Definition of Insanity - Woodworker Style

[SteveColes]

It has been said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.:BangHead::BangHead: That's me:embaresse

I always wanted everything to be potentially mobile in my shop. So as my clamp collection grew, I bought a mobile clamp rack and filled it up. The idea of taking the clamps to where I was assembling things seemed to be a smart idea. But I started to have problems right away. The biggest problems were that no matter where I parked it, it seemed to be in the way and moving it around my close quarter shop, I was always hitting something and knocking clamps off. And just to add to it all, the style and brand I bought was not particularly stable so when I moved it, clamps would fall off.

So the obvious conclusion is that if I was going to have a mobile clamp rack, then I needed to have 3 things. A place to park it when not in use so it didn't get in the way of other day to day activities. Wide enough aisles so I could move it around with knocking things off or over.

So what did I do, nothing until the rack was full and I needed more space. Then the "obvious answer":widea: was to buy a second rack just like the first.:swoonit had better wheels) SO now I had 2 racks getting in the way:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:

So when I got some besseys that were longer that either rack could accommodate. I found a wall mountable bracket and hung then there. In fact, I hung all my larger Besseys there too. So now I was able to empty one rack and give it away.:eusa_danc Of course the remaining still had all the same problems:slap::BangHead::help::roll:

Then one day the Rockler catalog came along with this

The answer to my insane prayers:bigDuhard

Now I was able to have one mobile rack overloaded with almost every clamp I owned:gar-Kr::gar-Kr::gar-Kr:

I gave away the other mobile rack and now I have a larger rack that is even more in the way than before and almost impossible to roll around becuase of my relatively narrow aisles.:rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

If you can empathize with my condition, Please feel free to send donation to my shrink's office. He is a specialist in this area becuase on his tool wall at home, he has enough wrenches to supply four NASCAR crews. His hobby? Making dollhouse furniture, of course.

 

[froglips]

I can relate to your "process".

I keep doing the same things incorrectly, luckily I always seem to get uniquely different, albeit failed, results!

As me about "steamed spaghetti" sometime....

The big question, do you have room to buy more clamps?

Jim

 

[Glennbear]

Thanks for unabashedly sharing Steve. :gar-La; I can definitely relate, my super duper nifty shop built sheet goods cart has become a space hog.:nah: As far as contributing to your shrink, I cannot do that since I believe in the adage "physician, heal thyself" :tinysmile_tongue_t: You have my emapathy but as you know we share some traits:
It has been said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.:BangHead::BangHead: That's me:embaresse

Good luck in your clamp rack/ mobile storage disease recovery process. :wsmile:

 

[FredP]

:rotflm: I have good news and bad news.... the good news is um... well......there is no good news.:gar-Bi now for the bad news.... well.... no bad news either.:gar-La; took me 3 minutes to say absolutely nuttin!:rotflm:
glad to be of service......:rotflm:

 

[MarkE]

I agree with Fred, 100%!

 

[Bas]

Steve, you're approaching this from the wrong angle. Let's review what we know.

You can't have too many clamps
You need to store clamps
You need to bring clamps to the project
You need to put clamps up after the project is done
Clamps are heavy

If we add this all up, we come to the conclusion a mobile clamp rack is a great idea!

As for needing a place to store the clamp rack and the aisles being too narrow - that is the _REAL_ problem. You need a bigger shop. So all you have to do is sell your house, pack everything up, move, unpack everything, and redo your shop. Which is slightly more work than building a wall-mounted clamp rack and carrying the clamps back and forth, but at least you'll be logical about it!

Option two of course is to build a SMALL mobile clamp rack, that you can maneuver around the shop, AND a wall-mounted clamp rack that holds all your clamps. Now you can load them from the wall rack onto the mobile rack, move the rack two feet to your assembly table, and voila - a usable clamp rack without having to move to a new house! Granted, the effort in loading and unloading the mobile rack far outweighs the benefits, but once again, we're being logical.

Of course, if you read my post carefully, you'll see it says exactly the same as FredP's post, except I wasted five times the number of bits. But this is just to give you yet another definition of insanity :rolf:

 

[Skymaster]

Bas; after carefully reading your post I dont seem to find the part where you have attached the 12v motorized drive with the remote? Perhaps it slipped thru the bytes whilst you were counting the bits :} :rotflm:

 

[Ray Martin]

Steve,

I just don't see what the problem is :icon_scra:icon_scra:icon_scra However, the medical communities are beginning to think there is some connection here to a derivative of WoodGuyDisease...


