A Rolling Job Cart?

[Jack Frederick]

I have been engaged in a shop re-org recently. It has gone pretty well, and maybe my problem is just a personality disorder, but every time I clear the horizontal surfaces in the shop within a remarkably short time they are covered with off-cuts, odds and ends, hand tools and stuff. I'm thinking of just making a two level rolling cart to catch all of it as I move from place to place. What other than a level of self discipline I don't possess works for you?

[Steve Jenkins]

Pretty much nothing��

[Chris Parks]

Clean up as you work but some people see a messy workshop as a badge of honour and are proud of it. Each to their own but I can find stuff.

[Martin Wasner]

I have been engaged in a shop re-org recently. It has gone pretty well, and maybe my problem is just a personality disorder, but every time I clear the horizontal surfaces in the shop within a remarkably short time they are covered with off-cuts, odds and ends, hand tools and stuff. I'm thinking of just making a two level rolling cart to catch all of it as I move from place to place. What other than a level of self discipline I don't possess works for you?

Discipline equals freedom

That's all there is too it.

[Martin Wasner]

Discipline equals freedom

That's all there is too it.

Unlike my improper use of too....

[Keith Westfall]

Make the top of your benches and carts with an angle top so things just slide right off! No more cluttered tops... :)

[Paul F Franklin]

Well, I would be the last to throw a stone here, as the same thing happens frequently in my shop. Part of it is that I always have multiple projects going along with remodeling projects, shop improvement projects, and work stuff.

Nevertheless, I have found that adding additional surface via a cart or the like only slightly delays having every flat surface covered with "stuff". The only solution that works for me is to spend a few minutes at the end of every shop session putting stuff away (assuming you have a place for everything to start with). If I really don't have time at the end of a session, I start the next session off by cleaning up a bit. Not always able to follow that rule, but often enough to mostly keep stuff under control.

[Stan Powers]

I have one small table (3ft x3ft) that I allow to collect all the misc. stuff that I am sure to need some day in the future. Everything else gets cleaned up/ put away at the end of the day.

[Robert Engel]

I use a couple rolling carts, but mainly just for moving parts to and fro during milling. Occasionally I throw clamps on it so I can wheel them all to the clamp rack at once.

Cleaning up as you work sounds good, but is simply not practical when you're deeply involved in a project task. It would break my train of thought and work flow. But you can be organized and think about where you're putting stuff as you go.

I try to put tools away at the end of every day, but for sure at at least every couple days, even if I think I might need them the next day.

Once a week, I spend 20 minutes vacuuming, putting wood away and burning offcuts.

Before that, my shop would get completely out of hand and once every couple months I would spend an entire day cleaning up.

[Julie Moriarty]

I have been engaged in a shop re-org recently. It has gone pretty well, and maybe my problem is just a personality disorder, but every time I clear the horizontal surfaces in the shop within a remarkably short time they are covered with off-cuts, odds and ends, hand tools and stuff. I'm thinking of just making a two level rolling cart to catch all of it as I move from place to place. What other than a level of self discipline I don't possess works for you?

Jack, on construction sites it's common to see mobile job carts. When I walked on a jobsite the first thing I did was look for those carts, claim one and set it up for work. It made everything so much easier and made the jobs go a lot quicker. The only problem is you need the room to wheel them around without them getting in the way of YOU moving about the shop.

[Jack Frederick]

Thanks for all the comments. I was ADHD long before it was fashionable so organization has always been a moving target. Hence my idea that putting the turmoil on wheels may be the answer. Thanks again!

[Yonak Hawkins]

I use rolling carts and, now, couldn't do without them. I don't use them as a place to put tools and supplies but as work surfaces so, when a project is finished, it gets cleared away. Tools and supplies are normally set on stationary tables or benches. My carts never get cluttered because I normally need the whole top surface to hold and maneuver the project.

Carts are helpful to move a project, or the components of a project, from station to station. Any time I need to use a vice or heavy workbench, I consider that a "station" and I take the project to it.

[michael dilday]

For cut-offs I consider the cost of the piece and throw it away if it is minimal. I have one level on the wood rack dedicated to small pieces. If that starts filling up I start throwing out. As for tools I have a place for everything. When I finish a task I put everything away that I don't need for the next task. I just don't allow anything to just lay around.

