How fast/slow/efficiently do you work?

[Luke Dupont]

I've been curious for a long time to know how quickly people work, because I suspect that I take significantly longer to complete any particular task than most people!

At least, this is typically the case. No matter what it is, I seem to work much more slowly and carefully than others. Sometimes that's a good thing, but sometimes it's a waste of time.

As I get older, I have more and more time commitments and I find myself needing to work quicker and more efficiently. I suspect that I need to:

1) Work less carefully. I mean, still careful enough not to make mistakes that will set me back (so, having a good process), but less painstakingly careful on tasks that are not so important, IE: I probably obsess over, say, getting boards much flatter than needed, or making joints tighter and neater than necessary, and cleaning up surfaces that won't be seen, etc... And in general, I probably err way too much on the side of "being more careful than I need to."

2) Gain more confidence. This is tied to #1, but what I mean is gain more confidence to work quickly and "less excruciatingly careful" but without making mistakes. This is something that I think comes with practice and experience more than anything.

3) Having efficient processes, and "knowing how to break up tasks" and what step to do next. I spend, probably, a lot of time planning and thinking about the next step and having only a vague idea of what to do first/next/later and how to do it. I mean, things like efficiently laying out all of you pieces or performing some operations before others, or having particular methods for operations, as well as familiarity with making a particular item, can all really speed things up.

I don't know of any way to measure speed objectively, but I'm curious how long it would take everyone to complete a simple project, such as, say, making a small, very simple dovetailed box with a hinged lid and a bottom that is glued on, and just a single set of tails? I think I would spend at least 6-9 hours on such a project, possibly more. I have no idea if that is normal or excessive.

When I see true craftsmen work -- the rare few who actually make a living with their skills -- the thing that always stands out to me is just how quickly and efficiently they work. I'm always impressed that they work not just precisely, but precise and quick, and with a great deal of confidence that such speed requires. Some of it is having efficient processes, and a lot of it I would guess is experience -- knowing just how much material exactly to take off before checking, and having sufficient skill and confidence that you're not introducing error.

I'd like to learn to imitate this to at least some extent and learn to become more efficient myself; the goal being to become more efficient without sacrificing quality.

I've always been of the "Fast is slow. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast" doctrine, or however it goes -- and this doctrine works quite well in regards to specific mechanical skills, such as employed in shooting or Martial Arts, for instance. But I do think that with crafts, it's a little more complicated / requires a little more conscious effort than that.

I'm curious to hear other's experiences, thoughts, and tips regarding this topic. How you work quickly and efficiently, but still accurately, how you determine what level of accuracy is enough, and about how long it takes you to do common tasks / what is a realistic expectation for an experienced woodworker working by hand. I'd really love to know how efficiently people working in the trade and making their living with their skills would take to complete such tasks, and would love to be able to observe them. You can learn a ton just from watching someone work.

Anyway, what got me thinking about all of this was partly how long it's taking me to make a few simple Paulownia boxes, and partly also watching this video of a Thai blacksmith making a machete (not exactly woodworking, but the skill and speed with which he works is impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM0Mlt4YgxM)

Similar examples can be found if you watch many Japanese sashimono-shi work. I'm just always amazed at how precisely, but quickly and confidently they work.

I don't expect to match the speed and precision of a craftsman who specializes in one thing and has countless years of experience doing it day in and day out, but I think we can certainly employ the 80/20 principle here and get "much of the way" towards that end, even as hobbiests.

[Prashun Patel]

I see it a different way. Efficiency is about doing the desired level of quality faster. That speed comes from confidence and skill.

Practice. Don’t compromise.

Also the more I do this, I find more time is spent designing and less on actual building. So what I wish I was most efficient at now is using confounded sketch up.

[Luke Dupont]

I see it a different way. Efficiency is about doing the desired level of quality faster. That speed comes from confidence and skill.

Practice. Don’t compromise.

Also the more I do this, I find more time is spent designing and less on actual building. So what I wish I was most efficient at now is using confounded sketch up.

That's actually how I see it as well for the most part, only:
1) I think one needs to test the limits a bit, ie, try to work faster and more confidently and see where the line is that leads to error. The goal being not to exceed it, but to know where it is so that you're not being way too careful as I tend to be.
And more importantly, in line with your points:
2) Think more about the process, IE, what habits can I use to work more efficiently and precisely at the same time? How do I lay things out efficiently? What steps should I do in what order? etc.

