I have a bunch of stuff on the agenda this week but the general topic is a discussion of my strategies for working on a lot of different projects at the same time and how to keep them organized and moving through the shop efficiently. Take a listen and let me know what you do in these situations.
I also touch on a bad kickback episode I had this past weekend. Here is the result. I am fine but sore and more than a little bruised.
Listen to find out how it happened.
I am also curious to see what you all do with your shavings. Do you throw them away like me or is there a good use for them. Here is a pile of beautiful cherry created by hand surfacing a slab of Choke Cherry harvested from my in laws yard.
Here is a new addition to my shop to try and control some of the rust I see in the summer months as the humidity climbs. I’ll report back later to let you know how it is working out.
Finally, here is a shot along the long axis of my shop and you can see the individual stacks of projects all over the place. This is one of my strategies for handling multiple projects by keeping all the parts together and separate from one another to avoid confusion.
Finally, the blog of the week is Peter Follansbee’s Joiner Notes. This is a great look into 17th century woodworking. You can find Peter at the Plymouth Plantation as well as in the latest issue of Popular Woodworking where he shows us all a simple carved box. Check out his site.
OK, here is the podcast, enjoy the show!
6 responses so far ↓
1 curt // May 18, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Those shavings can be mulch and acidify your soil over time. Members of the Ericaceae e.g. Rhododendron, blueberry/huckleberry and heath tend to do best in acid soils.
2 Bob Rozaieski // May 19, 2009 at 7:52 am
I use my hardwood shavings as tinder for the fireplace in the winter. They burn hotter and longer than paper so they light the kindling faster. I use softwood and harwood shavings to start the charcoal for the grill using a chimney starter during the grilling season. They light super fast and burn hot and long. Plus, there’s no lighter fluid smell or taste.
They also make excellent, environmentally friendly packing material. I always use them instead of plastic bubble wrap or foam peanuts. Other woodworkers get a real kick out of it when I send them packages.
I’ve also heard they are good as bedding for livestock stalls or pet cages.
3 vintage info // May 19, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Nice resource info. I am also doing some woodworking projects and I found this to be interesting.
4 Jeremy Kriewaldt // May 27, 2009 at 12:22 am
Shannon
On shavings
I place a carton (wine case, typically) on the floor near the end of the board I am planingand clean the shaings into it on each stroke (or try to). It becomes a bit of a rhythm thing and encourages me to lift the plane off the plank after each stroke, which is a good thing, I am told.
When the box is full I either add it to the compost (grass clippings) bin (summer) or throw them on the open fireplace in winter. The kids love the blaze!
On WIA
FWIW, I think that your impressions and reactions will be more valuable than straight reporting. Some guys the straight “nes” stuff, but your podcast and blog is like ‘oped’ (opinion/editorial) in a newspaper. I look on you as sort of the Alastair Cooke of the Woodworking blogpodsphere – interviews would be nice, with the people you like talking to, but just your thoughts, reactions and analysis would make for interesting listening.
Cheers
Jeremy
5 The Village Carpenter // May 27, 2009 at 7:29 am
Shannon, that kick back injury looks terribly painful! Ouch! Twice I’ve had a board fly off the blade but thankfully it missed me both times.
I put my shavings on walking paths in the back of my yard and in between the raised beds. You can’t use it as mulch right away because it leaches nutrients out of the soil that your plants need. If you let it compost for a year, though, it makes great mulch. My mom has used purpleheart shavings as bedding in her flower arrangements.
6 Project Taking Longer Than Expected? // Jan 11, 2010 at 7:29 pm
[...] time. I did a podcast many months ago on organizing yourself when working on multiple projects. In that episode I was talking about combining like tasks with like tasks like doing all your milling at the same [...]
Leave a Comment