# Am I the only one?



## HamS (Nov 10, 2011)

I was going to take pictures of my shop to post when I joined a month or two ago and when I looked at the pictures I realized that my housekeeping in the shop is woefully inadequate. I then decided to embark on the "Great Shop Cleanup". 
I see pictures of other LJ's shops and realize that there are two worlds. The guys that keep a neat and tidy shop and then there is me. I seem to find something to take up every square inch of horizontal surface area. I actualy had my assembly table/bench cleaned and it filled up almost immediately. My thought is that the pros who make their living in their shops keep them under control and those of us who earn our daily bread outside the shop are less apt to keep neat and tidy shops. On the other hand, I could just be a slob. I have found that less clutter means less time looking for things. And no, I did not take any pictures of the half of the barn outside the shop where the junk goes. When Christmas concerts are over and the drywall is hung by the chimney with great tribulation and the mud is in its place I will get to this task.


----------



## DCarrier (Nov 23, 2011)

I wish mine were as organized as yours. I get new ideas by tripping over wood and tools!


----------



## TCCcabinetmaker (Dec 14, 2011)

Might I suggest hanging some drawers under your benches?
And yes, there are guys who make a living at it who like to keep their work areas clean, then there are the guys who like to clutter the other guys work spaces….

But in all honesty, when you run a clean shop, you spend alot less time looking for things when they have a home to go to. I worked for this one company, and it became a real issue that things had to start finding a home, simply because, of the wasted hours a week/day looking for a specific tool.

Also it's safer when you don't have to worry about knocking ideas into your head by tripping on stuffs.


----------



## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Ham, 
I'd feel right at home in your shop. Horizontal spaces rarely stay clear in my shop. I try really hard to purge my shop of all non-essential items, so I have more room to keep the stuff I really need. For example, I recently discovered that I own(ed) five 12" combo squares. Three of those were crappy junk that I never used (freebies from Harbor freight or Grizzly). I'm sort of a tool hoarder, so it killed me to do it, but I donated them to the local restore along with a bunch of other triplicate and/or gimmicky tools. Got rid of other stuff too such as scrap wood, ancient cans of stain, and a bunch of other crap that I was likely to never actually use. I'm not sure how I'll ever get by without 7 claw hammers, but I'll try to make do. LOL.

Now I have more places to stash tools and supplies. My workbench and other surfaces still get cluttered, but it takes longer to get that way and is easier to clean-up. And I also intentionally use a very small workbench since I don't build large projects and because it won't pysically accomodate as much clutter.

Thanks for posting the pics. Its fun to see other people's lil' slice of heaven. I just made some improvements to my shop. I'll try to post some pics soon.


----------



## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Ham,
It does not really matter what your shop or work area looks like, it's what comes out if it that really matters.
I see some others' shops as being so clean and tidy I can't imagine any work being done there.

The things that really matter are keeping your tools in good order, keep safety first in your mind and have a good memory to remember where everything is - that's a good early test for Alzheimers 
Small items like fasteners etc., should be placed for easy sorting and use, and in certain areas you can choose where certain tools go, you just have to go to that area to find the tools you need.

My shop often looks like a parking lot because I have power tools mounted on work benches with wheels, so I can reconfigure the shop to the work at hand, and the supplies for the tools reside underneath the bench on shelves. It all depends on what suit your way of working. To me I like to see a shop where you can tell it is used.
Love your shop


----------



## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Don't think you're alone. Mine looks terrible most of the time. Every now and then, I use the leaf blower to get rid of sawdust all over everything. Sweep up mounds from around the planer, TS, etc. I know where most everything is. As long as it isn't a safety thing, I don't worry. Some people cant tolerate a messy shop, others can't tolerate Harbor Freight tools. My lack of tolerance is with people that feel they have the need and the right to tell me how I should run my shop….


----------



## LepelstatCrafts (Jan 16, 2011)

For me it really all comes down to what day you get into my shop. If I am in the middle of a project, then there is stuff all over the place. If you get in there any other time, there is stuff all over the place


----------



## tomclark (Feb 16, 2010)

One of my problems with keeping the shop and workbench cleaned up is that there are somethings that you just never want to put away. They belong right where you can reach them when you need them! To solve the cluttered workbench problem, a simple shelving unit was added directly to the bench. It is not in the way, yet the surface area of the two shelves are 60% of the size of the whole workbench. It makes a very good way to keep what you need at your fingertips, yet makes it easier to keep the workbench more useable. 









When in the middle of a big projects, of course things end up everywhere, but by having adequate shop cabinets, it makes it much easier to put things away if there is actually a place to put them. I built a lot of cabinets because it was fun, but they also make keeping the mess put away a lot easier.


