Three hours seems the minimum in the shop

[rich pierce]

I often try to work an hour here and an hour there. It just doesn’t work. More likely to make mistakes, do things out of order, forget what I’m doing. Think I have to set a 3 hour minimum for myself.

[msellers]

I would agree with this, seems I try rushing or just don't accomplish anything if I set the timer for an hour.
Mike

[Stoner creek]

3-4 hours steady is about it for me these days. Rarely can I do good work beyond that amount of time. I still stick around in the shop after that critiquing what I have done and planning my next move tomorrow. It’s surprising how much that can be done in 3-4 hours after learning all of the tricks and short cuts. It makes me wish that I had the energy and attention span to go 8-10 hours.

[WKevinD]

Three hours are ideal but there are days where ten minutes in and I know I should do something else. When that happens I sweep up, put miscellaneous stuff away and start neglected chores...but not in the shop.
Moving hay or stacking firewood is hard to screw up.

Kevin

[Justin Urbantas]

My shop time is mostly during my little guy's naps M-F. So, an hour and a half typically, three hours on a really good day.

[Willbarq]

I'm having a hard time (pardon the pun) finding uninterrupted time. I have a lot of demands on me to not only do physical work of the household but mental work. There is a difference.

 It seems two hours can pass pretty quickly and I get a lot of work done in those times. Often I reach a stopping point (usually at night working). If you set a stopping point , instead of a time it seems to work better.  In the cases of failure (it happens) it's best to walk away. Solutions to a problem seem to come with time and thought.  On the next one I anticipate less problems.

  Putting things off, (sometimes called prioritizing, sometimes called procrastinating) for working on the gun seems to work. I need a son....but that usually requires a wife. Apprentice ha! Nobody would show up...

[Greg Pennell]

My shop days seem to follow most of yours...usually around 10:00am to 1:00 or 2:00pm.  I suffer from a short attention span, and a bad back. I seem to spend as much time armchair (recliner) gunsmithing as shop time...I have to have each step clear in my head before I even step foot in the shop, or bad things happen.

Greg

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Currently I work about three hours in the evenings and one 5 hour day on the weekend.  We are having to move and my shop will be dismantled.  I can set up temporarily at my brother in laws who is an hour away.  So what I am processing right now is making a more set work schedule.  Actually make lists and stuff like that.

Cory Joe Stewart

[Nordnecker]

I definately agree with you guys, time away from the bench and considerable thought about the next step are just as important as hands-on work. Sometimes you just need to know when to quit. I never work when I'm tired or distracted. If I've been busy with other projects for a few days, I come back to the bench rejuvenated and focussed. I can work 6 or so hrs and get a lot done. It does seem like 3 hrs minimum is a reasonable amount of time to actually acomplish a task.

[Mike Brooks]

Back in my youth I'd work all day at my real job then come home and work in my shop from 5pm to 10pm M-F and work about 10 hrs on Saturday. On Sunday I would go to shoots all day. Had to  support a disabled wife and her 3 kids. I built a ton of guns back in the late 80's and early 90's, 10-16 a year. Now IF I get 3-4 hrs most days I'm lucky. Back is shot, neck is shot and so are my hands.  I have tons of house and grounds maintenance to do.  Discovering I'm mortal a couple years ago doesn't help stack up the shop hours either , I have a whole lot of fishing to do in the next twenty years before the grim reaper comes to take me, and that makes my attention span pretty short in the shop. I have Lindy rigs to tie, jig heads to cast, a boat to maintain.... Then I can be easily distracted by my reloading bench....the list goes on for ever.

[Eric Krewson]

I was good for 3 hours at a time in the shop a year or so ago but my neck has started creating problems with my shop work. If I bend over for an hour now my neck feel like someone is driving a nail in the side of it.

I went to an orthopedic surgeon, he said I wasn't quite ready for a rebuild and sent me to therapy which worked. I still do my rehab exercises several times a week but their effectiveness has waned in the last 6 months.

After 60 years of archery, mostly behind a traditional bow, I think I have what is called "archer's neck", things are just worn out.

