A bit of organization!

[John Keeton]

I am usually pretty OCD with my shop - cleaning up after each turning session, putting all tools away - the typical Type A personality that lives a very structured, albeit short, life!:eek::(

But, recently, my sandpaper situation was getting too crowded. I had a couple of 6 bin units, but decided to get two more and rearranged them. I was able to find two more to match the ones I had, and they actually connect together and screw to the wall.

I now have all my small sheet goods in labeled bins, all my Vince's stuff in labeled bins, including the new 1" stuff I got with an extender to sand the bottoms of hollow forms, etc., and a couple of emptys for whatever comes along. The labels don't show well in the pics.

Just thought I would share a pic or two - nothing else much to show for today's effort. Just waiting for finish to cure on the next turning.

[Lee Koepke]

nice! I am an OCD wannabe ... I have every good intention of cleaning up every day, but sometimes .... umm most times ... that doesnt happen. I like the storage unit, I have a place for my gouges and small tools, but the sandpaper mess really bugs me.

[Roger Chandler]

I have re-arranged my shop 2 dozen times over the last 5 years, and each time it gets better.............but I don't have my sanding supplies organized like you do............I'm almost jealous! ;):D

That is a nice way to do it.........makes me wonder if I can rearrange again and find a little wall space.............

thanks for showing us your OCD side, John! :rolleyes: You are not alone!

[Brian Libby]

Wow! what a concept-sandpaper supply that is organized!!
Thanks for pictures. This has to be high on my priorty list!!

[David E Keller]

Any chance you used a level when you mounted that stuff to the wall?:p:D

I'm type A at work, so the shop organization suffers usually. I would like to get some bins for my discs since I've just been keeping them in the bags... Where'd you get them and how many discs will each bin hold?

[John Keeton]

David, rest assured, a level was used!!!:D Can't have the sandpaper out of level. Every time I looked at it, I would want to straighten it!!!

The first two bins were acquired a while back, but the black ones came from Tiger Direct at this link (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6137223&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE). Other than color, they are identical to the others with sliding dovetail connectors at the top corners. Each bin will hold about 25-30 - 2 3/8" blue discs.

[Cathy Schaewe]

I would like to get some bins for my discs since I've just been keeping them in the bags... Where'd you get them and how many discs will each bin hold?

Me too. I vacuum everything, including the bandsaw, when I'm done for the day, but my sandpaper organization leaves something to be desired. Help us out with our OCD tendencies!:eek:;)

[John Keeton]

Cathy, I turn on the DC unit, and open 2-3 blast gates and blow everything off with the air hose. Then, I sweep the floor to the floor sweep on my DC system. Gotta have a clean shop!!!

[Tim Thiebaut]

Nice organization there John, I clean up every time I am done turning, my problem is I have WAY to much stuff in a very small area. I cant help but have stuff on top of other stuff! You should see my table saw...I mean my storage shelf....

[Fred Perreault]

Nice looking organizers John. I avoid organizing for extended periods, then when I get depressed and tired of the chaos, I spend time making things better. Like Roger said, it gets more organized each time I tackle it. I was able to acquire several bins from a shuttering auto parts store. It was the bins that stored a brass fittings assortment, and they take the sandpaper supplies very well. I also use the bins to store other odds and ends. Unfortunately they aren't clear, so I can't see the contents.

[Wally Dickerman]

Sheesh....I am associating with neat freaks!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Yep I will attest to a clean shop. Makes mine look pretty shabby.:eek::D Nice organization there John.

[Harry Robinette]

John
I'm close to you on this one ,my shop stay's cleaned after every job.My sanding disc have been in those tilt-a-bins for years and they do work better then anything else did. They also keep the disc from picking up foreign particles.
Harry

[Sean Hughto]

Lookin sharp, meester K. A place for everything and everything in its place.

Your place does look remarkably clean - you must not have to use that sanding stuff much ;-) Near my lathe, the 60 grit gouge "shavings" seem to be embedded in the surroundings!

[Jon McElwain]

Sheesh....I am associating with neat freaks!!!

Yeah, pretty disgusting isn't it!?

[gary Zimmel]

Can't have enough storage in the shop. Nice way to keep organized John.
But I'm thinking the way you are collecting turning items you should of put up a few more bins....

[Rich Aldrich]

I like your idea of bins for sandpaper discs. I was going to partition a drawer, but this might be a better method. My shop is aways a bit cluttered, but slowly improving - steady by jerks.

[Rick Markham]

Good lookin set up John... Now you need to come over and organize mine!:D

All these flat work tools keep getting in the way... I need to buy another tablesaw to put all this stuff on :eek:

[Curt Fuller]

John, do you wear a coat and tie while turning? Maybe under your white smock? Just to keep the shaving from going down your neck? ;)

My shop would make you crazy!

