How many projects under way at one time?

[Cameron Wood]

Do you do one at a time, or have multiple going at once?

[Albert Lee]

the most I had was 6
two in the spray booth getting sprayed.
one in the assembly bay (drive way) getting boxed up to send to the client
two in the manufacturing process. tenon, tongue & groove, mortising, etc.
one getting sanded for the spray painting.

[Larry Edgerton]

One. And it sucks.

I'm sort of retired, but I suck at it because I work about 240 hrs a month. I sold my 7000 foot commercial building with all that glorious room and work in a three car garage at home now. I miss having a pet personal project or two tucked away for my own entertainment. Thought about buying a combination to save space but like my big separates so I put up with the lack of space.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Usually 5 to 10. Way to many that require me to keep a van full of tools & supplies and show up at job-sites. I am conflicted about what to aim for in the Shop. The big dream is to build one item at a time from start to finish with a price tag of $20,000. I have had some success having a small production line with several $1000.00 projects moving along together.

[Tony Joyce]

Four to six in various stages, with one or two in finishing. Always have at least as many in planning.
It helps me stay productive. If I hit a snag or loose interest, I move on to the next. I have one project that's been in the building stage for a couple years.
Space is not a problem I have about 5,000 for machining and assembly, with a dedicated finish room and another 3,000 for lumber storage.
Once being in the cabinet and millwork business is a big plus. Now retired.

[George Yetka]

Does in my head count? If it does, 100's. If it doesnt 1-3

[Bradley Gray]

3 is my magic number in the shop.

[Jim Becker]

1-3 historically...

[Andrew Hughes]

Usually no more then 3. No space for any more even small ones.
Good Luck

[Jimmy Harris]

I do this for a hobby, so I try to stick to one at a time. I'm not interested in production so much as the process, so doing more than one can add stress, which runs counter to the reason why I do this in the first place. Though sometimes, like now, around Christmas, I have to bend the "rules".

The company I work for, which is a small production company, has the philosophy of never saying no to a job. So I constantly have to deal with and apologize to angry customers because we couldn't complete their work on time, because we always take on more than we can deliver. On the one hand, it's a total mess and I would never want to run a business that way. On the other hand, these customers keep coming back and the company itself is one of the most successful ones in this area. So it's clearly a valid business model, even if it seems like a terrible way to run a business. I don't understand it. And you think it would catch up to us one day. But 50 years in business, each year more profitable than the last, says otherwise.

[Michael Burnside]

Usually one, especially for a furniture build, if you don't count batch items. For example, a couple of weeks ago I banged out 3 custom charcuterie boards for gifts to dear friends.

[Edward Weber]

How many projects under way at one time?
I would say, all of them!
No real number to give, as something always comes up and can easily push your primary focus to the back burner. I try to keep a few going in stages so that one is drying or has glue curing, while another is being actively worked on.
It can be difficult in a small space but you do what you have to.

[John Kananis]

2 to 4 but 3 is usually my magic number.

[Jonathan Jung]

Full-time woodworker here and I've found it's not so much about number of projects but having them at different stages, so that there's always work to do and not everything is in the same area of the shop. Ideally:

1-3, depending on size, in the phase of design / consultation / procuring materials
1 large project ready to go, materials on hand
1 large project in the shop being made
3-4 smaller pieces, spec pieces, etc. that can fill in time

[andrew whicker]

2 to 3 physical ones in the shop / installs is all I can take mentally and physically.

2 to 3 quotes seem to be due every week as well.

Whenever I'm on this site a lot, I'm trying to focus on quotes and not doing a very good job at staying focused. : )

[Cameron Wood]

2 to 3 physical ones in the shop / installs is all I can take mentally and physically.

2 to 3 quotes seem to be due every week as well.

Whenever I'm on this site a lot, I'm trying to focus on quotes and not doing a very good job at staying focused. : )



Get back to work!

[Christopher Charles]

This question might give an answer to the question "are you better at starting or finishing things?" I'm much better at starting, so usually have 3-9 'wood working' projects in various stages + house projects going at once...

[Warren Lake]

record I know of a cabinetmaker I knew very well 36 jobs. That him preparing the drawings and all for 425 people. 85 licensed cabinet makers in there. One of those jobs all the interior teak millwork for the new city hall in Toronto.

[Ralph Okonieski]

One at a time, unless the project involves multiples (duplicates) of the one item. In that case the number is “n” (depends on how many multiples).

[Carl Beckett]

You can not have too many projects 15% complete...

[Patty Hann]

You can not have too many projects 15% complete...

^^^This^^^ :D

[Zachary Hoyt]

For me it depends partly on what I'm doing and partly on what counts as a project. I will make batches of up to 6 banjos at a time, though usually more like 2-4. Right now I have a banjo awaiting final sanding and a fiddle put together but needing trimming, and the chinrest and tailpiece are partially built. While I was working on those I made a couple of extra banjo armrests to restock after an order that came in. Tomorrow night I plan to start applying finish to all of these things, and the fiddle and banjo will have to be set up afterward. I can always fill in extra time making banjo parts, and because they involve brass work too I can do the brass parts of a batch of banjos while waiting for glue to dry on the wood parts, for instance. I also have some parts cut for a cabinet and measurements taken for a set of shelves for the high part of the wall in the kitchen, and I'm hoping to get those jobs done next week before my sister comes to visit for Christmas. Not that it would matter to her if they are done or not, but I don't want to be distracted and making a mess in the house when she is here.

