# I think I need to start over..



## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

...long time reader, not a huge contributor-yet…

My shop lives, unlike most, in my garage. And, also unlike most, I have to share the space with a freezer, bicycles, shelving and storage, thing lik… er, wait-you mean you all DO have to do that?

And here I thought I was deprived.

To put it mildly, my shop is a mess. In it (for tools) I have:

- Robland X31 (soon to be replaced/upgraded)
- Jet 17 drill press
- Laguna LT18SE band saw
- Dust collector
- Numerous small power tools and the like.

Then I have the numerous sheets of plywood (leaned against a set of shelves that I can't access due to said plywood), 100 b.f. of curly maple, 30 bf of cherry. You get the idea.

But there is just no organization or workflow…

Ug… Someone come shoot me.

- Michael Dow
Seabrook, TX

I've built a few small projects and have managed not to injure myself too badly, but I keep getting in my own way.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Micheal, sounds like a challenge but one you can overcome.

Lots of ways to go about organizing the space. When I'm overwhelmed by a situation, I go for the 'low hanging fruit.' Pick small clean-up tasks that are easy, with quick payoff, as much as possible. It'll help you find the first 'big thing' needed to make an impact over the long haul. Maybe it's high shelving, or a couple of garage cabinets you build, or a bench with under-top storage, etc. etc. You'll find it.

Oh, and pictures of the journey (posted here, of course) help you see how much progress is being made over time.

Good luck!


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I feel like you're working in my garage when I'm not home…


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

Why would you need to upgrade the X31? You are on the high end of tools already-just organize and build some stuff.


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

BinghamtonEd:

Are you the one making it messier when I'm not there? 'cuz I could SWEAR all those empty boxes with packing styrofoam weren't there when I left…


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

> Why would you need to upgrade the X31? You are on the high end of tools already-just organize and build some stuff.
> 
> - CharlesA


The fence… Oh my god, the fence. I can't do a darned thing that aligns that fence and KEEPS it aligned!

If you have some ideas on what I can do, I'm all ears…

-M


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

No-if there's a problem with it, then replace it, I guess. A bad fence is a real pain.

I just was looking at your tool collection thinking you were pretty well stocked.


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

> No-if there s a problem with it, then replace it, I guess. A bad fence is a real pain.
> 
> I just was looking at your tool collection thinking you were pretty well stocked.
> 
> - CharlesA


The X31's major weakness is its fence. Some people have replaced it with an aftermarket fence (which, I guess, would be cheaper than selling it and buying new tools to replace the multiple functions (Joiner, Planer, Saw). The mounting of an aftermarket is kinda kludgy as it would have to attach to the end of the swing-away joiner out feed table. I suppose everyone out there has the ultimate SawStop combo, and I'm just trying to have the bare minimum required to make a pointy stick.

-M


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

I've(We've) been there M. I finally added on to the back of my detached garage with a 12×24 shop room, but sometimes for larger projects my truck has to live outside. Sometimes larger pieces have to sit in the garage. When I just had the garage to work in, I had a workbench that rolled out to be outfeed for the saw. The saw rolled up against the wall between the car and the truck. The router table rolled into the corner and my truck missed hitting it by a few inches.
When I only have a little time to spend in the shop, I usually use that time to improve conditions somehow. Build another shelf, hang things like bikes from the rafters, get rid of crap I dont need, etc.


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## DGunn (Feb 14, 2008)

I work in a 12' X 20' shop. It is supposed to be a garage, but there has never been a car it in. I am fortunate that I built a shed out back that I don't have to share the space with anything, except a few items the wife uses to wash the cars.

Click here to take a look around my shop. Maybe you can get some ideas from it.


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

> When I only have a little time to spend in the shop, I usually use that time to improve conditions somehow. Build another shelf, hang things like bikes from the rafters, get rid of crap I dont need, etc.
> 
> - firefighterontheside


Of course, right now all I can do is admire the garage from the back window of the house. The heat here in Houston causes that thing to turn into an oven. Next summer I hope to have the funds available to put in a 21k BTU A/C…

-M


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

> BinghamtonEd:
> 
> Are you the one making it messier when I m not there? cuz I could SWEAR all those empty boxes with packing styrofoam weren t there when I left…
> 
> - Michael Dow


I don't know anything about the packing supplies. The boxes full of infant toys, old clothes, and motorcycle parts, well, those I know about.