I totally agree with regard to designing, as well. I love starting a project with detailed plans of what I'm going to build and exactly what I need and how it will all go together. But I also hate actually drawing up those plans and making all of the thousands of little decisions and measurements before hand, mostly because it is incredibly time consuming, and I'm bad at it. When I do this process, it's always on paper and I try to draw things to scale. But it just takes forever. I'd love to see how people who are really good at this process do it, and/or learn whatever software would be helpful... I really probably should learn to use some program for this.

[James Pallas]

Experience is the key for speed. I try to use a simple rule, if you are going to see it or touch it in normal use dictates the finish required. Knowing your material is also important. Things like knowing what saw to use, is it hard wood or soft wood, how thick is it, is it rip or cross cut, does the work require a back saw? If you watch a good craftsman work you will see them go to the tool box once get what they need and complete a task. It becomes as simple as getting a drink of water, if you are really thirsty you get a bigger container.
Jim

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Not staying organized impedes my productivity in a big way. When I hurry I am more forgetful and prone to make mistakes.

[Tom M King]

Don't push to go faster. Never get in a hurry. Efficiency only comes through experience by always thinking about what you are doing, and what you will do next. Not next tomorrow or next week, but next in your next movement.

Pushing only results in mistakes, and injury. I produce work for a living, and have for 48 years. I have also never been an employee, so our living depends on me producing work. Thoughts are always on what to do next. Other people have a hard time working with me, and it's really irritating to me when someone I'm working with wants to talk about something else. My helpers are strong, and quiet. They know when they need to talk to me, and when not to. I can't listen to music while I work because the speed of my movements are at different rhythms than the music is at any instant.

I remember the last time I needed a Bandaid. That was in 2014. I was helping a friend, and he shot a mishit nail off a hammer in my direction, hitting one of my fingers.

There is no reason to work like this if you are a hobbyist. Enjoy. It may seem like working like I do would be stressful, but after so much experience, it is not stressful at all. In reality, I'm more at ease doing a days work every day than not. I'm almost 72, and still produce a good days work most days. If I didn't, I might actually be 72 years old. My resting heartrate is 54, and it doesn't go up much at any time in the day when I'm working.

[Scott Clausen]

I work very slow, I am still learning and don't want too many mistakes. I am still at the point that I don't want to batch out lots of parts at once out of fear that I will compound my mistakes. All that said, since I have moved to hand tool work I am not in a hurry. I enjoy the process and the new skill being learned. My shop is quiet now without motors and dust control. My goal is to have increased my skill level to a point that once I retire I can get a serious amount of work done in a days work. If I can entertain my mind and keep fit it will be a win.

[john jesseph]

Several things come to mind:

One: easy to lose more time between processes than during processes or procedures.

Another: each time you handle a workpiece, it’s a chance to ruin it or waste time.

I had a woodworking mentor that was very productive. It seems like each time I’d go to his shop, there would be major progress or a complete project done and ready to photograph and ship. When it came to dovetailing drawers, he was painfully slow. His carving wasn’t a lot faster. But he gained ground in other areas, and he didn’t put the tools down a lot.

[Michael Schuch]

When I am working in new territory I do way too much thinking and not enough doing. I like to have everything mapped out in my head before I put myself into a situation where I have backed myself into a corner and messed something up so much that I have to start over.

For projects that I am comfortable with I still move pretty slow. It is a hobby, not a job. In my job a certain level of productivity is expected, in a hobby it is not.

My girlfriend wants stuff done NOW at the cost of cutting corners or not having a clear understanding of the finished product before getting so deep into a project that unexpected things can't be accounted for. It drives me crazy! Over many years we have come more to the center between her way of doing stuff and mine.

[James Pallas]

I’m always interested in these conversations. Sometimes the speed of how quickly things can be done is a mater of how much is done. Everyone gets to work the way they wish for sure. When working with hand tools tasks are not done as quickly or easily as in the machine age. It’s easy and fast to run a piece through a planer flip it and run it again. Not so fast and easy when hand planing. In the past they simply didn’t do anything extra. Today we still do the same even with machines. Just look under your car, sharp edges, paint runs, and overspray abound. Even quality furniture is not finished on the inside unless it’s made from pre finished components. Only doing what is required is not bad work. Of course if you are entering your work in a juried show things are different.
Jim

[Thomas Wilson]

Luke, I think you are a hobbyist like myself. Forgive me if I am wrong. I am an extremely slow worker. As a hobbyist, I am usually doing any particular project for the first time. I spend a lot of time thinking the design through, planning cut lists, estimating materials, and figuring out how to do operations safely and accurately. Because I am an engineer, I make a lot of jigs, even though most only get used once. I am the only person working on the project. Every task is serial. I am retired but I have other hobbies, home and car maintenance responsibility and caregiving responsibilities so my time is only about 6 hours a day most days. So my point is, don’t compare your output to others.

