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Hey guys, where's @six5crèéd? Got a question for some of you... As a few of you know, my hobby is woodworking, not my job. I really enjoy it and been doing it for a long time. Most of my projects are one-off, or at the most two of something. I then move on to something else I want to create. I just like doing all kinds of things with wood. I burn it, turn it, build cabinets, make tables, build sheds and everything else.

But my question... how do you keep your sanity when agreeing to build 12 of something? I was asked by my son's fiancee to carve wooden bowls for their upcoming wedding as gifts for some of the participants. I told her that, since they are carved, no two will be the same. Sh said fine. Well, I am six bowls into it and it is a trudge, Takes me an hour and a half to rough it out, another hour to sand and then I have to stain and poly. These bowls will be used on dressers to put your EDC in and keep it in one place while you shower and sleep.
So, to those who build things, how do you handle repetitive tasks?
Here is the prototype (black) and some of the carved only blanks.

 

After doing a bunch of one-off but high order qty (for a home gamer) vinyl cutting jobs the last few years (you can still order a jberry813fanclub.com sticker!), you just have to turn on some tunes and grind. The vinyl is pretty mindless in terms of the cutting, but taking away all of the negative space from around the lettering is super tedious work and I hate it every single time.

 

Challenge is I am using a Kutzall ultra coarse grinding disc to carve with my angle grinder. It is literally a death machine and an accident waiting to happen. The first 80 minutes is mindless and hard to keep any level of concentration. The last 10 minutes, the shaping part, is interesting and there is a need to concentrate. And the voluminous amount of talcum powder sized sawdust is amazing. On top of that, it is 90 outside where I am carving and I have a full face shield and a N95 mask on. I of course will finish and they will be nice and everyone will be happy but right now, I absolutely hate woodworking. Just for giggles, this is the wheel I am using...

 

I recently chose to refurbish a dozen hot wheel fire trucks and I did the first one start to finish so I could learn all the details. The rest are then stripped and sand blasted as a bunch and then I had to choose wheels for each one as they're all different and going to be different colors. Then it's on to the mind-numbing hand filing the casting marks. Then primer and paint and then the micro details.

You sorta have to go at it like an assembly line. Obviously, safety first, then work on the details of each one then the next. Music helps me whether it's the garage system playing for the whole neighborhood or my ear buds just for me.

For me, it's about personal pride and sense of accomplishment even tho I am my own worst critic.

Oh.. and we really don't know where @six5crèéd is. We can only hope he's alive and well and living his best life.

 

Thanks. I'm doing the assembly line thing but man, there is no art when you have to do a dozen of something.

 

I get it... I did a dozen cutting boards all at once before and spent days sanding... just gotta stay calm in your own head and stay focused on the end goal.

I do these things for myself so I have no deadlines.

 

i like the low number items myself, seem too tedious doing lots of them unless they are simple. Theres carving gouges you attach to grinder but still dangerous. If you hav a good drill press and mortise bits you can rough out lots material. Its really a lot of work.

 

Got a contract one time for 4” pipe welding test blanks. 6” lengths with a bevel on one end. Did it overnights in a machine shop with 5 bandsaws goin’. At the end of the cut each piece would fall on the concrete floor with a “Clink” then the saw would shut down.
After that contract something inside of me died.

 

1. That looks like a death machine

2. Looks like you need a lathe!

 

I am one of those people no way could I mass produce anything or do production type work.

My 2 attempts lasted about 4 hours each I picked up my tools and left.

it does take a special mind set . I sure do not have.

Though doing hard facing I could get into state so focused I could weld for hours .

 

That is what I did for my first job in 1995. Most one-off things (like a set of boat license numbers) were a breeze but when the local car dealership ordered their logo a thousand at a time, it sucked. Like was mentioned, you kind of just have to zone out and power through it.

 

I have one. Rectangle does not work on a lathe very well.

 

I would've bought 12 bowls at Hobby Lobby and told them I made them.

 

I endorse this option!!

 

That is both evil and brilliant...
I'm not sure if I should or .

 

When I had jobs like that my approach was to challenge myself to make the job faster/easier. Sometimes I would build a jig or fixture, etc and almost always do all of one operation before moving on to the next step.

That said - better you than me, wood & I don't get along so well.

Spoiler: A smart guy...

...would buy 12 bowls at Hobby Lobby...

 

Creative commons. Buy them at Hobby Lobby, get your grinder and rough them up a bit and refinish. Boom! Handmade, just not hand-formed.

 

Lol I couldn't live with myself.

 

Just dont forget to take off the sticker....

 

Finished carving another one tonight.