I coined a term for myself as I was looking for a clamp today:
productivity degrees of separation.
You see, I needed the clamp to hold a piece I was jigsawing. This
piece was a component for a new jig, an adjustable circle cutter for
my router. I need it to cut a circular template, itself a template to
hold some sheet metal in a perfect cylinder.
The metal is part of a project I've been working towards for many
months, it will be a mini version of a Bill Pentz dust collector. The
materials have all finally been procured and I started cutting it out
a week ago. But here I am, looking for a tool, to help me build a jig,
which I need to fabricate a template, for a dust collector SO THAT I
CAN BUILD SOME SIDE TABLES!
That's a productivity separation of 5 degrees:
1. clamp looking
2. circle-cutting jig
3. circular template/form
4. dust collector cyclone
5. end tables
Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
Obviously we all know about the need to order one's work method and
shop so as to improve productivity. But I'm curious--with this new
terminology to quantify my productivity (or lack thereof), could it
actually help me to spot the rabbit trails so as to avoid them? Or
will it have the opposite effect, giving me greater comfort to pursue
side projects since making the connection to the initial goal is,
well, more explainable?
Anybody else relate?
PS -- Does this documentation qualify as a sixth degree?
--
Steve Hall [ digitect dancingpaper com ]
Morris Dovey wrote:
> digitect wrote:
> | On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:41:22 -0500, Morris Dovey wrote:
> || digitect wrote:
> |||
> ||| Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
> ||| Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
> ||
> || This is a non-seqitur (totally unrelated).
> |
> | This was the reference:
> |
> | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon
>
> Interesting, but unless you're an actor, not very germane. :-)
>
> Could you be overthinking this just a bit?
>
> --
> Morris Dovey
> DeSoto Solar
> DeSoto, Iowa USA
> http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
>
>
The dad-gum Germans got nothin' to do with it!
The game "Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon" is fairly well known.
I thought of it when I saw the phrase "degrees of separation" in the
OP's title line. Irrelevant maybe, but funny anyway.
--Steve
digitect wrote:
> That's a productivity separation of 5 degrees:
>
> 1. clamp looking
> 2. circle-cutting jig
> 3. circular template/form
> 4. dust collector cyclone
> 5. end tables
>
> Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
> Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
>
Is Kevin a woodworker?
What you have described are the self-inflicted degrees of separation
imposed on those of us who attempt projects we can not readily fund.
For instance, take the link from Bill Pentz' web site to the web site of
the guy who is making the collectors for him. Cut that guy a check. Go
about your life while waiting for the delivery guy. Install the
collector and start work on the tables.
But noooooooo, you decide to be Mr. Handyman and make your own jigs so
you can make your own fixtures so you can cut an honest man out of his
well-earned profit and keep his kids skinny. ;-)
That's why I have never made my own paint and nails, brushes and hammers
... I can't bear the thought of all those skinny little kids with their
runny noses growing up as rabid, god denying, Marxists.
;-)))))))))
Bill
---
I'm not not at the above address.
http://nmwoodworks.com
---
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Tested on: 7/14/2007 11:35:56 AM
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B A R R Y wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:54:47 -0700, Steve <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>>
>>The game "Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon" is fairly well known.
>
> Kevin Bacon DID show up in the bike shop I work in, owned by the
> co-owner of my airplane.
>
Now see what you did? Every person on rec.ww has only two degrees of
separation to KB. Us to you to him.
--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough
digitect wrote:
| Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
| Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
This is a non-seqitur (totally unrelated).
|
| Obviously we all know about the need to order one's work method and
| shop so as to improve productivity. But I'm curious--with this new
| terminology to quantify my productivity (or lack thereof), could it
| actually help me to spot the rabbit trails so as to avoid them? Or
| will it have the opposite effect, giving me greater comfort to
| pursue side projects since making the connection to the initial
| goal is, well, more explainable?
Probably the latter.
| Anybody else relate?
Sure. Making the jigs (and the jigs for jig-making...) is just part of
the process.
| PS -- Does this documentation qualify as a sixth degree?
I don't think so. It would seem to indicate that you think about what
you do.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
digitect wrote:
| On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:41:22 -0500, Morris Dovey wrote:
|| digitect wrote:
|||
||| Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
||| Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
||
|| This is a non-seqitur (totally unrelated).
|
| This was the reference:
|
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon
Interesting, but unless you're an actor, not very germane. :-)
Could you be overthinking this just a bit?
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
digitect wrote:
> I coined a term for myself as I was looking for a clamp today:
> productivity degrees of separation.
