Häfele America Shop Shot: Millwork

In another life I managed an architectural millwork company for a time, so millwork  always catches my eye.  We have some excellent woodworkers in the Häfele America Co. shop, and when they get a chance to break-away from assembling trade show displays and building hundreds of little mock-ups to work on millwork like this display for one of our showrooms, they jump at it with a vengeance.  In the foreground you can see the architectural drawings of the desired display, as well as a couple photos of the soon-to-be-replaced current display with critical notes and measurements.  The real magic is that the large millwork in the background is being built here in Archdale, NC and will be installed in our showroom in NYC!  Our craftsmen are utilizing lots of Häfele connectors, levelers and several tricks of the trade to allow for minor and in some cases major surprises that they may encounter during install.  I’ll keep you posted on this, because it really is neat to see how projects like this move from concept to reality.

Häfele America Shop Shot: Beautiful Juxtaposition

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or otherwise relaxing Holiday week.   I just made a walk-through the Häfele America shop and was struck by the ironic and beautiful juxtaposition of a classic wooden European workbench in the foreground, an ultra modern synchronized sliding door being installed on a mock-up, and a classic Altendorf sliding tablesaw in the background.  This inspires me to introduce what just might become an interesting series of  “Shop Shots”.   So, what’s on your bench?

It’s been a busy month at Häfele America

First things first.  Get a load of this maple tree that was showing off here in High Point this week.  With the sun passing through it looked like it was on fire.  (Click the pic to Biggie-Size it)

Now that we have the important stuff out of the way let’s talk about hardware happenings.  We are excited to have a new kitchen vignette going into our showroom on Madison Avenue (name drop), which was hand crafted by our customer Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry.   They were kind enough to allow a few folks from our team to descend upon then in their shop in Lancaster PA so we could get some hands-on time with our hardware.

Led by our Key Account Manager Daryl Nauman our folks invaded the Plain & Fancy hardware line and installed Häfele’s LED lighting, blind corner storage units and almost every pull-out you can imagine.  We had pull-out trash cans, pull-out pantries, pull-out storage units and even a cool pull-out table!

But wait, there’s more!  We installed no less than five different lift-up door fittings: Free, Maxi,  Senso, Verso and Strato.  The Senso was actually the electronic remote version which could sure come in handy on a tall upper cabinet.

We also installed two of the new Eku Frontino sliding door fitting sets, which I think deserve a post of their own.

The photo at right holds an important lesson if you are specifying lighting.  Believe it or not both of those cabinets contain the exact same LED ribbon lighting.  Because of the white and the wood interior the visual effect give the impression that one is “cool” while the other is “warm”.  Daryl is the smiling man in white who was clearly as impressed with this phenomenon as I was.

I have several more pictures that I can share with you of this install process if you’d like to see them (comment below), but the best are yet to come as the cabinets are being installed in our NYC showroom this week!

Boring! Not one, but two deco drilling jigs.

Did you ever notice that Häfele America Co has two jigs for drilling for decorative hardware? We used to have only the red one, then both the red and black ones, then just the black one, and now both again.

What’s going on?

I decided that inquiring minds, like yours, had a right to know, so I put on my investigative reporters hat and went in search of the truth. Here’s what my investigation uncovered:

First, I turned my eyes to the packaging and instructions. The black jig comes in a cardboard box, and the red jig comes in a plastic bag. Both jigs come with black and white photocopied instructions. The red jig was fully assembled and ready to go, while the black jig needed a few minutes of assembly. I noticed that while the red jig is red, the black jig is, in fact, mostly a dark, smoked-gray. This gives the red jig a slight edge, as it would be easier to find and use in a dark kitchen. You think I’m joking? Try asking a cabinet installer if the power is always on or if the light fixtures are always installed when the cabinets are being installed during new construction.

For setting the distance that the holes are drilled from the edge, both jigs have a Ledge, or Top Stop, that the user rests on the top of the drawer front or the edge of the door. Both jigs have steel guide bushings where the user inserts a 3/16″ drill bit. The red jig’s bushings move, and the Top Stop is fixed. The jig formerly known as “black” has a Top Stop that moves, while its bushings are fixed. In use the black jig can be a bit “tipsy”, due to its greater length, and shorter Top Stop length.

Both jigs have silk screened measurements, so they can be adjusted quickly, but both of the units I measured were a bit off, so I would suggest using the on-board scale to get close, and use a trusted rule for the final measurement.

The black jig has the red one beat hands-down when it comes to onboard measurements, as its rules are measured down to the mm. The red jig has markings for the most common CTC (center to center) lengths, which is handy.

The black jig’s Top Stop features a 45º notch that allows the jig to be easily used to mount deco at an angle. (45º angle to be exact.)

