It's Alive

OK, I am four weeks into a project I thought would only take four to five weeks. It is going to take a few more weeks, but since I’m enjoying the project, that’s okay.  Last week, though, was a really big week at the Toybox.  It was the first time the sander began to look real.  Even more importantly, I plugged the beast in and it actually ran, assuring me there were no mistakes in the direction the motor revolved or errors in wiring. This was a monumental moment, akin to a car guy starting an engine he built for the first time. It was awesome.

With any start-up  whether a project like this, a hot rod built from the ground up, or a company purchased, there are always necessary tweaks. In the case of this project, I encountered an issue with the drive belt rubbing against the side of its pathway. As is many times the case, the issue was really created because I had been a bit short-sighted.  I decided that in order to get the correct speed at the face of the sanding disk, I would use the small diameter pulley on the motor and
the large diameter on the sanding disk, giving me RPMs I wanted. The problem was that this allowed the belt to rub at the top, making slightly more noise than hoped for. Classic shortsightedness. So, I did what you do in those cases.  First, I tried to convince myself that it was really okay and the extra noise would be part of the sander’s character.  When I realized that wasn't true and it would actually drive me crazy, I spent a few days thinking about what I could do. It struck me that if I used the second groove on both pulleys the amount of reduction achieved would be the same, yet I would then pick up about a quarter of an inch allowing the sander to run much more quietly. Tweak achieved.

Working through this exercise caused me to consider the manner I work through things in other areas of my life.  Generally before I move forward on something I spend time thinking about the way the task should be achieved, and I am usually self-confident enough to believe I have the right answer. I suspect most of us are like that. But when I stop and think about the real world example I just worked through, it occurs to me that usually, maybe even always, there is a better way to be discovered. Maybe I should look at the problem through fresh eyes or review the work with someone else.  There is nothing exceptionally new or profound there, but it is good to relearn things.

My challenge going forward is that even if I know I am the smartest person in the room, I should still listen and process information that comes at me so the end product is the best it can be. After all, that is really what we are going for … right?

Now that I am past this sticking point, I think the rest of the project will come together nicely. All I really have left to complete is the table and the dust collection box under the table. The parts are already roughed out it should go quickly. I am excited to finish this and be able to start using it. It will make my woodworking much more finished and cleaner than it has been to this point. It is also going to be a necessary tool when I start working on my next projects. These include building a router table for the shop, doing restoration work on my dad's old Delta lathe, and then begin the process of restoring an old treadle sewing machine into a case. These projects all have their own challenges and their own rewards.

Stick around. I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

The Pause

Throughout this project, I have learned something quite powerful about myself, and I wonder if others, particularly you, might be just like me.  I have found that in the middle of a project, I need time to pause and re-evaluate where I am and what I am doing.

Although I have moved forward in little ways on the Multi-Purpose Disk Sander over the last couple of weeks, I haven’t progressed as quickly as I did in the first couple of weeks.  Does this happen to you when you are working on something or are you a person that can get started and push on through to the end?

As I came to this realization, I began to wonder if I had always been this way, and even more important, is it something I can change going forward?  Is it something that I want to change?

The answer to the first question is yes, without question.  In 1975, I took apart an oak secretary my mom wanted to have refinished.  To be clear, I don’t like refinishing and always prefer to build new, but this particular piece of furniture had been around since long before I was born and was important, so refinishing it was the thing to do.  This secretary now has a place in my home and I am sure will always have a place in the home of some member of my family.  But after taking the piece apart and stripping the finish, I took about 25 years to finish the work.  I moved the disassembled secretary no less than six times.  Incredibly enough, when I put it back together, I still had all of the pieces.  This is an extreme example of a very common behavior for me.

Sara has always referred to me as a 90-95% contractor.  When I get just about to the end of a project, I tend to take my eye off the ball and focus somewhere else, leaving the current project to languish.  I did this with basement remodels and re-painting projects alike.  Sometimes I think that I found a reason for the family to move so I would have to “push” to get the last of the projects complete.  Sara had to watch an armoire sit in the shop for 6 months or more before I completed it.  It is a lifetime way of doing things for me.

