Machining and metal work is the same for me. And now we have a lathe and mill and lots of precise measuring instruments. It is fun to re-create things like stirling engines and steam engines and work your way through the technology of the industrial revolution. Machining and precision are more fun than wood work for me. It made wood working seem rather easy by comparison as the level of precision required is often less by an order of magnitude or more when wood working. If your goal is just to build useful things MIG welding is very accessible and with a bit of practice you can fabricate useful strong things with metal as well. Wood work and metal work can also be combined of course. Metal working and machining definitely gets more expensive than wood working though.