nothingugly

I have a terrible habit, which most of my friends will happily confirm. I impress myself far too easily. Every time I complete a step, I stop to admire it. “Gosh, will you look at that. Can’t believe I did it myself!” I waste amazing amounts of time this way. So, I made a rule. If I’m in the shop, I have to keep moving. Since most woodwork requires at least a little planning, this usually means that I’m cleaning. The floor is the obvious thing, of course. But really, “cleaning” means:

• sharpening, sharpening, sharpening
• oiling tools
• removing rust from surfaces (thankfully, that’s rare)
• lubricating machinery
• sweeping
• vacuuming dust out of strange places
• emptying the dust collector
• putting tools away
• making new tool holders
• sorting (finishes, hardware, fasteners, scrap wood)
• stacking and unstacking wood

I can’t recall where I read it, but someone said, “every week, do one thing to improve the shop.” Make a new tool holder, install some lighting, improve dust collection, etc. Today, I’m going to improve the dust collection on my lathe. Right now, it loves to spew dust behind the lathe cabinet, which is where the heater is. Dust in the heater is bad.