Workshop improvements Vs actually making stuff

[danst96]

I have an issue. I don't seem to have the workshop improvements Vs actually making stuff balance quite right.

I tend to be making stuff during the week (after my day job so not much time gets spent) but then think up a ton of things I need to improve about my workshop which I then spend all weekend working on. Every weekend I say cool that's about all that needs doing but invariably I'm back doing more "improvements" which are increasingly more needs rather than wants.

Anyone else like this or is it just me and my workshop ADHD

 

[Torx]

Just accept it will never be finished? Mine is a right state, arguably worse than when I started improving it, but life goes on and it will get there in the end. In hindsight it’s probably unwise to replace the roof and insulate the walls with everything still in the garage.

 

[thetyreman]

there are people on youtube with thousands of videos just doing this, they knock out maybe 2 pieces of furniture a year with 50 videos on just workshop 'improvements' lol

 

[Sachakins]

Workshop Time breakdowns
Shop changes and updates 35%
Jig making and updates 30%
Inspiration and ideas for shop 15%
Tidying up the mess and finding stuff 5%
Buying bits and pieces 5%
Drinking tea and coffee (OR letting it go cold) 5%
Staring into space wondering what you are doing 4%

Actually working on project 1%

 

[D_W]

It just suggests that you don't have something you want to make that badly. My workshop improvement is about 2% vs. making of about 98%. That shows by the fact that my shop is an absolute mess and I think more about cleaning one thing (out of 500) up and then making something for several hours and then maybe one other thing. Making shop furniture or organizing things in such a way that they're out of sight is off of my radar.

Find something you want to make 10 of and suddenly you won't have any interest in the shop. Making one type of thing isn't where the joy is - it's after you've made something almost finely and you know fine is within reach, but you can do it in rhythm.

My go to playing before I learned the satisfaction of making a bunch of something was sharpening things or making small improvements to tools, or posting something that I had for sale so I could buy a better version. I think it was because making something reasonably well when you've never made it before includes a large % of the time thinking ,and there's risk of failing at it and starting over. When you ruin something you want to make, then you say "poo......but what can I learn from that and lets get started on the next one after I take a short break".

 

[artie]

it’s probably unwise to replace the roof and insulate the walls with everything still in the garage.

99.9999% of the time making things, but then it's not a hobby for me.

I did replace the roof a few years back with everything in place.

 

[Jelly]

In hindsight it’s probably unwise to replace the roof and insulate the walls with everything still in the garage.

I also learned that the hard way...

Found the repeatedly "wasting" days re-arranging everything to have room to work and access to the area being worked on to be a bit of a motivation killer.

 

[Doug B]

I tend to do workshop improvements over Xmas holidays that way I don’t disrupt the workshop for paying work during the year.
That said last years first lock down saw some quality improvement time including finally finishing the sink area & fitting a water heater, the shop had never been so organised.

 

[dzj]

Currently finishing a long overdue job, because of this covid mess.
Most things arranged in a chronologically vertical manner.
Wish I had time for a shop project.

 

[pidgeonpost]

The biggest workshop improvement I could make would be to double its 16x8 size, but it ain't gonna happen. It would be wonderful to be able to leave machines in place and not have to drag the tablesaw out to use it, then tuck it away to make room to drag the planer out, use it and tuck it away again only to find that there's some stuff I forgot to rip, so gotta get the saw out again. Then I need the planer again of course...

 

[johnnyb]

I think most home woodworkers(including me) seem to constantly be improving or swapping around or making jigs. as soon as i was making stuff for money I prefer to make stuff that I'd made before as its certain re materials and time. any jigs ill already have. for instance I made a shaker candle stand one bit of it (making a mortise box and mortising the legs and column) took as long as making everything else.

 

[DennisCA]

I probably hovered around 95% workshop improvement at first because I just can't deal with working in a way I don't like or find to be shoddy and I come up with better ways of doing things while doing a project and that takes over for me.

Part of the reason for this is I am bootstrapping myself on a shoestring budget. I started from nothing and I've spent time and effort on finding cheap old tools and machines and refurbishing them, constantly improving my shops capacity for little money.

The amount of time spent on doing workshop improvement is dropping off while the time doing projects is increasing as I keep going forward. I also get quite a lot of satsifaction out of doing shop projects.

Right now I even started on another building, that I will build myself as cheaply as possible, so I can clear out space in my shop and keep improving it.

 

[Ttrees]

This rather interesting title brings more to to the table than just youtubers.
Since it is mentioned though, probably best to get that subject out of the way first I suppose.
Lots of reasons for folks in that game to make 'shop projects'
Some which come to mind might be....
Obvious for youtube hits, some might hope to get some sort of income from being consistent and having something or one thing for everybody to 'take home'

Many of them might not have the time to devote to making larger things.

Some might see longer projects as too boring for their targeted audience.

Folks might see a niche in making a tiny shop workable in the best dang possible way to make use of the space.

Some might be obsessed with designing things, and maybe a platform to get an idea off the ground, Andy Klien's vice design comes to mind, probably doing well for himself.

And probably a whole load more reasons for the youtuber kind of thing.

For myself, I wouldn't be able to do the 9 to 5, so a proper wage isn't possible.
I hope to eventually make some sort of supplementary income from this, but I'm in no rush to get there, only to have no choice but to grind to a halt.
The niche I see most fitting for myself is fiddly stuff needing jiggery,
with possibly something else not common on the market.

I've got more time to think about stuff than I do endurance, and love design.
I have no issue with having nothing to show, I take greater pleasure in having a
really efficient thing in the workshop, than I would any furniture in the rented house.
Just more stuff that I don't need if I have to move.
That is a big reason for workshop faffery to me, being able to set up where-ever quickly, and make use of space as best I can.

