Bench Business

Save Time Sizing Rings

To save time when sizing rings, use several pairs of locking tweezers.  Then a number of rings can be held at the same time to solder.

  ~Brad

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Jewelers Workbench Organization

Have two plier racks on your bench.  One closer to your bench pin with the pliers you use all the time.  The other should be further away, for example, on the side of your bench top.  Keep the rest of your pliers there.  Then, when reaching for your pliers, it will be easier to find the one you are looking for.

  ~Brad

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Jewelry Shop Management,Productivity

Time Management

Learn when to say NO.  There are times when a request can not be met.  Saying No up front can save many problems down the road.  For example, do not except a job you know you can not finish in time.  When the promised time arrives, it must be explained to the customer why it is not finished.  In addition, customer’s work that was delayed in an attempt to finish the new work may not be completed when expected.

    ~Brad

Jewelry Shop Management,Time Management,Jewelers Productivity

Time Management

Jewelers need to keep in mind that change is inevitable.  Customer’s requests are not an interruption to their work, it IS their work.  It is the responsibility of the jeweler to balance the salesperson’s pressure for priority action, and completing work already in the shop.  They should then see that any additional work is executed with the minimum disruption.

  ~Brad

Jewelry Shop Management,Productivity

Jewelers Workbench Organization

For small tools, a sliding tray can be made for the drawer.  Place small tools used all the time in the tray.  Other small tools can be placed under the tray and retrieved when needed.

   ~Brad

Jewelers Bench Organization,Jewelry Shop Managment

Time Management

Learn to discern the necessary from the unimportant.  Often we do not have time to complete the necessary work because we spent too much time on trivial tasks and interruptions. 

  ~Brad

Jewelry Shop Management,Jeweler Productivity

Jewelers Workbench

A jeweler working at a bench has a very different workspace than someone who works at a desk.  When working at a desk the workspace is the desktop.  Here papers are worked on and jobs are processed.  However, for a bench jeweler the workspace is primarily the bench pin.  A small portion of the bench top is also used at times for workspace, and needs to be kept clear.  The remainder of the bench top (the majority of it) is used to organize your tools and jobs to be processed.  A properly organized jeweler’s bench does not have a bench top cleared of all tools as a desk.  The bench is different from a desk, the work is different, the tools are different, and different principles need to be applied in organizing it.

 

~Brad

Jewelry Shop management,Bench Organization

Shop Safety

Have safety equipment, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, installed, accessible, and maintained.

  ~Brad

Jewelry Shop Management,Shop Safety

Jewelers Saw Frames

Have two saw frames for two different size saw blades both will always be ready for use.  You do not have to change saw blades just because the wrong size is in the frame.

~Brad

Jewelry Shop Productivity

Breaks

Take several small well-planned breaks instead of one longer break.  Take breaks such as a drink of coffee, or washing your face, etc. between groups of work.  This keeps you refreshed, and working at maximum productivity.  Research shows that a short break every forty-five minutes actually increases productivity.

  ~Brad

Jewelry Shop Productivity,Jewelry Making