Arguments for cleaning your shop......

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I started building my shop over 6 years ago in preparation for an eventual retirement. Well, the idiot turners decided I was too organized, practical and disciplined so they took up a collection and sent me my first lathe.

For the next 2 years I didn't do anything but turn. I had 2 sets of saw horses set up and sheets of plywood set on them for work tables or counters if you will. I had nearly $700 worth of light fixtures and bulbs setting in the corner gathering dust as all I did was turn. You get the picture.

I finally stopped turning long enough to finish painting the shop and install the lights. Then I burned out for a while. So I stayed away for a year or more, making little or no progress.

In April of this year, 4 friends from another woodworking forum dropped in on an extended trip and stayed with me overnight. The condition of my shop was embarrassing. A few weeks after they left, I decided it was time to get back into the shop.

The one main tool I didn't have yet was a good jointer. The LOML told me to get it as a combination Father's Day and birthday gift but I really didn't have room. The catch was, however, I needed some storage. I since have built 2 rolling cabinets and most recently one standing cabinet.

Well, just prior to my new G0490X arriving, I got everything pretty well put away in the new cabinets. The 2 sets of saw horses with plywood are now gone and I gained back 64 square feet of floor space.

BUT...I found turning blanks I didn't realize or had forgotten I had. I found one roughed out walnut bowl of some 12-14" diameter that I didn't even remember roughing out but recognized my wrappings in a paper bag. I couldn't believe the number of turning blanks I found!

Once I have my new jointer set up and operational, a wood storage rack and a turning blanks/rough-out storage rack are my next projects.

Sometimes a person really needs to take time to clean up!:o

[Bruce Volden]

Ken,

You make me feel SO much better!!! I put up a 36' X 60' shop in the spring of 2007. Got it weather tight and electrified, heated, drywalled.....mostly. I too "burned out" and have yet to finish a small area of drywall, mudding etc. Now I also have to paint it! :eek: Procrastinators of the world unite--well maybe tomorrow???

Bruce

[Greg Urwiller]

Unfortunately I'm a procrastinator with ADD! I'm getting a new addition for a shop so I've been looking at CL lately for tools. I've missed 3 good deals here in the last month because I "thought about it" too long. Kept putting off calling them back till I was too late. I'll go out to clean out the garage I'm working in now, see something I didn't get finished yet, and make more of a mess doing that. And, I usually don't get it done anyway! When I'm cleaning I'll usually find something I've been looking for, so I put it away in the first place I know I'll look next time. Bad thing is, I don't remember later where that first place is next time. And it goes on and on!! Greg

[Marty Paulus]

My shop is my garage. With that comes all the 'stuff'. I try to clean and organize a couple of time a year at least. Usually spring to move the snow blower out to the shed and fall to bring the snow blower back in the garage. However so far this summer I have gone a few steps farther. I opened up my attic access hole from 22 X 28 to 44 X 43. Now I can get stuff up there. Still have to put some OSB down but now I can get 1/2 sheets up. I also built some shelves for the 'stuff' that was taking up valuable floor space. I am getting closer to having room out there to move again. I still need to orgainze my tool boxes and clean off my work bench but that is more of winter time putzing work.

[Pat Germain]

This summer, I've spend much more time working on my garage shop than doing any actual woodworking. Oh yeah, a lot of it was cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I didn't find any turning blanks (as I don't turn; yet). But I did find a lot of stuff that had been missing for years.

The biggest difference came from hanging a bunch of cabinets on one wall. Many months ago, I went to an apartment under renovation where the owner was offering up all the kitchen cabinets for $5.00 each. I did have to remove them myself (hurt me). For all of $35.00, I got some MAJOR storage.

It did take a lot of work. I had to clean off years of kitchen grease. Then I sanded, primed, painted an installed some knobs from my local BORG. But when it was all done, wow! I'm still trying to comprehend the fact I actually have a place to put things. I have one small cabinet just for safety gear; nice. I even made a place in one cabinet for my shop stereo and mounted speakers at each end of the cabs. Sounds great.

Can't say enough for the advantages of wall cabinets in a wood shop. It makes cleaning much easier when all my accessories aren't sitting on top of horizontal work surfaces.

[Matt Armstrong]

For me it's the irritation with the notion that a small amount of work may take 8 hours. Like someone said, finishing up a small patch of drywall, or running a single circuit. It can turn into an all-day project, and I just contrast this in my mind with actually woodworking all day, or doing something else, and then I never get the small project done.

[Lee Koepke]

I have committed to doing a shop clean/overhaul next. Been making stuff for a craft show this weekend, and i realize now that i have so many little things tucked here and there, I really cant function anymore.

