with all that I have invested into it!  And I guess I'm sort-a-good at it, or at least understanding what a good photo should look like. I keep getting invitations to judge photo contests at the local, county, district and state levels. But I'd rather take photos than judge them. Street photography is my favorite style - unobtrusively capturing people doing things that show part of their character or nature. For me, I've seen enough flowers, streams and waterfalls to last a lifetime. In my opinion, people provide an infinite number of interesting visual opportunities when capturing a moment during which they are just being themselves or openly expressing something we can all identify with.

*Flying* - until I got sick and had to permanently give up my medical certificate. Now, I occasionally ride along with a fellow pilot and play navigator.

*Watercolor Painting* - _Just for fun_ and it's another way for expressing myself creatively... not that I'm any good at it, but I try.


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## tinlizzie (Nov 8, 2011)

I used to dabble in oil painting and lately have been eyeing the board fence in my small backyard.  What I'd like to do is a mural with a scene across a pond with reeds, egrets, herons, etc.  So far it's only in my mind, but I'm enjoying thinking about it.  Using a 2 or 4" brush would be considerably different from the 1/4" brushes I used to use and I suppose would not be cheap to buy paint by the quart instead of by the tube.

Selkie - what was your favorite 'unposed' photo?  Could you describe it?


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## sparrowgrass (Nov 8, 2011)

I am a gardener, heart and soul.  I don't feel right unless there is dirt under my nails.

Not looking forward to the long dark winter, but I do have houseplants to comfort me til spring.


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## GB (Nov 8, 2011)

I have many interesets, but I am not sure how many of them I would call a hobby. I love to camp and hike and do outdoors stuff, but I would not really call that a hobby. I suppose other than cooking, Photography would be my next biggest hobby. Like Selkie, I have sunk enough $ into my photography gear that I could have bought a vacation house with all the money. It is something I love to do. I think I have a very good eye for composition. I am basically self taught so I do not know all the technical aspects, but as with cooking, you do not always need to know why something works to know that it does work and how to use it to get the outcome you want.


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## blissful (Nov 8, 2011)

When I was a stay at home mom, I had way too many hobbies, and I still have all those supplies in one closet, box, or another. Sewing, tailoring, baking, candy making, stained glass, cross stitch and any needle point type projects, beading, crocheting, quilting, applique, craft projects--gluing things in a shadowbox, calligraphy, scherenschnitte, watercolor, acrylic, silver on gesso painting/drawing, photography (for painting/drawing), traveling-------like I said, too many things.

I still like doing most of them but there is no time when working, and no time when trying to find a job.
Fishing is so relaxing. Gardening and communing with nature (sandhill cranes out in the backyard yesterday), walking when someone will walk with me, and as always, learning new things.
It's fun when I have time, to revisit some of the hobbies. This past month, I taught someone how to do mending, that was quite a feat, and I made some homemade caramels the other day and then caramel sauce for apples.

Cooking is the most fun because we have to eat anyways. This last week it was pasties and Beef Burgundy Stew.


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## bakechef (Nov 8, 2011)

Baking is #1 but I do enjoy taking pictures.

I don't have a lot invested in photography, I got a great deal a few years back on a DSLR, which has improved my ability to control my photos quite a bit.  My favorite lens is a 50mm pentax lens that was part of my dad's camera setup from the early 80's it's a nice sharp lens that takes well to low light shots. 

I would really like to spend more time learning to take great pictures, but have been uninspired lately, pretty much all that I take pictures of is food!


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## niquejim (Nov 8, 2011)

Homebrewing beer and woodworking...never combine the two


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## Vanilla Bean (Nov 8, 2011)

Selkie said:


> *Photography* - An expensive hobby that I have indulged in... _just because_. You could buy a new car with all that I have invested into it!  And I guess I'm sort-a-good at it, or at least understanding what a good photo should look like. I keep getting invitations to judge photo contests at the local, county, district and state levels. But I'd rather take photos than judge them. Street photography is my favorite style - unobtrusively capturing people doing things that show part of their character or nature. For me, I've seen enough flowers, streams and waterfalls to last a lifetime. In my opinion, people provide an infinite number of interesting visual opportunities when capturing a moment during which they are just being themselves or openly expressing something we can all identify with.
> 
> *Flying* - until I got sick and had to permanently give up my medical certificate. Now, I occasionally ride along with a fellow pilot and play navigator.
> 
> *Watercolor Painting* - _Just for fun_ and it's another way for expressing myself creatively... not that I'm any good at it, but I try.


 
I love photagraphy too, selkie. Here is one of my pictures that I took when I went to the Erie, PA zoo.







I also love to read, sketch (I don't get a chance to do these things enough, though.), take walks on cool mornings, etc. I would love to learn how to paint. My great uncle was a fantastic artist as was my grandfather.


