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5K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  davidmicraig 
#1 ·
The War against Clutter

This week I found myself between projects and this is my on call week, so I decided to invest my time in cleaning up my basement shop. I have an on call rotation every other week which means that I could get paged anytime, 24/7. I do not like to do to many projects that require much concentration during my on call cycle because the infrequent paging makes it difficult to have a good stop point where a step is properly completed.

Every 6 months or so, I have a tendency to move things around, try out a different layout, get rid of more garbage, and see what I can do with the space gain. When I first moved in, the basement was a dark and gloomy place, filled with spiders and garbage, lighting was poor, and quickly became the storage location for all things unused, seasonal, or saved just because. I started trying to make a credible workshop out of it 2 years ago, with most of my purchases being within the last year. The last time I organized it, I was able to make the basement half workshop and half storage facility and was at this stage -

Cluttered but usable bench -



Corner table with tools piled on and wood everywhere -



I spent the last couple days cleaning out more garbage (I have to give credit to the trash collectors. They haven't slashed my tires yet..), making a makeshift lumber rack from the joists out of some garbage wood, clearing out most of the garbage wood I had remaining, and organizing what I had. I still have a bit to go, but I really opened up the floor space in the basement and I am now using about 75% of the space for my shop.

Space utilized on the other end of my shop for storage, even have space for a little folding workbench for clamping and gluing -



Clutter free bench where I might actually be able to work on items -



And a free wall within the shop for carts, benches, tables, etc. -



Now I can walk around my machines without turning into a contortionist. Garbage day was yesterday and I already have a full bin for next week. One more load after that and I will be sitting pretty decent. I have a router table on wheels and a portable workbench/tool stand with drawers at the planing stages. Once these are in place, I should be able to just move things where I need them without much sweat. I am looking at the HF 2 hp dust collector system and would like to get one more corner cleared out for it and run hoses above the joists. It would take some time but combined with a purchase of an air filtration system, the basement should be a fairly pleasant place to be.

Happy Woodworking everyone and thanks for reading.

David
 
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#2 ·
Nice progress on the de-cluttering, it makes a huge difference to be able to see where things are and get around safely. The rack for your hand tools looks tidy and well organised.

Looks like you just need a slightly bigger lumber rack to store the sheets and offcuts….
 
#6 ·
Clutter is good….....it gives you something to do on rainy days!!!!..........my problem is after a declutter day…......I can't find anything!!
 
#8 ·
I'm proud to see you have your safety equip on your saw. That's one of the only ones shown in posts that actually still have it on the saw. If I had mine on, my finger and thumb would still be in original condition.
 
#11 ·
'A never ending process. I wish clutter dissapeared as fast as it accumulates!"

It will IF you put your stuff back where it belongs as soon as you used it.
I try to explain that to my wife.

When she cooks she piles up everything in the sink.
When I cook I clean and I put away as I go.
When I am finished the kitchen is not a huge mess.

I do the same thing in my shop, at work and at home.
This is just a question of discipline.
I cannot stand to look for my tools, noise nor mess, so I do everything i can to avoid one and the other.
 
#12 ·
David, you're a lot like me - putting up with clutter until it drives you crazy and you revamp it all. Your little workshop looks about as big(or small) as mine - I just hate to throw little chunks of wood away for the 'time' I might need them. Well, I'm glad to see you're in there anyways. The one thing I didn't see in the photos was a carving started….hmmmmmm?
 
#14 ·
Good luck with you cleaning and organizing the shop. I built a lot of cabinets to put my stuff in. I still have junk sitting on the floor and all over the work bench. I have an upright air compressor in the corner and have run PVC lines with quick disconnect. I can blow off the saw dust to bad the air hose doesn't work for clutter.
 
