Bad habits die hard

Losing things, procrastinating sharpening, clutter – I have a lot of woodshop bad habits.

We all do, I suppose. I’m a fanatic about proper lighting but tend to forget when the last time I put on a new band saw blade. You may be just the opposite, happily cutting away with a sharp band saw but squinting to see what you’re doing.

I hinted at probably the worst of my habits above: neglecting proper sharpening and blade changing. I put a new band saw blade on a couple weeks ago and had the exact same feeling I do every time — the new blade is like night and day better, and I swear never to neglect it again. But I know I will.

And, while sharpness isn’t quite the issue, I tend to do the exact same thing with sandpaper. That is, I have the bad habit of using it to death before putting a new disc on. As with the band saw, a fresh sanding disc is like suddenly having a brand new sander in your hands. Everything you do with it is better, more efficient and faster.

The photo above is absolutely typical of what I do. The old disk is worn, torn and even shiny-smooth in places where the abrasive is nearly gone when I finally swapped it out for a new one. Unlike with replacing a band saw blade (or worn bits, or planer knives, or car tires, etc.), replacing sandpaper costs only pennies and takes only seconds. So why do I do this? I have no idea.

By an odd coincidence, the tires on my car are exactly the same – worn, torn and shiny-smooth. I guess some bad habits carry over from the shop.