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## roadfix (Nov 8, 2011)

Cooking, in general, is not a hobby of mine.  I enjoy outdoor cooking....  grilling, smoking, and using the wood oven, and consider those activities as a hobby.
I've always been into cycling and continue to do so.
I've also returned to my old hobby of astronomy after leaving it about 10 years ago and now regret selling certain astro gear which I wished I kept.


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## babetoo (Nov 8, 2011)

sewing, knitting, reading. that's about it. reading is probably the top one. is that a hobby?  if i am not involved in a book, with a back-up of at least two books, then something seems out of order , in my world.


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## Selkie (Nov 8, 2011)

Tinlizzie and Vanilla Bean, here are a couple of examples... not great but I like them.

Here's a neighbor boy in my front yard.





To me, the interest isn't just the bull rider, but the guys watching him.





I took this one just for the variety of colors.





This one speaks for itself.


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## justplainbill (Nov 8, 2011)

Shellfishing and investment portfolio management.


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## justplainbill (Nov 8, 2011)

GB said:


> I have many interesets, but I am not sure how many of them I would call a hobby. I love to camp and hike and do outdoors stuff, but I would not really call that a hobby. I suppose other than cooking, Photography would be my next biggest hobby. Like Selkie, I have sunk enough $ into my photography gear that I could have bought a vacation house with all the money. It is something I love to do. I think I have a very good eye for composition. I am basically self taught so I do not know all the technical aspects, but as with cooking, you do not always need to know why something works to know that it does work and how to use it to get the outcome you want.


Do you find a cable shutter release beneficial for tripod mounted still photography?


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## Vanilla Bean (Nov 8, 2011)

Selkie said:


> Tinlizzie and Vanilla Bean, here are a couple of examples... not great but I like them.
> 
> Here's a neighbor boy in my front yard.
> 
> ...


 
I love your photos.  I posted some old ones in the random photo thread.


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## jusnikki (Nov 8, 2011)

Singing.


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## purple.alien.giraffe (Nov 8, 2011)

Haven't had a lot of money to invest in it but I love taking photographs. I like drawing and miss my watercolors (currently packed away). I like reading and I love learning about science. I also love swimming, hiking, and camping. I love music. I can just sit and listen to music, analyze it, think about it, savour it. I love singing so long as there is no one around to hear me. I also do a little writing occasionally. I enjoy researching stuff when I have time and an interesting subject. I really enjoy the process of researching. And it may sound strange but I think of thinking as kind of a hobby. I can spend a lot of time in my own brain, just exploring ideas and using my imagination. It's what gets me through treadmill workouts.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 8, 2011)

I've done a bunch of just about everything too.  Currently, it's mostly gardening, with woodworking (I like working with barnboard and twigs) and jewelry making, on occasion.  I too have a full craft room, with clay for sculpting Santas, " wild women" sculptures, and jewelry, cross stitch, sewing, candlemaking, woodburning, wood carving, orchids.  I like taking pictures too, especially underwater.


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## GB (Nov 8, 2011)

justplainbill said:


> Do you find a cable shutter release beneficial for tripod mounted still photography?


Not only beneficial, but I would almost say necessary. There are times when it is not needed, but those times are the exception. The other option is using the self timer feature if you do not have a cable. I know some of the newer DSLRs have a 2 second self timer feature for this very reason. I am not sure if many/any point and shoots have a 2 second timer. The quickest I have seen on a p&s is 10 seconds I think. I shutter release cable is generally pretty inexpensive so if you are shelling out for a good tripod (and a good one is a must. This is not an area you want to skimp on) then you might as well drop another $10-$20 for a cable.


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## kadesma (Nov 8, 2011)

sparrowgrass said:


> I am a gardener, heart and soul.  I don't feel right unless there is dirt under my nails.
> 
> Not looking forward to the long dark winter, but I do have houseplants to comfort me til spring.


Me too SP love to get my hand in the sift dirt and so enjoy seeing the little plants perk up and take of and seeds poke their little heads up into the warm sun. Ahhh spring and summer and its rewards.
guess the smells of paint on t-shirts will have to fill my days for a time now.
kades


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 9, 2011)

I enjoy reading and writing.  I spend alot of time taking online courses in nursing, keeping my skills up to date.  I spend time with unwed mothers and literacy tutoring, also.  Movie watching.


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## buckytom (Nov 9, 2011)

selkie, i love this one.



Selkie said:


> looks like he's saying, " a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, gosh darnit!!"


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## no mayonnaise (Nov 9, 2011)

I've become somewhat adept at mycology.  Anyone can grow veggies and herbs, when was the last time you cultivated your own shiitake mushrooms?

Cooking and that are the only two real pastimes of mine.


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## Hammster (Nov 9, 2011)

I, also, enjoy photography. DW and I enjoy hiking and so that gives me lots of opportunities to take lots of pictures. And, I've been learning food photography too.