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Yeah, I hear ya. I put a window unit thru my wall last year. Ive gotten a lot more woodworking done this summer than past summers. After the summer of 3 years ago when it was 107, i decided that i needed to do it. First I insulated walls and ceiling. Right now I heat with a few electric heaters, but that sometimes causes issues with electric. I may have to get some kind of gas heater or upgrade my electric service to the garage.


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

> Yeah, I hear ya. I put a window unit thru my wall last year. Ive gotten a lot more woodworking done this summer than past summers. After the summer of 3 years ago when it was 107, i decided that i needed to do it. First I insulated walls and ceiling. Right now I heat with a few electric heaters, but that sometimes causes issues with electric. I may have to get some kind of gas heater or upgrade my electric service to the garage.
> 
> - firefighterontheside


I bought a as heater for my shop last winter - works on a 20lb propane tank. It'll bring my garage up from about 40 degrees (which is considered COLD in Houston) to pretty toasty in about 20 minutes. Of course then you have to worry about combustibles, dust, etc.. *sigh*


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## Underdog (Oct 29, 2012)

Dang. Sounds like my shop. Only I'm not in a garage or a basement. It's solely dedicated to… piles of junk. Or projects. Or wood that I'm going to do something with… ....someday.

Are you sure you guys aren't ALL using my shop while I'm not there?

Projects I NEED to get to:
Flip Top stands that can get the planer, jigsaw, and sanders off the floor. Battery and drill charging station. Clamp racks. Placing the router table top on the cabinet it belongs to. Putting the radial arm and sliding miters saw actually ON the cabinets they belong to.

Using, or giving away, or burning the wood that hampers EVERY move…

I feel your pain.


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

> Dang. Sounds like my shop. Only I m not in a garage or a basement. It s solely dedicated to… piles of junk. Or projects. Or wood that I m going to do something with… ....someday.
> 
> <snip>
> 
> ...


I managed to pick up 100 b.f. of gorgeous curly maple for $2/bf a while back… Its currently blocking access to my bandsaw.

Once I finish the nightstands (which I started when it was a LOT cooler) I'll be able to move onto next projects, which my 14 year old daughter is screaming at me to get started on: Built in dressers.

I also want to start gearing up to do a Maloof-type rocker for my 28 year old.. She's gonna be having my first grandchild one of these years, and it'll probably take me a LONG while to finish… Which of course means that I have to START it first…

I guess I'm the only one who has these problems..


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## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Yeah, I don't have rails and stiles cut for a new kitchen island and they are sitting high up on a shelf in my shop. One of these days I will get back to it.


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## DGunn (Feb 14, 2008)

> I managed to pick up 100 b.f. of gorgeous curly maple for $2/bf a while back… Its currently blocking access to my bandsaw.
> 
> - Michael Dow


I would be happy to get the curly maple out of the way for you. I can send you my address.  Then you have free access to your bandsaw and we would both be happy.


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

Michael. You and me both about the heat. I'm in Clearlake and have not been in my shop for 3 months.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Dang I used to live in Houston. I would have gladly come and shot you for a small fee and all of your tools. Too bad I moved.

Since I don't live there, I would suggest a full on clean out. Throw away as much as is feasible and then organize.

P.S. I do have some gun-owning friends that still live there if you need someone. ;>)


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Michael*, you should see my garage workshop if you think yours is a hard place in which to work.
I can hardly turn around without getting permission of something stored there.
In spite of that I do get projects done, not as many as I would like but I do!


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## nes_matt (Jul 8, 2014)

I feel your pain. I'm new to this world of wood and the many associated tools and space requirements. My 2 car garage is a mess and I have to get it clean before Halloween (typical first snow where I live). After that I will be sharing space with 2 cars that drag in salt from the roads…. not sure how to protect for that yet.

I have a feeling my car may spend most of the winter outside unless I know there is snow in the forecast.


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## mudflap4869 (May 28, 2014)

My cars got evicted. Unless I am working on them or if snow is forcast they sit outside. My wife parks in the shade of the house so the sun don't turn her into an oven during the summer. One is in the shop at the moment but will be evicted in the next day or two. I can barely squeeze between it and the shopsmith. We are night people so it cools off a bit before we go out to the shop. A 36 inch shop fan moves the air around and helps me sweep the floor. I have a bunkhuse wood burning stove in the shop and save every scrap of wood for winter heat. Containers sit beside each tool for scraps. I am sure that I could clutter up an aircraft hanger if I had the room. What makes it worse is that my wife is a hoarder of all things on the planet. I am thankful that I don't live near the landfill, she already roams the streets and brings home *TREASURES*.