Workshop safety is another reason, have to be able to move stuff around if you're a hoarder like myself, either salvaging timbers, or processing locally.

If you do a bit of metalwork, then another reason to work on workshop practicality.

Not much point in me slowly making a few things to show off, if I'm not going to be much faster with the next projects,
(That's not to say I'll ever be a fast worker ever, but more proficient)

I can choose a few differing paths once I make a bit more space, and get a bit more prepared.
Where does it stop, I can't answer that, another machine could change my decisions on a lot of things, but prepared for any of them none the less with capable equipment.

And lastly if I were to try and sell in the area best suited for me,
I'd want to have a nice workshop or at least a nice section of it, as I think it would give a buyer a bit more confidence in the work.
Pipe dreams I know, but that's the way business could well be going
Take the last year for example.
Oh yea, it's gotta be nice and cozy for the wolfies also

 

[bp122]

I have gone through this phase a number of times in my short time as a hobby woodworker.

Mainly because my workshop had become a tip to throw my tools and newly bought (woodworking related) bits in.

Then I had a bit of a breakdown, which was famously talked about here on another thread, which was more of a group therapy session which helped a lot.

Now, whenever I see that I 'need' a jig or a tool or something to improve, I just sleep on it for the week. Unlike before I don't get time in the shop now because of a 10 month old who is literally running around now. So everything goes through the same process -

"Is this new improvement or tool or jig going to revolutionise my woodworking workflow for all or specific project? If it is yes (which it seldom is) I spend my 2 hour a week time on it.

If the answer is no (95%of the time) I put it in the "for future" plie.

Couple of weekends ago, I spent my golden couple of hours installing shelves in the workshop, which has helped me claim back about two thirds of floor space which was littered with bits - so definitely worth it.

Couple of months ago I put all my large tools (table saw, drill press, shop vac with cyclone) on wheels. Which helped me move the bits around to get a new freezer in the garage, which wouldn't have been possible -so necessarily worth it. Looks tidy too.

On contrast, I have been contemplating making a proper table for the drill press to hold workpieces, a quality shooting board, proper tool wall, my DIY biesmeyer table saw fence (and the list goes on), but have been putting off because I can actually get by without these. They don't stop me from making what I "need" to make.

As things improve, I'll fit them in. But until then, this rigorous "sleep on it" method has helped me not feel guilty for spending time in the workshop not really achieving anything tangible.

Same goes to buying stuff. I am telling myself, if I buy this new item, what am I throwing out? Usually that answers the dilemma, and saves money.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dr Al]

My attitude with this is that woodworking & metalworking are my hobby, but they're my hobby because I enjoy the process, not because I'm in it for the end result. Whether the thing that I make is a jig/fixture, a set of functional shelves/drawers to tidy the workshop or a pretty coffee table for the lounge is largely irrelevant as long it gets me in the workshop designing and making stuff and generally doing what I enjoy.

That might explain why I've got so many welded steel projects that are finished except for painting...

 

[danst96]

One things that hits me from the varying posts above is I have recently just rediscovered woodworking, only properly invested into it in the last couple of months and if you saw my workshop 2 months ago, it was a shed with a lot of old useless junk in. I just had in my mind I would be more further into making stuff by now but i have this workshop improvement itch which keeps asking to be scratched. To be fair this last weekend I have managed to make some good progress on a project and actually got the legs on some nightstands I am making. After I broke my windscreen with the board i bought for them

 

[danst96]

I have gone through this phase a number of times in my short time as a hobby woodworker.

Mainly because my workshop had become a tip to throw my tools and newly bought (woodworking related) bits in.

Then I had a bit of a breakdown, which was famously talked about here on another thread, which was more of a group therapy session which helped a lot.

Now, whenever I see that I 'need' a jig or a tool or something to improve, I just sleep on it for the week. Unlike before I don't get time in the shop now because of a 10 month old who is literally running around now. So everything goes through the same process -

"Is this new improvement or tool or jig going to revolutionise my woodworking workflow for all or specific project? If it is yes (which it seldom is) I spend my 2 hour a week time on it.

If the answer is no (95%of the time) I put it in the "for future" plie.

Couple of weekends ago, I spent my golden couple of hours installing shelves in the workshop, which has helped me claim back about two thirds of floor space which was littered with bits - so definitely worth it.

Couple of months ago I put all my large tools (table saw, drill press, shop vac with cyclone) on wheels. Which helped me move the bits around to get a new freezer in the garage, which wouldn't have been possible -so necessarily worth it. Looks tidy too.

On contrast, I have been contemplating making a proper table for the drill press to hold workpieces, a quality shooting board, proper tool wall, my DIY biesmeyer table saw fence (and the list goes on), but have been putting off because I can actually get by without these. They don't stop me from making what I "need" to make.

As things improve, I'll fit them in. But until then, this rigorous "sleep on it" method has helped me not feel guilty for spending time in the workshop not really achieving anything tangible.

Same goes to buying stuff. I am telling myself, if I buy this new item, what am I throwing out? Usually that answers the dilemma, and saves money.

Hope this helps.

Ok, i am going to adopt this, i have been spending waaaay to much recently

 

[Sachakins]

Ouch,

 

[PeteBowen]

I don't think it matters what you make in your shop as long as you're enjoying doing it. Obviously this doesn't apply if you're doing it for money, but if it's a hobby don't feel guilty about where you spend the time.

 

[Terrytpot]

..After I broke my windscreen..

I believe the appropriate response is one used by medical personnel, in relation to the treatment they use with their patients.."Do no harm" when contemplating mixing hobbies with your mode of transport