organization in the shop

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Location
Central (upstate) NY
Have any of you mounted a successful campaign against disorganization / clutter? This is probably the most important skill that I need to learn - any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
My first challenge was to get rid of all the stuff that didn't belong in my work area and posed a space and safety threat. BTW, I still have a small fire safe that I need to move (been there about 2 months). Once the 'shouldn't be there anyway' stuff is gone, I have time to organize a little.

Everything (well, almost) should have a spot. Once this is accomplished it boils down (for me) to habit. While I am waiting for something to stop spinning, or to dry, or whatever; I pick up something that I'm temporarily done with and put it away (because now it has a place and its easy).

I should mention that a wise man once wrote that you need 4 square feet of space to use while you're working; just to set stuff on as you go. I have found 8 square feet is more like it and I use a rolling worktable for this. That way stuff isn't setting on my work surface and getting in my way, yet is close at hand.

I create as big of a trail as anyone while I'm working. The trick that keeps me sane is to pick up AS I GO ALONG. Resist the "I'll get to that when I'm done" fiasco. I also pick up everything before I quit for the day, even if I know I'll use it again tomorrow. Plans change but tools left out just stay there.
 
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Mark,

As Glenn said, it helps to pick up as-you-go.

In our case, many of the small tools live on this peg board system:

1-PegBoardStorage.jpg



The peg board is close to the workbench, where I am likely to use most of these small tools - most of the every-day planes, rasps, chisels, etc., that I am likely to need are in the cabinet below the bench, along with a few on the walls, also nearby:

Cut-off-rackandworkbench-2.jpg



And most of the small power tools reside in the cabinets along the far wall - this shot was taken from the ladder to the attic, and just over the edge of the peg board system:

1-DP-Drilling-Shelving-Clamps-Desk.jpg



You might want to look at my blog, where the rest of the photos of the shop are. I just updated the blog yesterday, with a full tour of our shop.


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you guys are sick! my shop is governed by the "flat surface rule".....every flat surface gathers "stuff"....some days i move one pile to another flat surface, but by and large they all remain cluttred...but i do know where every tool is:rolleyes:
 
you guys are sick! my shop is governed by the "flat surface rule".....every flat surface gathers "stuff"....some days i move one pile to another flat surface, but by and large they all remain cluttred...but i do know where every tool is:rolleyes:

In my defense, I do use Tod's system at work. Since Tod's shop is his office I say; no foul. Seriously though, I see opportunity all over your shop. You can find storage all over the place:

Salvaged cabinet from an old mainframe shop
Blue-Cab.jpg
Salvaged kitchen cabs from a neighbor who was remodeling
Salvaged-Kit-Cabs.jpg
Back of doors and tool cabinets
Wall-and-Door.jpg
Along any wall
Clamps-and-wood-rack.jpg
Under your bench
Bench-drawers.jpg
On the end of your bench
Bench-ends.jpg
Under your RT
RT-drawers.jpg
Behind your RT
Back-of-RT.jpg
Under your worktable
Rolling-Table-drawers.jpg
Even under the support for your TS extensions
TS-stash-slider.jpg
 
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I'm getting better. I saw a small piece of the floor yesterday.:rofl:

One thing that's helping is we moved here 2 1/2 years ago, so anything that hasn't been used since we got here is now a candidate for goodwill or craigslist.

A theory I like a lot, but apply to only 10% of my tools is that everything should have its own visible place, so if you look there and its not there, you can start backtracking to the last time you used it. Unfortunately, I kinda have a plane pile and a chisel pile, and finishing hill - so any specific thing usually requires some digging.
 
In my defense, I do use Tod's system at work. Since Tod's shop is his office I say; no foul.

It's strange eh? I'm polar opposites at home and at work. At home I'm a slob ... yup ... a gennywhine, gold plated, platinum core slob. At work I'm anal about how my workspace is. Every tool has a place, each table or worklift has a place. The floor, desk and workbench is wiped cleaned after each job and all my tools are wiped down and put back into the toolbox after each job or after each stage of a job. I figure that I work best and fastest when I "take the time" to be neat and organised. My goal is to provide one billable hour to my employer for each hour that I get paid. If you saw me laying out new and old parts in a perfect assembly order before I start a job, you'd split a gut laughing ... you could almost measure the spaces between the parts and they'd all be the same ....

At home ... any flat surface will do ... (sad, very sad ...)

cheers eh
 
Mark,
other than cutting those chord pieces for my truss, I've not seen you work in your shop yet. I'm no expert on keeping up with clutter, believe me, but you've got a great start on the shop, you're good at putting the tools away in your rollaround units, expand that so your multi table isn't covered with stuff. Build a new work table so that you can have a place to put stuff while you're working on the multi table. A temporary or permanent landing zone for the stuff that frequently lands on the multi table is the first step I'd take. YMMV of course, since it is your shop.

shelves over the multi table area?
 
