Knowing when to stop for the night...

Tait

Tait

Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
576
Hi all,

There have been a number of threads about shop injury, and a recent one about machine "hypnosis." So I got to wondering how others decide when to turn off the machines for the night.

My rule of thumb so far has been:

If an injury occurred, would I think it was because I was tired, or would I think I couldn't have prevented it?

Is this a good approach? Any other approaches?
 
I was working late the night before last and had my mind on work related problems, which lead me to get a little hammer happy while peening a scale on a lockback. After the 200 year old oak scale broke from too hard of a hammer blow, I decided to glue up another scale and call it a night. I shouldn't work unless I can completely focus on what I'm doing.
 
Each person is different, so what works for one won't necessarily work for others.

I tend to be a morning person. I get up very early... too early to start right in using power tools. So while I'm sucking down the coffee I tend to do hand tool work... using files, hand sanding, and so forth.

Once I have no fear that the noise will disturb anyone, I start using the power tools.

In the evening I usually stop using power tools about the time I go to dinner. I'll resort to hand sanding and the like, if I'm still working at all... but usually I'm shut down for the night at dinner time.

Since I have a day job, I don't generally spend much of the day working on knives. This is why it takes me so long to finish them.

I pay attention to my moods, too. If I'm in a foul mood, I stay away from the power tools. I've never had a happy experience of using power tools when I'm angry or upset.
 
I work much like I play music. Sometimes, everything you do turns out gold, the strings sound right, every note is in key. Then I play for hours. Sometimes, I can't find the notes, everything sounds flat, etc. It works the same way when I shoot bow or pistol. Sometimes I can't miss and I shoot a few hundred rounds, sometimes I can't call the target and only shoot ten or fewer and just go home. There's no use wasting bullets or time on a day like that.

It's the same way when I work in my shop. Sometimes everything feels good and I work for a few hours, sometimes I can't get in the flow for one reason or another (tired, upset, spacey) and I go inside before I ruin a project or hurt myself.
 
I stop the loud stuff at about 2000 just because I am in a neighborhood. The wife wouldnt care if I went till 2200 or so. I am a late person though so I tend to work better in the evening then the morning. Morning time is for drinkin coffee and feeling like death or maybe its just because I have a really bad job that I hate going to.

When you start getting tired and making mistakes you gotta call it though, once that starts happening your gonna hurt yourself or start messing up your projects.
 
quint said:
When you start getting tired and making mistakes you gotta call it though, once that starts happening your gonna hurt yourself or start messing up your projects.
Click to expand...

That's when I know to stop, when I start making little mistakes. I know I can fix them with a clear head, but the more I try to fix them then and there, the worse they get.
 
I go in 2-4 hours spurts of working in the shop. No more then 4 without a couple hour break . Many times if I loose concentration I put the work down and go inside and relax. I would rather loose a day of shop time then a week fixing mistakes or healing.

I have all my fingers and toes and never have had a serious shop accident in 35 years.
 
I've noticed I just kind of know when enough is enough. I tend to finish whatever random task it is I'm doing and just sit back and say, "Yep, that's it for tonight."

I do make a point of quitting earlier if I can't keep my eyes open or feel like I can't focus. Sometimes it's tough to get more than three or four hours in after doing a ten hour shift at your "real" job! :) You have to be aware.
 
Thanks for the thoughts.

I do also take into account the mistakes I am making - no sense being in the shop to have fun if I'm not having fun...
 
I usually don't do any forging during the week because I work construction . I swing a hammer all day and when I get home I just want to relax. The most I do during the week might be to draw back a blade or polish or sharpen one, But I'm a crazy man on the weekends. Sometimes I start at 8am and dont stop till 9-10pm.
 
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