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - looks great! Very organized and very clean looking! I would expect nothing less! Enjoy the organization!

[Brian McInturff]

Geez, I'm jealous of all you that have walls to hang stuff on. My shop building is all aluminum framed with panelling on the inside walls. Leonard buildings don't have a typical 2x4 16" center studs. So what few items I was able to hang I had to use self tapping screws and pre-drill. A clean shop is the only way to go, makes it easier to work when you walk back in. Thanks for sharing John.

[Scott Hackler]

....not to self: Spend 2 days cleaning up shop before any visit from John Keaton. :)

[Don Alexander]

my shop has that "lived in" look well at least thats my story and i'm sticking to it :D

[Richard Madden]

Sheesh....I am associating with neat freaks!!!

Amen to that, Wally. They wouldn't want to see my shop.

[bob svoboda]

John, if you are ever out this way, I would love for you to visit my shop for a day or two-it could use your tender touch!

[Carol Kinney]

Nice and neat just like the guy that lives there – hummmm . . . you trying to tell us something? LOL Really John that is sweet, but now I'm going to have to decide if on the wall would be better than in a drawer – we turners do live a rough life! I’m thinking that the drawer with slots would be nice for larger sheets plus storage before I need to cut them up. Then I could put the style like you have on the wall next to the lathe with the paper cut and ready to be used – looks like a win/win! Thank you John for posting this – I do like a very neat and organized shop.

Now thanks to you and Sean, I know what to do with the one large drawer I have that’s full of sand paper!

[Andy Pogue]

Dust protects, it is God's slipcover.

[John Keeton]

I just need all of you to know that I have not always been this way with my shop!!! I do recall the days of standing knee deep in shavings and sawdust. But, since installing the DC system, life is good! I am motivated to keep it clean and organized. Or, perhaps it is just some early signs of mental illness setting in!:eek::confused:


Dust protects, it is God's slipcover.Andy, Ms. Keeton will need to read this!!! She will love it.

[Roger Chandler]

A CLEAN shop is a SAFE shop! I spent 2 days 2 weeks ago cleaning and rearranging things. Cleaned and waxed my table saw and bandsaw tops, and rebuilt the stand for my drill press to make it more stable. I actually have room to walk now that I have those log blanks moved from away from the door! I can actually put a board on my radial arm saw without having to move a pile of other stuff!

When I get mine cleaned, then I want to go in and do some work.............something about a fresh start that gets the old "want to" in gear! :D;)

[David Warkentin]

My shop is also a mess. Just picked up about 650 bd ft of cherry. And have a bunch of wood in there for blanks. But I can still walk in there. Yes the cherry is only about 4/4. You didn't think all I did was turn did you?:)

[Jon Lanier]

I am no where near OCD. But, if no one moves anything, I pretty much know where it all is. At least that's what I tell my wife. The upside is, I may have chance of living longer.... in a state of confusion.

It all looks good John!

[Jon McElwain]

Sheesh....I am associating with neat freaks!!!

I suppose the down side to not being a neat freak is that you might just be some other kind of freak.

Guess I better order some sandpaper organizers and a broom....

[David DeCristoforo]

Wally said it all... scheech! How the heck do you find anything in there?

[charlie knighton]

Sheesh....I am associating with neat freaks!!!

my only requirement is that i do not have anything under my feet/shoes, adjust tool rest 5 times, sweep shavings aside

does anyone file their toolrest before starting????

[Wally Dickerman]

When I find that my lathe is getting shorter it means that I'm standing on several inches of wood chips. Get out the shovel!!

[Dan Forman]

Looks kind of like an operating room if you ask me. :D

When I'm turning green wood, I let the shavings sit on the floor an dry out for a few days before sweeping up so that the bag isn't as heavy going up the stairs.

Dan

[John Keeton]

Dan, I rarely turn green wood, but when I do, I sweep the shavings over to the DC floor sweep, and let them sit for a few days to dry out. I don't want the wet chips/shavings in my fiber drum collector molding and possibly combusting.

When I find that my lathe is getting shorter it means that I'm standing on several inches of wood chips. Get out the shovel!!
Wally, you are hilarious!!!



does anyone file their toolrest before starting????

Charlie, I do sand mine off each time and check it. It is starting to sound like I might have some serious issues!!:eek: I sure hope there is help available!:D It doesn't sound like this group can offer much!;)

[Ron Stadler]

Looks good John, I need to get out to the garage and do some cleaning and arranging myself.

[Rob Cunningham]

Great idea for the sanding disks John. I will definitely not let my wife see the pics of your shop. She's always threatening to come out and clean up a little, that will only give her just cause.:)

[Edward Bartimmo]

John,

I love neat shop...any chance for some pictures of the entire layout. My shop is a hybrid between OCD organized and Ninja training ground. Everything has its place, but there are more things than space permits, especially the wood stacks. I do some log & stump balancing acts when walking from any corner to the other. It is hard to let go of nice wood even if I have more than I could hope to turn.