But why?  I believe I finally understand my process now.  This project has let me look a carefully at and really think about why I do things: I stop so I can let things bounce around in my head. I make sure how I will finish a project and ensure I am not missing anything.  The secretary had some carving on its front that I wasn't certain how to handle.  When I finally decided on the right way to deal with it, I moved on and finished.  In the current piece, there are a lot of intricacies that have to work together.  I have taken some time to think through how all of these will work together, and how I will service them going forward.  The sander will be a better made piece because of the time I've taken to process on the entirety of the project.

So, through the process of building a multi-purpose disc sander, I have discovered there really is “method to my madness” and that I need time to make sure everything will go together as perfectly as possible.  It is part of my creative process.  Now that I understand it, I will not worry when it happens.  I will not feel that I am lazy or do not have the ability to finish things.  I will know that I am taking time to consider the project and its final outcome, in order to make it as perfect as possible.  It may take a little longer, but it is time well spent.

What about you?  Have you thought about your creative process?  Many times we do things because they are the right thing to do without really knowing why.  Now I know why I pause in the middle of many projects.  I know this will help me as I continue to do more and more projects for lots of different folks.

Irony

In building my new Multi-Purpose Disc Sander, there have been moments of frustration, fun, joy and even laughter.  One moment of laughter came when I was reading through the project instructions.  At several different parts in the project there are call outs to round corners or ease edges.  The ironic part is that the best single way to do this is using a disc sander. Well, guess what - I don’t have one yet.  You have to wonder if this ever crossed the minds of the authors of the article.  In order to write the article they actually built the sander, so when they came to items which called for rounding, what did they think?  While they were using their other disc sander did someone ever say, “I wonder how they will do this?”  Of course, this won’t stop the progress of the project; it is just one of those things that reassures me I've made the right decision in building this project.  I actually need this tool.  Good decision.

Now, the second irony regarding this project came from a conversation with my friend, Jim Bradrick.  Jim and I have consulted on and completed numerous home improvement projects over the last 3 decades.  We have either independently or collaboratively tackled decks, garages, basements, and millwork replacements in at least six states.  He has always been my go-to person when I need help tearing something down or getting over the resistance to get started.  Jim is much more exacting, though, than I am when it comes to finish work, so at that point, we have had a tendency to go separate ways.  He does beautiful work, without question.  Anyway, one of the “rules” that Jim and I have always believed in is that a new project is a reason (read: excuse) to buy a new tool.  If the project is a deck - buy a new screw gun or miter saw; if the project is a bathroom, you might need a tile saw.  When I told Jim I was building a tool, you could feel his level of concern.  If I was building a tool without buying a tool, would the balance of power in the universe be thrown off?  Maybe - we will have to see.

One thing that has come with building the sander, and this may help with the concern Jim has, is there is a LOT to buy in order to complete it.  When all is said and done, I will have invested nearly $500 and I was lucky enough to already own the motor it requires.  That saves me about $300.00 and is also the largest ticket item.  If I were to build these sanders to sell; considering shop time, my time, cost of wood and accessories, I would have to price them in the $1500.00 range.  Now, if you check costs at Grizzly.com (my go-to shopping location) you will find a comparable unit for less than $1000.00. While that seems to be a significant savings, their sander doesn't have all the features as mine does, nor is it as downright cool.

Well, there’s the third irony in this project. In a way I have also faced the challenge from Jim Bradrick.  I am spending money to buy a tool for a project.  I could have spent less money and come close to the same functionality.  The tradeoff is that I am having a blast while building this; it tests woodworking skills I haven’t used for some time, and will be a wonderful conversation piece when I am finished.

For those who are around my age, you may remember Heathkit – a company who sold kits to build anything from crystal radios to televisions.  I used to spend hours searching through the pages wishing I could afford to buy kits so I could build things, rather than just buying them.  Today, I have come full circle and I am finally building something I could have just purchase and the experience is joyous.

Look out - I am sure there is a computer build somewhere in my future.