> <snip>
Fascinating stuff. There is only one "flaw" in the reasoning. Assuming
this is a hobby and you don't do this for a living, all of the
activities are considered having "fun".
Granted, there are varying degrees of fun. Going to the hardware store
and look at stuff is fun. Successfully using a home-made jig is funner.
Finishing a beautiful piece of furniture is funnest.
But it's all part of the same process.
> Anybody else relate?
Absolutely. Circular relations are also possible. I bought a miter saw
so I could make a workbench so that the miter saw would have a place to
sit on.
> PS -- Does this documentation qualify as a sixth degree?
No. I'd classify it as "meta-productivity-degrees-of-separation". It
would be the 6th degree if you asked for help on what kind of clamp to buy.
Now, if we argue about this classification, it would either be a
meta-meta-productivity-degrees-of-separation or a
meta-sixth-degree-of-productivity discussion <grin>.
Bas.
Leuf wrote:
> As it would happen, I just came up from the shop where I have the
> place practically destroyed because I needed to sand something. To do
> the sanding I had to get a new sander. To use the sander I need a
> place for the sander.
snip
> I'm probably going to find a half dozen other things when I go back in
> tomorrow. There's no particular rush at this point because I'm
> waiting on some replacement parts from Grizzly before I can even
> finish assembling the sander in the first place, which I already spent
> most of an afternoon on.
>
> Did I mention the sander is going to need a stand? *sigh*
>
> This is a little bit different thing, rather than "the jig to make to
> the jig to make the jig..." it's more of the domino effect of any kind
> of change to the shop. But still it's going to be a while before that
> thing actually gets sanded. Assuming I ever find it again.
>
> -Leuf
This and the original post are variations of "In order to do
anything you have to do everything else first." It's common
in places like shops - but not new shops - only in ones that have
been in use for a few years. Also common with wife generated
"honey do" projects - "Hey, why don't "we" (meaning "YOU!")
move the kitchen - over there!".
charlie b
BillinDetroit wrote:
> What you have described are the self-inflicted degrees of separation
> imposed on those of us who attempt projects we can not readily fund.
You're going to pay, one way or another, in order to add a
capability.
AFTER I made a loose tenon mortising jig - out of MDF and maybe
$30 worth of hardware (threaded inserts, knobs etc.) I bought
the TREND M&T JIG - with bits. Did four or five bonsai tables with
it in half the time it took me to make "my" jig. And had the DOMINO
not come along I'd probably pried open the wallet and dented by
Debit Card account (BTW - did you know that unlike most credit
cards which allow you some recourse if a credit card transaction
goes bad, or the card is lost and someone uses it to buy a bunch
of stuff, you a) have no recourse since the funds are transfered
directly out of your bank account - immediately and YOU are liable
for over drafts?)
> For instance, take the link from Bill Pentz' web site to the web site of
> the guy who is making the collectors for him. Cut that guy a check. Go
> about your life while waiting for the delivery guy. Install the
> collector and start work on the tables.
Man does that ring a bell with me! Bill turned me on to one of his
sheet metal cyclones, an air foil "impellar" - with anti stall
addition
- and a great motor. Took me maybe four or more hours, over
several weeks time just to make the motor and impellar housing
and I'm STILL moving the parts around the shop while I put off
sticking all the parts together - and then figuring out how I'm going
to hang the damned thing.
BUT FIRST - I'm working on putting all the boards and chunks of
wood leaning up against or lurking under all my work space. Did
I mention the twenty or so raised panel cabinet doors I was
given - "You do woodworking so I know you can use all these".
> But noooooooo, you decide to be Mr. Handyman and make your own jigs so
> you can make your own fixtures so you can cut an honest man out of his
> well-earned profit and keep his kids skinny. ;-)
I'm pretty sure Mr. Festools' kids aren't starving.
> That's why I have never made my own paint and nails, brushes and hammers
What about wrought iron hinges? Surely you've made and fired
up a forge to make your own.
> ... I can't bear the thought of all those skinny little kids with their
> runny noses growing up as rabid, god denying, Marxists.
Get with the times man - those skinny kids will grow up to be
Al Qada (sp?) "terrorists". And only GEORGE can save us from
THEM. (He keeps saying words to that affect, though I've not
been able to discern any tangible results of his effort - at least
not in a positive way).
charlie b
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:07:58 GMT, digitect
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Anybody else relate?
