Out of Rubble Comes Beauty

[Dick Wilson]

I have seen several Creekers posting their latest endeavor to beautify their shops and bring order to the "if the door is closed leave me alone" room. Hmmmm. That is an interesting concept. As you can see from the photo it is one for which I obviously have not been able to wrapped my brain around. When I said in another post that my lathe area looked like a pay toilet in a bus terminal I wasn't joking:rolleyes:185104

[Bernie Weishapl]

Don't feel bad Dick mine looks the same. I think it was a month ago I took out about 14 wheat shovels full of chips and let it go at that. Now there is at least that much again. Oh well.

[David DeCristoforo]

That's more like it. Everything is right at your fingertips... Nice padded floor to stand on... and of course the potential to burn the whole place to the ground when sparks from that grinder hit the sawdust!

[Dick Wilson]

David, The rubber mat plus the shavings under my feet make a pretty good pad. Once in a while my lower back starts aching. I am so zoned in to turning that I don't realize that I am bending over because of the shavings under my feet. I don't grind much I hone:D

[John Keeton]

Dick, I do remember the days when my shop looked that way - from flatwork!! I had a lunchbox planer back then, and every other month or so, I would shovel up the shavings.

I do agree, however, that your work constitutes beauty, but the reference to a "pay toilet in a bus terminal" is a little much. I have seen worse!!

[bob svoboda]

Oh man, that's so beautiful I think I might cry :D

[Roger Chandler]

Now mind you, I have made my share of messes, and I have had the shavings deep a few times, but I cannot stand to leave mine that way. I generally clean after every single project..........it just makes it better for me to start with a clean slate, including the lathe being clean, the shavings gotten up, and all the turning tools and supplies back in their place..................whether flat work or turning related work.

I think I got this from my wife who has put it in my head for over 36 years that organization is my friend and makes life much better. No criticism from me for those who like to wade waist deep in wood shavings..........it's just not for me! :D

[Dick Wilson]

Guys, I will be the first to agree that it is out of hand. My whole 50' shop is a disaster. And that is the problem, it is too darn big. It is way too easy to just sit something somewhere instead of stopping for clean up. This weekend is my "stop creating" weekend for total shop clean up. I sure hope I can start turning Monday.

PS - bet that is the first time you ever heard anyone say their shop was too big:)

[Steve Schlumpf]

Well one thing is for sure - no one can ever accuse you of not using your lathe! Your shop definitely has that 'lived in' look going for it! You might want to sift through the shavings when you do your cleanup this weekend - never know what you might find!

[Ron Stadler]

Serves as a litter box as well, my cats leave me little presents all the time.:eek:

[John Keeton]

...it is too darn big.blasphemy!!!!!!

[Dick Wilson]

Maybe I will find the cone tip of my live center that I haven't seen in 6 months or the multitude of set screws, washers, patterns, dividers, wheel for my steady rest, etc. Wait a minute, I seem to have misplaced a turning.............I wonder. This weekend could be Christmas in March.

[Keith E Byrd]

DIck,
It looks like there are tools in the shavings on the stand that haven't been used for awhile - I think Steve is right - when you clean up - sift!

[charlie knighton]

Dick, that looks more like home, when the shavings cannot be pushed aside to clear my feet, its time to shovel

[Roger Chandler]

Guys, I will be the first to agree that it is out of hand. My whole 50' shop is a disaster. And that is the problem, it is too darn big.

PS - bet that is the first time you ever heard anyone say their shop was too big:)

John is right! Blasphemy! :eek::eek::D:D:D Oh to have such a problem!!! A 50 foot shop?! If I had a 50 foot shop, I would have benches with drawers, a cabinet for finishes, and for all my hand tools [planes, chisels, etc] I can just see it now, a place for everything and everything in its place [most of the time ;)!]

[Reed Gray]

You know it is time to clean up the shop when you have to get down on your knees to turn. From the late Roger Michaelson, a local turner.

I saw the ultimate place for sale once, some thing like: "27 acres, 1800 feet of river frontage, year round streams, bass ponds, 3 houses, multiple out buildings, and a 10,000 sq. ft. shop." Of course, they didn't list a price. Sigh, I didn't win the lottery that weekend. That would have been a shop I might have taken a year or two to fill up.

robo hippy

[Dan Forman]

Yup that looks a lot more like mine than John's, except I could never call mine "too big". It is kind of a pain when you drop the allen wrench and it disappears, but that's what large rare earth magnets are for.

Dan

[Mike Davis NC]

OK, mine's not THAT bad, at least not right now.

Well, maybe it is...

[Brodie Brickey]

blasphemy!!!!!!
+1

If you still feel its too big, stop by mine the next time you're in California. I'm stuck in a 14x17 and sharing with the Washer & Dryer.