I guess every couple of years your needs / interested change, and then so does your shop. I think I have a bandsaw coming my way in a month or so, and need a bigger drill press. Only way to make that happen is to re-organize.

Fun.Fun.Fun.

[Don Morris]

If my shop isn't organized, I don't know where things are and I'm much less productive. Ticks me off when I find something I had in a hidden spot that I should have known was there but didn't have it organized enough to know better, so I try to make sure that doesn't happen. Much, much easier on me to just go to where "it" (whatever it is) should be and there "it" is. Rather than go to where "it" is supposed to be and "it's" not there. In "top" shops, that's the way it is. And they're clean too.

[Matt Meiser]

Seems like for the past several months, every time I get my shop cleaned up, another house/yard/shop project needs to be done and in the process my shop becomes a dumping ground for tools and supplies. Then I clean it up and...

[Van Huskey]

Seems like for the past several months, every time I get my shop cleaned up, another house/yard/shop project needs to be done and in the process my shop becomes a dumping ground for tools and supplies. Then I clean it up and...


That is my life as well!

[Tom Rick]

Safety and sanity....

[Kirk Poore]

For me it's the irritation with the notion that a small amount of work may take 8 hours. Like someone said, finishing up a small patch of drywall, or running a single circuit. It can turn into an all-day project, and I just contrast this in my mind with actually woodworking all day, or doing something else, and then I never get the small project done.

My wife is going out of town tomorrow to help some of her friends move. Since she is out of the way and won't be suggesting any around the house projects, I've got several nagging shop leftovers to tackle. Minor stuff--but the kind that can blow anywhere from half an hour to half a day. So I'm going to do them tomorrow, and work all day getting just the things on the list done, and if I run out of time, well, I'm out of time. Sunday and Monday I've reserved for working in the shop, not on the shop.

Kirk

[Ron Jones near Indy]

A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind. A clean shop, on the other hand, is a sign of a skilled and organized craftsman.;):D:cool:

[Paul Johnstone]

Seems like for the past several months, every time I get my shop cleaned up, another house/yard/shop project needs to be done and in the process my shop becomes a dumping ground for tools and supplies. Then I clean it up and...

Another "me too" here..

I've got about a dozen home or woodworking projects started.. Need to get the self discipline to finish them all off..Some are really starting to get in the way.. Been working on it :)

[Prashun Patel]

Personally, the Shop is my only excuse in life to have ADD and procrastination.

If I took the necessary time to get properly organized, I'd never have project time.

The only real reasons I take time to clean properly is a) to keep the dust and dirt down so it doesn't migrate to the rest of the house, or my kids' lungs, b) to keep the sharp, heavy, slippy stuff out of the way should my kids wander in.

[Bruce Page]

I see a pattern here. You’ll chuck up that rediscovered blank, get sucked back into the vortex, get burned out, take a year off… :eek:

Congrats on the new jointer! :D

[Chris Padilla]

Cleaning up is when I find everything and attempt to find a permanent place to put it...with the other 3 I already had/bought....

[Gordon Eyre]

These last few days have been spent in cleaning and organizing my shop. Something that I do once a year. Interesting how many short narrow pieces of wood were laying around. I also added a shelf to my planer cabinet for better storage. Best of all, I lightly sanded the top of my workbench and put on a wash coat of varnish and then with steel wool I rubbed it out a bit and put on a coat of paste wax and buffed it once again. I had forgotten how pretty my maple table top was. Even my wife mentioned it. I still have one cabinet area to clean and organize and then I will be done.

This all started when I did a tune up on my jointer. For some reason this spurred me into the overall cleaning job. It does look good though. I guess my motivation was self satisfaction.

[Phil Thien]

:)

Next time it gets that messy I think your wife should threaten you with posting pictures!

[Peter Quinn]

Just the other day I was intent on maybe beginning to finish the RAS fence I started several years ago. I needed it to cut 80" door stiles that my TS sled wont handle. Not having a good fence hasn't stopped me from using it, but it makes accurate repeatable cuts somewhat more difficult than a good stop system would. In any event I was planning to order some left to right and vice versa tapes, when I was fumbling around on a long forgotten shelf behind my dust collector that holds seldom used grits of paper for the drum sander that I purchased in bulk in a fit of stupidity. And what falls on my head, literally, but the fence tapes and parts to finish the RAS fence! I haven't any recollection of having purchased these. Perhaps the gremlins that stole my missing brass turn buckles offered these as an exchange?