As it would happen, I just came up from the shop where I have the
place practically destroyed because I needed to sand something. To do
the sanding I had to get a new sander. To use the sander I need a
place for the sander. To get a place for the sander I had to move the
workbench out from the wall 18" and move a shelving unit that has all
my tools that don't have permanent homes (mortiser, spindle sander)
and all manner of parts of projects in progress and general crap
inbetween the bench and wall.
In order to move the bench I had to get everything off and out of it.
Then I heaved at it with everything I had and the bench just laughed
at me. About 10 minutes of rocking it back and forth I eventually
moved it a very long 18". Then I had to shim it to the new spot on
the floor. Now before moving the shelving unit I had to empty it too,
and move all my clamp storage which used to be on the wall above the
bench.
So now the entire contents of the bench, shelving unit, and clamps are
strewn about on the table saw, the router table, the floor, a few
clamps are even on the miter saw, there's a stack of wood on the band
saw table, and everywhere else I could think of. Because the shelving
unit is now getting accessed from the ends instead of the front for
the bottom two shelves because the bench in in the way everything has
to go back in a different place.
Now the light that hangs over the bench is not over the bench. Thank
heavens the cord is long enough to reach the outlet without having to
move that.
I'm probably going to find a half dozen other things when I go back in
tomorrow. There's no particular rush at this point because I'm
waiting on some replacement parts from Grizzly before I can even
finish assembling the sander in the first place, which I already spent
most of an afternoon on.
Did I mention the sander is going to need a stand? *sigh*
This is a little bit different thing, rather than "the jig to make to
the jig to make the jig..." it's more of the domino effect of any kind
of change to the shop. But still it's going to be a while before that
thing actually gets sanded. Assuming I ever find it again.
-Leuf
On Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:31:32 -0400, "Lee Gordon"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I don't have an official Bacon number but if I had one it would be 3 (not
>from my 2 college friends; I haven't been in any productions with them).
Think of those who have accidentally seen the Bacon Brothers band (and
the sign <G>), unwittingly exposing themselves!
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------
<<>The game "Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon" is fairly well known.
Kevin Bacon DID show up in the bike shop I work in, owned by the
co-owner of my airplane.
The building was "Bacon Brothers Plumbing and Heating" for 100 years
before the bicycle guys bought it. They gave the "Bacon Brothers"
sign to Kevin>>
I have a couple of friends from college who are actors. Each has a Bacon
Number of 2.
Lee
--
To e-mail, replace "bucketofspam" with "dleegordon"
_________________________________
Lee Gordon
http://www.leegordonproductions.com
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 19:54:47 -0700, Steve <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>The game "Degrees of Separation from Kevin Bacon" is fairly well known.
Kevin Bacon DID show up in the bike shop I work in, owned by the
co-owner of my airplane.
The building was "Bacon Brothers Plumbing and Heating" for 100 years
before the bicycle guys bought it. They gave the "Bacon Brothers"
sign to Kevin.
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:41:22 -0500, Morris Dovey wrote:
> digitect wrote:
> >
> > Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin
> > Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
>
> This is a non-seqitur (totally unrelated).
This was the reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees_of_Kevin_Bacon
--
Steve Hall [ digitect dancingpaper com ]
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:35:55 -0400, BillinDetroit wrote:
> digitect wrote:
> >
> > That's a productivity separation of 5 degrees:
> >
> > 1. clamp looking
> > 2. circle-cutting jig
> > 3. circular template/form
> > 4. dust collector cyclone
> > 5. end tables
>
> What you have described are the self-inflicted degrees of separation
> imposed on those of us who attempt projects we can not readily fund.
Right on, I had not noticed that financial restraint (ok, cheap skate)
behavior was the root cause, but a $100 cyclone dust collector sounded
good to me. I guess in fact time does equal money.
> For instance, take the link from Bill Pentz' web site to the web
> site of the guy who is making the collectors for him. Cut that guy a
> check. Go about your life while waiting for the delivery guy.
> Install the collector and start work on the tables.
ClearVue definitely appear to be the best and best deal out there, but
more than I can swing unfortunately.
> But noooooooo, you decide to be Mr. Handyman and make your own jigs
> so you can make your own fixtures so you can cut an honest man out
> of his well-earned profit and keep his kids skinny. ;-)
Let's say I'm trying to pad my own kids. :))
--
Steve Hall [ digitect dancingpaper com ]
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:35:28 -0700, Mark & Juanita
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Now see what you did? Every person on rec.ww has only two degrees of
>separation to KB. Us to you to him.
What happens if you include Lee in the count?
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------