What were the tasks? A couple of hours were spent sorting through my wood rack and collected off cuts. Over time lumber had been stacked, piled and thrown into the back corner of my shop creating chaos. A bonus for getting organised in the back corner was the rediscovery of floor space.
While clearing and re-stacking I also vacuumed the entire shop. Of course serious vacuuming meant that all the dust collectors had to be emptied and all the filters cleaned part way through the process. When all was said and done there was nearly a bushel of stray saw dust collected in my vacuum cleaners.
For a break while cleaning and sorting I gave Captain his spring re-fit. Captain will float in our water feature and provide sunning space for frogs again this season. Kieran and I made Captain during K's Thomas Tank Engine fan boy days.
Another undertaking over the two days was sharpening. I touched up shop knives, chisels and block planes, now all of those tools are ready for action again. I used a combination of my " Work Sharp", ceramic stones and the "Scary Sharp" system.
The biggest job was sorting my collection of loose screws, bolts and other bits and pieces. Many shops have one or several large jars with mixed screws etc. in them. I do not...I used to have such jars, but now I collect the bits and pieces for a few months and then sort them back into their appropriate place. To do that job I pour all the weird and lonely fasteners onto my work table, this time it filled the entire table top. First I gather all similar screws together, before returning them to their respective boxes and tins. This way I save dozens of screws for future projects. Next bolts with nuts, nuts alone, then plugs, marrettes and things related to electricity etc. Lastly all the weird craft items, wheels, bells, bits of wire and general miscellanies are sorted, sifted and put into jars, boxes and drawers for future use. Since I began doing this when I moved into this new shop (new house) ten years ago I have been amazed at how many things have been saved for further use and how much money has been saved.
Another project that I did to take a break from the domestic chores of spring cleaning my shop, properly was an eight sided box to be a plant pot.
This rough looking piece is a 'proof of concept'. Four of the section have 90 % edges and four have 45% edges. The 45% pieces fit proud and are then sanded flush. If the material is thicker and the project large enough the pieces can be connected using pocket hole screws. There is a special jig you make to aid in clamping your work.
This piece is only 3/8 inch thick, so too thin for pocket holes. Also the material is too thin to cut the 45% edges with my mitre saw, I discovered. Since I had to cut across the grain I wasn't able to plane the angle on a shooting board either. For my next attempt I have a table saw fixture in mind that will make accurate and controlled cross grain cutting possible. Once this project is fully sanded and finished I think the grain will make it acceptable as a flower pot.
Pots like this as well as small boxes are going to use up various bits of lumber that I discovered while sorting the lumber rack. I have a number of nice but orphaned pieces of lumber that will make a small project.
Anyway, now my shop is much a nicer and easier place to work.
cheers ianw
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