So I still haven't found the turn buckles I lost in the shop and know are there which I need for a client I must work for this month, and I'm too busy trying to finish up an entry door for another client I promised would have said door before the weather turns nasty, but I really should do a thorough cleaning of my own shop as well Ken. That sort of "I had no idea I had that" experience should be a solid motivator, but for me it rarely is. In fact I should be down in the shop right now making a new rabbit fence for the shaper to complete the jambs I must make tomorrow, yet I am here laughing because I am not the only one that has not idea what odd tools and parts may be lurking in the odd drawers or corners of his shop!

[Will Blick]

I am relieved too.... although, I am comitted to getting the shop organized and in working order b4 I do any more projects....

But then again, my office desk is the same way.... when we age, it seems we only get motivated to do certain things, cleaning up aint one of them!

[Joe Shinall]

I have a ritual for my shop. It is my garage. So everytime I go to work, I have to wheel my wife's bicycle out of the garage and into the hallway. Then I have to move whatever machines I will be using out and move my Miter Saw and stand out into the driveway. Then I can pull out the power cords and start.

I just got it cleaned up to where I can walk from one end to the other while working without having to move something!

[Jon McElwain]

Two "clean shop" rules I have established:

1) No "house" project is complete without putting away the tools/materials used to do the project. That is, I don't have to work on the next honey-do on the list until the tools/materials from the last project are put away.

2) Every time I walk into the shop, I put 10 things away. Ten screws, ten tools, ten scraps of wood; ten of anything counts, but it keeps the messes down to a minor tornado look. You'd be surprised at how effective it is!

[David Helm]

Having spent thirty years of my life as a builder, I really know how to take a project from beginning to end. Doing sheetrock, wiring, building walls, etc does not need to take forever. It just needs commitment and a full understanding of what it takes to finish, then, as Yoda says; "No try, just do"!

[Peter Quinn]

Having spent thirty years of my life as a builder, I really know how to take a project from beginning to end. Doing sheetrock, wiring, building walls, etc does not need to take forever. It just needs commitment and a full understanding of what it takes to finish, then, as Yoda says; "No try, just do"!

Funny thing is at work I do these things very effectively. From planning to sweeping up, it all goes pretty smooth and jobs get finished and shipped. Things get returned to their place, and everything has a place. But in the home shop, it all goes to pot. Jobs get finished, sometimes, but the shop pays the price, and it often looks like a hurricane afterwards. I should paint the Yoda quote on the wall!

[Dave Verstraete]

A clean shop, on the other hand, is a sign of a skilled and organized craftsman.;):D:cool:

+1 on that. A little OCD doesn't hurt either!:D

[Bruce King]

When I clean up my detached shop and feel pretty good about it, my wife will walk in, look around and say "I don't know how you can stand this mess".

[Dan Karachio]

Since my woodworking is for fun and my shop is a place I enjoy spending time in, I don't mind spending time organizing it and cleaning it up. In addition, I have to justify the expense of my Festool CT 33 and attachment set! So, while I put out a decent amount of work, I have a clean shop. I also spend time reorganizing the place including moving around tools and benches, DC and storage (tools and wood). All this pays off during wood working - I can find what I need, use what I need more effectively and not kick up a mountain of sawdust whenever I move around.

[Tim Null]

My shop is in a one car garage. The two car garage is my wife's. Yes, I have both a one car garage and a two car garage, separate buildings instead of a three car garage. Builder's design....

Space is at a premium. My router table is mobile. My assembly table is as well, along with my clamp rack. All of these are pulled out into my driveway each time I do anything in my shop. So organization is key. If I get a bit messy, I can;t find anything or move around.

So I have spent a lot of time making storage for everything. It is actually very comforting to know exactly where an item is and to be able to go right to it.

At the beginning and end of each session, I just put a bunch of items away. There may be a few items on my workbench, but it is never out of hand.

[Van Huskey]

I just realized I ma much better at making arguments on how not to clean the shop... :D

[Alan Lightstone]

I'm teaching myself woodworking (with lots of help from all of you and google) by turning my garage into a workshop. Building cabinets, specific storage solutions, etc.. So I feel your pain. Truly all the woodworking I have done is for the garage. But I'm on a mission, and I'm slowly making progress. And learning more and more with each progress and developing some skills.

Some day I might actually make something that goes inside a house.

[Don Dorn]

My shop is not that big at 450 sq feet, but it is dedicated which makes me feel pretty lucky. While I have all the large powertools, I'm primarly a Neander. I'm not a clean freak, but despise clutter. I have a few basic rules.

I'm at the limit of what I'll accept for volume of tools in the shop - if something new comes in, something of equal size must go out.

One project at a time.

Tools taken out go back when I'm finished with it, not with the project.

I don't keep small scraps or cutoffs.

Made a small sharpening station for grinder and stones - won't take up bench space with them.

