Chapter 9 Jigging up
Bob jumped out of bed at 6:30, eager to box the villages. He did that and stored the boxes in the shed before he ate breakfast. He updated his inventory while chewing; ‘we now have twenty villages, five farm and fourteen trains and we’ll make farms next.’ After washing his breakfast things he went to the workshop, thought about where they could position Ken’s jig, decided it should go on the left end of his bench and began clearing it when Ken walked in.
“Hi Ken. Didn’t expect to see you today. Oh, you’ve got the jig. Want a hand?”
“No, it’s not heavy. Ah, you’re making room for it. Good.” He put the jig on the bench. “Yes, the bench is too low. I thought it might be. We’ll have to raise the jig. Have you any four-by-twos? And long screws, to fasten them together?”
It took half an hour to fasten the raised jig to the bench. Ken then fixed a length of the hedge-block triangle into the new holder. “Now, let’s see how it works.” He started the routers, held the wood and it’s holder above the jig then fed it through, slowly at first then speeding up until he reached the end.
“Look at that Bob. It works much faster with your wood than mine. Now let’s see if it’s okay,” and he pulled the wood from the holder.
“Hmm. The hedge sides don’t quite match, nor does the top. A few shims and a bend or two in the arms should correct that, I think.”
“Once this works properly you’ll have saved hours of work Ken.”
“It’s a good beginning. I want to make a jig to cut the blocks next. Two band saws, set at an angle, would do it. The saws will have to be adjustable, so they will cut both the hedge and the house blocks. The wood to make the blocks can run horizontally, which means we can use eight-foot lengths. I’d like to make a narrow bench that’ll hold both jigs and put it at the back of the shop, where this one is. So we’ll have to move this bench to the front. Do you mind Bob?”
“No not at all.”
“Okay. The tool racks don’t have to be moved and you already have electrical outlets on the front wall so that’s not a problem. Let’s measure the shop to be sure there’s enough space then I want to take this jig home, bend the arms and make the shims. I’ll be back after lunch.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You could move this bench to the front if you like.”
“All right. Do you want coffee before you go?”
‘No, I don’t think so. I’d rather work on the arms and shims. Oh, yes, I phoned Arthur and he said he could see us at ten on Wednesday. So I booked that time. That’s okay with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Afterwards I’d like to go to the library and find where the gift shops are in Southampton.”
“Okay. We’ll do that.”
They checked to see if there would be enough room for the two benches then put the jig in the car. Bob watched him drive off. ‘He sure gets things done quickly. I hope he’s healthy enough to keep it up.’ He turned and went to the kitchen; he felt ready for coffee and biscuits even though he hadn’t done much.
Moving his bench wasn’t as easy as he had expected. He had fastened it to the wall with nails not screws and had to use a crowbar to break it free. It was difficult to rotate but he eventually managed. This time he fastened it to the wall with long screws since he didn’t know if Ken would want to move it again.
Ken was back just before one, carrying the modified jig and put it on the moved bench.
“Let’s make the new bench now then screw the jig on.”
They made the bench high enough to mount the hedge jig and just wide enough to hold it and the future band saw jig. It took them an hour. Bob fetched and cut the wood and Ken screwed it together. Then they fastened the hedge jig to the left end of the bench.
“Now we’ll cut a couple of four-foot hedge block lengths and try the jig.”
Bob cut the blocks while Ken checked that the metal rods moved without hitting anything.
“Here you are Ken.”
“Thanks.” Ken turned on the routers, pushed the triangular block the rubber-lined slot on the holder then moved it through the jig. He took out the cut wood and handed it to Bob.
“What do you think? Good enough?”
“Why yes, they certainly are, and there’s hardly any sanding to do. This is great Ken. We’ll quadruple our production!”
“Even more, when I have the other jig I think. I’ve another idea too, it’s about the houses. We could make them with the roofs overhanging the walls. They’d look better that way.”
“Yes, I’d also thought about doing that but didn’t want to increase the time it took to make houses so I never did it.”
“All right, then we’ll not do that now.”
“Okay. What do you want to do next Ken?”
“I want to make the band saw jig. It shouldn’t take too long. I just need to make a base to hold the saws since they’re already adjustable. I’ll also have to make a couple of guide arms to keep the block straight as it’s pushed through the jig. What are you going to do?”
“We need to make more farms, we’ve only got five. We’re okay on villages and trains for now. I’d like to have a stock of fifty of each to draw from. But right now I’m going to have a mug of tea. Want one?”
