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Thread: I am so Jealous of a lot of you

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
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    Louisville, KY
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    512

    I am so Jealous of a lot of you

    I simply love wood working.....all types, building furniture, toys for the grandson, bowls and vessels as gifts, just being in my shop. What I lack is time and it really eats at me. With my job, which I am very grateful to have, I travel almost every week and really only have limited time on the weekends. Even then, it's hard to spend a lot of time down "there" because I have been gone all week and need to take care of family. If I had my way, I would put a bed in the shop and go there on Friday nights and come back out on Sunday eve. Only problem is the wife doesn't have the same urge.

    So I ask this question.....

    For those that have the beautiful shops with custom made tables and work benches, perfect lighting, etc...those that turn out incredible work on a regular basis, how do you find the time? What's the secret? Don't get me wrong, my wife is the best and the kids are out of the house (not 100% off the payroll). I could come home with a new "whatever machine" and she would not only not say a word about the expense, but, help me carry it and set it up. I guess I'm wining, just wish I had more time for it.

    I post this because once again, it's Sunday Night and in 8 darn hours, I leave for the airport again and don't get home until Sat Eve. Thanks for letting me vent.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    San Francisco, CA
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    10,304
    It seems that the big chunk of time which you do have is the evenings when you're on the road. So here's the challenge: figure out some kind of woodworking you can carry with you, and do in a hotel room. I'm thinking small projects -- jewelry boxes or smaller. How 'bout marquetry? Or carving? Hand tools only, and probably no hammering. Perhaps you only get some parts of the project done while you're on the road, and you integrate them into the bigger project on the weekend. The project and tools would have to fit in a compact case which would be checked baggage.

    What about it, SMC readers? What woodworking could fit in a suitcase, and be done in a hotel room?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Making the most of available time is a priority for me. The main thing that optimizes my time in the shop is organization and storage. I have put a fair amount of effort into having a place for everything (well, almost everything). This serves a few purposes; when I want a tool or some sort of hardware or material I know right where it is. I can clean up in a flash at the end of the day since I know where everything goes. This makes the work area "ready" for my next session so I can walk in and go to work, not waste my precious time clearing the bench or looking for tools and materials.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northwestern Connecticut
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    I work wood full time outside the house, have two kids under 8, work almost every weekend either on side jobs or my old house (fixer upper). I was programmed to approach the work in 8+ hour chunks, when my first son was born I became a stay at home dad for some period, I learned to work in 15 minute chunks. Sort lumber, mark it out. Done. Rough cut a few boards to length. Done. One or two passes everything over the jointer. Done. Planer.....Etc. Small blocks of time. I learned to to into the home shop with good plans whose design was largely worked out on paper, those plans could happen on the computer, in the quiet evening hours, or say before bed on a lap top if one was on the road! I dedicated several weekends per year to shop improvements. Just me time. Honey, I'm going to work...just like I got on an airplane and left. Hardest thing to get rid of was the guilt, that I was not upstairs spending time with the family, that I was being selfish. But life has to be a balance, and we all have to find what works for each. My shop is hardly a picture of organization and beauty, but in its rough form its a highly effective workspace for my needs, and while the projects may not move at a pace that you could call prolific, things do get made, and the sense of accomplishment is there. So don't be crippled if you can't spend 27 hours per weekend on the craft. Try carving out 2-3 hours, even over two days. Little steps. Works for me.