----------



## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

I have been wanting to post pic of my shop. but its a mess.maby ill do it any way. yep i feel right at home in your shop…hehe" i dont have a lot of cabnets in my shop. i have roll around display racks thrown away by stores. every thing i have is on wheels so it can be moved


----------



## Neight (Nov 6, 2011)

I am by no means an organized person…
I have always worked with organized people though, and when I decided to start woodworking, I vowed everything was going to be nice and neat. I would put things away when I was done with them, keep the workbench clear of things that were not needed for the current project, and just keep it nice in general. That lasted for a whole project 
Right now, I am looking at my workbench, well not really, I am looking at a pile of tools sawdust and scrap (as well as some empty coffee cups and Mt. Dew bottles, and an empty chip bag) it's actually pretty hard to see any workbench. I am still not sure how I do it, before I start each project, I clean my shop, I am still trying hard to put things away, but somehow I always end up with a mass of clutter by the end of each project. I find ways to get out everything I don't need along with the things I do. When my workbench was used strictly for electronics, it was circuit boards, components, coils, and whatever old computer I was taking apart for parts. Now I have one bench that still looks like that, and another that is all woodworking mess. I just can't seem to help myself, though I am still trying, and will be cleaning my shop once again today…
maybe once it's clean I will take some pics and post em up, put my best foot forward, you know


----------



## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Perhaps we might have a competition to find the most disorganized and trashy shop?
The winner gets the cleanup crew from "Hoarders" to visit and clean the place up and make it functional and tidy.
You could take a picture of it when they have finished, then you can get it back to the way it was as your comfort zone in no time.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

HamS,

Yep…...I'm afraid you're the only one. ...But a few others have professed to being like you, also).
Myself…I can't be like that…I've got to have cleanliness and order, and then re-store order after a project is completed, the tools put away, and the shop cleaned for the next project….for me, it's just business as usual to do it that way…..always have….always will, until I get so sotve up I can't do it anymore….But….in the meantime, my shop will look like this if at all possible…...


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Yeah, but you've got tons of wall space!!


----------



## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

You're not alone , my friend. 
Seems like every flat space in my shop becomes a "temporary" holding station for stuff.
I need to build some cabinets and more shelving , but working out of my basement , I am very space confined. 
I probably have three lifetimes worth of wood scraps and good boards that I need to get put into projects very soon. LOL : ) Is there a Hoarders (Boarders) Anonymous group out there yet ?

Happy Holidays : )


----------



## Blondewood (Mar 30, 2009)

Your shop looks just fine. Main thing is that you're happy with it. It's funny, but in my MIND my shop looks clean and beautiful. The reality is that it's full of saw dust and the ceiling still needs to be mudded and painted. I don't even notice that most of the time and finishing the ceiling has been on my to-do list almost 10 yrs now. I'd love to do it, but I love doing my projects even more. As for the neat work bench, I am rather anal about that and sometimes it works to my disavantage. I'm constantly putting things away and then needed them a bit later. I like how some work benches have that tool tray in front, so I use a plastic box on the bench for the most used hand tools and save myself some aggravation.


----------



## HamS (Nov 10, 2011)

Dusty, I don't know about three lifetimes of scrap, but I certainly have three generations of scrap wood in mine. The shop only takes up half the pole barn and lots of wood scraps are stored in the other half.


----------



## ryansworkshop (Dec 2, 2011)

A happy shop, is happiness in the shopkeeper. As long as your happy with it, that is all that matters.

I have a small shop (under 200 sq') Woodworking and Metal Shop. Yes, when wielding, I stand there for 30 minutes with fire putter outer hand.

A basement "Man Cave"(under 300 sq') where I paint on canvas and air brush, do my finishes, tie-fly's, make fishing rods (Fly-rods-Surf rods), make custom arrows (400+ dozen a year) and turn on the lathe.

I have a handyman business that stores all my gear, in a 160 sq' shed.

My work areas are small and they don't take long to clean or maintain. Someday's they look as if a bomb went off. Others, they are so clean I am afraid to get them dirty. I have the ability to adapt, so do most of us.

Never be ashamed of your shop. It mind over matter. I don't mind if it's a mess and those who do mind, don't matter.


----------



## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

You're a rookie, HamS! Cruise over and take a look at Karson's shop pix. http://lumberjocks.com/Karson/workshop Sorry, Karson, your shop has always stuck in my mind, but fear not, mine is starting to catch up.


----------



## ryansworkshop (Dec 2, 2011)

I have seen boat builder's shop that looked like Karson's and they have produced some pretty yachts.

