shop re-org phase 2

here we have two shots of the shop. each from one end of the main production area. It is a room 24' wide by 124' long. with the idea being that hardwood gets processed on one end and panels get processed on the other end. the two different processes meet in the middle and get assembled and then put into another area for finish prep. We have moved the shop around plenty, it never gets easy. First you have to move the machines , second you have move the electrical supply, third you move the air supply if needed, and fourth you have to move the duct for the dust collection. We find that it is best if we shut down production and do the move all at one time. In this case we started on Friday and then finished late saturday afternoon.

 
 

single piece large face frames

this next set of pictures is how we install a wall cabinet that has walls on both sides and a face frame that needs to be scribed to both walls. first I hang the wall cabinets. then you can see the face frame setting on some cabinets, it is all one piece with backer boards that slip in around the boxes and to which I screw into to hold it in place. I can put the frame up one side at a time to scribe it against the plaster. And then push it in after cutting away the scribes. I use hollow wall anchors to pull the plaster tight to my scribe cut. In the end you have a perfectly installed tight fitting wall cabinet and a joint free face frame that is eight feet long. This is the best way I have for installing such a cabinet.

 
 
 
 

pedestals

below are a few pictures showing how we set pedestals. This is a new system that I have adopted. What is new is the use of the leveler legs. The beginning photo is the pedestal sitting on the tiled floor. Next is the pedestal sitting at its correct height. After that you will see the pedestal with the support cleats screwed to the pedestal holding it at it's correct height. We remove the leveler legs and re-use them. the pedestal is screwed to the wall at sides and back. The toe kick is then screwed from the back of the pedestal. This is the best most efficient way I have for installing this type of pedestal. We shellac the bottom edge of the toe kick to seal it, and we use 3/4" thick material. One of my goals with the pedestals is to systematize the process of building them as well. Currently we build them at the time we build the boxes and it is done by the crafter who builds the box. I want to build these myself just prior to the install. They are always built the same way and only change in there height. with the right system in place they could be built moments before they are installed it. that would increase our productivity and allow us to offer more competitive pricing.

 
 
 
 

NKBA

I don't think I have mentioned this but I really should. I joined the NKBA national kitchen and bath Association this year. with in that group I have begun to pursue a certificate, known as Certified kitchen Designer CKD for short. I have come to have a great deal of respect for the association, at first I was really depressed at how much I didn't know after 12 years of being in business and a lifetime of woodworking. The first test that I am preparing for is for an Associate desinger certificate, it a 200 question test based on 10 books that the NKBA writes. I have been studying these 10 books over the past 2 months, with the hope of being able to take this test in March. I know that is a long time away but I am not the academic type and I learn slow. The info that I have been learning has been so useful to me and I apply it almost everyday. It is so funny to me how the things that I struggle with relative to design are articulated and explained in these books. My purpose for doing this is to help my clients when designing their kitchen and baths.

the long view

the other day I was talking to a friend of mine, Joe Kuhn. He is a house painter, out of Lexington, and has a great business. One of the best house painters in the area. I started out doing freelance carpentry for his clients as he was painting their homes, that is home repair. When we were talking he was telling me about conversations that he has had with prospectives clients. He said at one time "I have been doing this for fifty years". That made me think, wow fifty years he must really know his business. I know it's true because he painted my grandparents house with Lead back in the fifties. I really admire anybody who has 50 years of being in business. I have only 12 years now so just 38 years more to go. I know that it is only a matter of time for me.

cleints are always different

Last week I met with FH Perry builders to talk about the FHP Home devision. Perry is one of the top builders in the area, so it was a huge honor for me to talk with them. When I walked into the conference room I had a few minutes alone at first. I read some left over notes on their white board from a staff meeting of some sort, and what I saw was very impressive. One of the things that really resonated with me was a point about how what is important to one customer will not necessarily be important to another customer. That is something that I struggle with all the time. Just recently I spent much time and money making a beautiful sample door panel for a client. custom design, custom knife, custom finish work the whole bit. Come to find out that the client didn't like it and that the panel design was not that important to them all they wanted was something really simple. A few months later a different client has had me making a dozen different panels, all custom, custom knives, custom panels the whole bit. I never know what my clients are going to perseverate on. It is one of the hardest things to do in my business, we are always trying to anticipate what is important to the client but there is no consistency to it, people are different. I guess now that I should work on trying to read people during the first stages of meeting them to determine where there interest are.

glazing

 
 
A client asked me what does glazing mean. Here are a before and after picture of what glazing has done to the appearences of this applique.

re-org phase one

Gagan and i have spent the last two days re-organizing the shop. WE still have more work to do but we made a good dent. WE have moved the table saw, plywood inventory, and the edge bander all to one section or wing of the shop, where as it previously was in the center of the shop. The idea is that the work in progress will be in the center of the shop now. Our work in progress at the moment is scattered and unorganized. Making it extra challenging to track everything. The re-organization of the shop will make our process work better and help us add value to the product line. One of the benefits of the slow economy is that we have time to do things like this. At the end of this recession the buisnesses that survive will be so much better than before. At the other side of this recession consumers will want more value for their money, and buisnesses will have to show how and what they are doing to add value. in the woodworking shop we add value by streamlining our process and looking at how we do things.