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## kadesma (Nov 9, 2011)

I'm all thumbs with a camera but I adore doing the developing. My dad and I had a basement full of equipment and would spend hours developing things. What fun to see how pictures turned out.
kadesma


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## blissful (Nov 9, 2011)

no mayonnaise said:


> Cooking and that are the only two real pastimes of mine.



*Giorgio Tsoukalos is that you, or just some poster stealing your weird hair picture? A little mayo might tame that nice head of hair.
*

*Your name is funny enough and I'm sorry to go on a tangent here--though every time you post I want to ask these questions of you.*

*No disrespect to you. Please forgive me if I have disrespected you in any way. Where are you from?*

*About hobbies, I like word games too. 
*


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## Zhizara (Nov 9, 2011)

I keep Sudoku puzzles near all the places I sit.  I work up to a dozen a day.  I found that it increases my short term memory which was showing signs of deteriorating when I started them about 5 years ago.  Now, when I've forgotten why I went into the kitchen, I usually remember after a little concentration.

I love to read, crochet, and sew.  There was a time, many years ago that I did leather carving.  I'd love to take it up again, but the neighbors would really be annoyed.


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## blissful (Nov 9, 2011)

Zhizara said:


> There was a time, many years ago that I did leather carving.  I'd love to take it up again, but the neighbors would really be annoyed.


Why?
I like to sing like Jusnikki--probably not as well as Jusnikki, now that annoys the neighbors.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 9, 2011)

blissful said:


> Why?
> I like to sing like Jusnikki--probably not as well as Jusnikki, now that annoys the neighbors.



My singing annoys my neighbors in Idaho...


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## Dawgluver (Nov 9, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> My singing annoys my neighbors in Idaho...



My singing annoys my neighbors in Illinois...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 9, 2011)

Dawgluver said:


> My singing annoys my neighbors in Illinois...


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## kadesma (Nov 9, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


>


Don't feel bad girls. I make the whole neighborhood  dogs howl
kades


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## Somebunny (Nov 10, 2011)

I love to snow ski, I didn't learn how until I was in my early thirties, but despite having a fear of heights, I became a pretty good skier ;-). I looove  going fast!!! I think I may start wearing a helmet this year though, sometimes I scare myself!  
I also enjoy reading, sewing , photography and gardening (really fast, no...just kidding!).


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## Bolas De Fraile (Nov 10, 2011)

When I was young and had two good legs I loved to ski, I was in fact the bad boy of the piste, my dress code was quite unique.


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## Somebunny (Nov 10, 2011)

Unique?


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## Bolas De Fraile (Nov 10, 2011)

Yes!


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## Zhizara (Nov 10, 2011)

blissful said:


> Why?
> 
> Leather carving involves metal tools and a mallet.  Very noisy.  The apartments where I live have thin walls.


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## Andy M. (Nov 10, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My singing annoys my neighbors in Idaho...



...and us in Massachusetts.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 10, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> ...and us in Massachusetts.



I'm the reason the dogs howl for no apparent reason...


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## tinlizzie (Nov 10, 2011)

A belated thanks here, Selkie, for posting those fine photos, especially the determined little guy.

And whose pensive orangutan was that - I've forgotten whose, but that's a great shot.


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## kezlehan (Nov 10, 2011)

I like to play the drums, play on the Xbox, listen to music, read, go out with my friends, look after our pets (dog, cat, and 2 bearded dragons) and drink cider


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2011)

I love smoking cigars and I do not know if it is hobby but i've build couple of things for my synagogue. Here is a pick of the cabinet where the Torah scroll is stored.


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## Andy M. (Nov 10, 2011)

CharlieD said:


> I love smoking cigars and I do not know if it is hobby but i've build couple of things for my synagogue. Here is a pick of the cabinet where the Torah scroll is stored.




Charlie, that's some good work you did.  Looks wonderful.


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## CharlieD (Nov 10, 2011)

Thank you, Andy. Took 3 years. You know couple hours here and there. Whenever I had spear time.


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## Addie (Nov 10, 2011)

I love doing needle work, crocheting, and stencil work. Right now I am working on a set of eight place mats with matching napkins for a gift for someone. 

I used to love to walk. I would walk for miles to nowhere and then back. But age is catching up on me, so now I go on my scooter. 

Right now I am assisting some of the residents of the building I live in apply for food stamps and other programs they are eligible for. I really enjoy seeing their reaction when they get a simple little thing that makes their life easier. I will never understand why their children aren't doing these things for them. It is as if they want their parents to live in poverty.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 10, 2011)

CharlieD said:
			
		

> I love smoking cigars and I do not know if it is hobby but i've build couple of things for my synagogue. Here is a pick of the cabinet where the Torah scroll is stored.



