Save Time & Money While Enjoying Woodworking

I have to admit, that when I first started woodworking I developed some very bad shop habits. You see, I was so impressed and happy that I completed a piece of furniture that I never bothered to clean up after myself. I had sawdust all over the place, scraps of wood on the floor, tools cluttering my workbench, glue bottles left uncapped. Sandpaper scraps and clamps left on the floor. Does that sound like your workshop?

Well, if you're at all like me you tried your very best to simply ignore the mess. After all, the tools we need are still there. I know what your thinking, "Its time to clean up my shop." Unless you are working in a production or manufacturing shop, where the shop foreman makes sure you clean up, you may have not have developed some simple cost effective work shop habits. I know that there are many fastidious woodworkers who have "always" cleaned up after themselves and can find their tools in an instant. Well, OK I'll be honest; I'm not one of them are you?

I enjoy cursing the Internet for shop plans and tips and have seen many woodworking shop pictures. I came across a web site for professionals and hobbyist where they show off both their woodworking skills and their shops. Not one shop was cleaned up! Now don't get me wrong, I am not on a crusade to lecture you on the merits of keeping your shop clean and organized.

However, I would like to share with you some tips that will save you time and money. OK, I heard that "how can you save me money by cleaning up my shop?" I'll answer that by relating my costly errors caused by not really knowing where I put my tools. I was reviewing a coffee table plan that called for a dado in the lower shelf. I knew that oak veneer plywood is not exactly ¾ " thick. I was sure that I purchased a 23/32" router bit.

I pulled out my router tray (neatly organized) but to my surprise that particular router bit was not there. I scoured my shop for over a half hour looking for it. Ah heck, when I buy the oak plywood I'll pick one up. As I was setting up to plow the dado's in the rails I located my ½" router and then said some words that I can't use here but it was an eureka moment

Moral of the story is really simple: Just because you sweep the floor and store your scraps, you need to manage and maintain your power tools; I have 4 routers I use for separate operations and one table router. Make sure you clean and remove your router bits and dust or blow off your power router and store it. Imagine making this error several times during the life cycle of your project. It really does add up.

Here are some time saving shop tips

Don't sweat the small stuff - If you use small engineering squares, gage blocks, pencils, compass, and some other small items, you can use a small plastic tray to store them in while you're working. These items are easy to covered up or misplace.

Use your in box -You can use stackable or wall mount clear plastic trays to store and organize your sandpaper. I recommend the wall mounted ones.

Make a list and check it twice save on gas - I know this happens quite often, you are planning to start a project you prepare your bill of materials and make your trip to purchases materials. Then, when engaged in your woodworking project, you utter a word or two and make a run to the hardware store. It seems that you forgot to add screws and glue to your list or maybe thought you had plenty to finish your project. Before you start take stock of your shop's expendables and you will avoid wasting time and gas.

Organize for a fast start - Every time I start a new project I'm faced with a mess on my hands. I failed to tidy up from my last project and now I am anxious to get started.

My customer's orders have due dates that I don't want to miss. I solved this dilemma by forcing myself to clean and store as I go (work). I keep a clip board on the wall to note items I'm running low on i., e., glue, screws, and sandpaper and so on. This does take a little time but well worth the effort to get your order fulfillment process going quickly and smoothly.

Time is money - A clean and organized shop does save time and money, but most importantly these activities will go a long way towards moving your product out the door and getting revenue in the door.

Haste makes waste or so they say - Are you always in a rush to meet customer demands? Need to craft that perfect birthday gift for your spouse in a day or two? You know this to be true, because that's how bookcases end up being stools or expensive wood lands in the scrap bin. Even if you are a professional, and assuming you're honest, you made some costly mistakes and lost considerable amount of time. You can limit these costly errors and avoid some stress in your life by taking a "mental time out" from work. I know that I will make a costly mistake when I am in a rush, so I go for coffee and try to visualize each operation that I'm about to undertake. I think about each set up and how I should approach it. Then it's back to the shop. Just take some time to think about how to approach your work