work flow

project schedule

  • i only work on one thing at a time till finished

    Votes: 8 13.1%
  • i work on more than one to use all aviable time

    Votes: 24 39.3%
  • i work on many and finish some, with alot left partially done

    Votes: 27 44.3%
  • i try to finish all open projects as soon as poossible

    Votes: 5 8.2%

  • Total voters
    61
  • Poll closed .

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
Ok toni, made a post latly that got me thinking:eek: rare occurence i know.. but after re reading it i had to question my practices..so i have started this poll to see what the rest of the family do. pros to begineers alike. and post your reasoning for your methode or practice.
 
Every room in my house, the exterior of the house, the back yard, front yard, and both side yards, and my church - every one has at least one unfinished project. As for the shop, I've lost count. Does Betty Ford accept chronic non-completers?:huh::rofl::rofl:
 
Yup, I've got at least 3 projects in various stages of completion right now.

I tend to bounce around from one to one as my perceived priorities change... :D
 
Woodworking: I only do one project at a time, for one I have to finish it and don't want to get side tracked by doing something else. Even if I am waiting for finish to dry or something I don't start another project until the one is all finished and top coats on. Then I have to clean and straighten everything up before I will go onto something else. If I have major household projects going on then I don't do woodworking.

Household: More than one at a time, will do "most" of the project but might not finish up small details until later. Example, put new flooring in downstairs living area, but didn't finish the new quarter round because we needed to start living in it again. I started a bath remodel when I still need to do that quarter round.
 
do you feel that yu get more done by having more than one going at a time. i understand the down time when glue is drying, but usually yu can be doing another part of it during that time. in my situtaion now, i had a deadline of sorts that i am tryun to meet, i also have another project thats on deck and i have the stock ready to be used. but to stop on the bed and go to a cabinet is taking away from the time spent to get the bed done:huh: so thus far i have stayed at the bed. but toni's idea of gettin a fresh thought pattern, made me question my practices..right now it would be to easy to drop the curvy stuff and go to a flat and square type job. one of less thinkun and more doin, :rolleyes:
 
Being a creative and crafty type... I tend to have many things going on at once and at varying states of imcompletedness (Yes that is a word I just made it up). The cause of them not being finished could be that I don't have what I need to finish it, I got frustrated with it, its too cold to work in *my* workshop space and I'm not willing to give my kitchen up to the stained glass again, I got an order that needed to get done so I set what I was doing aside, I saw something twinkly out of the corner of my eye and moved on to play with that instead, just plain don't wanna... etc..... at current the list looks something like this:
  • 100" knotted pearl and citrine necklace to go with my purple fair garb
  • shelf I designed to hold all my little jars of mineral makeup
  • pink ivory hair fork
  • stained glass dragonflies
  • abstract design stained glass piece
  • knitted scarf
  • skirt for fair
  • hand sewn calico crazy quilt
  • wire crystal and gem cornucopia bracelet
  • website

I know there is more but that is all I can come up with at the moment. That doesn't include all of the projects that I got materials for that I haven't even started yet, or beads I have put specifically together to make a jewelry piece but haven't gotten around to doing more with it yet.
On the one hand you could look at this list and say "goodness, that woman can't seem to finish anything she starts!" which can certainly be a problem. Some times I just plain lose my creative flow and get stuck.
But another thing you could consider is that I have so many different interests that I am able to move from one thing to the next each time I get bored or frustrated with something.... and then go back to that initial thing when I am in a better head space to be working on that kind of piece.
I do find it helps to have deadlines though ;)
You see.... if most of that stuff up there was for specific clients, it would already be finished.... hmmm...maybe I need to set some deadlines for myself :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
right now it would be to easy to drop the curvy stuff and go to a flat and square type job. one of less thinkun and more doin, :rolleyes:

If you are *currently* not enjoying making the bed, whether it is because it is something you are not used to, or it is taking too long to see real progress or whatever, it might be helpful for you to go ahead and make something that you are good at, that you can get results relatively quickly from.

I am a firm believer that the gratification you get from a finished piece almost always helps put your head in a better place to get other things done that you may or may not see the results of for quite some time.
 
Every room in my house, the exterior of the house, the back yard, front yard, and both side yards, and my church - every one has at least one unfinished project. As for the shop, I've lost count. Does Betty Ford accept chronic non-completers?:huh::rofl::rofl:

My name is Royall I am a non-completer.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Just wish I could do the projects I want right now rather than the one I have to do now.:D:thumb:.

It takes the fun out of woodworking when you start doing it for money. :( I start feeling guilty if I work on anything but the paying job, and there are some other things I'd like to be doing like learning how to make something on the lathe.:eek::dunno:

I do have several things that should be done/finished in the house. When you build it yourself it seems you are never truly finished.:p
 
I will join the club here of the incompleters. I think there are several reasons not in any priority order.

