Woodworker's Journal 2010-34-1, страница 24

I

The TopIO

By Sandor Nagyszalanczy

Where's my shop pencil? Where's my wrench? The dowel doesn't fit in this hole! What's (3/32" + 7/64") -3/8" divided by 5? Oh, #!*&*@#!!

We all have our pet peeves: TV remotes with buttons so small you need mouse-sized fingers to press them; socks that never seem to match up in pairs; raisins in the bran cereal that all sink to the bottom of the box. Unfortunately, life's little annoyances aren't limited to the household. They're just as numerous in the workshop. Obviously, it's frustrating when you cut parts wrong or if a router or planer tears out grain on a board you have no replacement for. But it's the little things that can drive you crazy: Never finding a pencil when you need it. Curled up sandpaper discs that won't stay on your random-orbit sander. And what woodworker hasn't had their blood pressure raised when tools or parts seem to suddenly disappear, as if by some evil magic? (I swear it was right here just a second ago!)

Why do we put up with these little aggravations? Perhaps because they're minor enough that we don't spend the time to deal with them. But there are clever ways to make your shop experience more pleasant and less stressful by tackling these little annoyances one at a time. In the following paragraphs, I've listed my own top 10 workshop annoyances and the solutions employed to tame them in my shop. As the list of woodworking peeves is likely endless, this is only a start (how about sending Woodworker's Journal your solutions for workshop annoyances?).

Simple solutions, whether found in the hardware store or the housewares aisle, can improve your shop experience by eliminating some of the most nagging annoyances.

February 2010 Woodworker's Journal