Get Organized
I like working on one project at a time. I have tools out when I need them, and I put them away when I’m done with a step. I clean up after myself, clearing large wood chips, planer shavings, and saw dust after milling and rough cutting. Then after sanding I can clean up all the dust to have a nice, clean environment for finishing. This process is practical and necessary in my small shop when I have one large piece I’m working on. But it is not the case right now.
Right now I am working on many small things in preparation for a craft show. I have charcuterie boards, cutting boards, coasters, phone stands, picture frames, planters, trellis’s, and more all in various states. In order to stay productive I will plane boards for a cutting board to get them glued up. Once in clamps I will move on to resawing boards for coasters, routing details, and sanding. Then back to planing to prepare for another cutting board so I can do another glue up after the first one is ready to be removed from clamps. Then over to spraying finish on some picture frames I had made the previous day. And so the game of leapfrog continues in order to make progress on everything all at once, working to minimize my constraints. I need to keep my clamps occupied but don’t want to sit around doing nothing while I watch glue dry so I busy myself with other tasks to keep productivity up.
And the results are a mess. I have every machine setup and ready. I have every small tool laying around at various stations, with overlap of course because I don’t have the space for a dedicated sanding station and a finishing station, and a clamping station, and a miter station, and a table saw outfeed table. They are all multifunction spaces.
What I need is a cleanup day to put everything away, sweep up the dust, and blow out the shop. I don’t have time until after my upcoming craft fair this weekend, but I am looking forward to reorganizing and having a fresh start.
I really like having my shop organized. Having everything put away helps me work efficiently and get into a flow while I’m in a project. I try to keep every tool I need in an easily reachable location such as my chisels and hand planes on the wall right in front of my vise which is on the end of my miter saw station. I can rough cut my boards to length. Then slide right down to the vise, reach up and grab my Stanley no. 5, and joint one edge. Then to put everything away all I have to do is set my plane back down right where it belongs. No need to unpack drawers and cabinets with tools to then repack at the end of the night. Right now I’m dreaming of the return to a clean shop.
While my shop may be a mess, my business is nicely organized. I have a spreadsheet for my craft show listing everything I planned to make, everything I have made, and cost/pricing. Staying organized has helped my mind focus on what I need to work on each day and when I can take a break day without breaking my schedule. Early on when I signed up for this craft show I set a target revenue amount. My plan is built so I have enough diversified products that if I were to sell out I would over triple my target. That way I know I have enough stuff to sell with plenty of quantities of each item to know I won’t run out of my best sellers too quickly.
And since I’m so organized I already have a plan for the proceeds. Part of my goal is to cover all my costs preparing for the show. Part of it covers the Rikon 10 inch bandsaw I purchased to prepare for the show, and let me tell you that thing has been amazing. I was originally planning on cutting out all my curves with my jigsaw and that would have taken forever. And the rest of what I make I will put into more storage and organization for the shop. I want to upgrade some tools, I hate dragging my shop vac around and would love a dedicated sanding dust extractor, but at this time I can get by. The best tool I can buy is organization to have an easier time keeping my flat surfaces clear. Every tool at hand, organized with simple solutions.
Interested in staying up to date with Keaton’s blog? Subscribe