:gar-La;:gar-La;:gar-La;:gar-La;:gar-La;

 

[SteveColes]

Glenn, thanks for your understanding:rotflm:

.... my super duper nifty shop built sheet goods cart has become a space hog.
Yep, know just where you are coming from

Good luck in your clamp rack/ mobile storage disease recovery process. :wsmile:
It has started, see this
And it is already spoken for. A new record:3dblob3::3dblob3:

 

[SteveColes]

Give the above responses, the thing that worries me the most, is that all of you seem to understand my rationale. NOW THAT IS REALLY SCARY Perhaps my shrink will provide a group rate.:rotflm:

 

[Bas]

Bas; after carefully reading your post I dont seem to find the part where you have attached the 12v motorized drive with the remote? Perhaps it slipped thru the bytes whilst you were counting the bits :} :rotflm:

Going slightly off topic (and that's saying a lot considering the original topic! :rolf...no, I did not attach the 12V motorized drive. I did however discover that the extension tables on my drum sander are very good at conducting electricity, and it gets mighty uncomfortable (even at only 12V)... So, for now, I'm staying away from using DC in the shop.

(Oh, and yes, there was a reason I was messing with 12V and a drum sander.)

 

[ScottM]

The solution is simple. Double the size of your shop.:rolf:

Seriously, I think the solution is to have a dedicated area for assembly and leave the clamp there.

 

[Ray Martin]

Give the above responses, the thing that worries me the most, is that all of you seem to understand my rationale. NOW THAT IS REALLY SCARY Perhaps my shrink will provide a group rate.:rotflm:

Steve,

Just tell the good doctor to ... join us... relax... resistance is futile

(WoodGuyDisease is highly contagious.):gar-Bi

 

[cskipper]

I can't relate to your dilemma at all roll. We have a shop at home that isn't large enough. I now have my very small dining room in my apartment full of my scroll saw, bench top drill press and wood. The wood wasn't too overwhelming until I started intarsia help. I was at Lowes going through their 1/4" Poplar looking for a small section of brown and gray. Not only did I need these woods, but the grain had to run in the right direction for several (little) pieces, and none were the same direction! I bought 4 pieces of wood to get about 2" for part (catch that-only part of the bird) bird! :BangHead: I keep telling myself that when I get some stock built up that I will probably have pieces that will work and I won't be buying more lumber - yeah, right!

Now, I have a solution for your clamp rack difficulties. You might have to vary it a little bit - depending on the height of your ceiling and the availability of a skyhook.... :rotflm:

 

[Mike Davis]

The obvious answer is to have an assembly table near the wall where you store all of your clamps, glue and a few assembly touch up tools.

I have my clamps on the wall, just don't have room for the table. I'm still using my Delta contractor table saw for layout, assembly and finishing.

 

[merrill77]

The obvious answer is to have an assembly table near the wall where you store all of your clamps, glue and a few assembly touch up tools.

I have my clamps on the wall, just don't have room for the table. I'm still using my Delta contractor table saw for layout, assembly and finishing.

I, also, don't have room for either an assembly table or a mobile clamp rack. Just yesterday I moved some of my clamps closer to the table saw for the same reason! For me, wall space is the best option for clamps. One of the benefits of a small shop is that I never have to walk very far to get them.
:gar-Bi

 

[sawduster]

Let's see if I understand :

a)you identified a problem/frustration and after considerable thought and research, purchased a new toyl
b) this created some unforeseen problems/frustrations so after considerable thought and research you purchased a better more improved toyl
c) problem solved but more unforeseen frustrations so after considerable thought and research, you built/found something to take the place of the inferior toyl , then gave same to a happy deserving fellow woodworker
d) still problems/frustrations but the sun breaks through the clouds and in an incredible instance of luck the perfect solution lands in your lap in the form of an even newer, more improved toyl , and after considerable thought and research you purchase it, giving you a chance to make another deserving woodworker happy at the same time
e) new toyl compounds the original problem but dang it's nice, you gave it considerable thought and research and you got a good price on it, :mrgreen:

Summary:
You got to purchase 3 new toyls , made 2 fellow woodworkers very happy, and still left yourself room for improvement by purchasing a better solution when it comes along

.........personally I don't see the problem :dontknow: :rotflm:

 

[JackLeg]

I think we are all missing the "obvious" solution to Steve's situation. :icon_scra

We simply go to our resident guru of design/build, tinkerer of some renown, deep thinker and expert on Dust Collection and all things "shopwise," Alan in Little Washington, and have him design and build a prototype of the following.

Mobile workbench, tablesaw, drillpress, jointer, planer, sander, miter saw, band saw, router table, mortiser, and clamp storage rack. Shouldn't take him over a week at most. And I can't wait to see the article that comes out of this in Popular Science/Popular Mechanics/FWW/WOOD/ General Psychology magazines!!
:rotflm::rotflm::rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

 

[RandyJ]

+1 What Robert said!

I think he hit the nail on the head:gar-Bi

 

[Bas]

.........personally I don't see the problem :dontknow: :rotflm:

Me neither Especially since I've been thinking about getting a clamp rack :gar-La;