[Bill Raby]

Most days I am lucky to get an hour or two in the shop. Sometimes I only get to work about 20 minutes in a day. But then sometimes I can go for 6 hours all in one stretch. I like those days!

[oldtravler61]

  Erick an Mike...I'm a lot like both of you.  Got more metal in my neck an shoulder than i do in my scrap metal container... The endless around home general house repairs an yard seem endless. Still trying to finish a Soddy I started over a year ago. Made a couple gun stocks for modern guns for friends.
  Just can't lean over my work bench like I use to...this getting OLD isn't for sissies....ha ha ha.   Oldtravler

[Prospector8083]

I just love the feeling of working and thinking so hard on something that all of sudden it is 2am and you have been working steady for 6hrs and seems like minutes! I don't get those feeling near as much as I would like anymore but do treasure it when it happens. I just finished putting Kibler's colonial rifle together and I didn't have time to get that feeling it was SO accurate! Although I am glad I put in my "work" so to speak I have spent more time on inletting a patchbox than the whole rifle took to assemble! I am talking about in the white and I am looking forward to taking Ron Scott's class in January to learn some engraving and woodcarving before I do anymore on it.I don't know if he has room for another student or not. The class is in Oregon.

[jerrywh]

When I work I usually work 2 or 3 hours at a time but after 5 Oclock is when I make mistakes.

[thecapgunkid]

My time in the shop is generally governed by how many Hallmark Movies my wife wants to string together.

Mike Brooks' post is scary for its accurate commentary on retirement.  I'd go back to work to generate more time off if I was physically able, but even a hasty cast at current news shows I no longer belong in the work force.

[alacran]

 Mike Brooks, do your fishing and the things you want to do as often as you can get away with. When the Grimm Reaper comes, it will not be on your schedule.

[Pukka Bundook]

Mostly I Think about working in the shop, while doing other stuff that seems to fall in my lap each day.

[Daryl]

Yeah - I planned to fish all last summer. I only got away fishing 8 or so times. THIS summer is going to be THE fishing summer, yesiree.
Seems to me I said that same thing last winter.

[Mike Brooks]

Yeah - I planned to fish all last summer. I only got away fishing 8 or so times. THIS summer is going to be THE fishing summer, yesiree.
Seems to me I said that same thing last winter.

DITTO

[snapper]

I usually only get the boat in the water for my week of fishing in CN.  This year I got out with Brooks for a day and also 3 or 4 days in MN fishing in addition to the CN trip.   Also a trip to AK halibut fishing.

Hopefully next year will be even better.  Looks like I might be heading to AK next year for work so that also means fishing if possible.

I did spend almost 3 hours in the shop this morning.   Bought a new to me wood lathe and my oldest son is home, so we are trying our hand at making some mugs out of wood.  Got two turned out of walnut and one close to being done out osage. 

Fleener

[Stoner creek]

I just finished a 5 hour stint in the shop doing nothing but file work, polish (minus the buffer Brooks), & antiquing brass parts. I’m junk.
 This gun is another concept piece. I’ll share it with y’all if it comes out like I’m hoping. I think it will. I’ve not seen a gun done like I’m fixing to do it. Stay tuned.

[smokepole45cal]

Rich given we did that engraving class you'll relate to this...regardless if I'm useless or productive I set aside a few minutes a few times a week just to reinforce those engraving motor skills and sharpening. Its amazing how easy it is to tell oneself "I can just practice engraving after this gun is done". The practice is almost therapeutic!...Jason

[thecapgunkid]

I guess the trick is to make your shop to be more than just one craft.  That way excuses come up to go in there for little cobbling projects when you don't necessarily wanna be in the house.

Granted, the gun occupied a lot of time, but the other stuff  was easier to manage time wise...

[Bob Roller]

For me,it's 4 to six hours in the shop on most days.I have no real schedule but do not want to
keep people waiting any longer than I have to on these triggers I am making now.I still get an
inquiry once in a while about locks but have no intention at this time of making any more of
any kind.There seems to be an abundance of locks now available at a wide price range and we
are OK on our life style.
As I have said before,IF I make any more locks they will be offered HERE and nowhere else.
Bob Roller