Workshop Quality Time

[CHJ]

As a retired individual I firmly come into the category of "He's in the shed" or "I know where he is 90% of the time".

And as an inveterate fiddler and loath to spend money on something I can make myself I spend an inordinate amount of time fixing, fiddling fettling etc. compared with producing a finished project that ever leaves the shed.

I know this time versus output is vastly different between the 'wage earner' (Trade) and hobbyist but how much time/pleasure do members in general spend just messing about in the shed installing new equipment jigs etc. as opposed to producing.

 

[ByronBlack]

Chas - I've voted for more than 50% (I would actually say it's more around the 65% mark) I always seem to be making fences, or guides, installing cutters and bushes, making support tables or some such jig.

I find it incredibly frustrating. I get about 8-10 hours in the workshop a week at best and it's a real pain having to shift everything around, setup tools or machines just to produce a simple cut, this is why i'm abandoning the router in favour of more hand planes, and also the reason for buying a bandsaw, it makes the small awkard cuts so much quicker.

 

[Lord Nibbo]

I've not posted my answer yet as I'm unsure exactly what the question is. Perhaps you could tell me.

I spend on average about 20 hours in my workshop per week of that time I might waste one hour sharpening or cleaning something. So what should I vote on?

 

[CHJ]

I've not posted my answer yet as I'm unsure exactly what the question is. Perhaps you could tell me.

I spend on average about 20 hours in my workshop per week of that time I might waste one hour sharpening or cleaning something. So what should I vote on?

Then I'm afraid the pole software limitation on number of voting options rules out a category to cover you.

As you spend only one twentieth (5%) of your time not producing you come under the ' Hobby. more than 10%' option.

As a hobbyist am surprised at your classification of sharpening and cleaning as a waste of time though.

 

[Lord Nibbo]

As a hobbyist am surprised at your classification of sharpening and cleaning as a waste of time though.

No you misunderstand, or I writ it bad :lol: At my age time is at a premium, so any time lost not chopping wood up is wasted time. :lol:

 

[motownmartin]

I am a bit confused :? how can you have more than 100%

 

[Smudger]

Easy. In the same way that 2 hours work can lead to 3 hours spent tidying up afterwards...

 

[CHJ]

Easy. In the same way that 2 hours work can lead to 3 hours spent tidying up afterwards...

You've got it :lol:

I was finding it difficult to explain the concept, that helps a lot.

 

[NeilO]

I`m sadly one of the more than 100%, due to the fact I only have a small workshop, it can take me 10 minutes to get the bandsaw into a relatively good spot to cut a single piece of wood.. :shock:

beginning to think I seriously need to re-organise my shed, to make it more productive :lol:

 

[Scrit]

Messing about in a shed? Isn't that called Jarvising? :lol:

 

[motownmartin]

Easy. In the same way that 2 hours work can lead to 3 hours spent tidying up afterwards...

You've got it :lol:

I was finding it difficult to explain the concept, that helps a lot.

You crazy peeps, it's still only 100%, unless you are saying to the Mrs 'i'm going into the workshop for 2 Hours dear' then come back 3 Hours later, which is an extra 50% as far as she is concerned, but as far as you're concerned you meant to be in there for 3 Hours 8)

I can understand that if you planned to make 10 items but end up making 11, then that would equal 110% but time is time and you can't change that unless you are Dr Who :lol: :lol: :lol:

Anyway, I should take a bit more time setting up so that I don't have to make things twice

Martin

 

[Smudger]

I know what you mean.
I measured a piece of timber today for cutting. I pretty much knew that it should be 6 1/8". I measured the box it was becoming the lid of, 7 1/8". Marked the wood, thought it looked wrong, measured again. Still 7 1/8". Did the obvious thing of offering it up, lo and behold it was 1" too big. Now, I measured that twice - how does that happen?

(Don't tell me. I think I know).