Charlie, that is just beautiful!  You're very skilled.


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## Claire (Nov 10, 2011)

no mayonnaise said:


> I've become somewhat adept at mycology.  Anyone can grow veggies and herbs, when was the last time you cultivated your own shiitake mushrooms?
> 
> Cooking and that are the only two real pastimes of mine.



I've looked at some kits for this in catalogs and have been tempted (I have a cool, dry, dark cellar).  I've done some foraging, but wouldn't trust myself without an experienced guide.  As one of those friends says, "There are bold mushroomers, and there are old mushroomers, but there are no bold, old mushroomers!"


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## Dawgluver (Nov 10, 2011)

Claire said:
			
		

> I've looked at some kits for this in catalogs and have been tempted (I have a cool, dry, dark cellar).  I've done some foraging, but wouldn't trust myself without an experienced guide.  As one of those friends says, "There are bold mushroomers, and there are old mushroomers, but there are no bold, old mushroomers!"



Have you tried foraging for Hen of the Woods, Claire?  They're a fall fungus, and there are no poisonous lookalikes.


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## Claire (Nov 10, 2011)

I've had many hobbies over the years, but in the past decade I've settled on bead-work & cooking.  The first has fallen by the way-side this year; I always put the beads away before my first holiday gathering (usually the first Sunday in December) when I'm likely to have young children around; they're just too tempting and pretty and dangerous to swallow.  Then early last year I adopted a dog who was very rambunctious (at 16 mos or so, she's calmed).  So just when I feel I can take the beads back out, it's time to get ready for holidays again!  

I'm not sure if you'd call walking, Zumba and Pilates, and weight work hobbies, per se.  A lot of my socializing comes from them, but mostly it is to keep the bear of getting older off from my back.

Reading is my passion, again, hobby doesn't say it all.  I've always got at least two books I'm actively reading, and other one or two that I've put away and pull out periodically.


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## spork (Nov 10, 2011)

Plus one, for photography.  Lots of gear, but my film equipment has started to gather dust.  Enjoy traveling, especially roadtrips, but I wouldn't call it a hobby.  It seems year-by-year, I play music more.  Finding music to listen to has become a chore.  I read a lot.  I like to write, but I think I was better at it when younger.  My current sport of choice is table tennis, but I have no interest in tournaments and ratings.  I think I'll take up another new hobby, maybe something totally weird...


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## bakechef (Nov 10, 2011)

I wanted some knit dish cloths and set out to figure out how to make them, (yes I'm a guy).  I watched a YouTube video and bought a crochet hook and some yarn.  My first couple attempts turned out more like triangles, and I had the wrong yarn.  Now I have gotten the hang of it and have made 3 successfully.  Now I just need to start counting stitches, so I can make them all the same size, lol.

I'm the type of person that can figure out how to do just about anything and I'm determined to become good at it.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 10, 2011)

bakechef said:
			
		

> I wanted some knit dish cloths and set out to figure out how to make them, (yes I'm a guy).  I watched a YouTube video and bought a crochet hook and some yarn.  My first couple attempts turned out more like triangles, and I had the wrong yarn.  Now I have gotten the hang of it and have made 3 successfully.  Now I just need to start counting stitches, so I can make them all the same size, lol.
> 
> I'm the type of person that can figure out how to do just about anything and I'm determined to become good at it.



Crochet dishcloths are the best!  I don't make my own, but get them from MIL and friends.


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## Addie (Nov 11, 2011)

I have been crocheting since I was about 12 y.o. So I tend to do it fast and find it difficult to slow down to teach someone how to do it.


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## no mayonnaise (Nov 11, 2011)

Claire said:


> I've looked at some kits for this in catalogs and have been tempted (I have a cool, dry, dark cellar).  I've done some foraging, but wouldn't trust myself without an experienced guide.  As one of those friends says, "There are bold mushroomers, and there are old mushroomers, but there are no bold, old mushroomers!"



Well for one, it's a misconception that mushrooms grow in the dark.  They use light cycles to trigger fruiting.  Many species use a 12/12 lighting cycle for the duration of fruiting.  Two, you would be spending a whole lot of money you didn't have to if you bought a ready-to-go kit but I guess they are a little more fool-proof and don't send you off running to 10 different places to get 15 different things.  The important thing is your sterile technique and pasteurization process.  Mycology is one of the hobbies that the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.

I've also wanted to start breeding exotic frogs and selling them at shows around the country.  There is serious money in it, like you can sell a sexed, mating pair of poison dart frogs for $3k+.


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## buckytom (Nov 11, 2011)

how does one sex a poison dart frog?


very carefully...


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## CharlieD (Nov 11, 2011)

Dawgluver said:


> Charlie, that is just beautiful! You're very skilled.


 
Neah, not really, this was my first big wood working/cabinet making project. For could not do it again. But thank you.


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