Saturday Morning Mess!

Irish · #1 10-15-2005, 07:00 AM

It's early Saturday morning and I am set up at the work table in the studio instead of down in the work shop. I have a small project up for a simple round over carving and as I take a moment to consider which section to work next I look down at my table.

What a mess!

Tools, chips, stones, pencils ... everything within reach but piled one on top of another. How does any carving come out of jumbled caotic disorder ?? And I'm just starting this project, what will it be in a couple of hours ... Oh, I know ... that's when I will be standing on the chips that are piling up on the floor at my feet.

I bet your work table is neat! I even bet it's clean, organized, sorted and just looks good while your working ... doesn't it????

Susan

Paul_Guraedy · #2 10-15-2005, 07:34 AM

Susan, I just finished a week of carving with Debbe Edwards. Wish my work area had gotten no more cluttered than yours! Knives, gouges, pencils, paper, then came the burning pens and finally finishing stuff. Friday, I looked around got embarrassed, looked at my neighbors, felt better, kept going. Debbe has a sign in her shop that says something like a cluttered work area beats the devil out of neat idleness. Wish I could keep a neat area, but would spend most of my time taking out and putting away. Guess I will just have to quit worrying about it.

AlArchie · #3 10-15-2005, 07:36 AM

Susan, how do you keep your work area so organized? I refuse to put a picture of mine up for fear the rest of you would get lost in the darn picture and never be seen again. I need a compass just to get through the mess in the basement to get TO my work area.......then it gets messy! I envy folks who manage to keep things on a neat scale, but I guess I have too much going on in a small area. Maybe it would get ewasier if I got organized. Oh, well, at 62, I guess I just ain't a goin' ta change!

Al

squbrigg · #4 10-15-2005, 07:57 AM

Pon my soul....where do you find room for the carving? Do your tools get chipped often? How do you find the tool you are looking for? Oh my ...... this would never do!!! How does a young lady with such talent produce such wonderful work in such conditions???

Good heavens, what a mess....quick, where's the shop vac, get this lady organized!!!

Sorry.....couldn't help myself!!! I do need to work in a clean , organized area! Must be my navy training, they can't abide clutter.....organized the heck out of us!

My carving surface is hinged at the top to rest at a slight angle to me so the chips roll down away from the surface, and the tools rest on the desk above, a seperate surface.

Bob

Ashbys · #5 10-15-2005, 08:14 AM

Dang, I thought I was going to see a real mess. ! Bob, I must say , I am impressed, nicely kept.

I am still up to my ears at wok and not been able to carve for a week , I am about to scream. But they pay the bills so, have to pick up the new printer today, the inter office files still have to be finished being transfered from 3 mac comps to windows, I now have the robot files finished , and at this rate , I should be done about the end of next week. with a bit of luck.

But I have to say one last thing, when working in a cluttered work area , if you can't find a tool , ....

YOU didn't need it anyway !

Ash

GaryMc · #6 10-15-2005, 08:27 AM

Hehe,
Susan You have nothing on me, and I'm not even carving at my desk right now, I'm carving in my recliner ( branch Santa & branch Spirit). I really need to reorganize my carving desk, and add some shelves and storage area in the room. PS can't wait to see the pictures of what you are carving now!
GaryMc

Irish · #7 10-15-2005, 08:28 AM

Paul: I'm envious! Boy would I love to find some time to make a mess in a seminar or class setting!!!! The slogan that hangs over my computer desk is - If you have time to do it over you had time to do it right in the first place!

Al: There is so much truth to what you said ... if I am using a tool it will keep ending up on TOP of the chip pile! But it does become a bit dangerous when I have to go rooting through the chips for a lost tool.

Ash: We all have noticed that you haven't been around the last few days. I'm glad you had a moment this morning to check in. We'll carve for you this week so check in for your daily dose of wood chips.

Bob: !!!LOL!!! Mike and I have this running fight, one of the extremely few areas that we disagree. He believes that tools are collectable, cherished, and carefully protected, an item that has first consideration in all situations ... I belief they were meant to be used and even sometimes abused to create what I am working on at the moment, a secondary consideration to the project. He will even sneak behind me to pick up and put away a tool when I'm not looking ... AHHH! He would love your set up ... it would drive me absolutely crazy

Susan

Irish · #8 10-15-2005, 08:30 AM

Oh Retry ... that is SOME carving table!!!!

Susan

Irish · #9 10-15-2005, 08:41 AM

It's a quilt square that's 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" on 4/4 basswood. I have always wanted to do some of those really stylized animal carvings that were so popular in the 50's and 60's. So I thought a little 4 square sampler might be fun to do.

Ithink that if I can grab the time to get all four done I will cut some walnut into 1/4" strips as a spacer between the four squares then carve sewing stitches down the walnut as if it's been quilted.

I only started it this morning and have just about finished creating the levels. So there's lots yet to work.
Susan

Callynne · #10 10-15-2005, 08:45 AM

Good morning, everyone! Glad to see you all up and busy first thing Saturday morning! I stayed up till 1:30 last night painting my football playing brothers, then got up this morning at 7:00 to cook hubby a big breakfast before he left for hunting.

Figured I'd stop by here while I drink my morning cup of tea before getting down to a serious days work. Which, brings me to my carving room. Most of you have probably seen my portable desk, well, here's the room I keep it in. I took this picture to send to a couple friends last month, after a marathon 'couch covering' session Labor Day weekend.

My carving room is directly off the entry way into our home, in fact, you can't help but look into it if you're hanging your coat up in the closet. So it has to be kept neat.

That's my sewing machine, covered, directly behind the couch (right hand side) painting area after that. Big white cupboard (rescued that from an attic, everyone thought it needed hauled away to the dump!

Everyone but me that is!

)

To the left is my great leather chair hubby bought me, it's a little big for the area but Oh So Comfortable! My carving table sets in front of it, out of view in this picture and then there's the back of my dust collector showing. All in all it's a perfect 'Mama Bear' sized room.....as long as Mama Bear doesn't get any bigger!

Okay, off to check on some other threads, I've been trying to organize my time better (yeah right!), and be off the computer by 9:00 AM.....try, being the key word here!

Deborah