[John Keeton]

Edward, I posted a shop tour back in mid 2009 in this thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?117074-Shop-tour-finally!/page6). That was prior to getting a lathe, so there has been a little switching in one corner where the drop down table and clamps were stored. Just shifted the clamps to another corner, and the drop down table doesn't drop down anymore unless I move the lathe!!

Otherwise, it looks pretty much the same. I have a separate area in the metal building in which I store much of my turning wood, and then I have a barn that has flat stock in it, as well as a bunch of green turning wood.

[Roger Chandler]

Pretty nice digs there, John. I love the spacious shop and the great storage area. Hopefully, one day, I will build something along those lines myself! Hummmmmmm..................the only thing missing is one of those monster size lathes........:D:D:D:D:p

[Dennis Simmons]

This is my sand paper organizer, I got it from a sheet rock crew, I can take it any place in my shop that, I am working. Please notice that the floor is clean.185051

[phil harold]

I have better luck cleaning photos up in photoshop than cleaning the shop


looks nice
some day I will get organized...

[Dan Forman]

John, I was late to the shop tour...really nice shop you have there. Mine is in the basement, and very crowded. My sister calls it "the kingdom". I know what you mean when you call it your retreat. I work on an inpatient psychiatric ward, and find that all thoughts of work fade away when I'm down there.

Dan

[Scott Hubl]

Nice job John.

Looks like a couple of getting organized threads are popping up .

I am Finally on a bit of a Quest myself with getting at the very least, Semi Organized myself and started with my lathe tools and the Rocket Launcher II I recently made for them.

Yesterday I sold my PerformaX 16-32 Drum Sander and am deciding what to sell off next to make some much NEEDED room to work. Had to make a choice, turning or flat work, turning is winning. I just don't have the room to do both even tho I would like too.

I have no interest in segmented turning so the drum sander was the first to go.

I Wish I had it in me to just be more organized naturally. Or Rich so I had a shop to hold it all with room to breath. lol

[Jeff Nicol]

John, It sure looks nice to me! But I have about 150 pounds of sand paper in different cofigurations from huge rolls to 500 sheet packs and 2 24"x20"x6" full of discs and so many different things I am not evern sure what I have!! I have friends who work/worked for 3-M and I got tons of it for pennies on the dollar and I can get more when they have big sales of outdated or excess pallets of product. One of my best buddies before he retired from 3-M bought pretty close to a pickup load so I can go dig through his shelfs when I get desperate! It is not always what you know, but who you know!

Good to be clean and organized, hope I can get there some day!

Jeff

[Chuck Jones]

Is there a vaccine to prevent it?

I want to know so I can avoid it.

[John Keeton]

Chuck, apparently OCD is spread through the installation of dust collection systems. Seems that those folks that install a DC system are prone to OCD?!?!?:confused: Perhaps it somehow lowers immunity??;):D

[Roger Chandler]

Is there a vaccine to prevent it?

I want to know so I can avoid it.

OCD stands for "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" - People with this condition get freaked out if everything is not a certain way they like it to be........it unnerves them and they have to try to put things back in order as they see what that order should be, sometimes to the point they cannot function with anything being what they consider "out of place."

A good read on this condition can be seen in the character that Jack Nicholson played in the movie "As Good As It Gets."

[Mike Davis NC]

I can make stuff or i can have a clean shop. I'd rather make stuff.

We moved a couple months ago and I'm still trying to find my tools, build cabinets and install outlets.

The lathe is manually powered at the moment. Yep, I actually turned some spindles turning the lathe over with one hand while holding my skew with the other last night.
Trying to assemble a table for the kitchen. Maybe in another week or two I can get the subpanel and some outlets installed.

Did I mention I work full time? My shop sits on the back burner most of the time.

[dean griffith]

John, Where is the operating table?????? Looks great and I thought I was organized.

[John Keeton]

I can make stuff or i can have a clean shop. I'd rather make stuff.
Mike, hope you are able to recover from the move and get your shop functional!

I actually find that a clean shop enhances my productivity substantially. I can immediately access anything I need, all tools are in "their home", and I don't have to dig thru a mess to find something.

[Roger Chandler]

Mike, hope you are able to recover from the move and get your shop functional!

I actually find that a clean shop enhances my productivity substantially. I can immediately access anything I need, all tools are in "their home", and I don't have to dig thru a mess to find something.

DITTO on this!

[Dan Forman]

There must be some sort of genetic predisposition, as DC didn't seem to help me in the clean department. :D

Dan

[David E Keller]

A dust collector came with my recent shop overhaul/remodel, and I must admit it has made me a neater turner. Before the collector, there was a certain "What's the point?" attitude, but since I've started using it, cleanliness seems possible.