As I examine my own work flow to make it more efficient, I try gang together similar operation. I schedule less challenging activities like clean up for the end of the work period. I am fortunate not to have to put the project away. I try to leave my next task set up so I don’t spend the first hour of the next session standing in the middle of the room spinning around figuring out what to do first. Last task of the day is the next day’s to-do list. I rarely substitute a faster but lower quality technique for the “right” way but sometimes it makes sense.

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. You are doing very well in a difficult situation. Plus, it takes the fun out of the hobby.

[Daniel Culotta]

One thing I like to do is work on efficiency instead of (or maybe in addition to) speed. I usually do that by asking 1) do I really need to do that, and 2) do I need to do it now?

For number one, it's things like: producing a finished surface on a face that'll never been seen or touched, shooting the ends of boards that won't butt up to anything (e.g. end of a tenon), trying to get a mortise depth bang on, trying to get perfectly consistent thicknesses on parts that don't need it, etc. Tasks that don't add anything to the function or aesthetic of a project are time wasters.

Number two is an order of operations thing, and its usually about avoiding doing things twice. Do I need to clean up that face now, or am I going to have to do it again later anyway? Should I plane that edge now to get the saw marks off, or am I going to have to do it again later to square it to the face? Should I flatten that board now, or should I cut i to width first so I'm not planing extra material?

I usually realize both types after the fact and incorporate them as lessons learned. If you consciously integrate them going forward, they become second nature.

Practice, especially for things like sawing to a line, REALLY helps speed things up.

I do this for a hobby, but I have limited time, so I'd rather spend it efficiently on things that matter for the end product.

[Jason Buresh]

As I become more experienced with hand tools, I have gained a different outlook on my woodworking.

I have realized that none of my projects are likely to end up on the cover of fine woodworking. Based on that, I do not stress myself out to the point my work no longer becomes enjoyable.

In the same token, we have such a level of precision today available with CNC and high quality power tools that only a master Craftsman would be able to produce 200 years ago, and even a master Craftsman might not get to the tolerances available today. And for every high end craftsman in the city making museum quality furniture there were dozens of country Craftsman making durable pieces for the everyday people.

What I am trying to get at is I have been trying to not let the woodworking magazines or internet make me feel like my projects are complete trash if they aren't perfect. I would stress myself out about cutting tight joints or having picture perfect dovetails. It wasn't worth the stress for validation from complete strangers on the internet.

Now, I am not saying we should throw care to the wind and get sloppy in our construction, but I try not to let the stress of perfection ruin my enjoyment of the craft anymore. I don't try to plane a board to thousandths of an inch or worry if I make a mistake. It's just part of human nature. I watched a video series on Mike Dunbar building Windsor chairs and he left tool marks on some of his surfaces, saying the old guys didn't worry about it so neither does he, and that it's a reminder that it's a hand tooled surface and a reflection of his skill.

I guess this is a long winded way of saying that perfection should not keep you from enjoyment or completion of a project. As long as I have 110% of my best efforts towards a project, it's good enough for me.

[chris carter]

Honestly, if I wanted to work more efficiently, I would be using power tools.

I do hand tool woodworking specifically because it’s the opposite of my job (self-employed in an unrelated commercial art). I don’t want to have to work fast. I don’t want to have to get something done by a certain time. I’m not going to obsess about Rob Cosman-like dovetails because I just don’t care; I have my own version of “good enough for me to be happy.”

And to be REALLY honest, I enjoy the woodworking and my lowest emotional point on any project is a few days after one is completed. I like the process as much as, or more than, the finished product.

[Derek Cohen]

Occasionally I may have a deadline set for completion, such as a birthday, anniversary, or wedding. For the most part, I am not working against the clock. Nevertheless, I aim to work efficiently, using the appropriate methods and tools for the tasks. I plan out what I will do, both in my head and on paper. The speed comes from knowing what to do, and executing this without indecision. Speed also comes from focussing on one task at a time - sometimes I have to put a project on hold for another, but then the plans I keep enable a continuation without much need to collect my thoughts.

