: Mortising jigs, router trammels, and bevel grinding guides.
Leave one page at the back of every notebook titled — things you know you wrote down somewhere but can’t find. When you relocate them, update the index with a 👻 FOUND flag and page number. Over time, your index learns your own forgetfulness patterns.
🔧 FIX – working repairs ⚠️ FAIL – mistakes & lessons 📏 MEASURE – dimensions, torque, gaps 🔄 REPEAT – recurring processes 🔗 REF – cross-links to other pages/tools ⏱️ TIME – actual job duration 👻 GHOST – lost note (found on page __) shop notes index
A proper shop notes index answers three questions instantly:
| Field | Data | | :--- | :--- | | | (e.g., Lathe - Chuck) | | Sub-category | (e.g., Runout troubleshooting) | | Location | Notebook 7, p. 112-114 | | Date | 2024-11-03 | | Urgency | [ ] Archive / [ ] Reference / [ ] Critical Setup | : Mortising jigs, router trammels, and bevel grinding guides
This is the heart of the index. You are not indexing sentences; you are indexing concepts . Common keywords for a shop notes index include:
Example: Page 34 – ⚠️ FAIL – Welded mild steel to stainless with wrong rod → brittle joint. Index entry also appears under 🔗 REF on page 12 (where you listed favorite filler metals) and page 41 (a successful stainless repair later). Over time, your index learns your own forgetfulness patterns
"Set up the router table for raised panel doors. Used Freud 99-762 bit. Speed: 12,000 RPM. Feed rate: slow, two passes. Result: No burn marks on red oak."
An index built today and never updated is worthless. Schedule for "Index Maintenance." Review the week's notes. Transcribe keywords. File digital tags.
Implementing a shop notes index can have a significant impact on your business. Here are some of the benefits you can expect: