New Year’s Resolutions

I got a bit long-winded last time, so I’ll keep this one short. Here are my woodworking resolutions for 2009.

As I mentioned last time, I made vast improvements in my bad habit of getting things out as I use them and not putting them away until the resulting pile of stuff starts making it hard to work. Yeah, I’m better, but I have a long way to go. This year, I resolve to double my efforts.

I’ve stated here before that there is no such thing as scrap lumber. I firmly believe that, and find scraps and cutoffs incredibly useful. However, it’s only useful if you can find the right piece, and I have so much scrap that I refuse to part with that I can’t find anything. I resolve to either cull out some of it, or find some means of organizing it more efficiently. Or, better yet, both.

This is also the year I put my shop storage behind covers. I have too many open shelves, leading to a cluttered appearance and allowing dust to settle on everything I’m storing. It’ll be a simple matter to add some face frames and doors to those shelves, and I resolve to make it so in 2009.

Finally, I resolve to create a master system of storing hardware, fasteners and small parts. Yeah, I’ve got several of those plastic boxes with the little plastic drawers, but I’ve woefully outgrown those. The loose coffee cans and yogurt cups filled with nails and screws gotta go, too. I’m going to make a large system of small-parts bins, color-coded to the contents, that’s both efficient and attractive.

That’s it. I’ll leave vows to lose weight, quit smoking, and becoming a better person to those who need that kind of improvement. Frankly, I think my resolutions are a lot more realistic and achievable.

And a lot more fun.

Till next time,

A.J.