@ Rick D; That shop is to big.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

ryansworkshop,

NO SIR…..My shop is NOT too big…I've got plenty of room to do anything I want to in there without feeling like the walls are closing in on me….. My first shop was small, my second shop was bigger than the first, and this one is just right….I admit it is a booger to clean sometimes, but like you said….it's mind over matter…....


----------



## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I'm with Rick and Tom. Clutter and dirty just doesn't work for ME. But I've seen some projects that I much admired come out of a shop I could not work in. Like most things in life: "Whatever works for you".


----------



## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

I can never figure out whether people sweep and tidy their workshops when they post pictures of projects. Never a scrap of sawdust or a loose shaving to be seen, everything always seems to be in it's right place.
I try to be neater, I really do, but my enthusiasm for the job at hand takes over, and everything gets dumped everywhere. I know (roughly) where the thing I'm looking for is, so it works for me.

(Edit) I did actually laugh out loud when I looked at the workshop link above. It makes me feel better about mine.


----------



## doncutlip (Aug 30, 2008)

Well, if it helps calibrate things, I keep a pretty clean and organized shop - but so far what comes out of it doesn't come close to the quality of many of the projects I see on LJ. I'm proud of my shop a good deal of my woodworking has been done to build it up, but I'm about done with it now. I do cover many horizontal spaces when I'm doing a project, but I put everything back when I move on to finishing. I guess it all comes down to what gives you the most enjoyment.


----------



## DaleM (Feb 18, 2009)

Since I don't see where anyone else has said it, in the first and last pics there seem to be empty shelves on the wall. Just trying to help you out a bit. I just put up more small shelves last week, and made a lumber rack with the idea that I might use them and keep things a little more organized. We'll see how that goes. For me, the more I use my shop, the cleaner and more organized I keep it. It's when I just use it a little that I don't take the time to clean it up and I clutter it a little at a time adding up to a huge mess over time.


----------



## grinder457 (Dec 28, 2011)

It looks like you have the makings of a decent workshop. I'm just starting out myself. So far I have a few saw horses and a piece of plywood (4'x4') for a workbench. When I need the saw horses I take the plywood down. And I only have a half a dozen power tools. Looks like I'll be spending some time in this particular forum for ideas on a workshop (it's a one car garage) .

PS I just joined this group so forgive me if I'm posting inappropriately. e.g. off topic…


----------



## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

Another guy working in a barn, I love it! Doesn't look *that* messy to me…

I envy your vertical wall space.


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Storage is haphazard in my shop. I'm ruthless at times about getting rid of stuff 
I don't use. I have about 200 little plastic drawers in 6 or 7 units you can't see
over my bench stuffed with small hardware and parts.


----------



## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

My dad and I call it The Law of the Flat: clear a flat space anywhere, and within minutes something will land there that had a place only seconds before.


----------



## paplou (Mar 30, 2009)

I live in Ohio but when I go down in my shop I jump a couple time zones and end up it the Rocky Mountians. There are mountians of wood on my right and mountians of tools on my left. There is a valley down the center where I can hike to the mountian of sawdust around my lathe. 
There are two big mountians that I have named Tablesaw and Work Bench. I have an Outhouse that is also filled with Stuff. My girl friend came over "Once" and caused a land slide and hasn't been seen since. At night when I'm laying in bed I think I can hear her digging but maybe it's just dog I lost a year ago. 
Anyways I think your shop looks great.


----------



## grandpaj (Jan 20, 2008)

Here is my humble shop.I live in Washington state about 50 miles north of Seattle in Stanwood.16×24x19 Pole barn fully insulated and wood stove for heat

http://kregjig.ning.com/photo/albums/my-humble-shop


----------



## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

My shop is only tidy right now because, due to medical reasons, I'm temporarily restricted from using most of the machines. (Meaning there's not much to do BUT tidy and organize!) But also I tidied up before taking the pics…in real life the surfaces are much more crowded.


----------



## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

When I posted pictures of my shop I was busted on for a lack of sawdust or that it was too clean! I am like Rick..I need to have order and cleanliness..even while working on a project I still clean up after each session..I dont put tools away till I am done using them, but I sweep up and vacuum a little to keep from tracking sawdust into the house. My shop is pretty clean most of the time..but i did tidy up extra good before I snapped the pictures..


----------



## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

I try to keep the shop as clean and organised, else I am tripping over cables and tools or off cuts etc… but I am very limited on space and the basement hasn't even got a floor yet or any inside cladding… so I can't even put in storage… but on saying that I think I do okay.

What I do is, once I have finished each project the basement gets a clean out (the best one can do considering) and tools checked and put away, ready for the next job… I do try and put the tools away each night but some times I don't and the place gets bad…


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

David,

I went back and took another look at your shop….very neat and tidy…just the way I like them to be..One has to have order in the shop, or one might trip over something on the floor, and hurt one's self….I cannot, and will not work in a filthy shop..I have to be originized….Even with a bad back, it pains me to clean it, but it will get cleaned….just my opinion (for me, anyway)......


