<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 }
--></style><title>Time Management: Shop work and tuning
appointments.</title></head><body>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">Phil,</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">I work out of my home too,
have been for 15 years. I schedule tunings</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">in the afternoon, usually 1:30
& 3:30. If I need to go further away I'll book</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">in the area and start at 9:30,
this gives me time to get a little done in the</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">shop, if only to read the list
and collect tools and supplies for the day.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">Once your shop work picks up,
weed out the tunings. You'll miss</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">deadlines if you try to 'fit
everyone in'. If you have a full time field</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">service schedule, where's room
for added shop time.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">Once you pick up refinishing,
get rid of the rest of your tunings. You'll</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">have no time for them, you'll
also have no room in the shop because</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">between a spraying area,
sanding area and drying area your shop is</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" color="#000000">dedicated to that, unless you
have ample acreage</font><font face="Arial">. You'll need
a</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">separate building for the shop because your
wife is going to complain</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">about those "odors". Sit back
with a brew and watch a ball game,</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">pay someone else to do the dirty
work.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Refinishing is a dirty, messy, dusty,
mega-time consuming endeavor</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">when things go favorably. When they don't,
kiss those days and weeks</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">goodbye. When I think back on refinishing, my
first though is persistent,</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">hacking cough. Sanding dust and overspray
(HVLP cuts down on this)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">is everywhere. Rubbing-out is
enough to drive you bonkers, watch out</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">for those rub-throughs (there goes another 1
to 3 days).</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Done right, refinishing is not a
"gentleman's hobby". Touch-up is, and pays</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">much better, learn that. Isn't it bad enough
that the Yankees took a shellacking?</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">Fortunately, I have accumulated enough pianos
to occupy space in my shop</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">that I can't refinish, I can't even get to my
parts drying rack right now. I send</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">the case and plate to the refinisher (after
repairs) and I concentrate on actions,</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">stringing and limited tunings.</font>
Working less, enjoying my time more.</div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div><br></div>
<div>Jon</div>
</body>
</html>