Do you work with a plan?

[Rich Hale]

I find that a plan even a simple one is a tremendous aid in getting work done. We may think of that as having supplies on hand and sonme kind of routine that we work through. Can we include more things in a plan? When you put a piece of steel in a fire do you know exactly how you are going to pull it from the fire and exactly what you will do to it in the time the heat allows? If you have that in mind it may help. I am right handed so while the steel is heating I have the correct tongs in my left hand and the anvil face has been brushed. Hammer with the correct face in position in my right hand and I keep in mind where on the anvil I will work and what metal I want to move and by how much. I have a color in mind for the steel and when it drops to that color It goes back in the fire. If I am going to flux the steel I have the flux ready and in whatever I use to apply it. I have a wire brush ready to clean before fluxing the steel. If you are trying to really be accurate with the hammer it may help to do a "dry run", Before the steel is hot put it in and take it out of the forge a couple of times and work out where and how to hold it, where you want it on the anvil and at what angle and how you will strike it with the hammer. Then bring the piece up to heat and it should go as planned. These actions build muscle memory and that allows you to work more efficiently, Enjoy

[Frosty]

It depends on the task. For some things I may wing it from the git go. For others I plan as close to every step as I can.

The greater the degree of complexity, difficulty, learning curve, etc. or combination of such factors the more important a good plan is.

If you don't think of where to put 2 tons of steel before you have it delivered you're going to end up moving it at least twice and probably paying demurage on the truck while you offload. Of course if you haven't done something that basic you probably won't know what to do with it when it arrives anyway.

So, yeah I plan things out. Sometimes to excess but knowing I do so allows me to plan in leeway for my own foiables.

Besides, I LOVE it when a plan comes together.

Frosty

[Alan B]

I try to have everything set up to be convenient while I'm working. On big jobs I may even write everything out in order and create a step by step process to follow. I find that having a plan before I start tends to help me accomplish more, faster and with less waiste. This is a good point Rich, thanx for bring it to mind.

[Finnr]

Most often I work from a plan, though sometimes I just let the the project happen as I go. Fun but not the most economical method in time for sure.
Finnr

[mcraigl]

I'm mostly past the point of beating on hot steel solely for the sake of beating on hot steel so I usually at the very least have a mental image of what I'm trying to achieve. I do like the idea of cold-runs, and like Frosty, how detailed my plan is depends on how complex the project or how much time I've got into the piece that I'd have to redo if I screwed up a move. Even on simple pieces though I think I'm with Rich, I've at least got a mental picture of what I want to accomplish with that heat, the tools I'll need ready at hand, etc. for that step in the process. A dry-erase board near the forging area is a nice feature. On a topic related to that... Mike-hr made covers for his mill table out of fiber reinforced panel scraps and realized a very, very handy benefit in that they work as well with dry erase markers as any store bought dry erase board. Very handy to have a spot at the mill to write down figures and do math etc.

[steveh]

i usually have some sort of plan,lots of time i do series of drawings to help give me a better perspective and i like to do dry runs.my wife was helping me to do some forge welding the other night putting dragon heads on the ends of some lengths that were too long for me alone.we did several dry runs before the real deal.for someone who usually just watches she was great.i couldnt have done the job without her.

[Sandalphon]

I'm with frosty on this one, I plan more indepth stuff, but tend to let the everyday basics go, unless it has been awhile since I did that particular kind of process.

Nice A-team Pun Frosty

[unkle spike]

The minimum is to "build" it start to finish in your mind. On large projects sometimes I outrun the engineering, and if I don't stop I make mistakes.

On other projects I do actually sketch things out. One thing though is I tend to follow my eye for proportions, and remember if you are building it for yourself the only one that you have to please is yourself.

I hope this helps, and seeing as I have posted no projects here it may be hard to understand what I am talking about.

[gpworks]

sounds like your pretty organized Rich, i use a slate blackboard from an old school its 4x7 feet so i can really do some planning,i use it for ideas and other notes but most of the time i do about what alot of other guys do just wing it and sometimes plan it,depends on what i am trying to do.

[rfb343]

I don't have too much experience in the metal fab world, but as having spent many years turning sticks into house frames and decks I'd always pencil out my layout with lengths and angle degree on a 2x and have found it works as well with soapstone and metal so even though I had the general plan in my brain, I could double check my numbers before I cut.