Taking over the bike shop...

[Andy in Germany]

Bike workshop is tidy(ish) ready for my holiday.

Notice new stands. New tools are on the way; I still need to find a couple of items and get organised so that tools don't just vanish.

One of my clients is a recently arrived refugee; he's been dilligently cleaning parts for us for a couple of weeks. This will make a big difference when looking for parts and fitting them.

I'm also working on communication; the organisation opened a new shop and we are now supposed to be supplying both our shop and the new one so we need to be a bit more organised. We're labelling the bikes so that everyone knows what to do with each one; what needs dismantling, whet needs fixing, and none vanish into the Great Big Pile...

There's now a daily run between our town and the town where the new shop is. As this town is also where the main bike store is, I've organised the store and arranged for three scrap bikes to be delivered every day. While I'm away these will be dismantled by our refugee client so he has a job and can learn his way around bikes...

One of my more recent clients has a distressing tendency to hit anything that he can't force to move. Worse, he does this with anything in reach, like brand new wire cutters, or spanners. He's also using my workstand while I'm away so until I can get back and supervise him, I've found a set of used tools and taken my tools (some of which I own) out of the workshop.

I suspect I'll find something broken when I get back, but at least this way it will hopefully reduce the costs.

After I get back I'll be reorganising the workshop so this client will get his own work stand and a set of tools...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Attempts to organise the workshop continue: I'm moving the furniture around to make space for a fourth workstation. I've collected a few donated kitchen units and some worktops that very nearly match.

It's every bit as exciting as it looks.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Found this during the post being-away-on-holiday tidying up:

My question is: why? The process for dealing with old cables is simple: remove cable from cover, cable in metal bin; cover in general rubbish.

No need to wrap anything around anything, so I'm not sure why someone took several minutes to do this.

Time for another "rubbish sorting" training session methinks...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Quick update on the workshop:

The chipboard boards will eventiually be the first basic tool racks.

A couple of clients need help learning to organise their workplace, in partucular they tend to dump tools and when they then can't find them, they have a habit of grabbing another from another workbench. There's no malice in this, just bad habits which they need to unlearn before going into a normal training programme or job. This is one reason for the dividers, so everyone has clearly defined boundaries and the people who are disorganised are held accountable, while those who can organise don't end up losing tools.

The other reason is that they hold those mismatched workbenches together. The boss still hasn't decided if we will have to move so I have to make the workshop out of what I can scrounge; sometimes being a cabinet maker is quite useful.

 

[Dogtrousers]

People putting tools down and being unable to find them? I'm shocked, not the kind of thing I'd do

 

[Andy in Germany]

People putting tools down and being unable to find them? I'm shocked, not the kind of thing I'd do

It did occur to me that I'd made a potential problem for myself as I've organised the client's workbenches but not my own, and I'n terrible at putting tools down and forgetting them. Maybe I should go and make myself a tool board sharpish...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Slowly, but surely...

I've probably overcomplicated things again, but such is life. The third board on the extreme left is higher because there are plugs in the way. This will be dealt with eventually but until then I'm fortunate one of my clients is two metres (6') tall.

 

[classic33]

It did occur to me that I'd made a potential problem for myself as I've organised the client's workbenches but not my own, and I'n terrible at putting tools down and forgetting them. Maybe I should go and make myself a tool board sharpish...

Could you colour code each set*, so that a line across them at an angle will show which is missing.


*Colour to match the workstation colour. So you can say "you'll be working on the green/yellow/whatever colours you have to hand to paint the back boards.

 

[Jameshow]

Quick update on the workshop:

View attachment 702303

The chipboard boards will eventiually be the first basic tool racks.

A couple of clients need help learning to organise their workplace, in partucular they tend to dump tools and when they then can't find them, they have a habit of grabbing another from another workbench. There's no malice in this, just bad habits which they need to unlearn before going into a normal training programme or job. This is one reason for the dividers, so everyone has clearly defined boundaries and the people who are disorganised are held accountable, while those who can organise don't end up losing tools.

The other reason is that they hold those mismatched workbenches together. The boss still hasn't decided if we will have to move so I have to make the workshop out of what I can scrounge; sometimes being a cabinet maker is quite useful.

Think I need to come and become a client!🤣🤔

 

[Andy in Germany]

Could you colour code each set*, so that a line across them at an angle will show which is missing.


*Colour to match the workstation colour. So you can say "you'll be working on the green/yellow/whatever colours you have to hand to paint the back boards.

The tool sets are colour coded (L-R) Yellow, Green and Red, and each client has an assigned workbench and tool set while they are in the programme. That way I can see which tools are missing, who is responsible for thenm, and especially make sure no-one is using tools from someone else, which is a habit of one client in partcular; for my organised client this was getting very annoying.

The flip side was that I had to explain to the accounts department why I'd spent money on nail varnish...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Think I need to come and become a client!🤣🤔

Thanks for that; I want the workshop to be a an inviting place that people want to come and work in. I feel very strongly that being on a Job Center financed project doesn't mean clients have to work in a grotty workshop.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Lots to do this afternoon, but unfortunately someone decided I needed to be on the till so very little got done. Of course most of the chaos is also in response to the need to add one extra work station.

This point will be made when the inevitable question of "Why aren't there many bikes on sale?" comes. It's hard to keep production up when I'm already supposed to be doing two things at once.

On the other hand I brought my laptop to the till and have made a large order for parts and tools. That'll learn 'em

 

[biggs682]

Reading your posts @Andy in Germany should inspire me to sort out my garage and the bike spares I have in there .

Are you free for a week to come and help me please?

 

[Jameshow]

Reading your posts @Andy in Germany should inspire me to sort out my garage and the bike spares I have in there .

Are you free for a week to come and help me please?

Get in the queue ...!🤣🤣🤣

 

[Andy in Germany]

Reading your posts @Andy in Germany should inspire me to sort out my garage and the bike spares I have in there .

Are you free for a week to come and help me please?

Get in the queue ...!🤣🤣🤣

Fair enough, if you come and do a couple of weeks voluntary work here: I could do with some help clearing the backlog...