# How often do you take breaks in your shop..??



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

A few years ago I had to have new knee replacements, a hip replacement, and had 2 back surgeries previous to that…...Sincew then I've had to take breaks pretty often while in the shop…I'm good aof about an hour at a time, and then I have to sit down, rest, have a cup of joe, and a smoke…..I have a "break area" where I have a computer chair (it was given to me), a small table for my ashtray, coffee, and smokes, plus a stack of woodworking magazines, and while I'm contemplating my next move, or next step to take in the project, I sit, relax, and rest my body for a spell…....How about you….? Do you have a break area…??


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## Madwood (Jan 17, 2010)

Having COPD, it gets kinda rough at times working in the shop. Add bad knees and being a fata$$ doesn't help either. I can usually get about 15-20 mins worth of work done, then have to rest for a few minutes. I persist though! I have mats on the floor and DC and air scrubber in use, along with a dust mask to help prevent further damage to myself. I just try to make the best of a not so good situation.

John


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I sympathize with you and have had spinal fusion, hip replacement and revision and various other older people ailments. I think that this is all to common for many of us. I am good for an hour or so and then have to sit and have some coffee. I am retired and in absolutely in now hurry to get anything done but just want to enjoy.

I have mats everywhere that I can. I took up the scroll saw two years ago and have a comfortable adjustable high stool with a back that I use. I do Intarsia which means a lot of shaping of pieces I have cut and have things set up so I can sit on my stool and work with things.

Everything in my shop is set up higher than normal so that I do not have to bend. I raised my cabinet saw almost 6" to make it easier on me. I also do not even try to lift a full sheet of plywood and will spend extra for the half or quarter sheet.

I am certain that there are plenty others on this site with similar problems. It would be interesting to hear from them on what they have done to help with physical limitations like the back.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Yep…...like you also, when I built my work tables, benches, RAS station, etc., I made everything 42" high so I wouldn't have to stoop either….When I bend over, and do what I call a "half stoop", that just kills my back…This is one reason I don't work with hand tools, like planes, etc…..I too have big thick mats at every work station, and they do help, but I still have to have them breaks…..Like Redoak49, I'm retired also, and I work or play, as I call it, at my own pace, unless I'm doing a customer job, but they will just have to wait till I'm done….


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

I do not have a break near the shop, too tempting to stop. I usually work to a good stopping point and stop. Sometimes that is in the 15 to 20 minutes before dinner is ready, sometimes 4 hours will go by. I am starting to feel the back and feet more, sucks. But I am told, old age is better than the alternative.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I take several breaks during the day but they are usually very short breaks…about 5-10 minutes or so…just enough to check emails and rest my feet for a few moments… any longer than that makes it harder to get back working. I have an office/man cave above my workshop that has my desk, computer, photography setup, exercise equipment (5-10 minutes working with the barbells gets the blood flowing) my recliner and is decorated with a lot of stuff I have collected to make it enjoyable to hang out in.


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## English (May 10, 2014)

I have two replacement knees and if I stand more than an hour or so I have problem so I stop about once an hour and sit. I work from a sitting position as much as possible.


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I take breaks when the back starts hurting. The break last about 10 minutes and I am good to go for awhile. I just enjoy being in the shop the breaks do not bother me.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Wow. Some troopers in here. I take breaks whenever the funnel I have running through the wall in my shop, isn't the proper receptacle when I need to go. Or if I need a drink. Or go to the hospital.


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## timbertailor (Jul 2, 2014)

During the summer, I can go about three T shirts long before I call it quits. I have also built my latest work stations at 40" and noticed a huge improvement in long term comfort.

When you are in the groove, three hours can pass very quickly.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Good reasons to take breaks, guys…..I figure many of us are not as young as we once were, and I know by my own experiences, that I'm not able to do a lot of things I could do 10 years ago…..I got pretty heavy, and fleshened up with a few pounds, but I've been on a diet (still at it), lost about 20 lbs., and that has helped me sustain a bit longer…. But, I still need the breaks for the other reasons…


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Typically I stop for lunch. That's it. I recently put a fridge out there so I could keep myself hydrated with cold water.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I've thought about putting a little fridge in mine, but since I drink a lot of coffee, especially in the morning, I have a coffee maker and all the amenties for it..Well…. I did have a coffee maker…..It crapped out on me yesterday, so now I got to go get my back-up out of the garage…...You've always got to have something in reserve for emergencies…....!!!!!!!!!


