Did she bring hot coffee, a sammich, a BIG seven sin chocolate cake? 
Nope... she had a question. She wanted paper and a pencil so she could lay it out for me. That didn't bode well. That sounded like work.
She had an idea for another display rack. This one would be for some lotion bars she makes, and wanted to know if I could....
Of course I can, I always can... just how much time and trouble will it be. Time...? That is the question... never trouble. A challenge maybe.
She is too good to me. She showed me what she wanted and I started asking questions: the usual. How wide, how much space between, here and here, how tall, with thickness, how much weight...
"Ah... well, maybe?"
I told her to take her sketch, and run back out to her shop and come back with numbers.
Data...
"INPUT for Johnny Five."
She came back about half hour later with the numbers and we started looking at the wood in the corner discussing which would we could use and why. She always tries to whimp out and go with cheapo stuff. But I don't work that way. She wants to go with the quickie way out and I don't go that way. I started laying out my tools and pulling wood.
"We don't have to do this now...
" she said. "I can knock it out in a couple hours and you'll have it." I told her, "everything else can wait."
She does so much for me... like not holding that pillow over my face each night while I sleep...
It's the least I can do, right?
Anytime I work with the boss, it's a juggling act. She will want to know WHY?
Why do you have to do it that way?
Why use that tool, that saw, that wood?
Why not cut this first and then that?
Why are you ...?
I know she is trying to learn, but it's also because she was a manager for so long and used to being in charge and having things done HER way.
But, in my shop, she defers to my judgement.
She has learned over the years that most often there is a good reason for the way I do things, and I won't be rushed. Like most of my projects, I took her sketch and worked out the measurements and numbers along the edges of the paper, then worked from those numbers and modified the design as we went. We used the table saw, the chop saw, and the dado blade to cut slots for the dividers. We worked with the brad nailer and clamps and it was a fun project all around. From Can You to done was about three hours. She will paint the project and enhance it with decoration later.. but it's functional now.
Here she is checking some of the dividers in the slots after assembly.
- working with the boss.jpg (270.25 KiB) Viewed 2288 times
- Tina's design.jpg (269.46 KiB) Viewed 2288 times
- worked out perfect.jpg (296.24 KiB) Viewed 2288 times
- Miss Tina's shop.jpg (286.19 KiB) Viewed 2288 times
Yes, I have been told before. I am a lucky man.
