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Hit 10,000 board feet ripped this month and my body is wrecked
I don't even track it usually but my apprentice added it up from the cut lists. That's a lot of lumber for a small shop like mine. My shoulder's been popping since Tuesday and my back is just done. How do you guys keep up with big production runs without burning out after a couple weeks?
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gavinw451mo ago
Man, 10k board feet is no joke for a small shop! I think the thing nobody talks about is how much of the damage comes from bad workflow layout (like having to twist or reach weirdly all day) not just the raw weight you're moving. You might be fighting your own setup more than the lumber. Take a hard look at where your outfeed tables and roller stands sit. Even a few inches of extra reach on every single board adds up to a ton of strain by the end of the week. Another thing is alternating your tasks so you're not doing the same motion for hours straight. Mix in some assembly work or cleanup between ripping sessions. Your body needs those little breaks from the repetitive angle even if the total work is the same.
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blake_bell291mo ago
Haha man you're not wrong, I've definitely caught myself doing that whole twisted reach thing and wondered why my back was screaming at me by lunchtime. I swear half my problem is that my outfeed table is about 4 inches too low and I just keep telling myself I'll fix it tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. The task switching tip is gold too, I'm always that guy who tries to bang out all the ripping at once and then wonders why my left arm feels like a wet noodle. Maybe if I started mixing in some sanding or god forbid sweeping once in a while, my joints wouldn't hate me so much.
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