Speed is not rushing at tasks. Take your time, if you need, to get it right. Mistakes cost time. Conversely, do not prevaricate over cuts and joinery - you need to have a “go for it” attitude to get it done and build confidence. It is only wood, and can be replaced. We all make mistakes - knowing how to fix these will give you the courage to not avoid, and the more you do, the less you spoil.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[steven c newman]

When I go to the shop...to work on a Project...I try to have a set of tasks that need to be done. I lay out each task, and complete that task before the next one....while I am rarely rushing around, I am also not just standing around, wasting time. I am there, in the shop to get a task done. Then move on to the next task on the "To Do" list....

I am not concerned about what tool should I use....I merely use the best tool in MY shop for that task. hand tool..power tool...doesn't really matter. Whether it is the "correct" tool in someone else's shop, is not my problem to worry about.

The one the things I hear about those projects I do.....is how "Fast" I seem to get them done.....I am not THAT fast...however, I do not dwaddle along....I am in the shop to get the tasks for that day..done.


YMMV..

[James Pallas]

Confidence and fear of mistakes are always part of it. Confidence that you can saw straight and true to the line and than fear that this is all of the material you have. That is when self doubt makes for errors. You can sometimes proceed with caution and eliminate some of the fears. Ask yourself which you would rather replace a nice drawer front or a pine drawer side. If you have done a cut a hundred times chances are you will do it right. If you have only done it once than maybe a guide will give you confidence. Give yourself ten seconds to decide. What takes up time is pondering it for hours. I call that being in a swivet, firmly planting one foot and turning round and round not knowing which direction to take. So don’t get in a swivet. Make a decision and go for it.
Jim

[Edward Weber]

It's been echoed in almost every response but I'll say it again, confidence, which usually comes from a certain amount of practice. As confidence grows through practice, increased speed typically follows.
Efficiency is a whole other ball game. Some people work quickly at a task but it dies not automatically equal efficiency. Efficiency is more of a method of work issue. The flow of the work, the logical progression of tasks, even an orderly shop all contribute to being efficient.
You can work slowly and still be efficient

[Phil Gaudio]

You may recall seeing this: my latest project https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?297516-My-Latest-Project-A-Bed

I purchased the first piece of lumber for this project on Sept 3, 2021. I know this because I kept the receipt on my bulletin board as a reminder of the duration of the project and level of progress or lack thereof over time. So I started on 9/3/21 and declared victory on 4/12/22: a little over 7 months. In the olden days I'd be disappointed with this pace. I now realize that I'm not trying to earn a living at this WW stuff (I'd starve to death if I attempted this) and it really does not matter how quickly a given project is completed. What is your goal: enjoying the hobby or maximizing the number of pieces in your project portfolio? I take projects one day at a time, and when they're done, they're done.

[mike stenson]

Sometimes life has other plans. I bought the stock for my current project in May of last year. I have to finish one shelf, and the doors and it'll be done. Which I'm both happy and sad about, to be honest. So most likely it'll be completed this week. With that said, I didn't start on it until late January in earnest and I've been fairly restricted to working on it on the weekends only (and half of my day on Sundays are already claimed). My last project was a toolchest, that took me a couple weeks in November and December, since I had time off work.

Some things im very effecient at. Things I have done before, especially numerous times. New things, are more methodical. Although, the more work I've done, the more previous things I've learned can be applied.

[Roderick Gentry]

There are many things that impede speed in a project. But if having wizard like speed with hands is the main issue, then practice is good. I used to tie flies for shops as a kid, and I got paid by the 100. One learns a lot from that. Speed and quality can go hand in hand. The woodworkers I meet are mostly project oriented and they practice by making things. Often every project has new challenges, which is part of what we like about them, but it raises anxiety and competence issues. I am amazed by how little practice actually improves competence. Practice should help with skill and understanding.

With amateurs, if you put them in front of a process that intimidates them, they may invent slow workarounds, jigs, and unnecessary tools. If risk is always eliminated, then the risk of using skill dependent techniques will stay high. The other thing about these "solutions" is that they often do not reinforce themselves. There are a lot of jigs for making the fret slots on guitars. I use just a saw, sometimes a hacksaw. This requires crosscutting skill where the saw can hardly be raised above the surface, so the teeth skate. But I worked it out. I had a skill for other situations, whereas one of the jigs would teach me nothing, and likely not be transferable to the next project of that type, say a shallow tenon shoulder on a trestle table. Guitar making is fascinating that way, you can build a guitar with virtually no hand tool skills, or freehand skills. There is a jig for every process. But if you want the skills, be sure you are learning not from people who always talk about how easy their new method is, build fundamental skills. You not only increase you hand woodworking skill, but you can speed things up because all these unrelated skills are a toolbox for creating other solutions.

