Wood working journal

[Rob]

I decided to start keeping a journal of projects, what I got accomplished, how I did it, and mistakes I made. Especially mistakes I made. Just something I can read over before the next project so I don't repeat mistakes. Nothing fancy, just a word document. I keep mine on Sky Drive with Microsoft Live so I can get to it from any computer.

Anyone else do something like this?

 

[lbtripp]

Hi Rob,

I keep a three ring binder on furniture projects. I include what the piece is, what species of wood I used, what the style of the piece is, what type of stain and color, what final top coat finish I used and who the piece was built for. That way if the customer wants another piece to match at a later date I have all the information I might need.

I sometimes include any special tecnique or jig I might have used.:eusa_danc

If I'm building custom built-in cabinets/entertainment centers I take pictures of the existing space they are going to be installed in. I also make a story stick and take it to the customers home to see if the finished project is going to fit in the space. I use the photos and story stick in the shop when fabricating the units.

Lyell

 

[red]

I did this for many years when I had my custom furniture business up north. I kept a log of daily activity so I could keep track of how long it took to do every part of the project. This came in very handy for pricing future projects. I kept notes and small sketches of any detail I thought was important. I think it is a great idea to do.

Red

 

[Gotcha6]

It's a good idea, but I wouldn't want to do anything lending itself towards self incrimination, so I'd probably leave out the part about the mistakes. :gar-La;
It would make for a much shorter journal, too.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

I do something similar to Lyell, but not as detail. I draw up every project before I start, usually on graph paper, and file it in a 3 ring binder. I try to note who it was for, the type of wood used and the finishing process in case I have to duplicate it down the road.

I also keep other info in this binder, such as ideas I've come across that I want to make someday, shop formulas, etc. It's kind of an all around general shop notebook.

BTW, I like your new avatar pic. :gar-Bi

Bill