After producing a prototype for anything I’m working on, I debrief myself on the problems I encountered. I take the notes I’ve made, usually right on a copy of the plans and/or cutlist, and give them a little organization. I put circled numbers on those notes to indicate the sequence I’ve made them. I use the notes to make a list and then add observations on how I solved a problem. Sometime the solutions aren’t found until afterward or until the next version is made. This addendum is kept and a copy is filed with the plans until needed again.
I’ve done a comparison of those notes, and here is a list of steps I keep in mind when starting a new project:

1. Make notes. Anything that isn’t correct, took too long, needs a special accessory or jig, anything you think will help if you want to make this project again. Don’t be afraid to write on the plans/cutlist. (You can make a copy and write on that if you want.)
2. Acclimate your stock to your shop environment. I’ve rushed into milling newly purchased wood, and resumed work a week or so later only to find the stock had changed size on me.
3. Refer to drawings and cutlists during planing and construction. Mistakes happen, and not all measurements in a plan are necessarily correct. Think about the way the parts will fit before you cut, and check back at the creator’s website if you can.
4. Organize similarly dimensioned stock for milling. I try to cut every piece of the same dimension with the same setup. If it’s right, they’re perfect. If it’s wrong, at least they’re all the same size. Maybe you can just adjust the other dimensions and not have to start over.
5. Cut everything you can while it’s still square or disassembled. It’s so much easier to clamp, route or taper at that point.
6. Dry fit as you go along. This will help you decide on the order of assembly, confirm the parts will fit later and help with glue-up. Sometimes just comparing a part you’re about to cut to the partially assembled project can prevent a costly error.
7. Assemble as sub-assemblies. You’ll need fewer clamps and won’t be racing against the glue. It takes a little more time, but the attention to detail often pays off with higher quality construction.
8. Finally, save the cutoffs. They come in handy for testing stains and finishes, or at least as clamp pads. Or sizing dadoes. Or parts for a jog. Or backup for drilling. Or…

Alright, I admit it. I save every scrap.

My workshop was converted from a 2-car garage, with some space reserved for a washer/dryer, the “All Refrigerator” and a small freezer, and a set of shelves holding garden tools. I insulated the walls last year, and as the weather got colder, added an overhead quartz heater. Radiant heat only warms objects, not the air, and as long as I’m one of these objects, it works fine. Walk away from the target area and you’ll know how cold it really is in the shop.

I don’t really have to do much to winterize. I watch the temperature of the shop, using one of those remote sensors that sends its info back to a clock/thermometer in my living room. I’ll open shop windows if it looks like it will be warmer than the current shop temp. That insulation can cause the shop to stay cold over several days of warm weather.

Once it gets consistently cold, I plug in one of those electric oil-filled radiators, set it to its lowest setting, and just leave it on, so the shop doesn’t get below 40 or so.

If it gets really cold, and I have to be out there, I’ll layer up the clothing and turn on the quartz heater when I’m in the shop.

The biggest problem isn’t really the cold, but the humidity. All those metal surfaces can rust very quickly unless they are protected. I use Top Coat for cleaning and paste wax to prevent rust. Seems to be working.

Here’s pictures of the quartz heater, radiator and the remote sensor.

I finally got a chance to try our my Jet mini-lathe the other day. I chucked a short piece of holly culled from my woodpile. All I was trying to do was put those hours of watching Woodturning Basics on the DIY Network to some use. I had safety glasses on, the kind that fit over my regular glasses. I made all the adjustments for setup and then started with a large gouge to true it up. As the bark peeled away it revealed the beautiful white wood underneath. I had my box-fan filter running and it easily pulled the dust away from me. You can often tell if dust is getting out of control, as you can smell it. This was like watching it on TV, until I misjudged a cut when I tried to trim off the bump a small twig left on the limb. As the gouge dug in, a tiny sliver of wood flew up and bounced off my forehead. It stung a little, but it wasn’t until I was washing up that I felt something snag my wash cloth.

I took a closer look and after doing a little touch test (sounds better than picking at it) I found a splinter had been deposited by the chip. I figured I could just wash it off, or maybe it’ll work itself out. No such luck. It stayed in, and finally I just picked at it until it came out. It was about the size of a pin point, barely visible except with a magnifying glass.

So now I’m looking for a full-face shield. I’ll let you know what I get.

I had a bad experience with a splinter last summer, thrown from my shredder. I was wearing a full face shield (mounted on a hard hat with hearing protection as well) and it either flew under, or as small as it was, right through, the wire-mesh shield. It hit me in the lip and it took about 3 weeks to worry that thing out.

Wounds from wood are some of the worst you can get, taking much longer to heal so long as any particle remains in the skin. The Geneva Convention bans the use of wooden bullet. Now I know why.

Here’s a couple of pictures of the final version. Basically it’s just a box, measured and cut to fit directly behind the blade. The left side, looking from the front, extends about 4″ down past the frame of the saw. A single plastic knob and bolt with a piece of wood beneath the knob that clamps against the extension to hold it in place. I cut two “flaps” to help guide the sawdust toward the intake port.The white strip is a piece of 1/4″ hardboard pin-nailed (no glue) right through the aluminum flaps to hold them in place. The left side flap is hard to see, as it’s much narrower than the right one. Blue painter’s tape was used to cover the edges of both flaps, so I wouldn’t get cut if I bumped against it. I bored a 4″ hole to attach a short adapter (See It’s just a 15 minute job) that my dust collector connects to via a quick-connect adapter.

Most of the dust is sent straight back by the blade and very little comes out of the port on top of the blade housing, which is aimed straight back at the 4″ intake. With this and my Portable Air Cleaner made from Box Fan going, I’m in Fat City.