Little Shop in the Jungle 2
Almost ready to go, needs some stain and there is a giant banana plant hanging over the roof that needs to come down. There are about 200 bananas on it most of which will go to the birds that visit our feeder. We are waiting for a few parts for our planer-molder that need to come from the USA but after they get here we can think about new things. Well, maybe old things.
I am wondering about the current state of flyfishing products. It seems that there is a lot of emphasis on color and decoration and less on functionality. Is a reel more functional because it has a brown trout skin on it? Does a river flowing down your net handle allow you to net your fish more efficiently? One of the companies that I respect is Danielsson Reels of Sweden. They make a super nice product that is entirely produced by them, are not concerned with decorating their reels with bizarre colors, just a functional, dependable product. They also have a wonderful business concept. Read about it here.
A good net should have an attractive design, have woods that are suited to making a durable net and, of course, be eco-friendly, using woods that are plantation grown or invasive species. From time to time we come across trees that have been downed by the electric company for one of their massive projects. We are not happy about this happening but we do use the wood since some of these are priceless. But we prefer to see these trees in their natural element. We humans are extracting too much from the limited resources on the planet. But that's a topic for another time because I am digressing.
This little shop will be a place where I can work on new net designs and other wood projects. It is important to be away from the main shop where I would interrupt the work flow by working on new projects. Having the shop 50 meters from our house is a plus.
The shop is mostly lit by skylights, I have no intention of burning the midnight oil, but we have installed some LED fluorescent lights just in case. There are no heavy duty production tools as they are not required for our needs. Our idea is to step back from the manufacturing rat race and focus on making timeless, functional products.
