A place for my stuff, redux
In an earlier blog I talked about finding places for all my shop stuff, eliminating clutter and at the same time keeping things accessible. All that efficiency has created a…
In an earlier blog I talked about finding places for all my shop stuff, eliminating clutter and at the same time keeping things accessible. All that efficiency has created a new but similar problem: Where to put all the stuff Im making?
For my Civil War Woodworking book, Ive been cranking out a lot of woodworking. The book includes 18 projects, and although some are quite small like the handheld mirror I talked about in my Feb. 6 blog some are full pieces of furniture. I have a couple squirreled into nooks in the shop, but the rest would just be in the way. So Ive started scattering them around the house.
Later this year when the book comes out, Ill likely give some of these projects away and put the rest into use with my own reenacting. But for now, they have to remain in pristine shape in case I need to do additional photography, so I cant just stash it away with the rest of my banged up, dirty gear. Plus, as I wrap up a couple small late projects, Ive been scattering those around the house, too. As the finish on some of these cures, I dont want them in the shop gathering dust, so theyve ended up on shelves, bookcases, and even the sideboard in the dining room.
To her credit, my wife has kept her hands off of them. Understand, my wife is the consummate putter-awayer if its out, it will be moved. Doesnt matter what it is, set it out and it will disappear. Set it out again, and itll disappear again (to a different place). But she understands that these are part of my job, plus some of them are actually quite attractive as reproduction items and serve a decorative purpose.
What do you guys do when youve made a lot of items, but theyve not yet been sent to their ultimate destination or owners? If you make furniture that you need to save for shows, where do you keep it in the meantime? And as you make more and more, and as more and more starts creeping into your home, how does the rest of your family handle that?
Being productive is a great thing, and gives me a keen sense of satisfaction. But Im being buried by my own productivity.
Till next time,
A.J.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.