I've tried to have a place for everything but in a small shop sometimes its hard.

To me a bigger shop would have more floor space for assembly a 1 or 2 more storage cabinets 5' wide & 7'8" tall & a pile it bench where I can pile things so the bench top & any other top in the shop doesn't have anything on it but what its supposed to have one it.

I believe up to a point bigger is good but there is a such a thing as to big when it comes to a shop because the further you spread things out the further you have to walk to complete a task. I still want a bigger shop.
 
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I am slowly getting my shop reorganized.

I think pick up and put up is a good idea.

Also throw stuff away. I am up to 28 construction size garbage bags of throw stuff that needed to be throw away.

It is a continual process. It is sorta fun to build small oraganzing projects. Shelves, drawers, sand paper holders etc. Just look around and find something that needs some organizing and take a few hours and build something to do the job.

I love being in my shop. I want it to feel good.

A lot of good things and ideas have been offered.
 
Speaking of temporary storage, I'm in the middle of making a mobile base for my lunchbox planer - I want to add ~5 1/2" height to bring it's beds level with RAS and bench / do-all table. I was thinking to make a drawer in that space, but now wonder if simply elevating the planer and leaving a shelf under it might not be better. Stuff hanging out under the planer won't prevent me from using it, like it does if it is cluttering the RAS table, or the router table, or the soon to be lathe mount area, or the....

I'm not an organized person in general - if it wasn't for my wife who likes to clean I'd be stuck one notch just away from total slobdom.

Thanks!
 
Mr. Navas is right on . . .

all posible wall area peg-boarded and racks built as needed . Don't wait 'till theres a pile. Build the rack to hold new with space for more.
 
What is organization? It's a relative term used by those sick people who HAVE to have a place for everything and everything in its' place. I personally believe that my shop IS my storage place. I store my tools there, stuff for my truck, stuiff from home...hey! my shop is stuffed ....with everything.

really though, with a shop that's 8 x 18, organization is something I should embrace...but don't. I have stuff stacked up all over, all flat surfaces are piled high, and yes, I get tired of moving things from one spot to another. Maybe if I wasn't 2 things... a packrat and a procrastinator.....hmmmmm.

John
 
I have a very small shop now, and some God-awful shops in my earlier years. I vowed when I got my own shop it would be my own shop. And I think that is where the battle for organization starts.

My woodworking shop is just that, for woodworking. If it does not relate to woodworking, it goes elsewhere. Like my snowmobile shed. That is where I work on my snowmobile. That means I have two sets of tools. Wrenches and sockets to fix my woodworking tools, and wrenches and sockets for my sled. It sounds expensive but its really not. If I need something special from my sled shed, I can walk over and get it, but for 95% of the stuff I need while woodworking, its right there, organized and quick to reach.

If you want to get organized you really need to go through your shop, take everything out that is not woodworking related, and make a place for that. Then everything that is left, you make a place for. It really is simple, but hard to do. There are a million excuses while unrelated stuff is in the shop. I am constantly battling the MRS to keep unrelated stuff out of the shop, but I stand firm and refuse to budge.

You probably noticed a theme here...IF ITS NOT WOODWORK RELATED... GET IT OUT OF THE SHOP! Period. Its the ONLY way you will ever be organized.
 
Ah Travis, you lucky guy!

I know it is hard to consider, but there are those of us who don't have acres to expand into. I've got a garage, no cellar, corner lot, no room to expand past the set backs so my "shop" is multi use. Woodworking, home repair/improvement, house storage, hurricane shutter storage, but the only time it is a garage is when I push everything off to the side to slide one car in.

But, the point is valid, I find that the more organized I am, the more productive I become. I am even starting to adopt the "use a tool put it back where you got it" approach to working. I don't even want to think about all the time I've wasted looking for something that I just put down for a minute.

Jay
 
expand that so your multi table isn't covered with stuff. Build a new work table so that you can have a place to put stuff while you're working on the multi table. A temporary or permanent landing zone for the stuff that frequently lands on the multi table is the first step I'd take. YMMV of course, since it is your shop.

shelves over the multi table area?

okay i give............what in the world is a "multi-table"? i guessing some kind of high tech bench?
 
What I am finding is that having storage close to where I use something really helps me. I have added drawers to my two benches. I added clamp rack on the back of my bench (it sits away from the wall) I am giving serious thought about putting some shelving on the wall behind my bench for the stuff that doesn't go in the drawers. Still working on it but that had really helped.
 
I was cleaning up the shop last week. One of my problems is pieces of sheet goods cutoffs... they're a major clutter factor, and I keep having to move them around to get to other things. The other problem, a bunch of stuff sitting on my benchtop. Think, think... ;)

So here's the result. Not cabinets to be proud of, but they sure have solved some problems... ;)

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shelves 001 (Medium).jpg

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shelves 002 (Medium).jpg

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Thanks,

Bill

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