I’ll be honest, I’m tired. I’m really running behind on my latest Hand Tool School project, I have 4 Renaissance Woodworker episodes in production, a new lesson for the School, and 2 commisions in the works. In addition I’m building a new company website for my day job at J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber Co. But I’m having a lot of fun.
I actually had swept up a bit before this pic because the shavings had gotten so deep I was tracking them into the house.
With all of this going on, I am spending a LOT of time in the shop. Last weekend I spent over 22 hours in the shop in two 11 hour sessions. With hand work being centered on the bench, you don’t move around much and spend a lot of time standing in the same spot. Even with my anti-fatigue mats by the end of the day I am wiped out and the next morning you can feel the concrete floor in your bones. The past couple of days I have not been feeling nearly as tired and I just realized it is because I haven’t swept the floor in several days. Wood chips and shavings are quite soft under foot and as they build up they make for very comfortable work. So maybe I will fight the OCD in me and just leave the floor dirty.
I’m reminded of the words of Ron Herman, “Blood is slippery, sawdust is not”
Amen! Brother! Preach it! Yes, to a dirty floor! Clean shop floors should only be for shop tours.
Speaking of which, you haven’t done a shop tour since September 2008! Marc does them all the time (or so it seems). Matt finally broke down and did his first one (446 episodes in!). Wouldn’t it be great to do one in time for spring? Can you feel that “bug in your ear”? LOL
Cheers
John
I can do that, but probably not until I finish the first Hand Tool School semester and have hung the tool cabinet. I plan on moving a lot around when I do that, and that will change the layout a bit. Probably late Spring then.
I dont clean that often in my shop either. I do fear that one day it will be the cause of a fire. In a recent Woodwright shop episode he had a blacksmith working to make him hinges. the guy had what look like 4×4 posts cut to 1 inch thick end grain facing up all on the floor like tile. now being that he works with fire and had a wood floor I havent been so intimidated by the shavings and even thought about maybe tiling the shop floor with pine like he had done in his blacksmith shop.
the reason for the wooden tile was for comfort forgot to mention that.
Unfortunately, sawdust is somewhat slippery on my floors. I don’t mind shavings on the bench side, but dust must be vacuumed at an OCD level.
the only dust I make is with hand saws and that is much coarser than their power brethren, especially rip saws so I’m ok. Alas, I did finally vacuum tonight and move the shavings to the fire starting bag.
Now I don’t feel so bad. I do get fussed at for tracking in sawdust and shavings. I susally clean up when the pile under my lathe makes me stand too high to work.