“Ah no. I’d rather work on the saw jig. I’d like to have it ready to try tomorrow. Can I have a key to the workshop?”
“Yes of course. I’ll give you the spare one.”
It took Bob the rest of the afternoon to cut a hundred and eighty four-foot triangular hedge blocks. ‘That’ll be enough to make forty five farms. I’ll let Ken use his jig to trim them.’
He cooked a salmon filet for supper and opened a bottle of Chardonnay to go with it. ‘Is it too early to start living a life of luxury?’ he wondered. ‘No I don’t think so. If I drank one glass a day a bottle would last a week. That’s not so bad. I wonder what the last glass will taste like?’
After washing the dishes he took his tea and the traffic regulations to the lounge. His Dad’s railway lamp looked rather grand in the window with the light on. He sat in his chair and read, finishing all of the parts of the book that referred to car drivers. ‘No point in reading about motor bikes or towing trailers,’ he thought. ‘I’ll skim it again before the test but I’ll make a summary now. That’ll help me remember the significant parts.’
Bob had written most of what he though important when there was a knock on the door. It was Jack, who had a large envelope in his hands. “Hi Bob. Here’s t’labels an’ me invoice.”
“Thanks Jack. Come in and have a beer won’t you?
“Nay Bob. I ain’t yet had supper. Rose said t’boxes ‘ul come Wednesday mornin’.”
“I’ll collect them then, Jack. No, I can’t, Ken and I’ll be in Southampton on Wednesday. Ask Rose to hold them for me and I’ll come as soon as I can.”
“Aye, I will. Tarra Bob.”
“’Bye Jack.” He closed the door, put the envelope on the kitchen table and climbed the stairs to bed.
Ken was already in the workshop when Bob entered Tuesday morning.
“Hello Bob. Thought you wouldn’t mind. I wanted to see if the saw jig would fit so I came at seven. I think it’s ready to try now,” and he pointed to it.
“I wondered how you were going to hold the band saws. Do you think the clamps will be strong enough?”
“I think so. They held it when I used my wood and it’s easy to move the saws if I use clamps.”
“I see. What are you going to make first?”
“I saw you’ve already made the hedge blocks when I came in so I’ve set the saws to cut the small house blocks. I was just about to try one.” He switched on the band saws, placed the block on the guides and began pushing it through the blades. “Yes I thought that might happen. The wood twists as it comes out. I’ll have to put guides on the exit side. Hold the wood as it comes through Bob. Yes, there, thanks,” and Ken pushed the wood through the blades. “Well what do you think?”<
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“Pretty good Ken. Should be perfect with exit guides.”
“I’ve been thinking about sanding Bob. You know, a belt sander isn’t the best tool for the job. I’ve an idea I’d like to try out. I like to make a kind of flayed-sander that would sand by pushing the wood against lots of rotating strips of sandpaper. Something like the rotating brushes used in a floor cleaner. I don’t know if it would work but I think it should. Perhaps there’s already something like it we can buy.”
“I’ve never heard of one. If you could make one you should patent it.”
“Maybe. How about me using the jigs and you sanding?”
“Sure. There are the rest of the houses, the shops and the other bits to make and the hedges to run through. I’ve left them all for you.”
During their tea break they discussed the money they’d be putting into the business.
“If we start our partnership yesterday, April 1st, that is, if the lawyer says we can do that before we sign the formal agreement, we can calculate what we should put in after accounting for what we’ve already spent,” said Ken.
“All right. You do the maths, here’s my calculator,” and Bob took it out of a kitchen drawer. “I’ll assume the toys I’ve got are sold on the thirty percent commission rate. On April 1st I had twenty villages. I would get £17.50 for those since they’re sold for £25. I had five farms, for which I get £15.75 and 14 trains. I get £10.50 for them. What does all that add to?”
“£575.75. No, that’s not all we should include Bob. Your retailers have sets don’t they? We have to include that.”
“I guess so. Okay. Just a minute.” He went to the lounge where he had left his account book. “I’ll do the villages first: Rose has 5, Jenny has 3 and Leo has 2. Now farm sets: Rose 1, Jenny 3 and Leo 7. Train sets: Rose 3, Jenny 3 and Leo 3. What does all that come to?”
“Just a minute. £490. So adding that to £575.75 makes £1,065.75. So you are giving the partnership £1,065.75. That means you should put £2,550 less £1,065.75 or £1,484.25 into the company. Let’s make it £1,450. That would add a little for other assets in this workshop, the wood, paints, hooks and eyes, etc.. Would that be okay for you?”