Both jigs have an adjustable Side Stop that allows you to set the distance the holes are from the edge. The black jig has a knob that gets in the way when drilling wide drawers or tall doors, but this stop is quickly removable and it stores conveniently onboard a storage hole in the Top Stop.

You’d think everything has been said, but wait, there’s more!

With that said, I think it’s time for a little break before we dig into the really nerdy stuff.

Question: Which one of the following photos best illustrates drilling? Study the photos carefully before looking at the answer.

 

Answer: You might have guessed the Drill team on the bottom left, or perhaps the Drill Sergeant, but you would be wrong. It’s the guy with the Magic 8-ball on the bottom center.  Why? I really wish I had time to explain, but it’s time to get back to business:

The Red jig (001.31.233):

• Smaller than a license plate, it’s easier to carry in a toolbox.

• Tool-less adjustments. The black one needs a screwdriver.

• The center line marking is being held away from the door surface making it somewhat difficult to use.  I used a square and an awe to scratch this center line marking onto the edges of the jig, and highlighted the mark with Liquid Paper.  Much better.

The Black jig (001.35.001):

• Has knobs for quick adjustments, but uses a screwdriver for setting drill guides. This could prevent accidental movement, and miss-drilled holes.

• Allows the drilling for longer handles, such as the popular stainless steel appliance-style pulls.

• Made of polycarbonate, the stuff they us to make crash helmets and fighter jet windshields. It’s virtually indestructible.

Here’s the balance of the details:

So, which jig should you recommend?  They both have useful and unique features and benefits that fit different needs. Who knows, perhaps you need both, but either way you’ll benefit from these tips:

• Use masking tape on the face of doors and drawer fronts for a temporary marking surface for marking center measurements.
• When possible back-up the exit side with a piece of scrap wood to prevent tear-out.  True, it may be covered by the head of the screw, but then again, it may not.
• Use sharp drill bits.  Yes, it really does matter.
• Pay close attention to drawer widths, as drawers that appear to be the same width may vary, and off-center deco will ruin your day and perhaps even your reputation.

Three simple steps towards a more efficient workshop

Note: Today’s blog post comes to us from woodworking consultant and Hafele friend Ralph Bagnall. We asked Ralph to help us give our woodshop readers some advice on making your shop more efficient. Take it away Ralph!

Although I consult with woodworking companies on many different issues, the one that always comes up is how to become more efficient. This is as it should be, since usually, this is where the “low hanging fruit” is. The money and time saved with these steps can provide the means to taking bigger steps and growing your business. So I have compiled a list of three simple and inexpensive ways you can become more efficient:

 1)    Clean Up And Organize

Not surprisingly, a clean, well organized shop is more efficient (and more pleasant to work in) than a messy one, yet many shops I visit are not clean and well organized. Being able to instantly put your hands on the tool or hardware you need at that moment is a lot more important than you might think! 30 seconds looking for a tool, several times a day, among several employees adds up VERY fast over a week or month.

It is also very hard to keep control of inventory if you have hardware all over the place. Always short a few hinges, or spend money buying pulls that you then find in a box? How often do you hear (or say) “Where’s my #%*@#*+! speed square?!” Getting organized will save you time, money and frustration.

And don’t just organize your shop! One shop I am working with spent a couple hundred dollars buying good tool boxes and organizing their install trailer. Now when they leave a jobsite, the workers can see instantly if any tools are missing, and everyone is happier being able to find what they need quickly.

2)    Watch The Handling

Most parts that you make require more than one operation, and many require several. Look carefully at how you are handling parts to see if you can do multiple operations at the same time. Every time you pick a part from a stack and set it onto another stack, that costs you time and money. It is usually necessary, but if you can combine tasks and save one or two stacking operations, that is a win. This is one of the central ideas behind “cellular manufacturing” and can be a powerful tool for saving time and money.

3)    Workflow Mapping

We all have a sense of how work flows through our shops, but actually mapping it out on a floor plan can be quite eye opening! Very often, after doing the same thing job after job, we get complacent and forget how many steps are really needed to build a cabinet.

Taking the time to map the ENTIRE process needed for a face frame, cabinet or drawer box can really highlight where parts run against the work flow or where one operation is too far removed from the rest. It does not take much time, but can pay big dividends in the long run.

Becoming more efficient is not a one- time process. Look at what you do on a daily basis and when you see an chance to make a small change for the better, do it right away. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results and might even find a few extra dollars in your pocket.

About Ralph

Ralph Bagnall - The Consulting Woodworker

Ralph Bagnall is a woodworking consultant and author working throughout the US and Caribbean. He brings more than 20 years of woodworking experience to helping wood companies. Ralph specializes in adapting Lean Manufacturing techniques to custom wood shops.  To learn more about Ralph and the services he offers visit his web site.