I once dropped off a very pedestrian gun (a Savage 212 slug gun) for a very pedestrian job (trigger job). The smithy said "2 weeks" but still had it 6 months later, and hunting season was starting that month.
I called to ask about a completion time. The smithy said it was "all apart now" and it would be another few weeks, which was too long for me. I told him to write up a bill for whatever I owed him for work done till that point, and to put the parts in a box, because I would be by that Friday morning to pick it up.
When I arrived to get the gun, the gunsmith handed me the completed gun. He had that morning's newspaper spread out on his work bench, a TV with "Goodmorning America" going in the background, a big pot of coffee brewing. Looked like he was "settling in" for another hard day's work.
I'll let others decide if this has any application to a true master craftsman restocking a fine old double, etc.
