Gasp - Coming Up For Air!

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Famous Last Words...

In my last entry, I made a statement to the effect that I didn't need help. The few days after making that statement made me realize how foolish I was, especially as I started getting more calls. Sometimes, expressing a thought out loud allows me to realize how stupid it sounds. 

I have been working anywhere from 15 to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week - this is no exaggeration. In a couple of instances I worked through the night and only got a nap for an hour or two in a 41 hour period.

Sometimes I don't really sleep, I just pass out from fatigue. I often fall asleep when I take a dinner break. I sit down to watch the local evening news while I eat, but then I wake up 40 minutes later with a painful neck ache and a plate of cold food. Once again, I fell asleep while eating and watching the news... back to the shop.

The last couple of nights I finished working by 9 pm but thought that I better spend some time with Rita, not on the computer so that is why you haven't seen me around. My wife is a true "shop widow" and I have missed her company.

Big changes have been made and I will follow up with details. 

Right now I am supposed to be placing an online order for hardware but thought that I would sneak in an entry to let you know I am still alive.

Your friend in the shop - Todd A. Clippinger

Peace, Love, and for Pete's sake control your time in the shop Woodworking and spend some time with your wife!

The Dog That Almost Wasn't

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Gettin' My Butt Whupped!

I apologize for the inconsistent posts, I have not had time to keep up with them lately. My schedule has hit crunch time and my days on the job and in the shop are looong. That leaves me with no time to sit down at the computer. 

This isn't the good kind of "I can't keep up" because my business is growing and it is time to hire help, this is the bad kind of "I can't keep up" because I have simply fallen behind.

Schedules started colliding a few weeks ago when I got sick and couldn't keep up production. Now I am just working my butt off to catch up and I am determined to do that. I am working both on the jobsite and in the shop. I leave the client's home by dinner time, but I am working in the shop, doing bids, and design until 10pm - 1 am. That makes for a long day.

Some projects can be moved back, some are driven by a deadline, and for some other contractors are waiting on things to get done so they can do their part. This is the reality of business sometimes and it is something to keep in mind if you are thinking of "going pro" with your woodshop.

A Near Tragedy...

One of the projects that I am working on is Lucy's bench. To maintain privacy of the client, I named the project after one of their dogs - Lucy. This is in part for privacy, instead of using their family name, and also because I love Lucy. 

Lucy and the old bench.Lucy is a toy poodle and, if I remember correctly, is 14 years old. She is half blind, deaf, and weighs about as much as a piece of notebook paper.

If you take a look at Lucy standing on the old bench, take note of the vents below her on the face of the bench. These are important, because the one she is standing over is a return air shaft that goes all the way to the basement. 

I have the old bench torn out now and normally have simple frames with screen covering the gaping HVAC duct work holes. This keeps Lucy from falling in and keeps the curious cats out as well. But as I work on the flooring and ductwork I remove the safety screens.

While I was down on the floor, working on the floor patch, Lucy came up on my right. She was trying to squeeze between me and the gaping holes. Well, you know where this is going, just as I shifted my body and happened to notice her at the same time, she got bumped into the gaping duct opening. 

In my youth I may have been able to claim cat-like reflexes, but not so much now that I am older. But those reflexes returned just when I needed them and I snatched the end of her hind leg as she tumbled head-first into the opening. Yep, it was that close - tragedy averted. 

Gotta Get Back To The Job

The moral of the story is to always take extra steps to insure the safety of the client's animals. If you ever get with a group of contractors, ask about animals getting trapped in the jobs, there will be plenty of stories.

Well, I have to check on some custom fabricated HVAC fittings and continue finishing the metal screen inserts for the bench. I will leave you with a few production photos.

                                         

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