  • funds. Depending on your personality and planning, I think many people start a project without thinking through exactly what it is going to cost. I know if I did I would not start many. So I think you start then get to a stage where the sunk cost is getting to high for comfort. It becomes hard when you see the comaprative cost of other items. I think then you have to resolve your reason for doing it is for the doing not the item itself.
  • creative will, I dont believe this is something one can turn on and off. I have argued all my life in business that the development or R&D departement is a creative one and you cannot always schedule items to come out on time as if it were a production line.
  • sometimes when you are learning something or trying something new it helps to get away from it and give it a break. This lets the subconcious catch up and help resolve issues. Have you not heard of the saying I will sleep on it before making a big decision?
  • tools and jigs. I hate having to stop and make a jig to finish something. Or find out I dont have a basic tool. When I first started out, just not having a grinder and stones to sharpen a chisel was frustrating. So I feel for the guys who struggle through that.
  • Take after my dad. He frustrated me with odd things we did around the house and us never getting to really finish them. But I think I understand more of the reasons now I am in his shoes.
Thats my 5 cents for what its worth.:D
 
I'm getting better at finishing projects. My wife used to tease me that I was affraid of completion. Usually I get as much as a project done as I can with the time/resources available and come back to it. Usually it's when I get to the finishing stage, it's not my strong suit. I keep saying that I'm going to find a local shop to do the finish work on my projects, but is usually a while between them, so it hasn't happened yet. :dunno:
 
My name is Royall I am a non-completer.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

It takes the fun out of woodworking when you start doing it for money. :( I start feeling guilty if I work on anything but the paying job, and there are some other things I'd like to be doing like learning how to make something on the lathe.:eek::dunno:.:p


royal no!!! dont start thinkun that way..its the first symptom of the vortex disease:eek:
 
Ok toni, made a post latly that got me thinking:eek: rare occurence i know.. but after re reading it i had to question my practices..so i have started this poll to see what the rest of the family do. pros to begineers alike. and post your reasoning for your methode or practice.

hmm, larry thinking, surely a sign of the end times....:rofl:

i usually work on one project at a time, so that when one is finished, its on to the next one.
 
Option 2 and 3 are kinda the same for me; I work on multiple things and there is always something incomplete. I find having more than one thing going allows me to choose what I feel like doing. It also gives me something to do while a given project is at a "no work" phase like a glue-up or a finish step.
 
It takes the fun out of woodworking when you start doing it for money.

The piece I enjoyed the least was one done on commission with a deadline. I'll avoid that in the future but it sure didn't nudge me toward the vortex. Step into the light Royall.:D:D:D

My current method is; I will make you something and you will pay me for it. You don't have to pay me till I'm done and no, I don't know exactly when that will be.:D
 
Well Larry, It wasn't my intention to put you in such dilemma but if that helps you for good I'm glad I did.

I have four projects going on at this moment two carving ones Rennie's dove and my fisherman, 1 flat work; another earring showcase cabinet for a friend of mine, and one half flat work half carving( my draped table).

Working in two different carving projects does help me to get a "fresh" look at them when I swap from one to another. I even cover them with a cloth or put them out sight for a while to get rid of the " tunnel vision"

Flat work ones work more or less the same although I do not cover them because when I start them they are completely thought out so its making is only pure "execution".
 
When I'm turning, I've usually got several pieces in various stages of drying. Once I start finish turning a piece, I usually only work on that piece until I'm ready to start applying finish. I sometimes have several pieces at the same time with finish on them, but not ready for buffing yet. In the meantime, while I'm waiting for the finish to cure, I'll either be turning another green piece or finish turning a dried piece.

The rare occasions when I do flatwork, I tend to do only one project at a time, due to space constraints.

With the other things in my life (house, yard, office), I've typically got several things in progress or ready to get started at once. I can also be an Olympic-class procrastinator on chores and projects I don't want to do.
 
I chose "i work on more than one to use all aviable time" but that doesn't mean I finish any of them...just ask the LOML. :D:p
 
FWIW I like to have a couple of things going at once. Because I hate to go the shop and have nothing to do. It might be I have more than one piece at time going on the same project if it is big enough. With the kayak's there is a lot of waiting on epoxy to set. Or like on the last one, I was always waiting on something I ordered to come in. Bad planning on my part.

That is why I like having a couple of things going at one time. Right now I have two projects in the shop... well 3 really but one will be done after UPS drops off my package.
  • I am finishing up the odds and ends on the last boat
  • I am installing a new set of rudder pedals on someone else's boat
  • Working on the new design and prototyping some parts
  • I am about to start on 3 or 4 paddles to take to an exhibit and hopefully sell. But Randy's boat will be gone by then.

I have lots of shop time right now and really hate not using it. I hate sitting around doing nothing! But to many projects can keep me from getting others done too. So I do have a limit as to how much I do at once. I will not take on two big projects unless the second one is JUST to fill in the waiting time. If they both need to be done quickly, No! Once I start building the new boat I will probably just work on it till it is done. If I get bored with it or stumped I will shift to a paddle to change the pace a little. But I stick with one main project mostly.
 
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