Having grown up in northern climes (Syracuse, NY) and done Christmas shows in places like Jamestown, ND and Fremont, NE, we are well aware of the challenges that winter brings our northern friends. We feel your pain as we watch the national weather reports, sitting in our living room with windows and doors open, wearing shorts and t-shirts.
Here in Central Florida, after 6 months of summer, the first cool autumn breeze is quite welcome and usually arrives the first week of October. Over the “winter”, we typically get 2 or 3 days that dip near freezing (32°F) but haven’t had a hard freeze in 5 or 6 years (knock on wood). This makes our mango tree happy.
With weather patterns changing worldwide, it is a crapshoot trying to predict weather more than a few days out. Yet, we know our history and when socks are okay to wear with flip-flops.
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Schedule Freeze
Literally one-half of our yearly income comes from the business done from October 1st to December 1st. Every step we take to minimize production time now translates to money earned then.
12 - 14 hour days are common from mid-October through mid-December. Production time goes from 2 - 3 days to 10 - 14 days. For the last 4 years I have had to stop taking new orders around the 1st of December (reopening January 1st).
After 40+ years of doing this (on and off), our people know that we will be busy during this time. Once the USPS Christmas mailing deadline comes (around December 14th), we can breathe again and heal our weary digits. Time to spend Christmas with family and friends.
Staying Comfortable
Firewood - Our old Florida home has 2 fireplaces that have literally saved us numerous times, from hypothermia at the least. Our heat pumps don’t like it when the return air is 60°F or less.
You would think that as a woodworker, I would have plenty of scraps to burn, but my chopsticks and keychains leave little waste. After eight months of hot weather, I might only have two 5 gallon buckets of burnables.
So we buy enough firewood to give us at least 15 cozy fireplace nights. Maybe 1/2 a cord. Finding it while it is still warm is cheapest and gives it some “seasoning” time, remembering to watch for bugs that can sometimes hitch rides with it. Stack it away from the house.
Foodstuffs - Cooler weather invites stews, chowders, soups and chilis that are perfect for heating up after a long day of production. We can spend an hour or two creating them and then either eat out of the pot over the next 3 days (with variants) or freeze the leftovers for future use. Their flavor always improves with a bit of age.
For the Workshop
Wood - September finds us taking stock of our supplies of hardwoods for holiday orders. Our nearest “real” lumberyard (Hardwood Lumber and Millwork) is an hour’s drive, so we try to stock up for a 6 month run at a time. Our popular domestic woods are readily available and I usually get 10 board feet each of Maple, Oak, Walnut and Cherry.
They have a cut-offs rack that I gravitate towards as I enter. Since our items are small, I can usually get some great wood at a discount. They also have a nice selection of end cuts of sustainably harvested exotic woods to offer my clientele. Then I check the big racks for woods I know I will need.
When I get home from the lumberyard, everything is cut up to sizes that are manageable for my lumber racks, keeping in mind my standard lengths. From these racks I will mill the pieces to rough size, to fill my chopsticks and keychains bins, ready to carve and finish.
Since 95% of our orders are for personalized products, we try to get everything ready that can possibly be done beforehand, so that once it appears in our email it can be carved, shaped and finished within the current production time.
Tools - I make sure all of my essential tools are up to the coming long hours. My shop vac will run 4 to 6 hours a day. Its noise is offset with my noise-canceling headphones. I stock up on blades, sanding belts and oil finish.
I try to have a contingency plan in case one or more tools break down. These mechanical failures always occur at the worst possible times, but with a bit of forethought you can continue with production. I have a back-up scroll saw and 5 belt sanders, each with a different grit.
The show must go on!
Heat - My Florida workshop is airish. It breathes through its walls. It is in a natural setting and not sealable for adding air-conditioning. For the few days a year that we get below 50 degrees, I have a small, portable electric heater/fan. It suffices, as I am usually in one workstation for an hour or so.
DustyNewt World ~ A map of where I have shipped my woodstuffs. See if your town is represented.
If you are enjoying what you see… I like it hot and black. 😉