  5. #5
    I feel your pain. When I was traveling a lot, the first thing I did when I got to the newest city was to try and look up a woodworking store. I always hoped that may be having a class that I could try and squeeze in, but timing never worked out. The constant perusing of the stores led me to buy a whittling kit with a carving knife, leather strop, thumb protector, and a book. The wood that came in the kit was a 2" x 2" x 12" stick. The first project was an egg that required about 2 1/2" of the 12". Of course I didn't buy a saw and was in my hotel room when I discovered this. After going through the book and seeing that none of the projects required a large stick like what came with the kit, I carved the top end of the egg onto the stick and started carving the bottom on the stick and ultimately worked my way through the stick to free the egg. Man did that take some time. I had a huge pile of chips and could only laugh as the mess was all over the bedspread. (I cleaned the mess up and did not leave it for the maids)

    Though it likely won't quench your thirst, it may allow you pick up a skill you could use on future projects. If nothing else you will quickly learn how to read grain direction and how to keep a sharp edge! Chip carving is another thing that could be easily packed in a suitcase.

  6. #6
    I have young kids and a demanding job too. Try to use your travel time to your advantage. Do your design work and research on the plane. Plot out your operations in the car or in line. Get into the shop and don't waste time; execute your steps as you planned and don't get distracted with any (even necessary) distractions. I'm fine with projects taking a long time to complete - as long as I have a sense of tangible progress each day.

    Breaking your mountains into single steps is something that takes a lot of thought and planning; something you probably have the time to do. Doing so makes the actual shop time go much quicker.

    I also find it helps to have a couple projects going on at the same time. Specifically, I like to sand and finish a couple projects at once. It's just more efficient for me because of the set up required.

    Also, you may, as I have, eventually figure out what kinds of projects you gravitate to. For me, it's tables and chairs. When I'm gluing up a panel, sometimes I'll make an extra while I've got the cauls out, or I'll make a bunch of leg billets. Even if I don't know where I'm going with it, having extra things like this really speeds future projects.

    Last, if you are in the position, throw some money at the problem. Investing in a fast joinery system like the Domino or a doweling jig can really make things go fast. Fast joinery systems usually allow you make butt joints, which not only simplifies the actual cutting of the joint, but also simplifies the measuring (read, re-measuring when I make inevitable mistakes) of parts. I find that my projects fall into two categories: 'heirloom-wanna-be' and 'good-enough'. Not everything requires hand-cut M&T. Pick and choose which projects demand your time. For everything else, don't be ashamed to build for speed. It has been my experience that if you build a lot of things for family and friends, details like hand cut dovetails may escape them. They'll favor precision and uniformity and dark colors
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 09-15-2014 at 8:58 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
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    11,247
    Hi Scott, I also travel for business so shop time is at a premium.

    I've adopted 2 methods of maximising my productivity in the shop.

    1) Planning. I design my own furniture so when travelling I make detailed drawings of every part so that when I'm in the shop I simply make the parts, no messing around with figuring stuff out in the shop. It also allows me to stop work, be gone for a week, then start back up with no lost time.

    2) Tools and equipment. I had a nice shop full of Canadian made equipment (General), yet it was cramped and not that productive. My first major change was going from a stationary jointer and planer to a combination jointer/planer with a digital height gauge and clip on extension tables. I increased my jointer capacity, reduced wasted floor space and have a more efficient system now. I no longer waste time measuring, resetting the planer, I simply dial in the size I want and produce it.

    Same for maintenance, I can change the knives in 5 minutes now, no messing around with adjustments.

    Tablesaw/shaper, eventually I traded the cabinet saw and shaper for a sliding saw/shaper. Saved more floor space, have more capacity, accuracy and safety, in addition to capability.

    A cabinet saw only does one thing well, rip. I now can crosscut a sheet of plywood, or a heavy table top safely in one pass by spending 2 minutes to put the outrigger on my sliding saw. No fooling around with sleds or jigs, far faster, safer and more accurate. Once again it's all about maximising productive time and eliminating jig building and horsing around with work arounds. I also have a scoring saw on the machine for veneered or laminated panels, perfect cuts every time.

    The sliding table shaper with tilting spindle is incredible, versatile, quiet, powerful, and tooling is inexpensive as I mostly use steel insert heads.

    That's what I've done to maximise productivity in my shop..............Regards, Rod.