 

[motownmartin]

I know what you mean.
I measured a piece of timber today for cutting. I pretty much knew that it should be 6 1/8". I measured the box it was becoming the lid of, 7 1/8". Marked the wood, thought it looked wrong, measured again. Still 7 1/8". Did the obvious thing of offering it up, lo and behold it was 1" too big. Now, I measured that twice - how does that happen?

(Don't tell me. I think I know).

I know what my trouble is, I can't be bothered to put my reading glasses on and end up squinting to see the fractions :roll:

Martin

 

[NeilO]

I dont know if I have grasped CHJ`s point , or you lot havent...

example: it takes me 5 mins to cut 3 pieces of wood, but takes me 10 mins to setup the bandsaw for the cut itself, I have wasted (lost time) twice as much time to setup the saw then was it needed to cut the wood

so "setup" time was 200% more than "project" time...

Chas , if I have completely missed the point, I know EVERYONE :lol: will let me know in good time.... :lol: :lol:

 

[motownmartin]

I dont know if I have grasped CHJ`s point , or you lot havent...

example: it takes me 5 mins to cut 3 pieces of wood, but takes me 10 mins to setup the bandsaw for the cut itself, I have wasted (lost time) twice as much time to setup the saw then was it needed to cut the wood

so "setup" time was 200% more than "project" time...

Chas , if I have completely missed the point, I know EVERYONE :lol: will let me know in good time.... :lol: :lol:

Or 66.6% of time spent in the workshop :?

Martin

 

[DomValente]

O.K.I've posted, but agree with Martin, what's 200% is that akin to 'very unique'

Dom

 

[motownmartin]

O.K.I've posted, but agree with Martin, what's 200% is that akin to 'very unique'

Dom

Thank goodness for that, I was beginning to doubt myself

Martin

 

[CHJ]

....Chas , if I have completely missed the point, I know EVERYONE :lol: will let me know in good time.... :lol: :lol:

Same wavelength Neil, must admit to thinking more along the total time spent making jigs, fitting shelves, making tool chests, polishing up bargain buys etc. more so than just clearing up or gaining access to machines but it all amounts to unproductive time or just pleasurable messing about in the shed depending on your priorities.

I personally have spent about 6hrs this week producing turnings, and about 16hours machining/brazing new tool rests and 2 hrs just carving and fitting airflow control cheeks for my dust hood.

I may have got my concept or wording wrong but I see that as more than 100% of my productive time spent on the latter tasks if only 75% of my total time.

 

[RogerS]

Any more days like today then I reckon it's time for everything to go on eBay

Lost my machine manouvrability space as SWMBO needs the space to paint the new window frames but there always seems to be something else that is more important and so this little job goes on and on and on......end result, struggling to do anything sensible.

Squeezed some space to try and resaw a 5" thick slab of very old elm, hard as granite, on the bandsaw. Wound up the tension on the bandsaw but it wouldn't start-up unless I released most of the tension. Discovered the tracking was way out (no idea how that happened) and the back of the blade had cut a groove in the framework. So tried to re-track and ended up almost dismantling the damn thing trying to check if wheels were coplanar etc etc. Two hours later and it does track better but the sparks flying off the rear top guide accompanied by the screeching sound of metal on metal is almost enough for me to sell it. Stuck the elm on it but the relatively new blade struggled to cut any of it. So guess it's me and Mr Chainsaw...which means lots of wasted wood.

Then unpacked the Veritas Stone Pond to try it out and discovered it's either pants or I'm doing something very wrong - see other post.

So Mr Grumpy is going for a large (as in very large) gin and tonic and a cat to kick (didn't mean the last bit).

 

[NeilO]

Chas, I understood where you were coming from, unproductive time.....

the bandsaw example was given as I have to do it when cutting anything over 2ft..

but jigmaking, fettling , and generaling fine tuning...are all productive in thier own way, but "nothing" comes as an end result.....ie the new coffee table SWMBO "ordered"....lol



read "ordered" as , "and YOU will make a new coffee table... :shock: :wink: