# It has begun!



## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Yes the long awaited and often threatened SHOP CLEANUP has begun.










I vow that my wonderful work bench will be usable and not a storage unit.

I vow not to save 100 board feet of truly useless scraps because I might need them tomorrow. Realistically tomorrow I will make more.

I will know the exact location of all of my tools

I will find all of my pencils and tape measures.

I will be proud to take clients into my shop.

Yes, this could take weeks and cost thousands of innocent lives, but it is a battle I must wage.

Have a great weekend everyone!


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

There's only beetle kill pine scraps on the fire. It will be burning all day tomorrow probably.


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## maplerock (Jun 21, 2013)

Think of all the valuable tools you will find!


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## jaykaypur (Oct 22, 2011)

LOL…...got a great laugh outta this….especially the 100 board feet of scraps saved! s me!


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## jfk4032 (Jun 26, 2011)

That is one of my goals this upcoming Winter Monte…hopefully this will give me more inspiration to do a major cleanup and shop organization…too many projects pop up to do it sooner it seems.

Show us some before and after pix, so I can see the end result of your hard work.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I won't post an actual before picture because it is beyond embarrassing. But I will post as I go.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm going the other way. Got all the kids' crap organized in the garage and ended up shoving even more in my cluttered shop so I can park two cars in the garage again before it salting, I mean snowing up here in the rust belt.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

Great forum topic !....best of luck in your quest for a clean shop


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## Nicky (Mar 13, 2007)

Monte, a bit premature for new years resolutions. If you get it all done, you'll never be able to find your tools.

Only 100 bd/ft of scraps? Really? Do you store the rest somewhere else?

Leave the pencils and rulers alone. If you pile them up in the same spot you will be depressed knowing that you spent that much money on measuring and marking devices.

Just kidding! Good luck with the cleanup.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Since you didn't post a "before" pic, we'll never know what it was like when you started!

My shop would probably make you crazy but it works for me. I drove my buddy nuts cleaning up as we went while building the new loafing shed. But when the last piece of tubing was welded in place, we were done without having to spend hours slogging through the mud cleaning up all the cut offs and trash.

I sweep up the sawdust on my slab and haul it off every time I use the mill as well. I can't help it. I like to work in a tidy environment!

I am proud of you for tackling this!


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I will post a before picture tomorrow.


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## cajunpen (Apr 9, 2007)

Monte we are on the same page, I spent most of the afternoon yesterday cleaning my shop. I got the area behind the Planer cleaned - not much, but it inspired me to do more.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Monte, you don't have to clean shop just because you wanted a weenie roast. Keep us posted, this should be good.


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

I started the cleanup of my little shop last week. I have a small shop around 17' x 20' like 1/2 of a 2 car garage. First thing I did was cut a long old kitchen cabinet I had along one wall in half. This gave me about 5 more feet to store a planer and router table against the wall. It also forced me to clean house! I had my bond fire. It lasted almost a whole day. Yep a lot of scrap pieces, and I knew if I didn't burn the stuff, I would weaken and haul it back in.

Next I built a stand for my scroll saw, using scraps from the part of the cabinet I cut off. I made a cabinet to hold my good lumber and good cutoff pieces so they are no longer sitting in a pile in one corner. Made this cabinet for the lumber out of recycled plywood from a big storage cabinet I tore apart about a month ago. I've got a couple more things to build and sort out and I will have a much better shop to work in. All it is costing me is the cost of screws, because everything I an building is out of recycled lumber and plywood.

I will have to buy a gallon of paint or so because I want to paint all my new and old cabinets. Look nicer it they were all the same color. I have really enjoy doing it also. Got to build a stand for my belt sander and disk sander, find a place for my grinder, and them rebuild the table the scroll saw, sanders and grinder were mounted on so I can use it as a small work bench and an out-feed table for my table saw when I need to.

One expensive thing I am going to do that will coat me some money is replace all the casters in my shop with good one and get put good ones on the cabinet stands I have recently built. I've decided, since I have to move things to use them I going to fix them so I don't strain my gut doing it. This will take a while because I can only buy a few each month


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

Good job on the clean up! And you will enjoy taking people into your shop after the ashes are swept up!


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## Danpaddles (Jan 26, 2012)

I will use a leaf blower while wearing a respirator. I am not kidding about that. Anything on wheels, out to the drive, I tell the neighbors to close their windows, and start blowing. then, back in the shop, what is not tied down will sail. Twice a year, need it or not.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Leaf blower is a pretty cool idea. My DC will be working overtime to get it all.


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## toeachhisown (Eddie) (Mar 30, 2011)

Monte you know you will be looking for that board you just burnt up , you tring to go cold turkey ,they have a 12 step program for wood hording


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Monte…shop cleanup = yummy good…
It is difficult to get rid of the massive amount of scraps in the scrap bin…i gotta work on that…

I try to put up all my tools in their standard storage spot every night before turning out the lights. I always feel and work better in an organized shop. The sawdust however only gets vacuumed about once a week….sometimes sooner.
My main worktable is my outfeed table and I keep it clean daily…my other two worktables…well, that is another story.


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## skipj (Mar 6, 2012)

I have to start cleaning the shop my self and some things have to go. I would like to see a photo
of your shop.
A side note, my bonfire is going to be bigger then yours.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

hahaha Monte. I'm gettin ready to expand a wall soon. I've got soooooooo much head scratchin decisions to make. LOL


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

All of you with those big shops that's what you all get,  us with our tiny shops have no choice but to clean up every day and toss as we have no room for clutter 

When I started out on my journey into my box making I kept ever piece no matter what not knowing what I need and what it can be used for, now that I've found my path I have a better idea of what I need and don't need thanks for posting Monte I need to go through and start throwing on the small bags of blocks that I'll never use nor need and like you said we'll always make more.

Way to go Monte.


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## brentgolden44 (Dec 9, 2007)

LOL…I thought I was the only one that uses a leaf blower. Glad I have a small shop or probably would have to purchase a front-end loader. ( Wish they had leaf blowers when I went to college. Dorm room would have been ********************-n-span!)


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## brentgolden44 (Dec 9, 2007)

Blackie is right. With a small shop, I have to clean up daily (almost)


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Keep in mind, the picture is only 1 of 3 scrap piles outside. I easily have that much more inside.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

The leafblower works great, my shop is oriented east, west and the prevailing wind coming from the west through a small window at that end combined with the overhead door opened at the opposite end can really get a lot of dust flying. This works doubly well with a blow gun in one hand and the leaf blower in the other. I don't even bother turning on air cleaner as it would be filled instantly!


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

No fire today, little breeze about 35 mph. I am building the stack. struggling with what is "disposable" scraps.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

SOB! If only I *HAD *a shop to clean up! (sniffle)


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## UncannyValleyWoods (Apr 18, 2013)

I'm going to have to invoke internet rule #1 (pictures or it didn't happen).


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## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

LOL! I can relate to every posting!

Monte did your nephew come to help?

I thought you might have been so frustrated you burned the shop! LOL!

I keep my office tidy as I can because I am seeing clients there. If you put the client first you will be motivated( more so) to keep the rest of your vows.

It's damned hard not to hoard wood LOL!


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

Monte..thats free heat..if you have a woodstove…that's what I use…put my wood shavings in a old Wal-Mart bag an toss em in….I see there are no shop pictures on your home page..when you get it clean add some


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