How do you keep the shop clean?

[Brian Kincaid]

Silly question, but I'm dumbfounded. I have a 2car garage shop and I cannot keep it clean. I see pictures of other people's shops and they are spotless. Maybe I have some bad habits or am going about it the wrong way.

How do you do it?

Brian

[David DeCristoforo]

"I see pictures of other people's shops and they are spotless...

It's a trick. Those guys don't actually do any woodworking....ergo, nothing to clean up.....

[Nancy Laird]

No, we clean up before we take the pictures! But if you look close in the corners, you'll see sawdust.

Nancy

[Richard M. Wolfe]

If I were going to post a picture of my shop, I would clean it for the picture. Put on your best appearance. Most people's shops (provided they do much of anything) probably look like mine. Well, maybe they wouldn't be that catastrophic.

Probably the best thing to do is when you finish working make the last thing be a cleanup. No matter how late or how tired you are take the time to put things away and clean. No excuses - no procrastinating. Make it a habit.

That said.....

Do as I say, not as I do.

[Chuck E Cobb]

Well I have been doing woodworking in different size shops for over 35 years ( yea, I know I'm old, they all call me Dad in the shop I work now) and I have never been able to keep any shop clean. I'm just happy to keep them so a man can walk without falling down.

No if someone tells you their shop is clean, they ain't working enough.

Chuck

ps, the new kid they just hired ain't gonna make it if he keep calling me gramps

[Bruce Page]

[I]
It's a trick. Those guys don't actually do any woodworking....ergo, nothing to clean up.....

I do work AND I clean up.
I use three tools, a broom, a dust pan, and an air hose...oh yeah, a little effort too.

[Bartee Lamar]

As I go thru different stages of a project I tend to clean up.

I like it when the floor is sweep and all the tools are put up. I keep finding ways to organize and create effective storage. This is my latest.

IMG_0563.jpg IMG_0565.jpg

These are some storage boxes I got at HD. I had some wire shelving left over from bedroom closet remodel. So with a little effort I was able to make some space in a spot where there was not any.

[Jim O'Dell]

You haven't been to my shop in the last few weeks, have you??? I actually need to clean up some. I've been working on the multi station benches, and all scraps have been tossed over my shoulder toward the big door. I did sweep the saw dust over that direction the other day, does that count?? Jim.

[glenn bradley]

I clean up as I go along. Whenever I pause to think something through I do something like return the clamps to the rack or clear off an area that has become piled on. As for those carpeted, epoxied, looks like you could eat off the floor shops . . . . They just roll up the doors and hit 'em with the leaf-blower right before the pics are taken.

[Jude Kingery]

Brian, I go about it much in the same way as several have answered, it's my habit to put everything back in its' place and vacuum at the end of every turning session, I do it without thinking, automatically. It's pretty much self-serving simply because when I go out in the shop again, I like to be able to find tools and have room to move around and work. Just like I always make the bed in the morning, not that anybody but my husband and I see it really, but I just like getting into a made bed at night. Just personal preferences I guess.

Now far as a really way clean shop, I only do that about every three months (straighten wood bins, organize shelves, check grease, oil, clean lathes, chucks, ways). Id say there's no hard and fast rule, if it doesn't bother you that it's not clean, I wouldn't worry about it. If you'd like it cleaner, then maybe this routine would work for you. Best to you! Jude

[scott spencer]

Those of us with dingy dirty shops don't show pics...

I do clean up periodically b/c it's just darn tough to work ou there when everything's cluttered. Before I had a DC, I'd pay the kids a buck to sweep....it lasted once with each kid...good thing I had several!

[Bob Feeser]