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

This is a small fridge that belongs to my wife from college. My grandma had it in her nursing home for the last 5 years. She passed away and it came back to me. It sat in my shop for a while before I decided to plug it in. I like it, but I have run out of water bottles. Need to restock.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

My wife has a small one in her beauty shop she uses to keep cold drinks, water, etc. for her hair customers….If she ever decides to retire and sell it, I'm gonna get that one and put it in my shop for the same purpose…...I don't drink water, so I'll keep some drinks in it, but mainly I drink coffee more than anything…...Like I need another obsticle in my way…...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## PLK (Feb 11, 2014)

It really depends on the project for me. If it's larger projects cabinets, shop furniture etc I can get lost in my work. Last Saturday I opened the door of my basement shop and it was dark, I was in there since lunch. On more intricate smaller projects that I'm not used to I take frequent smoke, coffee breaks sometimes only working for 15-20 minutes before I really have to think about my next step.

Paul


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## mudflap4869 (May 28, 2014)

I can manage about 10 minutes at a time on my feet then I have to sit down or fall. I have an old office chair that I do most of my work from. Agent orange and lymes disease left me with arthritis throughout my body and I can barely hold the tools any more. This afternoon it took me about 5 minutes to drive 2 one inch screws into pre-drilled holes. It took me half of the day to install an outet, a switch and a light fixture. found that the switch was bad and damn near cried. Another half hour just to change out the switch. What i could do in 10 minutes back in 96 now takes me about 2 hours. Old age aint for sisies! The only thing I can faster today is fill my bladder.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Usually my day kind of starts off with coffee, heading to the shop (with my coffee with me, of course), if I have a job to get out, work till dinner time, come in, eat, go back to the shop till around 2:00, then come in and take a nap for an hour or two, go back out and play till super time, and then sometimes I go back out for another couple of hours, and sometimes I don't …...just depends on what I'm doing…...I usually just rest my back and knees the rest of the night…....


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

@mudflap 4869: You said you were exposed to Agent Orange….? Did you get it in Viet Nam..? If so, what outfit were you with, and what year (s)..? I was there in 1967 with the 25th Infantry Division…..Luckily I was never exposed to that stuff…...


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## mudflap4869 (May 28, 2014)

I was in Nam during 1970. SOG Siagon. Lots of little side trips to.. OOPS, never been there. WELCOME HOME BROTHER!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Rick, I feel bad for you and the others who have to take a break every hour or so. I just go into recuperation for an unknown period after I over do it. I never know when that will be in spite of trying to be careful. No joint replacements, but I have unloader knee braces on both knees. Got the first in 2004. They separate the bones in the joint. Work great.

Other than avoiding bright light and a few other migraine triggers, the only problem is my hip is sensitive after spending 45 years on ladders. It has gotten a lot better since I retired last spring. I probably should have retired a couple of years ago, but it is hard to let go of something you enjoy doing.

I'm in recoup mode now. I spent a few hours weed wacking the site for Campfire's day camp a month ago. That got me to the edge, but no real problems. I can't believe playing put put golf with the grand kids did me in ;-(

BTW, Nothing to do if I take a break. I'm as pure as driven snow; no coffee or smokes ;-)) ;-))


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Glad to hear you're enjoying retirement, Bob…Nothing like it…Hope the Topamax is not giving you too much trouble….With good drugs these days, you can control just about anything…..No replacements is good…..I know about leg braces, too….After I got hurt, I had to wear short leg braces for about 5 years, so I understand completely…..We're not getting any younger, so we just have to learn to take it slow and easy sometimes….especially slow…...You're lucky you have no vices…..The military taught me all I need to know about about coffee and smokes…...lol..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Good morning.
Great post. I have a yet undiagnosed neurological condition (MS is the working theory) and have muscle spasticity and massive fatigue.
I tend to get carried away in the shop and push myself too far. I did that yesterday and am paying for it today and had little sleep last night.