[Harry Robinette]

You all ask me wheres the shavings when I post a pic.I'm like Roger C. I have to clean up after every work day.It drives me crazy to have a mess in my shop except when I'm actually working. The other thing is I almost lost my shop in New Mexico to fire from a grinder spark that waited over a 1/2 hour to start smoking, luckily my daughter came home and seen the smoke in the garage and I got it stopped before the actual fire got started. I keep things clean I have fire extinguishers and I really watch sparks.My small machine shop in my shop is a real challenge, I have it about 6 ft from where the chips land from the lathe.The grinder for sharpening at the end of the lathes is my biggest concern and I watch it like a hawk and still don't leave the shop for at least 30 min. after working. Also have smoke and CO detectors in my shop.So I go a little over board what can I say.
Harry

[Tim Thiebaut]

Guys, I will be the first to agree that it is out of hand. My whole 50' shop is a disaster. And that is the problem, it is too darn big. It is way too easy to just sit something somewhere instead of stopping for clean up. This weekend is my "stop creating" weekend for total shop clean up. I sure hope I can start turning Monday.

PS - bet that is the first time you ever heard anyone say their shop was too big:)

I would trade you my roughly '8x'15 shop for your '50 foot shop any day of the week...you can never have enough room, but when you have to little there is just no place to put things after a certain point, thank god for table saws, they make great shelving!! lol

[Cathy Schaewe]

I haven't been to very many pay toilets in bus stations, so I didn't know they had lathes in them. If I had known, maybe I'd have frequented them more often .... :D:rolleyes::D

[Roger Chandler]

I haven't been to very many pay toilets in bus stations, so I didn't know they had lathes in them. If I had known, maybe I'd have frequented them more often .... :D:rolleyes::D

Cathy,

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D!

[Ron Bontz]

Well now at least you get to use yours on a regular basis. I'm jealous. I am afraid however my OCD would kick in as I can not stand to leave my shop floor covered with chips. Sometimes I stop in the middle of things to clean up a bit. Gives me time to consider my next move. Or take a nap.:D Best wishes.

[Thomas Canfield]

Dick,

Hanging some shower curtains around the lathe will help contain some of those shavings. I had to order a 8' tall shower curtain to go at my back to prevent the shavings flying over the normal 6' curtain, but it really helped. I picked up 2 trash bags (40 gal) from one green turned 19" bowl today and I find that I don't loose as much when I keep the floor somewhat clean. Now the rest of the shop is a story for another time with rough turned bowls and wood chunks scattered everywhere.

[Fred Perreault]

I keep my floor swept, and the work surfaces cleaned off.... mostly cleaned off. But I maintain a pile of shavings under the lathe (..and around it a bit?) to bury roughouts in, and to place some blanks I have yet to turn. It seems to be a nice drying area. Now mind ya.... it's not a small pile!! But it is a clean pile.

Say good bye to the Nova. PM3520b arriving Monday..... yippie!

[John Keeton]

Fred, does the new Nova owner get the "pile" to go with his lathe?????

[Fred Perreault]

Fred, does the new Nova owner get the "pile" to go with his lathe?????

Johnny..... I am cleaning up the place today and moving the Nova nearer the door to make room for the Yellow Thing. I will make up a trash barrel of the clean shavings to dump around the New Yellow Thing as a "break in" feature..... kinda make it feel at home. I will run the Nova off of a short extension cord for the last lesson, and then break it down for transport. The new buyer will be responsible for his own shavings. They are hard to come by....

[John Keeton]

Fred, were I the new PM, I would be emotionally traumatized by the dumping of a previous "lover's" shavings around me!!:eek::mad: Sort of like sharing a bed, if you will.

You do what you want, but if you intend to have a lasting relationship with this new lathe, I would suggest you start "afresh" and let "her" produce her own bed of shavings!!:rolleyes::D:D;)

[Fred Perreault]

John, I believe that there is merit in those words, and I will have a chat with the Nova, and see what she thinks, and since I have already saved the barrel of shavings I may just take them out to the composting shavings pile. I expect to be married to the Powermatic for a very long time, and starting out on the wrong foot could prove disastrous..... or worse.

The other day the LOML said "I think you love your lathe more than me....". I just didn't have an answer. That's when the fight started.... :) :)

[Rick Markham]

The other day the LOML said "I think you love your lathe more than me....". I just didn't have an answer. That's when the fight started.... :) :)

Mine has caught me sneaking out of bed late at night to turn. She doesn't understand when I explain to her that the powermatic gets lonely in the shop by herself :rolleyes:... You think you've had a fight... wait until she catches you hugging the mustard monster! (I still have emotional scars from that argument :eek:)

[Roger Chandler]

Oh my............it is indeed getting deep on this thread........................I think I need hip boots and a shovel, and not because of wood shavings......:eek: ...........

I mean, I like my lathe and all related tools, but this............:rolleyes::p:p:p;):D