Fundamental skills like chopping, planing, and sawing to a line. One good way is to do more of these things. I have a lot of power tools. I will use my jointer, or my planer to prepare boards, but I will use hand tools when the job is pleasant. I was making strips for canoes one time, and I planed them all to thickness because it was just so much fun. Some of the nicest wood I have ever planed, it would be sad to let the planer have all there fun. I just gradually used hand tools for more things, when it was pleasant. A lot of this was initially to limit dust. But it became part of my process. There are a lot of ways to use hand tools instead of layout tools, so when possible the hand tools might be chosen for that, or in some cases layout would be freehand. These are easy things to do, and once I get to one of those projects where I might feel stress that I would ruin a part, I have a lot more time on task to fall back on.

Quickly one can become equally confident with the hand tools as one does with tools like table saws that are designed to produce a result without any skill (well survival skills are pretty important). Then I realized that there were many things for which I turned to power tools because of the certainty, they weren't actually more efficient, or otherwise indicated. When you get failsafe basic skills, it turns out that on occasion the power tools were used as a crutch not because they were faster. Obviously, but it turned out that the crutch was what I sought more often than not.

At the other end of practice, if I haven't made any cuts in a while, particularly with the saw, I will drop a few lines till I feel fluid before taking on some dovetails. I haven't done this in a few decades, but I used to spin my chisels in my hand when watching TV.

(Note: I have around 30 stationary power tools, and I feel skills with those are just as important, and they do a lot of the grunt work. I believe in using tools where the are appropriate. I am just suggesting that leaning into hand tools, and using them fundamentally, will pay dividends if that is what you want. The pure Neaderthal approach is great also, but it can slow things down and hold you back, depending on how you do it.)

[Roderick Gentry]

Don’t compromise.

Also the more I do this, I find more time is spent designing and less on actual building. So what I wish I was most efficient at now is using confounded sketch up.

Compromise is one more thing to manage. Perfectionism is a problem for a lot of people. Good balance as you suggest.

I wish that for some of the projects the design was the slow bit. With boats you can spend an evening coming up with something one will be building for years. And not only because some boats are big projects. Now 3D printing, there is something where the design build ratio is quite satisfactory.

[Steven Herbin]

I'm retired, so speed and efficiency are not a concern. During "the shut in thing" I really learned to enjoy the process. It is now my mode of operation.

[Mike Allen1010]

Most of what helps me maximize efficiency revolves around the order of operations; I try to minimize re-clamping workpieces multiple times and try and do everything I can with the tool I have in my hand, rather than putting down one tool and picking up another.

Good example might be dovetailing drawers. I try and range all the drawer sides together on the bench oriented the same direction, then I use the marking gauge to layout the baseline for all the drawer parts of the same thickness (usually the sides first, then backs and fronts which may vary in thickness). Next is using dividers to layout spacing for all the tails, and then penciling in layout lines for dovetails. You get the general idea, for me it's better to do one operation on all relevant parts (i.e. laying out dovetails), rather than doing the operations for single drawer to completion and then moving onto the next drawer.

Most my drawing/planning is pretty superficial. I focus on proportion/dimensions of the entire piece – front, top and's right side view. I don't worry about planning dimensions for internal components like doors, rails, styles drawer fronts etc. as all these measurements will be taken directly off the carcass itself.

Last thought; when of completed task and am thinking about the next step in the project, I like to take the time to clean off all the work surfaces and put the tools back where they belong, slave then I can only get out the tools I need for the next task.

Interesting to thread. Appreciate hearing everyone's thoughts.

Best, Mike

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Honestly, if I wanted to work more efficiently, I would be using power tools.

I do hand tool woodworking specifically because it’s the opposite of my job (self-employed in an unrelated commercial art). I don’t want to have to work fast. I don’t want to have to get something done by a certain time. I’m not going to obsess about Rob Cosman-like dovetails because I just don’t care; I have my own version of “good enough for me to be happy.”

And to be REALLY honest, I enjoy the woodworking and my lowest emotional point on any project is a few days after one is completed. I like the process as much as, or more than, the finished product.

I make your words mine. I fully agree you.

[Luke Dupont]

Thanks guys. Great insight.

I think that my main problems are probably:

1. Not planning sufficiently ahead of time and making a lot of minute design decisions as I go. I always have a basic plan and dimensions, but the devil is in the details, and you can fret over those details for a surprisingly long time before moving on

2. Not "batching" tasks, ie, laying out all of the dovetails at once, or giving enough thought into the order of operations, IE, plane a groove for the shelf bottom in a single piece before I cross cut it into a bunch of pieces, etc.

