Actually I’m quite familiar with Rex! I think he is who introduced me to the term “country carpenter” IIRC. Woodworking is great. You obviously can get really fancy with it, but there is a continuum from true 0-budget “reclaimed tools and materials” all the way to “10 million dollar production shop.” And money spent doesn’t map directly to quality of work.

Woodworking can be very approachable, even with a very limited budget. Really, the greatest barrier to entry isn’t money, but space. Sawdust is a pain to deal with, and you really don’t want to do woodworking in your living room. Though I have definitely seen videos of people who do woodworking even in apartments. They’ll dedicate a spare bedroom to the hobby, do their work entirely outdoors under the sky, or have a little tiny micro workbench in a closet. Even with zero space you could at least do some basic carving or whittling on your kitchen table. And that’s before you consider options like shared community shop and maker spaces.

My setup has gotten pretty elaborate at this point. But I have the funds for it, and I’ve been building up my capabilities for several years at this point. You obviously can get quite elaborate with woodworking equipment, and I certainly have. But I got started with just a miter saw and a card table.