“…to put your tools down… fa-la la la lah, la la, la-la!”
Not renowned for taking holidays, even cabinetmakers take a break over Christmas. It’s not a bad idea to occasionally remove yourself completely from the workshop for a while, and mid-December is as good a time as any.
Here are just a small sample of the very good reasons why you might want to take a break.
- Shortest days of the year means natural light in the workshop right now is at it’s worst, making it much harder to check your work.
- It’s cold, which means you have to whack on the heating, so your overheads are way higher in winter than in the rest of the year.
- If it’s really cold, your tools might even be too cold to use ‘til they’ve warmed up, wasting time.
- You can forget getting any deliveries!
- You should really make furniture with the same environment (temp and humidity) as the location it will ultimately reside, to reduce subsequent movement. Are you really going to make your workshop feel like a cosy, centrally heated home in town?
- Maybe your bones are crankier in winter, look after yourself!
- Having a supermarket mince pie with a cup of tea is not the same as sharing all that good indulgent holiday fare at home with loved ones.
And anyway, working around Christmas? What are you thinking?? That’s for people with office jobs !!
The happiest of holidays to you all. Enjoy the break !
*now where are those chocolates*
Until next time,
Lakshmi