The second my mind wanders away from what I'm doing, I unplug any power tools. The thing to do then would be to leave the shop, but I usually stay to tidy up.

Maybe breaks would help, but I'm a slow learner.


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

Break time = me getting to go out to my shop. I don't get near enough breaks.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Thanks, Sandra…..Some "food for thought" on limitations in the shop…..When my brain doesn't want to function like it needs to, and I start getting to the point of trying to push myself…...that's when I stop and take breaks with coffee and a smoke, but mainly to rest my back and the rest of my wore-out body…..lol…I learned a long time ago to do this, so like you, I'll have a sleepless night, and feel sore and tired…...Learn to take some breaks while in the shop…..if it's just short rest periods…...it helps…


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

Good topic, Rick, with some thoughtful posts. Like you, I'm a coffee drinker, so my breaks are triggered by bathroom breaks more than anything. I do tend to get absorbed in the tasks at hand so I've been known to miss meals because of it. Thank God I don't have the physical limitations others have written about (I'm 58) but I know they're coming. I keep time by which programs come on through the shop radio.

EDIT-I do keep a small dorm refrigerator in the shop with water, "athletic drinks" and a few carbonated beverages so I can get a quick drink.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I don't stop working to take breaks, but when my back and knees get tired I can usually find some work that i can do while sitting. The garden work is a different thing. I sometimes take a lot of breaks alternating resting for the same amount of time as I use working. Being retired, I can still get a lot done in a day, but I have learned that there will be another day to finish the job if necessary.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Rick, I can work maybe 6 hours in the shop and then I quit and take a break at the end of the day. I'll sit in the shop an hour or so before heading to the house. It's a profitable break, however, because I'm mostly thinking about the shop or whatever I'm working on. I've got two bad knees and my back can also cause problems if I don't watch it. I'm slowly trying to build up my indurance to where I can work a full 8 hours. I've worked long hours for most of my life at the plant but I'll never be able to do that again. In fact, being a workaholic is mostly why I have bad knees and back problems.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## OldWrangler (Jan 13, 2014)

Fate is a cruel thing. Several years ago I had spinal surgery and almost couldn't bend over. Something dropped, it had better be steel so my magnet on a stick can pick it up. During that time I raised all my benches, table saw and tables to 44". I am 6' 3" and it really helped. Then came a time when vertigo, double vision and general weakness in the legs started. I had to use a wheel chair but now everything is too tall. With my son's help we cut everything lower so I could reach things. I have the magnet on a stick and a couple of 54" snake grippers. The little things with rubber tips were useless getting a can of stain off a shelf so I found these really strong grabbers and they work great. After about a year of this, my doctor cut back on some of my meds and added something for my Parkinson's. A month of that and I was out of the wheelchair and back standing again. Now everything is too f--ing low. I can't seem to get a break. Gradually I am getting stronger and work in 2 hour intervals, 1/2 hour rest time and a Sam Adams Summer Ale. Gradually we are raising things back to 42" and it makes a real difference. I wonder what will happen next when everything is higher?


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

OldWrangler,
I hope you won't take offence, but I had a good chuckle at your post. Fate has a cruel sense of humour.
Keep at it.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*Rick*, Retirement is great! I love being paid for doing nothing ;-)

I took myself off Topamax almost 10 years ago. I have some apparently permanent neurological damage. It took 3.5 years to regain my ability to type coherently. I still scramble about 5% of the words and occasionally get words out of order or use the wrong word when I talk. There is a valuable lesson there for everyone; never trust a doctor who denies or doesn't believe in side effects. When they got to excessive sedation letting me stare out a window the rest of my life, my daughter diagnosed the problem in a couple days after checking what they were using on me. I got off Seroquel before they were able to give me diabetes. When they are flirting with permanent disabilities and even death, it seems eerily close to the experiments of Josef Mengele. That may seem a bit harsh, but I was close to death and severely disabled for several months. I'll never be able to perform at the pre-Topamax level. That is only a minor inconvenience now that I'm retired.

I stay a way from haz-mat. I'm sure there are many meds that work well when objective diagnosis is possible with specific tests, but migraines do not fit there. It took over a decade, but I solved them myself through careful observation and with a few years of narcotic pain control.

