Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get 2,000+ tool plans, full site access, and more.

User Tag List

Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Pre-sort to Save Time

  1. #1
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,278
    Thanks
    733
    Thanked 2,763 Times in 650 Posts

    rgsparber's Tools

    Pre-sort to Save Time

    One of my least favorite chores is putting away the silverware. The only way to make it less distasteful is to shorten the time. This article explains how pre-sorting the forks and spoons lets me get back to my shop quicker.

    No, I have not lost my mind. This pre-sorting technique works just as well in the shop as we sort, for example, fasteners.

    If you are interested, please see

    https://rick.sparber.org/presorting.pdf

    Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.


    Thanks,

    Rick

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    Rick

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to rgsparber For This Useful Post:

    Jon (Nov 23, 2018), mklotz (Nov 23, 2018)

  3. #2
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,433
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,378 Times in 2,116 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    I do something similar with a variation dictated by the fact that the cooking flatware is kept in a different drawer than the table flatware. Since I'm the one who loads the dishwasher most times it works well. However my wife is allergic to any form of organization so when she "helps" the system falters a bit.

    Sorting is a classic and very important problem in the world of computer programming. Numerous, ever faster algorithms have been developed. If you want to jump down that rabbit hole, a good start is here...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorting_algorithm

    These algorithms are for list sorting, e.g. alphabetizing a list whereas our problem is more of a heap sorting problem. Rather than ordering the flatware by size or color, we want to create heaps of knives, forks, teaspoons, tablespoons, etc.; ordering within the heap is unimportant.

    My approach to the boredom of such tasks is to not waste much time on shortening the task time but rather keep an inventory of problems that I can work on mentally while mindlessly sorting, cleaning, polishing, whatever.

    2000 Tool Plans
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  4. #3
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,446
    Thanks
    7,925
    Thanked 38,616 Times in 11,283 Posts
    Interesting. I admit I intentionally intermix the different kinds of utensils, I guess habitually, to avoid nesting, possibly as a holdover from when utensil caddies lacked the flip-down organizing tops? At least I have progressed to removing the utensil caddy and placing it on the counter above the silverware drawer prior to unloading it. I still see people fail to do this.

    I am also curious about utensil caddy placement in the dishwasher door. I wonder if this is gimmicky, or if there is real utility in the ability to load utensils without pulling out the bottom drawer, and this will be the standard going forward (like the third top drawer/tray for large utensils).


  5. #4
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,278
    Thanks
    733
    Thanked 2,763 Times in 650 Posts

    rgsparber's Tools
    Marv,

    I hope you know me well enough to realize I love "rabbit holes"! Very entertaining read.

    Thanks,

    Rick
    Rick

  6. #5
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,433
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,378 Times in 2,116 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by rgsparber View Post
    Marv,

    I hope you know me well enough to realize I love "rabbit holes"! Very entertaining read.

    Thanks,

    Rick
    Absolutely. A good technical rabbit hole, especially one rich in mathematics, is something to be slowly savored like a good cigar and an old brandy. I'll see if I can find some other juicy ones.
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  7. #6
    Supporting Member Frank S's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Peacock TX
    Posts
    11,178
    Thanks
    1,974
    Thanked 8,766 Times in 4,195 Posts

    Frank S's Tools
    I do miss having a dishwasher even though of the houses that I have lived in where I had a dishwasher we almost never used them for washing dishes. there were a lot of other things I found them useful for. like washing athletic gear my caps that I wear. and don't tell the misses some of my tools and parts
    Last edited by Frank S; Nov 24, 2018 at 08:45 AM.
    Never try to tell me it can't be done
    When I have to paint I use KBS products

  8. #7
    Content Editor
    Supporting Member
    DIYer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    3,056
    Thanks
    772
    Thanked 1,850 Times in 1,652 Posts
    Thanks Rick! We've added your Presorting Method to our Storage and Organization category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:




    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •