Getting work out of your shop.

[possom hawk]

This is for you full time guys and gals. I've had my full time shop going on three years now and my question to you all is this. In what order do  you get your work out? Do you take the orders as they come in, such as the new guy goes on the bottom of the pile, or do you group them up ,such as heads, birds , mammals, and fish? Do you work all heads then move to say fish? I have been using the" in order" method but it seems that you no sooner get going with mammals or heads than up comes a fish. Like I said just wondering.

[PLTannery]

In order within reason...  Do rugs first so they can get to the rugger for felting... do whatever comes back from the tannery next, deer et and whatever makes your shop flow.  I usually do 3 or 4 mounts at a time.. all the same thing.

[dhart]

I do them in the order I get them in. However, if someone wants it for a show or in a hurry, I do charge a $25 fee to expedite a head.

[Cole]

I'm with PL, in order withing reason. I'm not going to drop what I'm doing because some guys crappie came up next in line, but for the most part stuff goes out in the order it came in. I do things in groups, like now I've been working on some mammals, and in a week or two I'll be starting on '09 turkeys.

[Doug Bridges]

I think you have to look at what allows you to work efficiently. I agree with the rugging comment. Those things you need to get out to subcontractors, do that. Mounting groups of mount, ie. deer, birds, fish, etc. allow you to get efficient instead of mounting a deer, then mounting a bird, then mounting a deer and then a fish just because the work orders are numbered in sequence. Why not take 4 deer, prep 4 skins, prep 4 manikins, mount 4 deer and then move to a week of bird mounting, then fish in groups.
Of course you have instances where someone wants their mount back fast, you move them to the front and they pay the extra 50% to get there.

[RJ Simington]

Full deposit dates.

That dirrects whom is next.

On top of my work invoice I have a box that has the date the full 1/2 down for deposit was recieved even if it took payments to get to that point.

[michael p.]

All depends on what kinda mood i'm in and how much money they have.

[ElkinsTaxidermy]

Full deposit dates.

That dirrects whom is next.

On top of my work invoice I have a box that has the date the full 1/2 down for deposit was recieved even if it took payments to get to that point.

Same here pretty much.

[duckfeathers]

                         Ahhh. Getting the jobs out. It took many years to understand commercial taxidermy is an assembly process.  Example;  Right now we are doing birds.  We set up each bird job (parts/base) in a box and then mount (put together) them until they are all done ( gets tight when you have 30 or more). Then finish them by species.  Some have been waiting for 8/9 months, others just came in a month ago. .... We have to focus on productivity to stay in business.    If we had to do a deerhead today, a raccoon tomorrow, and a stripe bass the day after, after a few years I'd be in a strait jacket headed for a mental hospital. The shop gets interesting looking after we get done the snakes.......................

[possom hawk]

I thank you all for your replies. There is something from everyone that might help better the "production time" in the shop. Especially the rugging comment never thought of that

[cyclone]

Interesting avatar hawk....Do you make your own buckskin?

[possom hawk]

No Cyclone I don't. Too lazy I guess, I just sew them myself for rendezvous and blackpowder shoots