AIEL Shop Tips
Working quickly and with minimal disruption to others
makes for an efficient shop with a better atmosphere.
Suggestions here will improve existing habits and promote
the development of new ones, as required to achieve this.
INFORMATION BELOW MAY
NOT BE REPRODUCED
WITHOUT PERMISSION
FROM THE AUTHOR ©
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Developing ways to work in a fast, accurate manner, and without interruptions to others is a professional trait. By adhering to these suggestions even when they may not matter every time, ingrained work habits will come to be formed which will improve conditions for all persons working in a given shop space. |
Whatever the level of shop organisation, it is imperative that items be returned to their designated spots. This is easier when a shop is fully organised to a point where a place for everything has been set up. Regardless, one should never have to go looking for a desired item, and especially, no one else, should have to seek out something that you failed to return.
This idea extends to manuals and paperwork associated with items on which you were working that will be passed on to someone else. These must be put back into the files because others may need to look at them for their own reasons. Finding manuals in the files where expected means not wasting their time figuring out where they were last left. As for paperwork, supervisors and/or office personnel may need to see the progress being made. As such, they will expect to find the associated paperwork its designated file.
The time taken to put things back will be
regained with interest because time won't
be wasted later in trying to find things.
Take the time to separate hardware by type, size, and length if applicable. Put each division into its own drawer or bin; then fully label those drawers and bins. Doing so will negate the time looking for just the right nut or screw. This eliminates frustration when a deadline must be met, and it reduces the labour costs of a specific job, thus the price charged to customers. Now do the same for replacement parts.
If you use the last of an item, go to bulk storage and get replacements so as to restore at-hand stock. If none exists, notify the shop foreman to order more. This is best done in writing, preferably on a pre-printed form (chit) that you fill in. If there is no foreman, make a note to yourself to place an order. Such notes should go into an "Order" file or desk tray so that they can be acted upon in a timely manner. Not having stock slows work, and in the case of customer repair items, will delay getting his or her equipment back.
Regarding one's own work, concentrating on the current task will result in not having to do something over because of sloppiness or because a step was forgotten. To this end, think through the steps required; write them down if doing so will assure that each step is in order and that all are included. Carefulness also means less chance of damaging a part or yourself. This is assurance for the future, in that time won't be wasted redoing something. The result is that more gets done in a shorter period.
Carefulness also extends to fellow employees. For others working in your area, you not making a mess or leaving tools out, or not replacing stock as needed, is consideration toward those who will follow you in that space -- even if that next person will be you.
If work is left out, make a note so others will be aware of why an item is out. After your tasks are finished, and the work is to be passed on to someone else, notes will bring that person up to speed in your absence. They also mean that you will be less likely to be interrupted with questions from that next person. Consider the questions you might ask if coming upon your work for the first time, and then answer them in a note. This note might include what you have already done, and where to find manuals or parts related to the work that person needs to do.
Having things work properly and as you expect is paramount in order to perform fast, efficient work. To this end, clean and inspect all tools and kits on a regular basis. Look for damaged or broken surfaces, too loose or too tight hinges and pivots, dull blades or teeth, and missing or compromised colour coding. Clean and/or buff corrosion off, and wipe with a clean, but lightly-oiled rag. (Remove oil from areas where colour coding tape is to be wrapped.) Remove worn tools, then replace them, and also your poor-quality tools, with professional-grade ones as you can afford to do so.
Empty each kit completely and examine for depleted stock, broken bags or containers, clouded see-through boxes, illegible or missing labels, and so on. Look for loose items in the bottom of the kit, and resolve each. Clean everything thoroughly, especially tongue & groove edging. Lubricate hinges, catches and pivoting handles. Restock as necessary, replace containers as required, and organise the layout in an efficient and tight manner.
One frustration in a working shop is running out of something in the middle of a repair or project. This will not happen if one inventories stock on a regular basis, or at least keeps track of items as each nears its last one. As soon as only one of an item is neared, order more, or place it on a list of things to be bought/ordered.
To facilitate this, keep a clipboard in a prominent place and add to it as required. If you have a wide variety of stock, make categories -- one per sheet. Thus, for your next trip out or next e-mail order session, a given sheet can be taken with you or put beside your computer as required. Place a check mark beside each item as it is ordered, or put a line through it as it is purchased or arrives at your shop.
Here are some general safety
suggestions for your shop and home.
Doors and Drawers: Don't leave cupboard door and drawers open when you leave their areas. You or someone else could run into them and cause injury or spillage of items being carried. In particular, drawers that are low to the floor are particularly dangerous. This suggestion also applies to items pulled outward on shelves that are not slid back into place after finishing with them.
If you are not closing some doors and drawrs because they don't work well, take the time to fix them by realigning each with its cupboard or cabinet, replacing or fixing hinges and rollers, and shaving tight tollerances due to moisture swelling. At a minimum, oil the hinges and rollers, or silicone the drawer glides so that they function better.
If you are not closing some doors and drawrs because they don't work well, take the time to fix them by realigning each with its cupboard or cabinet, replacing or fixing hinges and rollers, and shaving tight tollerances due to moisture swelling. At a minimum, oil the hinges and rollers, or silicone the drawer glides so that they function better.
Vices and Bench Clamps: As above, when finished with a vice or bench clamp, be sure to close each so as to not stick out where someone could run into it. Do not over-snug these; teeth should just barely touch or even have small gap left. This is to prevent deformation of the teeth when left closed and too tightly together.
Solvents Security: Place all solvents into approved containers and store them in a metal cabinet. Keep large containers as general storage, and fill each into a small applicator bottle for bench work. This keeps spillage to a minumum in the event of knocking over or dropping one of the smaller bottles.
Replacement of Tools Not Being Used: When finished with a tool, put it back. If left out, a tool can become a hazard especially if it's sharp, and also whenever the bench or work area becomes cluttered. Reaching for something within a clutter of tools invites cuts and/or pinches. Besides, as already mentioned in the Put Things Back discussion, replaced tools mean them being found upon first search because they are exactly where they are supposed to be.
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