[Patty Hann]

...d. I can always fill in extra time making banjo parts, and because they involve brass work too I can do the brass parts of a batch of banjos while waiting for glue to dry on the wood parts, for instance...
Zachary, what kind of tools do you use in your brass work? Machine? hand tools? Both?
If hand tools I'd like very much to know what you use.
HAve you posted anything in the "Metalwork" forum?
Just curious because I work with metal (mostly copper and brass, some aluminium and mild steel,... a little, very little, stainless steel. I hate working w/ SS :mad:)

[Christian Hawkshaw]

Usually just one project at a time for me. I don’t like having multiple incomplete projects hanging around. Space is also a big constraint. When I was building the master bedroom set, I built two nightstands and a tall chest of drawers at the same time. This was efficient as the pieces shared many common dimensions and I could batch many of the components.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Eleventy seven....


Being retired means you can start a whole bunch of stuff you have no intention on finishing. The vast majority of projects I start these days doesn't get past the planning stages.

Well,,it does get far enough along that I buy whatever tools and tooling I think I'll need, but, it sort of fizzles out after that.

[andrew whicker]

Sounds like we need a mechanism to keep some of you on track. You need accountability buddies.

Lol

[Tom M King]

As long as I'm doing all I can do every day, I feel like I'm doing all I can do.

[Erik Loza]

You can not have too many projects 15% complete...

Cool if I make a yellow card, like they use in soccer, with that quote? I can flash it to my wife whenever needed.

Erik

[andrew whicker]

As long as I'm doing all I can do every day, I feel like I'm doing all I can do.

My goal is to think this way.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Zachary, what kind of tools do you use in your brass work? Machine? hand tools? Both?
If hand tools I'd like very much to know what you use.
HAve you posted anything in the "Metalwork" forum?
Just curious because I work with metal (mostly copper and brass, some aluminium and mild steel,... a little, very little, stainless steel. I hate working w/ SS :mad:)

I use a ring roller from Shop Outfitters to make tension hoops, tone rings, etc. It's a hand tool, and I use pliers to handle pieces that are short when I'm shaping them on the belt sander so they don't burn my fingers, and a hacksaw to cut hoop to length after rolling, but it's mostly power tools. I use the bandsaw with a dull blade to cut U shaped yokes for dowel sticks, usually 20-30 at a time, once or twice a year. I use the belt, disc, and spindle sander to shape and smooth, and the ShopSmith for horizontal drilling. An old Dremel with a barrel shaped carving bit for making holes egg shaped, and a MAP torch to silver solder the hoops shut. I haven't posted about this, or paid much attention to the metalworking forum, but I guess I should.

[Warren Lake]

have no goal never cared about business for over 40 years., People asked me to build stuff, I did and then they asked for more, most important was it was done right and if a time frame on time.

[Steve Demuth]

I would say it depends on what you consider "in progress." I'm finishing one right now as a gift for my daughter for Christmas that I started almost 40 years ago, when she was 4 or 5 years old. There are a couple on shelves that have been waiting for over a year for attention, and multiple turning blanks that I rough turned and then put up to cure, and haven't gotten back to. I finished one this summer that had been in that state for 6 years. If you define active by "did some work on it in the last month or so," then I probably have half a dozen going right now, and a couple on the drawing board under active design.

[glenn bradley]

I'm also in the 1-3 camp. A primary project and then one or two secondary efforts like gift boxes, jewelry boxes, picture frames or shop fixtures or jigs.

[Ron Citerone]

I usually have one furniture project going at a time. Then to fill in the time with several cutting boards and banks or boxes for the
grandkids. If I wasn't camped into a small garage I would have several furniture projects going in parallel.

[Patty Hann]

I use a ring roller from Shop Outfitters to make tension hoops, tone rings, etc. It's a hand tool, and I use pliers to handle pieces that are short when I'm shaping them on the belt sander so they don't burn my fingers, and a hacksaw to cut hoop to length after rolling, but it's mostly power tools. I use the bandsaw with a dull blade to cut U shaped yokes for dowel sticks, usually 20-30 at a time, once or twice a year. I use the belt, disc, and spindle sander to shape and smooth, and the ShopSmith for horizontal drilling. An old Dremel with a barrel shaped carving bit for making holes egg shaped, and a MAP torch to silver solder the hoops shut. I haven't posted about this, or paid much attention to the metalworking forum, but I guess I should.

Thank you... I know some "woodworking" power tools can be used on non-ferrous metals.
Don't feel obligated to post in the Metalwork forum (this IS a WW site after all).. I just wondered if you had.