A paltry thing.

Sooo much of my work is defined by labor
costs. There is plenty of competition out
there so all too often an extra few minutes
here and there can add up to an oversized
bill and the next time the customer might
call someone else. Cutting labor costs
can't mean cutting corners either. It means
working hard and fast. It means no wasted
motion, cutting footsteps, etc. It means
working smart. Perhaps it has to do with
knowing something of the Tao of what you
do.
As an example I use probably 50 5 gallon
pails a year.
The thinset tile mortar sets up fairly fast
and sticks to them and it's cheaper to
throw a $4 pail away than spend 5 minutes
to wash it out. Same thing with paint
rollers. I can't afford to clean and reuse
them so I don't.
That's why it goes against my ingrained
ways to build a thing like this.
I estimate that by the time I layed it out
and cut it then sanded it a little - just
because - it would have cost someone about
$15 if I had done it "on the clock". That
is ridiculously high for such a paltry
thing.
My dad had one like this that he made. I
know he had it for at least 40 years, maybe
longer. He always knew right where it was
too.
He too had to build the thing. It cost him
his time. And his time was money, just like
mine.
I don't know what became of his. I don't
know what will become of this one either.
But I hope whoever gets it after I'm gone
will realize that sometimes a few minutes
spent on a paltry thing is worth your time.
Like Dad - and now I have learned.

Nice, Wind the string on it in a figure 8 pattern and it will unwind with no twisting. (the time saved by the figure 8 winding will return the time it took to make!! Jim

Hard to dispute the philosophy regarding customers, billing and competition. I've found that you price it fairly and honestly at a rate or price that is reasonable, and that you are honest about something unforeseen that is additional cost, most customers will respect that.

Some are just never happy and I've had some that had unreasonable expectations for too little money, the competition can have them all they want.

They make a concrete rebar wire spool. 4 or 5 dollars. Hold in one hand and crank with the other, like an oversized fishing reel. Probably faster than what you have. Although what you have is better than what I use.

You enjoyed making it,,feel better after you did make it,,probably made it from scraps,,,these are a few good reasons,,and there are many more.Everything in life cant be penciled out,just like love for tractors,garden,hunting,,etc....

I'm curious, I now what a figure-8 pattern is but how would it apply to the simple wooden chalk line spool in the photo? Maybe tough to describe in words? What kind of a pattern is used in the photo that we are looking at? Obviously, not a figure-8. Can you post a picture?

UD you would get forced out for working that way for a government entity.

So what is the fenderless tractor?

I look at small things like that string carrier as overhead for someone in a profession. Similar to a set of basic wrenches, education, machinery, vehicles and maintenance. Some professions require a heavy investment in tools, some require machinery, some require education, some require an apprenticeship or mentoring from a skilled family member. It is all part of the investment in myself that allows me do my job well.

Kinda funny, how people look at the same things so differently. No right or wrong, just different.

I farm, I don?t punch a clock and don?t bill anyone ever for my time.

Dad was, and now I am, totally 180 degrees different than you.

The pail costs me money.

Time, have all day, my time isn?t worth anything tangible. Cleaning out a pail saves me $4, that is a no brainer.

Every thing I do farming is about cost containment. In my setup I have X number of acres that provide about Y number of bushels, and the less cash I spend per bushel the more I pocket. Time is not very relevant, perhaps I eat supper a little later one day for cleaning pails who cares.

It would not be practical to try to gain more acres; and if I did that would show up once a year at most, so my time in a year is better divided on saving more dollars, than on getting done faster.

Again, we are doing the right things for our situations; just funny the opposite plans are both right for our situations.

Paul

put the end loop on the left end "horn". Hold the board about the middle end to end and toward what is the bottom in the picture. Wrap a loop of string toward you and in the opposite notch. Come up the back side and cross over (important) to the front (toward you) at mid board. wrap across the front of the starting horn in that notch and down the back side. cross over to the front at the mid point and repeat from the second sentence. The effect (topologically) is to wind on the same stick one wrap from one end then one from the other. thus keeping the twist normal in the string. If you ever wrap up an extension cord, the loose end keeps turning over and over. If you wrap up a hose, the nozzle keeps flipping. The way to apply this principle to an extension cord, is to take it off your arm (hand and elbow) every 5 wraps, and turn the wrapped cord around on your arm and wind the other way. Jim

Sure. We get time is money. Now here is a question for you: How much TV do you watch?

He is not on the clock when watching TV

It's a Ford 545. Belongs to a buddy of mine.
I'm using it to build a new garage here.
It's been a big help.

I get your point but we don't own a television here. I haven't for most of my adult life.

I am with you, Paul. I don't sit around with my thumb up, but I can't stand to be rushed either.

Being retired, my time comes pretty cheap but cash is harder to come by.

I've studied your directions and I think I have it figured out.

So the figure 8 sequence goes from say the top left horn to the bottom right horn, then back to the top left and then back to the bottom right ..... over and over and over again?

Or is the figure 9 pattern all done on one side of the winding board (for example, the top and bottom horns on the right side)?

You mentioned paint roller covers. Here is a simple trick. Wrap them in a plastic bag and toss them in the fridge. I have worked on rental properties for thirty plus years. That is what we do. They are good for several days that way. I've told several painters, they scoff at first, then they learn. Washing a roller takes about ten minutes. That is about twice in labor what they cost.
As for your jig, Been making and using them like that since I was a teen. I put handles on though and skip the sanding.

(quoted from post at 17:28:09 10/09/18) Kinda funny, how people look at the same things so differently. No right or wrong, just different.

I farm, I don?t punch a clock and don?t bill anyone ever for my time.

Dad was, and now I am, totally 180 degrees different than you.

The pail costs me money.

Time, have all day, my time isn?t worth anything tangible. Cleaning out a pail saves me $4, that is a no brainer.

Every thing I do farming is about cost containment. In my setup I have X number of acres that provide about Y number of bushels, and the less cash I spend per bushel the more I pocket. Time is not very relevant, perhaps I eat supper a little later one day for cleaning pails who cares.

It would not be practical to try to gain more acres; and if I did that would show up once a year at most, so my time in a year is better divided on saving more dollars, than on getting done faster.

Again, we are doing the right things for our situations; just funny the opposite plans are both right for our situations.

Paul

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Paul I'll have to disagree with you. Everyone has some kind of value......yes, even me and you. When it involves labor you have to go with at least minimum wage. Now with a farmer things get a little odd. Most people have few skills they could earn money from. But a farmer is worth carpenters wages when doing carpentry work and ag mechanic's when repairing equipment. Plumbers when plumbing and electricians while wiring. EVer get done with something and think "gee, if i'd have hired that done it would have cost X amount of money"?

Rick