What’s your worse job in the workshop?

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Charley

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As the subject says, “What’s your worse job in the workshop?” The job which you hate doing time after time??

Mine has to be to keep having to move all the tools around to use them in my small workshop.
 
I`d have to say its a toss up between cleaning up the sawdust and constantly moving my tools about because I have`nt got a big enough workshop.

having to change into my "workshop cloths" would have to be a big chore as well! the misses is getting fed-up with emptying the wash basket and getting saw dust everywhere :D
 
The thing i hate most is when i use the mobile shop, :( (transit luton with a 12 foot step back box) works well 12x6-6 space but every thing has to be fixed in place before you move off :x . Lost count how many times ive missed somthing only to find its been banging around all the way home.
Mick
 
Worst job?

Tidying up!

I,ve worked with people who tidy up after each job. Their work area is always spotless they are always organised and neat!

I work in a whirlwind. I've always got so much to do and get finished, I always think tidying up takes up too much time and that working on the next job is more important.

Of course, this situation leads to always hunting for tools etc, cursing because this wastes time. The only time I tidy is when a big job has gone out or when I turn round and knock something off the bench then on bending down to pick it up bang my head then turn round and knock a pot of stain onto the floor and so it goes on!!!

Oh well, must be tidier in future!
 
When I was fresh out of training and I was a smartass as everything was fresh in my mind, I changed jobs and obviously didnt get along with the chargehand. He was well overdue for retirement and knew it all because he had operated a spindle moulder for some 30 - 40 years (seems that is policy in large companies) So as I used to ask this old geezer questions that I knew he didn't have a clue about to wind him up he used to give me all the worst jobs. One of the jobs was putting 1" mortices in about 100 or so oak posts! It was bad enough that the square chisel was blunt after about 3 mortices but I litterally had to stand on the machine table and throw myself backwards to pull the mortice through the timber. I was pretty knackered by the end of the job which took about 3 days. Best part of working for that company was when I left to be a tooling rep after 6 months and the manager spoke to me for the first time. He gave me some bull about how they were going to invest in lots of german tooling which I knew was untrue having worked with their tooling. Maybe he was just jealous because I was getting a newer car than he had. This particular company had a union and the segregation between office and manual workers was very clear. Come christmas time the office staff were given a turkey and wine and port and the manual workers were given a turkey as it went through the ranks etc - by the time it got to me I was offered half a turkey which had been cut up on the bandsaw! I told em to stuff it. :)
 
Worst Job

Every Job is bad if you have to do it so I guess I don't really have one. Emptying the Vac is a pain; I guess that has to be done.

Jesus! Woodsmith you have some real gloomy memories. He had operated a spindle moulder for some 30 - 40 years, think about it,,,,, what a life. If I had operated a tool for that long I am sure that I too would only derive sadistic pleasure from tormenting interns, what other pleasures would my life hold?

Mickblee :lol: Thats great, classic, Come on who else could honestly say if they had to seccure there workshop before dragging it along the M4 on an evening they wouldn't end up with a complete mess. That must keep you on your toes.
 
Stevezm you hit the nail on the head - those were fairly gloomy days after 3 years training and hard work as a woodmachinist and toolroom technician and earning the wages of a cleaner. I do get annoyed at peoples attitudes towards manual workers. I am sure that anyone who has worked in the field for a while takes many of the skills for granted but working with wood can be as skilled as any engineer and perhaps more so because of the inconsistent qualities of wood and working with grains etc. Its a very large field and something which you could spend a lifetime learning about. When I was a toolroom technician (saw doctor) in a production mill it was very much like engineering and having to understand various cutting angles for cutting different timber and rake angles, cutter projection and development. It can range from small hand tools to Large £100k + CNC machinery. I retrained as a carpenter as the potential to become self employed was far easier and setting up a workshop is a costly business. My friend pays about £500 a month in rates for the priviledge of owning his own decent size small joinery workshop and kitting it out was a further £40k. Seeing it from this point of view - no wonder staff are low paid!
I generally have a lot of respect for old woodworkers as they have some great tips that are useful ie when on site they used to hack little notches on the back edge of a handsaw with the edge of a chisel! Why? Well if you have ever hit a nail in old timber you can turn the saw over and use it as a hacksaw :)
 

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