I quit smokes, just never learned to like coffee. I'm not fessing up to any other vices ;-)

My dad told me he did not have any aches or pains until he was in his 60s. He was daylight to dark farmer. Little brother mentioned if we did not learn how to work, it was not his fault. He did different things with the seasons. He did not spend his life doing repetitive activities every day. Well over half his life, nearly everything he ate was grown organically on the farm. It was not full of hormones and other high production additives; nor was it "processed" commercially. I can not help but wonder how much difference that makes?

*Sandra*, A friend was diagnoses with MS about 35 years ago. She did a lot of research and has controlled it with diet. PM if you want me to get in touch with her for any information.

*OldWrangler*, Don't screw the extensions too tight. Better yet, make them adjustable. ;-) You are lucky the dr took you off the meds that were doing the damage.

Life is godd, especially when I'm BBQing slaomn for dinner ;-) PS. I just left those 2 misspellings or rather confusions to demonstrate the long term effects of Topamax damage. Some good will come of it is others can be spared.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Like others I am task oriented so I tend to work to a stopping point. That said I am also not on any deadlines I only do work for myself here at the house so who cares how long it takes. I prefer to enjoy my work and when I am tired like others I take a smoke break and sit in one of several areas I have made to be nice cozy spots to chat with friends, plan my next steps or just relax with the wife and enjoy life.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

I can relate to how most of you feel. Especially when it comes to your back, legs, & knees. I am what the law & my Sawbones considers a disabled OTR truckdriver. I drove 35 years OTR. I had Viral menengitis in 2009, that was the start of most of my major health issues. A year later, I went went back to driving, had a nervous breakdown after 2 family deaths, two weeks apart & had a seizure in the truck. Since then, I have been on seizure meds & will never drive OTR again. In January of this year, I was given a choice of major back surgery, or a wheel chair. I took the surgery. Since the surgery, my pain is gone to the floor. But am starting to have trouble with my feet and hands. As far as breaks, it depends on what I'm workin' on. If I'm at the scroll saw, I have to get up & move every hour or so. If I'm workin' at the bench, most of my projects can be worked on sitting down, if I have to. I"m no longer able to lift a full sheet of anything anymore. I have grandkids to help with that. And I am not able to work on heavy projects much anymore. I can build chairs & things, but dressers, beds, etc., are out of the question. I take a break when my ol' body tells me its had enough for awhile, then go back to work. I work til lunch time, & go back to the shop after lunch, & then go to the house when my wife gets home from work about 3 or so. By then, I've usually had enough.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Good answers, ladies and germs….Sounds like old age, ailments, and time, is running amuck…...lol….I determined a good while back that getting old ain't for sissies, too…..But….we have to make the best with what we've got, so let's not stop doing what we all like and we all enjoy…...being in the shop, and making something beautiful and useful out of all them trees….Keep posting….it's gettin' good…...!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

You got it Rick! ;-) No matter how bad it may seem, it could be worse. Be thankful for how well off we are. Now, back to getting my shop in order if I'm not on the verge of limping tomorrow ;-))


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

At this point in my life with work and small children, If I get an un-broken hour in the shop, it's a treat. A 2-3 hour stretch probably only happens every month or two.

When I hear screaming in the baby monitor, I know it's time to take a break.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I'm only 54 (and 10/12ths) but I feel aches and pains, especially as I do a lot of drywall, house painting and ladder work. My suggestion would be to cut the cigarettes - I'll bet your endurance will increase.


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## Disneytodd (Aug 17, 2014)

I'm one of the broken ones and new to this forum thing. I have to take breaks every 20 min and some days I can't get out of my bed for up to 6 days at a time the most I have been effected for what a month bed rest from my CRPS and the other effects of my severed spinal cord along with my Pulmanary embolisms that have put me in the hospital but I love it when I do get stuff done. I hav a hot plate to keep my coffee hot and my fridge to keep my water and soda cold and the most important tool is a phone in case of emergency along with a whistle to get attention if needed! I rarely eat due to loss of appetite due to my meds. But every time I am in my shop I am happy and just for the short time I get I feel like I somewhat escape my condition that I live with life is what we make of it and I try to choose to be happy and make the most of it with some sawdust to!


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