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## JohnDi (Jun 23, 2014)

Thanks guys.
I feel like I'm not alone anymore.
Some days I look around the shop and want to have a garage sale and sell everything because I get so tired of having to move everything just to start a project, and then have to rearrange everything when I come back down the next day to continue.


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## jinkyjock (Feb 2, 2014)

Michael,
I empathize with your situation.
Until recently my workshop (16×12ft.) was a total mess and trying to work around *stuff* was depressing.
I also posted a blog, took advice from fellow LJ's, and also had a look at other's workshops.
Basically I put any projects on the back-burner for a couple of weeks and set about re-modelling.
Perhaps you could use some of your less expensive ply to make some storage units.
That was for me the biggest lesson, storage to get said *stuff*off the floor,
integrated wherever possible.
Many LJ's work in similarly restrictive spaces, but have come up with solutions that suit their particular needs.
I am sure you can do the same with a little help.
Long term it has to be done, before the men in white coats come knocking…..
All the best for the future.
Cheers, Jinky (James).


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## Sominus (Nov 17, 2013)

We have a cold front that is supposed to be hitting here on the Gulf coast… Its supposed to get as low as 85 degrees! (That's almost freezing in these parts, for those of you who don't know).

I think that if I (all but) empty my garage of "stuff", I may be able to get a semi-usable shop out of the deal…

Or-I have a beer fridge in there… Anyone wanna come do it for me? You just have to promise to leave all the tools and wood… You can have the stuff I label as "junk"...


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

I know how you feel, Micheal! I drove OTR over 30 years, & was never home! Up until my Sawbones told me I was going to have to slow down a little, & quit eatin', sleepin', & thinkin' trucks & diesel smoke, & get myself a hobby! That was 12 years ago. So, I bought myself a scroll saw, router, RAS, a few odds & ends hand tools, & moved into my wifes' pantry in the basement. It is about 10' w x 12' l. And it has pantry shelves around two walls of it. But, it did have a window in it, so I did have ventilation. I had to figure out how to arrange this corner of the house to handle a bench for my RAS, plus some kind of SMALL project table, & be able to store some wood, and other things needed for my new hobby. And, on top of all that, I was usually home about 36 - 48 hours, & then gone again for 3 - 5 wks. So, as time went on, and I got deeper into woodworking, as every woodworker knows, more tools were being added to my arsenal of tools. Some had to become mobile, and then storage had to go into other rooms in the basement, etc. Then, my health failed me. AGAIN! 2 1/2 yrs ago, I had an accident in a truck, & things REALLY went to hell! I got to the point I couldn't hardly walk, chronic, pain, couldn't get to the basement to the shop without falling down the stairs, on & on. So, my wife put her foot down & said it was time for my tools to find a new home! I stopped that, & my neighbor across the street from us offered us their retired beauty shop to rent. We took him up on it, & the move began. It took over two weeks to get all my tools, lumber, etc., out of the "dungeon" as it was named, to the new shop. But Did I have a MESS! After my back surgery in January, & therapy was over, I slowly started getting my shop in order. I had shelves to build, screw compartments to make, you name it, Brother, but I now have it somewhat organised, & usable. There are still a lot of things I am not able to do, but am working towards taller goals. I will never drive OTR again, so woodworking has become a full time hobby for me. I apologize for the ramble, but your story intrigued me, as I've been all over the country, at all the times of the year. I wish you the best with your shop, my friend, but keep in mind, there is always a way to make something good out of a not so good situation. work safe, & enjoy the day!


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

My shop is a one car garage with all of the stuff that goes with it - freezer, HW heater, washer and dryer…and all of my tools. I wrote a blog on my reorganization. It has worked out great.

But it doesn't take much to get it congested. The good thing is I just finished building the cabinets for our kitchen, and previously, my brother in law's rent house kitchen.

I couldn't have done all of this work if my garage wasn't air conditioned! 

Last year, when it was 102 outside, I had R38 insulation blown in the ceiling. And the outside wall had been insulated when we replaced the siding on our house. These days, it is 77 or lower regardless of the outside temp.  I bought a split system AC because I didn't want the HOA complaining with an AC sticking out through the wall.

Like you other guys, it would be too hot to do anything in this heat.

Holler if you want to come check it out.


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