#15 ·
I think that another issue with clutter is keeping stuff.
I believe that most people just keep "everything" just in case.
I am not a "keeper".
I keep very few things.
My favorite friend is my trash can.
If I do not see an obvious use for something , up it goes.
Same thing with papers, books, records, pictures and everything else.
Not that necessarily waste stuff, but keeping is not my style.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the comments all. Greatly appreciated. I am a frequent cleaner and my mommy taught me to put my toys away when I am done with them :) I just need a bigger toy box. Limited ceiling height and obstructions like the plumbing, the water heater, furnace, etc. has been a continued challenge. I have to keep my access to the maintenance of these items and still make shop space, plus deal with the garbage that has been there. Each org session improves things a bit but I also keep adding :)

rtb - send me a ticket to New York and I will be happy to help you out. Please make it first class with a decent food selection for the flight ;)

bobturnell - Yes, that is a Tim Allen signature hammer. I received it as a gift quite a few years ago when the signature tool line came out. I rarely use it but I keep a space for it because it reminds me not to play tool time in my shop and because it was a gift. Who knows, maybe it will be worth something some day. I did think the design was cool.

Gary - Thanks for noticing that I do use the splitter and blade guard. I have known too many woodworkers (even one is too many) who can't brag about having all their digits. I have had some close calls where both saved my skin and my gut (kickback doesn't sound pretty). I also have my fire alarm set up down there and next check will pickup the fire extinguisher and first aid supplies.

Jordan - I have an owl carving started, but other projects (birthdays and such) have put it on the back burner. I did do some overlay with the new dremel, mostly using the carbide cutters for shaping and rounding. I am getting the hang of it :)

David
 
#17 ·
I hear what you are saying Bert, it is a difficult balance between being a "throw away" individual and a packrat. I have had to let go of some of my rattiness and make decisions on what is needed and what is just gathering dust. If I come across something I don't want, I usually try to find an individual who can make use of it. If I come across broken furniture that is made from good wood, I keep the wood. I am just getting better about breaking it down on the spot and not just saving it for "some day." Some items, like the hardboard and thin plywood that are in drawers or the backing of crappy furniture that is heading to the trash, I will pull out. I can't see buying the same things that I just threw away a month before.

Some habits that are ingrained in you are difficult to shake sometimes. My grandfather was a coal miner in Kentucky in a very impoverished region. People stripped and re-used items until there was nothing left out of necessity. I think many woodworkers come from blue collar backgrounds where the expression "waste not, want not" was not only a way of life, but a means of survival.

I am pleased with the space gains so far and my goal is definitely not to run out and get more stuff to fill the cavities ;)

David
 
#18 ·
Looking mighty good David, now you can come over and show me how you did it, with twice the space it's gonna take the two of us. Besides you have a lathe project to finish. LOL. Nice job buddy. Keep it up, maybe we can make some deals, mike
 
#19 ·
I was raised in France just after the war,my parents and grand parents, expecting another war kept everything: empty cans, empty bottles old newspapers, what they used to call "silver paper" ( aluminum foil), o0ld shoes and pants.
I used to be cabinet maker, and I used to kept a lot of small piece of wood that someday I shall need.
I soon found out that I almost never found the correct piece of wood when I needed it, I stop keeping them.
 
#20 ·
good work David, i made alot of progress on my garage this last weekend but havnt taken any photos. I went through all of my scraps and half of it or better i turned into firewood for my pit out back. Its hard to do but the scraps create a space issue. In the end i had a definately can use this pile and an everything else pile. All in all, the garage is clean which always inspires me to work in it.

keep at it…
 
#21 ·
Thanks for answering my question about the Tim Allen Signature Hammer. The hammer was made by the hart tool company in Calif I believe because I have other heart tool hammers and they look similar. I don't use mine any more either I just shined it up on the buffer and replaced the medalion that fell out with a souviner coin from the Wisconsin Dells that just fit. I wish I had bought more of the hammers when they came out because I really like the ax handle design on a 16oz hammer. Now I use a 10oz Stilletto titanium hammer because of the weight, but the striking force is just like a 16oz hammer, just ask my thumb that got hit! I think the Tim Allen Signature hammer did't catch on because it might have been considered a joke to some bacause of the name Tim Allen know for accidents ya know. I loved the show now I have all 8 years on dvd and when I what to get a laugh I watch them. I taught woodshop for 30 year and Tool Time was a great safety video to show the students of what not to do. I hope I didn't bore you with all this.
 
#22 ·
Home Improvement was always a favorite of mine as well. And I would agree that while Allen is a major aficionado of the tool industry, his involvement with a spoof of home improvement shows was not going to help his signature end up in many home shops. It is a nice hammer design but I probably got more ribbing about the tool than admiration. Good eye on the pics Bob, the comment is greatly appreciated.

David
 
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