Swept every night regardless of progress on a project.

It's a pain now and then, but it's a pleasure to walk into a clean shop each time.

[George Sanders]

Keeping my garage shop organized is an ongoing battle. I just built a couple more cabinets for hand tools. Most, but not all of my power tools are on mobile bases. I have to roll out whatever I am using and roll it back when done. I have been trying to organize the chaos for years with little success; but I have been steadily gaining on it. I will probably die the day after everything is completely organized and in it's place.:eek:

[Gordon Eyre]

This weekend I had just finished cleaning the last of my shop when I came across a box. When I opened it I found a brand new mortiser attachement for my Jet drill press with a nice selection of chisel bits. I honestly can not remember buying this and it was still in its plastic wrap. Funny thing is I had just bought a stand alone mortiser for my last project.

[Peter Gregory]

I just can't figure out how you use a new jointer on an old turning blank. This clean shop thing is another mystery. :)

My local Riteaid was closing out its hardware department and selling the screws at 90% off, so I bought all of them. Then I bought little drawers to store them at Ikea, varnished them, put little plates on front to label them, then put the screws on the floor next to the cabinet to put away. Six months later, they are still on the floor. Any day now, I'm going to put those screws away. :) Maybe I'll find a roughed out bowl too? I'm hoping now.

[Gordon Eyre]

Just as I was finishing the clean up on my shop I noticed a box under one of the shelves. When I opened it there was a brand new mortiser attachment for my Jet drill press along with several square chisel bits. I honestly can not remember buying this and to make the story even better I just bought a dedicated mortiser prior to starting my last project. :eek:

[Bill Whig]

For me it's the irritation with the notion that a small amount of work may take 8 hours. Like someone said, finishing up a small patch of drywall, or running a single circuit. It can turn into an all-day project, and I just contrast this in my mind with actually woodworking all day, or doing something else, and then I never get the small project done.

In my experience, if you think it may take all day, count on two or three before you'll be able to consider it done. : ) That includes the extra trips to the store for adaptors and such. I'm working on trying to overcome this phenomenon, but it seems like Moore's Law... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

Bill

[John Carlo]

It is hard to get started on a new project when the shop is full of clutter. I'm compulsive about having everything neat and put away and the shop cleaned up before I start something new. Lately, I've focused on home improvements rather than woodworking. So, right now, the shop is full of tools and materials needing to be put away. The shop is a 24 x 44 heated and air conditioned building about 100' behind my house. To make things worse, I just unloaded 6 oak 6 panel doors out there to finish before installing in our second story. It's just a matter of setting aside a day to clean it up.. I retired in the spring of 09 and have been busier than ever. Wives have a definite influence. "Our daughter needs a new kitchen island". "We need to...." "Can you build, paint, remodel, install, refinish? ...." Of course, it will all end some day and everything will get done. But I may be too old to be safe around a saw by then.

[Dan Karachio]

As I spend my labor day cleaning up the shop for a new project, I have to say that as a hobbiest, I do get a lot of enjoyment out of this. I know it isn't immediately productive, but the effort pays off in many ways - I like doing it, end up with a better and better shop and can handle larger and more complicated projects with more efficiency. My pro neighbor has a larger shop and during his slow times (of which he has less and less lately - good for him), he does the same thing. So, while I can appreciate the guys with shops that look like total chaos and yet put out amazing work, I don't think those of us who are a little more toward the anal retentive side should feel defensive.

[Will Blick]

> It just needs commitment and a full understanding of what it takes to finish, then, as Yoda says; "No try, just do"!


Yep, it sounds so sensible and rationale, but for some reason..... arggggg...

The one characteristic I have always valued in some people, is their obsession to be neat and orgainzied... not sure why I never developed this talent, since I value it so high......

[Mark Woodmark]

Someone needs to invent a self cleaning shop. It seems like I spend as much time cleaning my shop as I do working in it. I know this is all in my head as I hate cleaning up my shop

[Lee Koepke]

welllll, i spent the entire day with a shop overhaul. Its time to get rid of things I will never use in a thousand years, and carve our some space for a new piece of equipment I will be dragging in soon.

I guess the new lathe will help me in the overall cleaning of my shop, since I have 3 or 4 boxes of small cut-offs that really dont deserve being flat anymore ...

[Ron Jones near Indy]

One of the best arguments for a clean shop--a clean shop helps keep the shop dog clean. If the shop dog isn't clean, neither of us gets in the house.:rolleyes:

[Lee Koepke]

One of the best arguments for a clean shop--a clean shop helps keep the shop dog clean. If the shop dog isn't clean, neither of us gets in the house.:rolleyes:
ha ... thats SO true !!!!