----------



## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

If you want, go look up my little pole barn shop. I seem to like a lot of wood stuff on the floor, feels better than the bare concrete. An inch or so of shavings is kind of easy on the feet. Yet, I can still find a tool I'm looking for…....usually.


----------



## DonnaMenke (Sep 20, 2006)

I work better when things are easy to find, and that requires a bit of organization and constantly putting things away. But, every flat surface seems to attract everything and here is what my shop looked like a few years back.
http://lumberjocks.com/DonnaMenke/workshop
I have rearranged it a little since then, and I now have the 10" Grizzly drum sander. Some of the 'stuff' has moved, but more comes and fills the void.


----------



## Pie (Jan 28, 2009)

My shop was n a shed outside and space was minimal, couldn't even get a decent table-saw in there. After a couple of years of freezing in the winter time (I haven't been woodworking that long) and backing into my propane heater with my leg (man that hurt) I realised something had to change. Our basement is rather large and was used for storage so I have moved everything to the basement. Now I have more space and organising is a priority (unless my wife has a rush project). I am in the middle of building some storage bins I found in a ShopNotes mag titled "The Complete Small Shop" . I got about half-way finished and my wife had a "rush project" so now that is done I can keep working on my storage bin project. I guess what I am getting at is for me to finish getting organised I need to focus on doing just that and try not to start any new projects (so hard to do). I am doing this because I find myself buying hardware etc..for projects only to find later I already had that hardware, constantly looking for stuff etc.. Plus I believe doing this will ultimately save be time and sanity. 
Good luck in trying to get organized,


----------



## HamS (Nov 10, 2011)

@bandit
" An inch or so of shavings is kind of easy on the feet."

That is so true. I have good dust collection on the machines, but not the hand work nor the router. consequently, when I get the stock milled and then get to the joinery stage I tend to have shavings all over. I seemed to have a congenital problem figuring out how to work a broom, it is just a bit to high tech for me, so the shavings tend to build up. This tends to mix in with the dirt that comes in with the firewood. I have found a good excuse for leaving the shavings on the floor though; the shavings around the assembly bench, especially the ones from the router, are real good at soaking up the glue drips and make it a whole lot easier to get the glue off the concrete. That part of the floor tends to be polished when it does eventualy get swept.

My shop is in the back half of a pole barn. The floor in the barn is a nicely trowelled concrete which is quite smooth. The people door and the vehicle door are in the front, non-insulated part and the floor is not only cold, but the doors are not particulraly air tight. snow blows in and the floor right inside the people door can get very slippery in the winter. If you spread a micture of ashes from the wood stove and wood chips, they tend to freeze together just enough to make the floor a bit rough so you do not slip on the smooth concrete.

H


----------



## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

My shop is currently messy because it is small and I allowed myself to collect too many useless tools and items. The side effect of that is that I never bothered to do any work in it but started doing my projects at my workplace where we have a nicely organized shop. Whenever we have an insurance inspection it only takes two of us about 4 hours to put the shop in perfect order at any given moment. Apparently we've got a reputation for having the cleanest shop that either inspector has ever visited.

The past few months I started to change the situation with my personal shop by throwing or giving away everything that doesn't have a proper place in the shop. Once summer arrives and I can get serious work done I'll finish the process and get it perfectly organized. Once I get my stuff organized in portable carts or totes and place items in logical places it'll stay clean.


----------



## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

This is my basement shop and its about as clean as its is ever going to get. The table saw in the first photo is the one I won last October (2011) in the drawing from Hammer Woodworking USA and it has a nice sliding table. The Danish woodworking bench is of Taige Fried design from Fine Woodworking magazine and I built it from the magazine drawings back in the 1970s. The oak wall and floor cabinets were a great find! They were obtained from a high school chemistry lab. The school was shut down and the old building was to be re-purposed into a home for the elderly. Now I have lots of drawers and they are full! This shop is the accumulation of over 50 years. I started the shop with the purchase of a 6" Sears metal lathe when I was seventeen (1957) - much to the chagrin of my father who, being a hunter and fisherman, wanted me to spend my part-time job earnings on a new shotgun. A shop is never "finished'. I am still working on it. My problem is now I am out of space, so I am now putting some of my lesser used machines up on casters so I can shove them close together into what I will call the "parking lot". I'll drag them out and plug them in when needed. And you will notice stuck away in a corner is a metal shaper that will be my summer project to clean up and get into shape.

Planeman


----------