“Yes of course. £1,450, I’ve enough in my savings account to cover that. How about the money you need to put in Ken. It shouldn’t be £2,450 because you paid for the band saw, the routers and the bits. What did all that cost?”
“£105.”
“So you should put in £2,345. Right?”
“Yes. We’ll do all the money transfers after we have signed the agreement, I guess. I’ll keep these notes and tell Arthur the amounts tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“How long did it take you to make the village, farm and train sets you have in the shed Bob?”
“Probably two weeks. It depends on how many hours I work each day. The most I do is about eight. Usually it’s less.”
“Then you were earning about £12,500 a year.”
“But I don’t work all the time. When it was a hobby I never worked all day. Rose didn’t sell very many each year. It’s the thought of having a holiday each winter that made me want to make more.”
“Well. I’ve no idea how much we’ll make in a year but if we work for only half the year then we should make several times that much using the jigs. Provided we can sell them, of course.”
“It’s a good job we don’t really need the money isn’t it.”
“It’s surprising how useful it is, once you’ve got more than you need. There are plenty of ways to spend it other than taking holidays.”
“I suppose so. I think about it from time to time but I try to keep my head. I’ll wait until the money is in the bank before thinking about how I’ll spend it.”
By one o’clock they had finished the last pieces of the forty five farms and stopped for lunch.
“We’ll give them their first coat of paint after lunch. Did you bring sandwiches?”
“Yes they’re in the car.”
During lunch Bob showed Ken the railway lamp. “You know my father was the station master and I took that job when he retired. This is a memento of those days. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been if I hadn’t followed him. What did your Dad do Ken?”
“He was an engineer, a mechanical engineer, and he worked for Morris, in the design shop. I suppose my interest in mechanical things comes from him. My mother was a teacher but stayed at home after I was born. I started work at the furniture factory in 1960, when I was nineteen. I had my matric but didn’t want to go to university. I wanted to earn money and marry Mary. My parents didn’t want me to do that, they wanted me to go to university, but they gave way in the end. The factory suited me almost immediately and I worked my way up the ranks. It was an interesting life and challenging too, as the machinery we used improved and we began to use particle board and other cost cutting products. I’m sorry the company was bought out. As Mary told you, I’ve been at a bit of a loss wondering what to do with my life since then. But this venture’s beginning to absorb me. I think I’d like to continue doing this for several years, building the business.”
“Well, it’s a bit different for me Ken. I can see that we can expand, that we can make money, but I’m not sure that I want to do that for the rest of my life. I was fairly adapted to retirement and my woodworking was just a hobby. All this change is a bit frightening. I’d really like to go more slowly but we’ll see how it works out. Right now I’m happy, though I’m also a bit anxious. I’m glad we’re working together. You’ve lots of ideas and plenty of energy.”
“I like what we’re doing, too. Ready to start again?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s bring the farms here. We can paint them on the kitchen table.”
They collected the boxes holding the pieces and tried to put them all on the kitchen counter. “There’s too many,” said Bob. “We can’t do the painting here Ken, there’s not enough room. We’ll have to paint them in the shop.”
“I don’t think there’s enough room there, either, once they’re spread out to dry. We could make some shelves to put them on.”
“Or widen the existing shelves with wood supports, held onto the existing shelves with clamps; we could put the boards on them. That way we could remove them when cutting so they wouldn’t be in the way. It would be awkward but workable. Since acrylic dries in a couple of hours we could probably do a complete paint job in one day. How about trying that?”
“Okay. Let’s see if it’ll work.”
They carried the boxes back to the shop, made two wood supports and clamped them into place. After painting for about five minutes Ken said, “You know, we could use a spray gun to give them their first coat, or, at least, most of their first coat. Some of it we’d still have to do with a brush. I think it would speed things up.”
“Where would we spray?”
“Don’t know. We couldn’t do it outside. Maybe we’d have to build another shed.”
“Oh dear. I’m beginning to feel like Mary must have felt. I don’t want to do that Ken.”
“Okay. We won’t. It’s just an idea.”
After each piece had been painted they put it on a plank, then put the planks on the supports once full. By five they had painted most of the first coat on the fifty sets. Bob said he would finish them after supper.
“Don’t you have a driving lesson?”
“Not until eight tonight. I have to practice driving in the dark.”
“Have fun.”
“I will.”