[Brian W Evans]

If you decide on a cart, consider getting a hydraulic lift cart. I got mine from HF and really like being able to adjust the height. If you are limited on space, you could design a bench or cabinet that would allow the cart to roll underneath and out of the way. It can also serve as an outfeed table or a lift for heavy objects (I used mine to lift my drum sander onto its stand by myself).

I haven't done it yet, but I plan to add a wooden top by drilling a few holes in the table and bolting it on. You could add a lip around the edge to keep tools and parts from rolling off as you move the cart around.

Here are some pictures of Felder's version (in case you want to take out a second mortgage):

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[Tim Bueler]

Now that I work exclusively in the shop (and it's just me now) I clean up at the end of each day at the very least. I love to come into a clean shop in the morning. If I have to hunt for anything it's time to stop and clean. Maybe OCD vs. ADHD???:confused: I use carts for parts only, off cuts are either long enough to go back in the rack from whence they came or into a trash bin. Trash bins get emptied when full, though sometimes I will save back some of the larger pieces if I anticipate a need. I separate solid wood waste from plywood. The solid wood waste, frequently hickory, cherry, alder or maple, goes to a good friend who uses it to smoke meat. The plywood waste gets burned outside. All bins and racks get sorted, cleaned and organized when materials come in for the next job.

When I was custom home builder my crew and I would tidy at the end of the day but I would always come in early and clean more thoroughly. The quiet of the morning, and being on the jobsite, was very conducive to problem solving and game planning. It seems like that hour before everyone else shows up was often my most productive hour of the day.

[Rod Sheridan]

I'll second Brian's and Martin's suggestions.

I have a hydraulic cart and I'm going to make the cart top from Timothy Wilmots plans.

Here's a link to his MFSC, also be sure to watch his other shop videos, if you want to see how to organize your shop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWEdrBdbBhg&t=244s

I have supplies in clear plastic bins on shelves, tools in trays in drawers and I put stuff away while working. It prevents knocking tools onto the floor, and increases your productivity.

In my mind a messy shop is a waste of time, I don't have time to be looking for stuff, it has to be where it's supposed to be, not over on another surface somewhere in the shop.

Regards, Rod.

[Martin Wasner]

I like a clean space.
I like an organized space.

Everything has a place, for the most part it's either in your hand or in it's place. It's a tough one to drill into people though. Everything, not just tools. Unusable scraps need to be disposed of. If it can't be used, why move it again? Move it to the appropriate can so it can be disposed of.

The general rule for the shop in this respect I call "make ready". Don't leave something for the next guy to do. It's not his job to do yours. Furthermore, I always tell people I'll do your job all day long if you want, but obsolescence is right around the corner, I'm also taking your dollars right out of your hand. Tough too, becauseifs I'm busy doing your job, I can't do mine. What is my job? My job is to make my employees successful. A shop full of successful disciplined people is a wonderful thing. Stress lowers, attitudes improve, product flows, pay goes up. Everyone wins.

Manufacturing has only two modes, you are either producing, or consuming. There is no grey area. Time spent looking for something, or moving something unnecessarily is consumption. Seconds count. Everyday if you waste five minutes, that's, almost 22 hours at the end of the year. I'd rather spend that time either pushing product out the door, or doing something fun.

Now, if you improve something a few seconds everyday you either increase the value of your business, or improve your standing at the business you work for. There is no down side.

Recently I was watching a guy on Instagram feeding stock through a shaper with a feeder. Looked like 8' material. He had no infeed or outfeed table on the shaper. He'd feed a piece, watch it go through, float it, pick it up, set it down, then start over. His spindle was sitting empty about half the time. If he had something to carry the material he could stand there the same amount of time, but double his production by running parts back to back. He'd also halve his operating cost since the collector and machine were still running when nothing was cutting

I'm lazy, I do anything I can to put as little effort into things as possible and still maintain standards. I don't really like working, so the lazy part of me wants it to be as efficient as reasonably possible. Being clean and organized goes a long ways to maintaining that attitude and ability.

There's a lot of tangents here, but the core value is the same, discipline equals freedom.