OLIO 6

For the past several days I've done nothing but troll around on Ebay and sketch out plan after plan for improvement of the bench.

This cute little ball peen hammer is one of the Ebay finds.  Cute, yes.  Practical, not hardly.  It is more conversation piece than a useful one.  But what the hey, I may find a use for it.  I have, however, found some good stuff in my recent forays into the depths of Ebay.  I may show some of them in future entries.

As to the attempts to design and redesign the bench, everything remains in a state of flux.  I dont want to build something and then find out later on the design was flawed.  It is not as simple as it seems.

One thing is certain.  The movable double shelf over the catch drawer has got to go.  It is an abomination.  Entirely too difficult to access any tools placed there.  So, away with you!

Another problem it that the bench and I are not really friends.  We are not made for each other.  It is not a happy association.  But, we must some how learn to live with one another, and the bench is easier to change than it is for me to change, it being inanimate, while I still retain some animation.

So, how does one begin a redesign process?  (Besides facetiously stating, "Very carefully!")

One way to begin is by analyzing the processes one uses is the making of the type of jewelry one makes.  Or, in other words, asking the question, what is the flow of work from beginning of a project to the end, and the use of what tools when?  How will  tools be placed so that they are easy to find and convenient to hand?  I really don't know how some folks do what they manage to do with tools piled on top of one another in a willy nilly fashion.  But they do, and they do extraordinary work.  I've gotten so that I have a hard time seeing or finding something in plain sight right in front of me.

For storing the tools, I take a group of tools of similar nature, and lay them out on a large piece of paper and measuring with a ruler the dimensions, draw an outline around them, taking into consideration any dividing material between each tool.  Keeping in mind, of course, the space available.  I have a 36 inch wide dimension to work with, and while that seems like a lot of space, it can get used up in a hurry.  I go back and forth trying this way and that in order to gets the most bang for the buck.  That is not the end of the story.  Once I have what I think is going to work, and before building, I'll make a mock-up from foam board and try it out.  That way no good lumber will be wasted.  We'll see how it goes, but in the meantime, don't hold your collective breaths folks.  It's going to take awhile.