Time for Organizzzing & Cleaning My Workshop

I completely understand how clutter can creep up on us. My shop – actually my 2-car garage – is also where all the junk and excess end up. It had gotten so crowded that I was having to roll my table saw, band saw – well, just about every piece of equip. I need out on to the driveway just to make a cut. It was taking me more time getting set up than to actually do the work. So I just got a storage shed built on my back yard. After almost a week of moving “stuff” out of my shop and into the shed, I can now walk around most of my tools. Believe it or not, I can actually walk up to my table saw, make a cut, turn it off and walk away! Hooray ! ! ! I shoulda done it a year ago! What a difference it made ! By the way, I also found quite a few things I had forgotten I had !

-- Paul - The sweetest sound in my shop, next to Mozart, is what a hand plane makes slicing a ribbon.

Greg,

I know that you suffered a loss to get to where you are. A great looking shop. I’m soooooo envious dude! I built a garden storage shed next to the rear of my shop/barn to store snow and garden equipment to get it out of the work area. Suppose to house my dust collector to reduce noise in the shop. Bought the dust colector before I understood more power is needed to suck long distances. It has yet to get set up as life keeps happening????

It is only a 1.5 hp delta.

Like your sanding table and an enclosed 5×8 area should keep the dust contained?

had built another room onto my little barn to hold more machine tools and possibly be a dust freee area? well guys I filled her up! The good wood is way on the bottom.

Trying…..go get organized and ahead of natural chaos. And my old house which seems to need constant attention, a 140 year old victorian.

Like the layout!

-- Cau Haus Designs, Thomas J. Tieffenbacher

yea Greg , the other problem with clutter and such in the shop is that is stifles the mind and can cause a block with your creative side, having thing organized and uncluttered will help your creative side function much better…what do you think about that doc, should i open an office somewhere and get paid to offer such stupendous ideas...and thing i only went to high school…lol…..

-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']

I wondered how you held your boxes for sculpting. That top with the T track on your sanding table looks pretty easy to make. Thanks for posting that pic.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

Andy…I have been working on a better design for my downdraft table and just bought 2 Bessey auto adjust inline clamps. I need to make my table about 12” wider to relocate the T tracks and add a ledge at the bottom.
The squirrel cage blowers/filters really help to keep the dust under control. The downdraft table does a good job but there always is a lot of dust that flies off to the sides and the filters suck it up quickly.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

Ah chaos, I have a love / hate relationship with it.
You look to have a leash on it but don’t keep it too tight.
A creative mind like yours can’t live with complete order.

Or am I wrong?

-- Paul M ..............If God wanted us to have fiberglass boats he would have given us fiberglass trees. http://prmdesigns.com/

Paul…I have always tried to keep my shop clean and uncluttered. I seem to focus and concentrate better when organized and not having to walk around stuff or search for tools I need …or wonder where I put that special piece of lumber I bought months ago. I spent too much time in the past in limited space workshops that didn’t have the benefit of being uncluttered. Now that I have a descent size shop I want to keep it enjoyable.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

I like my shop clean. Mainly because I don’t have that much time to be in there so when I do go in my shop I would rather not be tripping over tools trying to find tools. Keeping it organized helps to keep the momentum going and overall flow of how tackle a project (especially in a small shop) instead of spending all of my time reorganizing. Also,yes I feel like can think better when it’s not cluttered.

By the way Gregg the Box Sculptor nice shop and good luck with your clean up.

Everything does get outta whack very quickly. Ya gotta look at cleanin up as part o the fun o this krazy hobby

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

You really do have a nice shop and I’m sure that that storage shed has helped so much. I desperately need a storage shed to take the pressure off of my little shop.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

Tomj & Roger…

before my shop started being additionally used for storage of my stuff for the shows I was able to keep it fairly clean and organized…I would vacuum the floor and put all tools back in their designated storage place every night before I turned the lights out. I seemed to have slacked a bit on doing it as the clutter increased and I hated it…I work so much better in a clean and uncluttered shop.

-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com

Yeah, I’m a clean and organized guy as well. But I’ve been told I take clean and organized a LITTLE too far. That’s OK. I’m the one who works in my shop so I keep it to suit ME!

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm