Doubled my shop space with one weird trick...

[Jay Larson]

Yes, you too can have double the shop space with this one weird trick. Well, maybe not so weird, and not really a trick.

I cleaned out all the cruft and shorts from the winter last night. Set the cut offs outside ready for the next camp fire, swept out all the dust from where the boxes were, and took the garbage bag out to the garbage bin. I also put the extra boards back in the lumber stacks out in the garage part of the outbuilding.

All these things are done during the summer at regular intervals, but during the winter it gets put off until a day like this. Snow in the burn pit, so no fires, and the shorts get put into boxes. The garage area is not heated, so the longer boards get stood up in a corner because I don't want to open the doors for that long to haul them all out.

Yes, I know it is not really double the space, but it sure feels like it. And now I am ready to build the cabinets for the basement bar...

Wait, I did add a hanger for my table saw sled. So it is up off the floor, usually leaning against something. But even that is not that weird.

[Jim Becker]

Sometimes we can forget the obvious...that "stuff" takes up space. Thanks for the reminder that keeping up with housekeeping can keep space to work maximized!

[Andrew More]

Not a bad idea to also give away "useful" tools that we're not using. It's not really "free" if it's taking up space, and everything takes up space, so at some point things can start being very expensive.

[Jay Larson]

Plus it frees up your thinking. You don't walk into the the shop going "I should clean this up some day..."

Andrew, you are treading on thin ice there...

[Lee Schierer]

So how many tape measures and pencils did you find?😄

[Mike Wilkins]

Going through the same process myself. Recently added 128 square feet to the shop size, and at the same time, discarding some shorts that are not worth keeping, getting rid of stacks of old magazines after removing some interesting articles, and just generally doing some long-overdue organizing and cleanup. Its surprising how much space and organization can be achieved by just a timely clean up effort. And you just might find some long-lost tools and accessories at the same time.

[Jay Larson]

So how many tape measures and pencils did you find?

One tape measure, no pencils. I usually end up bringing my pencils in the house. Then periodically take them back to the shop.

I did find three utility knives though.

[Tom Bain]

One tape measure, no pencils. I usually end up bringing my pencils in the house. Then periodically take them back to the shop.

I did find three utility knives though.

I’m convinced there is a utility knife “fairy” that comes and hides all my utility knives at night.

[Alan Lightstone]

I’m convinced there is a utility knife “fairy” that comes and hides all my utility knives at night.

True, dat. Drives me nuts.