Clip: Bored

The past two weeks have revealed that the hundreds of half-empty boxes of nails and bottles of glue are not the extent of disorganization in the workshop. With some 19 students remaining in the class, there are numerous projects happening, all along the same approximate timeline. This has created serious bottlenecks, first for the jointer, then the planer, then the table saw, then the clamps and work benches. For the past four sessions, I have spent far more time waiting for machines - and helping others move their lumber around the crowded, cluttered room - than working on my project.

Now, this problem is more frustrating than harmful. We have until Thanksgiving to finish these projects, and once the wood is machined, the assembly should be relatively straightforward. (How long does it take you, after all, to put together an Ikea table?) Meanwhile, my Monday and Wednesday nights alternate between rushed minutes of wood handling, and long hours of tedium.



For a while, we tried to share the machines by "rotating in," jointing or planing a few pieces at a time, so no one was monopolizing the equipment. But we quickly discovered that was not helpful. If you're building a table top, you've got to get all the wood machined before you can glue it together. So, it's best to do it all at once.

In spite of the high demand, the long delays are really senseless, as Walt Disney World (for one) has figured out. Why not have reservations for the most-needed machines and equipment? A simple sign-up sheet would suffice. And, people wouldn't necessarily leave the workshop (there's nowhere to go nearby, even for coffee), they would stay, and help one another, and get feedback and lessons from the instructor.


It's surprising to me that the instructor, someone with the talent and experience to conceive of a furniture or building project and to analyze it into its constituent steps, wouldn't be able to also create a work-flow model for the workshop. This must happen year after year. Perhaps by the time Thanksgiving comes around and we move on to flooring systems, this annoying period will be long forgotten.