Clean shops start with clean air. If you have a good vacuum system hooked up to the tools, you have licked 90% of the problem. Good systems that really draw a lot of air aren't cheap. Just check Onieda Air Systems. Nothing captures all of the dust though. One of the most ingenious systems I have seen is by a friend who built an outside room, or should I say walls out of plywood, and fed it by using a leaf blower, through a hole in the wall. Tons of air, near zip cost. He has it hooked up to a 6" piping system in the shop. The blower was outside of the shop. Albeit he used to buy the cheapest leaf blowers he could buy, and had to replace them regularly. I guess they aren't made for continual use, because this was a professional shop, and not only would it run all day, sometimes he accidentally left it on all night too.
Next thing is to have an airborne dust collector on the ceiling, or two if you have a larger shop. I use the JDS models on each end. Even better yet during the warm months is a good fan in the window, constantly changing the air in the shop. Then have a 20' foot 2 1/2" hose, you can hook up to the vacuum system, to scrub the floor, with the wide mouth extension on the end.
Then have compressed air in the shop, so you can use a blower nozzle to get the final dust moved. If you have a fan in the window, blowing it out is easy. During the winter I don't use a blower of jet air, if I don't have the window open with the fan in it. Not a sophisticated fan, but rather a personal use about a 20 incher, that will fit in the window. I know, I know you are dealing with a non explosion proof fan, collecting dust. Good point, but I blow the fan motor out once in a while, and it is not an industrial 9 to 5 daily use environment. I didn't mention the shop broom and pan, because I thought that was obvious.
Talking about dust keeping the shop clean, lets take a minute to talk about the most important tool in the shop, and that is you. How do you keep your internal shop clean? (Lungs)
Dust collectors, even with a 1 micron bag, don't usually get more than 80% of the 1 micron particles, and get way less of particles less than 1 micron, and the smaller particles are the ones that do the damage. Additionally, the ceiling mounted dust collectors, although they grab the big particles, and do it rather quickly, they are actually fine particle dust spreaders. When I turn mine on, you can immediately smell wood. That means that those guys are sending out a constant supply of fine particles. So what is the answer. One is an expensive cyclone unit, with the unit outside with piping into the shop. You capture the most amount of particles right at the source that way, and what they don't capture, they exhaust outside, instead of back into the shop. BUT the ultimate realization is that you need a respirator draped in front of you, like a bib at all times, ready to quickly pick it up to cover your face. At the least a good charcoal filtered respirator, for example 3m makes a good one, available at Home Depot. If you are dealing with chemical finishes, especially with hardeners, a chemical cartridge mask is better. Forget about those little paper masks, wearing one of them is almost like not wearing anything at all, they leak so bad around the edges. A good repirator has a rubber or plastic fitting opening, with strap adjusters to make a leak proof fit. If you have a beard, either shave it, or get a fresh air hood system, more about that in a minute.
So in practicality, I like to use the fan in the window when weather permits, leave the ceiling dust collectors off, and let the window fan move the air out of the shop. Whenever I do a dust related procedure, I lift the draped mask over my face, and wait long enough for the air to clear, before taking it back off again. Remember that the dust collection vacuum system if in the shop is spewing fine particles too, even with a 1 micron filter bag, so if you turn that on, wear the mask also.
I know their are many who will be saying, I can't be dealing with all of that, but in reality, it is not dealing with anything at all. Simply having a 3M respirator, with the chin strap attached, allows you to keep the mask draped and out of the way. If it gets dusty, it only takes about 2 seconds to lift the top strap up, to cover your face.
I also have a fresh air system, with a diaphram pump, and a complete hood, with large clear visor, and that pumps air in continously. So it is pressurized so to speak, so the bottom of the hood purposely leaks out the exhausting air, keeping the air fresh. That is a nuisance to carry around for normal shop tasks. BUT if you are doing a repeat procedure, standing at a station for quite some time, it is the only way to fly. You plug in the iPod for tunes, and pop the hood over your head, and you are experiencing a completely fresh air environment. I bought the pump from a guy who found one at a flea market, and I paid him 50 bucks for the pump, and i found a super deal on eBay for the hood, 25 and 50 foot speciality breathing hose, and 2 cases of hood inserts for 80 bucks. Otherwise, I know the pump by itself new is over 600, so that is an expensive way to go. When I had the shop, I bought one for the spray booth, and the whole setup was 800. The guys rarely used it. It wasn't macho.
I think this post is getting so long, a lot of people won't bother reading it. I plan on posting a complete thread on keeping your lungs clean. I had shop for 20 years, with dust and refinishing areas, and as far as I can see my lungs are clean. (last time I looked anyhow. )

[Doug Shepard]

Silly question, but I'm dumbfounded. I have a 2car garage shop and I cannot keep it clean. I see pictures of other people's shops and they are spotless. Maybe I have some bad habits or am going about it the wrong way.

How do you do it?

Brian

If it will help you sleep better tonight my GaShop currently looks like pictures of the Hiroshima aftermath. The TS is stacked to the hilt with other tools, wood, yada, yada. There's bits and pieces of PVC and fittings all over the place til I get my DC ductwork done. PVC dust all over the disc sander and anything near it. Scraps of pipe hanger strap, rubber splicing tape, foil duct tape backer, and dropped screws all over the place. Dust from the garage rafters where I'm running the ducts has gotten disturbed and dropped onto everything. A Honda Goldwing, a upside-down lawn mower in the midst of repair. Spilled some cat litter on the floor yesterday while swapping out old litter and haven't managed to sweep it up yet. Somewhere hiding underneath a bench or one of my machines is a dead bird I caught one of the cats running into the garage with last weekend.

I aint posting no pictures til it's cleaned up.

[Chuck Lenz]

My wife bought a NEW, BLACK Jeep, Liberty in 2003, she doesn't like it dusty. Well thats one reason things get cleaned up at the end of the day in the garage / shop. The other reason is I've allways liked to keep a clean shop, dust is a fire hazard I think, plus a clean organized shop is less prone to accidents and I can find what I need because I know where it's at most of the time. If things start becomeing ineffeciant and messy I'll pickup the things that I'm not useing anymore and put them away, then continue with the project I'm working on. Stumbleing over stuff is not my idea of fun.

[Keith Outten]

Brian,

My shop is worse than just cluttered, mostly due to overcrowding. Since I moved my ShopBot into my shop there just isn't any usable space anymore and cleanup is a huge chore. I used to keep my shop spotless by cleaning up at the end of the day...its tough to do these days especially with a real busy schedule.

My best tip for you is to get a 30 foot length of 4" dust collection hose and put a 4 foot length of 4" PVC on the end of it. Cut the PVC pipe end at an angle that feels comfortable and hook the hose into your DC system. You will have the best floor vac in your neighborhood and you shop vac will rarely be used. I installed a handle from an old weed eater on my 4" pipe to make it easier to swing it around....everything on the floor ends up in my chip box real quick.

.