3. Not thinking about the next step. Honestly, I often find myself pausing for a long time after completing a task and asking myself "Okay, what's next?" And/or just taking a break and losing momentum because I'm not mentally prepared to just flow into the next task.

4. Lacking confidence in some operations. I guess this can't be helped as I'm always doing new things with each project, or things that I've done before, but haven't done so often or in a while.

5. Working to appropriate tolerances rather than wasting time being too perfect. Perfection and tight tolerances where they're needed or contribute to the piece in some way only.

My intent is never to rush, just to be clear, but rather just to be more efficient/"faster" in effect, because I know that I'm painfully slow, and I have always been painfully slow at any work that I do. It's something about my habits and way of working/doing things. So, I have to give some thought as to why I'm this way.

[steven c newman]

Spent one hour IN the shop, today....one task to do....joint a few edges..
478270
Make sure they are square..
478271
And gap-free...
478272
Do a dry fit...
478273
And glue up the panel
478274
And that was the task.....not much messing around, just get it done...sweep the floor..
478275
And watch glue dry....took exactly one hour, counting sweeping the floor...even changed jointer planes, as the first one was fired....was taking too long.
478276
This one seemed to work better.

[Richard Hutchings]

An hour spent well. Why do you suppose the BU was taking too long, dull?

[steven c newman]

For some reason, or other....it always wants to cut a bevel. spent almost as much time jointing the edge as in checking with a square....then correcting the tilt.....plane just not want to balance on an edge...cuts kind...just not where I need it to. Had no such issues with the No. 6c....seemed to always sit balanced on that edge. No issues with the grooved sole, either.

The 62 always has issues going with the grain on a face....tear-out city. Yet no issues with going across the grain like a scrub plane....which might be the job it gets, from now on.

[James Pallas]

For some reason, or other....it always wants to cut a bevel. spent almost as much time jointing the edge as in checking with a square....then correcting the tilt.....plane just not want to balance on an edge...cuts kind...just not where I need it to. Had no such issues with the No. 6c....seemed to always sit balanced on that edge. No issues with the grooved sole, either.

The 62 always has issues going with the grain on a face....tear-out city. Yet no issues with going across the grain like a scrub plane....which might be the job it gets, from now on.

Must be incorrectly set up or something is broken.
Jim

[steven c newman]

We have other ways..
478369
4 leg blanks..cleaned, 4 squared...and ready to taper...

#62 is from Wood River....

The Stanley #6c is from WW2 era...and out preforms the 62 hands down.

[James Pallas]

We have other ways..
478369
4 leg blanks..cleaned, 4 squared...and ready to taper...

#62 is from Wood River....

The Stanley #6c is from WW2 era...and out preforms the 62 hands down.
So the answer is not old enough. Needs to be pre WW II original design.😃
Jim

[James Pallas]

In going along with this thread, what standard do you try to work to? Over the years I’ve heard 1/16” most often. For myself I think 1/32” to 1/64” is more appropriate. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of a saw blade and if you’re like me it’s in the very limits of what I can see. I think a lot of time can be wasted trying to work with a standard like seeing light under a straight edge. How often do you condemn a dovetail for a 1/32” gap and re-cut the whole set or re-cut a board for being 1/32” short.
Jim

[Greg Parrish]

Nice Chris! I find that I've gone from jumping on a project and knocking it out in a matter of hours/days, to having the same projects these days take me month(s). So many other parts of life are hurry up and get it done that I've just lost that urge when it comes to woodworking or other DIY projects. But unlike you, my most down, depressed moment on a project is when I get to the paint/finish stage. I hate to paint. LOL :)


Honestly, if I wanted to work more efficiently, I would be using power tools.

I do hand tool woodworking specifically because it’s the opposite of my job (self-employed in an unrelated commercial art). I don’t want to have to work fast. I don’t want to have to get something done by a certain time. I’m not going to obsess about Rob Cosman-like dovetails because I just don’t care; I have my own version of “good enough for me to be happy.”

And to be REALLY honest, I enjoy the woodworking and my lowest emotional point on any project is a few days after one is completed. I like the process as much as, or more than, the finished product.

[steven c newman]

Date code on the iron for that No. 6c....243 is stamped on the iron....2nd quarter of 1943
478458
It was a bit busy, this evening..
478459
All tapers are now done...and plane smooth...no sanding is required
478460