  8. #8
    I'm in the same boat as many of you. Between my job, my wife and my two young boys, I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. I started off trying to do things really cheaply which I found frustrated me to no extent. I spent more time fiddling with stuff to get it straight and square than I did actually woodworking. Now I'm notoriously frugal (read cheap), however being the sole income for the past 11 years has engrained it in me.

    I am now in the process of trying to rebuild my workshop. I find that being organized really helps maximize the effectiveness of the time I have. As others have said, breaking down the build into small portions. Mark out the boards one time, cut them another time, dry fit another time, then glue them up. Finally, I bought things like a good square, wixley blade angle guide and a few other nice to haves. Jigs are really nice but they take time and don't necessarily give you the same satisfaction. If you have the funds (mine are limited), buy what you need so you can get to your project.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,685
    Time is always my worst enemy when it comes to my avocations; both woodworking and equestrian. My work travel has kicked up again, so I'm left with just the weekends...and sometimes have to sacrifice avocation time for other things, like home maintenance, family events, etc. Nature of the beast...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio, USA
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    3,441
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Brandstetter View Post
    For those that have the beautiful shops with custom made tables and work benches, perfect lighting, etc...those that turn out incredible work on a regular basis, how do you find the time? What's the secret?
    I always assumed that those perfect shops were a myth


    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Brandstetter View Post
    I simply love wood working.....all types, building furniture, toys for the grandson, bowls and vessels as gifts, just being in my shop. What I lack is time and it really eats at me.

    Perhaps you should consider things that you are able to do while traveling. Exactly what this entails is likely determined by how you travel, but things such as whittling or chip carving may be possible. You also may be able to do things like create wood mosaic boxes where the most time consuming portion is the mosaic. Finally, depending on how your time is used at your destination, see if you can hookup with a fellow creeker while traveling.

  11. #11

    finding time

    During the summer, yard work on 5 acres keeps me busy. Once the leaves are gone, I can normally find time for 1 day each weekend. Unless of course one of the kids needs something repaired at their homes. Thanksgiving and Christmas normally provide the most continuous period to do wood working. The rest of the time, projects take a long time to complete.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    8,973
    If I didn't have to eat and sleep, I'd have plenty of time to do everything I want to. We have a horse farm on a lake. My Wife is a top breeder of dogs. We race sailboats, and sail boards on the lake when the wind is cranking....also play golf. Our kids are grown and gone, but we spent most nights when they were home raising them in a Community Theater. I build stuff for a living. I started the house we are living in, in 1980. My Wife knows it will never be finished. Do woodworking in spare time.....you've got to be kidding.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    Mandalay Shores, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Brandstetter View Post
    So I ask this question.....

    For those that have the beautiful shops with custom made tables and work benches, perfect lighting, etc...those that turn out incredible work on a regular basis, how do you find the time? What's the secret?
    I sympathize. For me, I work 60+ hours per week and travel for business. My solution is twofold. First, I spend a minimum amount of time fixing the shop up. There is no immaculate, well built shop or bench in my garage. I try to devote all my time to project work over shop work. I am far from perfect here but it is an over-arching goal. I try to use off-time for design. I have a sketchbook where I freehand out details. The other thing is to be meticulous in in putting things in their proper place. This way, I limit the time spent looking for things. I try to be efficient prepping stock. I'll then spend more time on the joinery and construction. I also will have projects that can nest together. Finish or glue can be drying on one project while work goes on on the second.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    6,983
    LOL!
    When I had the money, I never had the time.
    Now I'm retired and have the time, but, I'm too broke to buy the materials!

    Story of my life!
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,529
    Another tip is that smaller projects are quicker and can be more rewarding. Turning, cutting boards, boxes, etc.

    I have two kids under two and stay at home with them, but my wife will take the kids over to her moms house or a friends place on the weekend to give me some "man time". I also get a couple nights a week after the kids go to bed to spend a half hour or an hour in the shop.

    There are a lot of us who do not spend hours and hours each day in the shop.

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