Workshop ADD Relapse

[Doug_H]

Some years ago, when I was still setting up my first "serious" woodworking shop, somebody posted a note on Woodnet about Woodworkers Attention Deficit Disorder (WADD). His point was that he kept getting distracted from what he was trying to do by some other task, for example, trying to plane something being interrupted by the need to sharpen the plane iron, and then being interrupted by having to dress the stone. Then, back to the planing, being interrupted by finding a way to hold the workpiece, being interrupted by having to drill another dog hole in the workbench. These are my examples, I hope you get the idea.

The guy was a psychological genius and WADD deserves to be in the diagnostic manual. I recognized that i had it at the time. Even though I had put a lot of thought into setting up my shop I had many episodes of WADD. As the years rolled by, the frequency of my WADD episodes gradually lessened.

Now I have downsized, gotten rid of a few stationary tools (jointer, table saw, etc.) and moved to a one-car garage shop. The WADD has returned. It seems that every operation has to be interrupted for some preliminary that I took care of years ago but which now has to be done again. My normally slow work now requires time lapse photography to be detectable. A three-toed sloth asked me to hurry up yesterday.

That would be pretty much OK except now I tend to forget what it was I was originally trying to do before I remembered that my medium shoulder plane is still packed away in a box somewhere.

Let's see -- I know I had a point to make when I started this note . . . Oh, yeah, having to learn how to do basic operations (eg tenons, box joints) without a table saw is actually fun. This, along with the WADD, reminds me of the joy I took, many years ago, in learning this wonderful craft.

Doug

[Alan S]

I just had to reply, simply to appreciate your precision in specifying a three toed sloth, rather than the faster two toed variety.

[mikefm101]

I totally get what you're saying. I pretty much limit myself to one project at a time as if there are three or four none ever get finished.

Also, if I need a new shop made jig or device for a project I now build it before I start the project. I found putting everything on hold and resetting my brain to the jig in the middle of another project was an irritant and resulted in a hastily built jig that could have been better and more useful had I taken the time. I am beginning to make some picture frames, but rebuilt my miter sled for the table saw before I cut the first stick of wood for the frames.

Congrats on all hand tools. That's how I started. I have a nice blend of hand and power now and do jot regret the hand too, experience. My joke back then was a totally cordless workshop 😀

Mike

[bottd]

That is exactly why I have untold number of projects somewhere between 20-90 percent complete.

[Phil S.]

And it doesn't get any better with increasing experience (that's a euphemism for age).

[EricU]

I have an amazing number of unfinished projects. The problem is that I get to a point where something is holding me up that I don't really know how to solve. Usually there are too many possible solutions and I don't really like any of them. Then I just set it aside for a while. And then I don't go back to that project, sometimes I don't even remember what's holding me up.