A few simple rules are helping a lot. They won’t be news to you non-slobs, but they’re almost a revelation to me:

1. “A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place”. I’ve always heard that, but … just never got it. Inspired by Chris Schwartz, I’ve put a tool rack across the window behind the bench. It started out as basically a chisel rack, but at the moment, it holds chisels, try square, 12” steel squat, sliding bevel, marking gauge, tenon saw, dovetail saw, coping saw, razor knife, spokeshave and mechanical pencil. I think I can cram a few more items on there before I have to start another one.

The real trick is getting in the habit of putting each tool back in the rack when I’m done with it rather than laying it on the bench top. Just doing that makes things a lot easier.

2. Tables Are Not Shelves. How many times have you seem somebody have to move a bushel of junk off of the table saw before they could make a cut? Ever since I set the bandsaw, I’ve made it a rule not to leave anything on the table. I might set something there momentarily, but nothing gets LEFT there.

I’m trying to do the same thing with the workbench, but old habits die hard.

3. Don’t be afraid to throw stuff away.

‘Nuff said.

I wonder if there’s a 12-step program for slobs?

I’d have never tried this even ten years ago, but I’ve been gravitating more and more toward hand tools, with power tools used mostly for those tasks apprentices used to do. My primary apprentices are a 17” bandsaw (Grizzly GO513×2) and a router (Dewalt 618). Sheet goods will be kept to a minimum, and broken down to rough size outside with a circular saw.

Of course, with the shop in the house, dust collection is life and death. Before the bandsaw was delivered, I picked up the “2 horsepower” (yeah, right) collector from Harbor Freight. I’ve replaced the bags with the 1 micron felt ones from Highland Hardware, and added a Thiel-style collector. Almost all the dust stays in the collector; very little actually makes it to the filter bags. Airborn fines are (hopefully) scrubbed out by a crude box fan/furnace filter arrangement.

It’s a work in progress, but so far it’s fun. I hope to take some decent pics in the near future and post them in the “shops” section.