Sunday, January 27, 2013

Priorities in woodworking

It often amazes me, how long time it takes for me to complete a project.
I don't believe that I am slower than the average woodworker, but maybe the problem is the priorities when it come to woodworking .
The majority of my projects have some degree of woodworking or carpenter work in them. But eventhough I have a pretty good idea of what I would like to complete first, things don't always end that way.

Various things tend to get in the way of my projects, some of them beyound my control.

Of the bigger projects; I started installing a sawmill which went along rather smoothly untill the winter suddenly appeared with frost etc. That sort of ended the posibilities of casting concrete until we had a period above freezing point again.

I then started the workbench which made some OK progress untill I had to produce some sawdust for the horses, so they had something on the floor in the stable.
That took about a day.

Then my wife urged me to finish the cabinet for our youngest sons room. So I had to process some wood for making shelves and a vertical divider as well. This project clearly overrules the other projects.

So the result is, that I have a over cluttered (messy) workshop.

On top of all this, our middle son has rediscovered his interest in woodworking, and have made a list of things he wants to build..
Right now he is making a fish shaped trivet, and off course needs a little assistance now and then.

The cabinet (2nd hand)

The first glue up of four shelves for the cabinet. At least I get to use my new workbench. (the tenoning jig was put there to add some weight)
 
 
So how about your projects? Do they just slide through, or are there similar obstacles that pass them on the priority list? (Work doesn't count like an obstacle).
 


4 comments:

  1. Hi Jonas,

    Good post! My woodworking often feels exactly like that. In fact, I have a humidor that has needed hinges installed since 2001. Not long ago I gave away a knife project that I started in 2008.

    I heard someone once say, "a shop in motion stays in motion. A shop at rest stays at rest."

    I find that if I get even 15 minutes in the shop in a day, it keeps some momentum going. There is nothing worse than having to clean a huge space before you can start a project.

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  2. I tend to work on one thing straight thru. I'll start other projects while one is cooking, but the priority for me is FSFD. First started first done. So it's working for me as I only have one project I started and never completed. I may pick that up one of these days if I can find it....

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  3. Ha - I understand the feeling. "Projects" add to my list way faster than I can knock them off. Obviously, the wife's chosen projects get to cut in front of all the other ones. I wish I could be like Ralph, but right now I've got 3 things going at once, with the wife's priority project being the one I'm focusing most on...

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  4. I just had another obstacle.. The flu..
    So now there is coughing and fever and what not.
    I would love to be able to do like Ralph, but my self dicipline isn't that good.

    Stay healthy
    Brgds
    Jonas

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