Wood repairs are UP!

[baileyuph]

We are seeing a big uptick in wood repairs (over $1000) just last week.  Stuff is built weaker and people are bigger.  Sure have kept the tools in the wood shop humming!  That plus the upholstery has kept me out of trouble (wink).

I bet the other wood guys (Hammer and Steve, comes to mind) are real busy!


Doyle

[SteveA]

Doyle - knock wood - business is flowing along without the usual winter slow down.  It's a good feeling to know that you have this success in a trade slightly different then what your expertise is.  I hope that something you picked up here has helped your cause.  We're all better off when we can help each other through discussion here.  I enjoy reading your posts -  What is the next woodworking tool - portable or stationery you plan to add ? 

SA

[byhammerandhand]

Yeah, I do a lot of wood repairs, well if you can call particle board and OSB "wood"  I had to turn down a job last week in Toledo (3-4 hours away) to replace the frames on 26 reclining chairs in a nursing home because they were falling apart.  They sent a photo of the frame that had just come apart at the joints and the new frames were "re-engineered."    Too much windshield time and an overnight stay made it impractical for me.

[baileyuph]

Yes, I figured you guys rock and had a good fire going.

What tools next, well right now, there are plenty (Shopsmith, radial arm, router, bandsaws,
sanding disc (Shopsmith), and a lot of battery hand tools.  Well, recently I did buy some very oversized clamps (like pipe clamps) because of the repair business (one will take a longer piece and pull it together.  Don't remember what it cost but could have been over $100. 

Efficiency is critical to me, bottom line is I like to make money and do quality work at the same time. 

My wood repair started long ago, a piece needing upholstery would appear, after diagnosis I told the customer I could fix it -- they say I figured so and word of mouth since.  I have several corporate accounts, one has over 100 installations and each installation has a large building.  They learned I was doing wood along with upholstery some time ago and called saying "you're a dying breed, we need your services for wood as well as uph.  I signed up!

You have to like to work and get better at everything, which I do.  Back to the big accounts, like mentioned, they drop and I work and they pickup but being a higher volume is where one can build efficiency.  The one at a time customer with a small dollar issue, well........you know what I mean.

I enjoy the business and evaluate my performance by the one handling my accounting.

I agree with you two guys, newer furniture (much) is not the old fashion hardwood stuff, never know what will come into the shop.  I appreciate learning new technologies used to produce products and maybe my pride is such that if it is profitable - bring it on!

Yes, I appreciate those on this site who stimulate by sharing and are serious business people.

With that, any tricks or tools you or anyone discovers to add efficiency to the work, for sure will be appreciated.

I had a job to replace some drawer bottoms in chest and I was amazed how accurate my radial arm is calibrated for everything coming off the machine was accurate enough any differences could not be measured.  That job has brought me two or three more chest jobs of similar requirement.  A "can do" or "will try" attitude is essential to prevailing.

Times change so must we.

Take care,
Doyle

[SteveA]

The radial arm is a dinosaur -it  is inherently dangerous and takes up too much room.  Replaced by the chop saw it's al you'll ever need.  Shopsmith machines are good for tight spaces but I believe you have enough space to purchase stand alone machines.  Pipe clamps can be purchased with threaded ends and made longer with unions.  Bandsaw is a must; and as long as you have a compressor ... add nail guns to the mix.
Separate cabinets for hardware are beneficial - screws, mending plates, nails, bolts etc.  Finally a table saw if you don't already have one.  This would be my first choice then the band saw.

SA

[byhammerandhand]

I'm pretty much with SteveA.   I don't really like radial arm saws.   The high quality ones, e.g., older Deltas seem to be good, but Craftsman are generally junk -- unsafe and don't stay in alignment much.  If you don't already, get a "negative hook" blade.   This will help keep it from grabbing and self feeding toward the operator.  Ripping on them is scary.   Largely replaced now by miter or sliding-miter saws.

I have a Shopsmith with most of the accessories.  I got it as one of my first pieces of equipment, "before I knew any better."  It's a fine machine, but has limitations.   Change-over is a time-killer and the table saw mode, the one I used most frequently, is also slow.   On my current saw, I can run the rip fence over to the scale's mark, lock it down and go.   With the Shopsmith, I'd have to jiggle the table up and down, then figure out whether the fence needs to go on that main table, the auxiliary table, or the auxiliary table in a "low position."  Then fine-tune the blade location with a tape measure.   A real time-killer.

One tool that I've found helpful on on-site repairs, particularly on stapled frames coming apart is a pocket hole jig.   This allows attaching a butt joint inside a frame without having to undo a lot of upholstery to get to it from the "T" side.  This one works well because you can screw it to the frame, and not have to find an area to clamp down; the screw holds it while you drill.   Get some 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" pocket hole screws (don't use flat head).   If you are going into softwood or "engineered wood" (plywood, particle board, OSB, etc.) get coarse thread.  For hardwood, get fine thread.  I hate the look of pocket holes on fine furniture, but inside an upholstered piece or underneath a chair, it's fine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J43A7W?keywords=kreg%20%20pocket%20hole%20jig&qid=1455479064&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

[SteveA]

Keith - good pick - pocket hole jig.  For years I would lay a spade bit on an angle - make the pocket - then drill the hole with an extra long drill bit.  When the pocket hole jig was introduced I bought two of them - one for the shop and one for the travel box;  and have recently bought the new style jig you referenced.  I didn't even realize it could be screwed down - thanks for that tip.  The biscuit joiner was another go to tool but I'm reaching more for the pocket hole jig lately -
Only problem with the pocket hole jig is they won't sell the components separately
SA

[byhammerandhand]

Yeah, I love my biscuit joiner.   All three of them and the one I gave away, too.  I've used them for a few repairs (e.g., drawers), but mostly for new construction -- over 40 bookcases, several bedroom sets (beds, dressers, nightstands), and boxes.

Another thing I use regularly is a BeadLock floating tenon system.   If I could justify a Domino, I'd have one of them, but the price is just unreasonable for the amount of work I'd put it to.
http://www.rockler.com/3-8-beadlock-basic-starter-kit
http://www.rockler.com/beadlock-pro-joinery-kit
http://www.amazon.com/Festool-574432-Domino-DF-500/dp/B004SETSXE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455545155&sr=8-1&keywords=festool+dominos