What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

john jesseph

My shop is totally dry-docked right now, with the space being used for working out and athletic training. I’m in a purge mode, and trying to get motivated to start making things again.

I’d say getting real with what you want out of it is the first step. Lots of people like tinkering with tools. Others want to put together the ultimate shop, and don’t care about making stuff. There are those that just want to make stuff. Your goals will guide you.

I’m not a super fan of Chris Schwarz, but The Anarchist’s Toolchest book is a reasonable guide to “enough”. As a guide to tool chests, it’s just ok. The real value to it is spelling out one person’s opinion on what’s really needed to make stuff.

Also: get familiar with Marie Kondo.

Also: watch some episodes of Hoarders to get motivated.

sell things...

David Weaver

..or throw them away. In the event that it becomes a matter of UPS-like linear or dynamic program to keep things extremely neat and findable, then there are two choices:

1) you live for that kind of thing and organizing the shop to make things orderly (which often puts them out of view and makes it questionable that they're intended to be used in many cases). In that case, you can undertake the rather gigantic obligation to organize everything super tight (Dense storage, hard to get to but impressive when someone does a studley chest style shop).

or

2) you can sell things a little at a time until space is better, and give away or throw away the things that aren't worth selling and that are used never or almost never

That's my suggestion as an extreme pig who allows things to exist on the dense side, but if they require shop time to be an appreciable percentage of organizing, then they go instead. Organizing isn't making. It's a separate thing, and if you like to make and organize, that's fine. If it infringes on making, then for me it's out.

My wife has at times redone hundreds of items in my shop into containers or whatever and that just results in my inability:

1) to remember where they are

2) in some cases, to remember that I even have them

Neither of these are good. Dense organization often results in two things I don't like:

1) allocated spaces for specific tools. What happens when you add or switch? A lot of work

2) tools being stored in a way that several have to be moved out of the way to get to one and put back in some kind of order when done.

Some people love 2. My wife loves #2. I have a rule. I see it, grab it, use it, put it back. Or roll open one drawer, see, .... same order.

More than that, and something has to go.

Re: The brain trust controls my mess.

Bruce McCrory

I have multiple "hobbies" that can be obsessive passions. The trick is to keep them in mental check without accumulating the physical parts. I have made a pretty good career of mental creation.

Woodworking is a combination of drives, necessity of repair, and culmination of good design in a functional piece of attractive craftwork.

A long term--as in, most of my life--desire has been to finish a black powder rifle kit. I don't hunt; the experience was more research and get out into the snow with friends. Dumping what used to be a few (very few) hundreds of dollars--now, at least $1500--into a kit piece just to enjoy finishing it is pretty much a dead end. Like a candle stand.

So, I periodically sweep away the mental filings and tiger maple dust after a pleasant bout of dreaming.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Clint Searl

An organized shop is an oxymoron. Every new project or interest adds more entropy.

self regulating

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

When clutter is getting in the way of building the clutter gets organized. Whatever is not in the way of building is not important. End of project, sharpen and put away everything.

Throw stuff away...

John in NM

Tools you never use, wood scraps that might be useful one day, those old bins of misc nuts and bolts that came from the garage, shed, or shop of an uncle, father or grandfather.

I find throwing stuff away to work the best. It really forces you to confront whether its worth keeping and if so then the problem is a different one to solve (organizing it into a regular spot, or buying/building some kind of hardware organizer for the nuts and bolts). If its not worth the trouble to organize it, why are you keeping it?

I did pretty well after learning this lesson, until I started selling product out of a shop not intended for that use. I brought in several machines I had never intended to have when I built the shop and now I feel that I am just getting to the point of having time to try to make sense of the clutter that came from overcrowding and focusing free time on making product rather than cleaning.

I sure don't have a big scrap wood collection though - heat the shop with a stove!

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Bill White

I'm one of those guys who cleans up at the end of the shop day. That's what I was tought, and it still stays with me. I almost (See? Almost.) remember where stuff lives. So going back to the project at hand is made easier.

I also blow down the air compressor each day. Sick? Yep!

Just don't tell David Weaver.

I twitched with that one..

Joe shelton

...develop a dynamic program to solve the 'knapsack' problem.

Where I put the knapsack might be the new problem. Thanks for the notion.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Oskar

Just some assorted thoughts.

best invested space in my small shop (5 by 11 feet) is the sharpening corner. Its just a shelf in working height (standing) 12 x 24'' or so. But it get the sharpening stuff out of the way while always ready to use. And I use it for light duty metal work as well (filing, drilling, tapping etc) keeping the filings from the bench.

I give away tools that are not used or replaced by better ones. Don´t want full boxes and drawers of stuff that I don´t want to use.

I try to live by the 1-tool-deep principle. Never things on things or tools behind tools. If I need and use both, they deserve their own places, easy to reach and see. Want to make a set of shallow drawers, in which only one layer fit and no stacking occur.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Barney Markunas

Recognize that entropy is a fundamental physical concept - all things tend toward disorder. Don't beat yourself up about it but when it gets in the way of you being productive or working safely, it is time to do something about it.

Now a message from my mother... "Do as I say, not as I do." There is much to be said for "a place for everything and everything in its place". Developing the habit of putting things back in the right spot will save you an enormous amount of time down the road. I have a friend who could not find a #2 Phillips screwdriver when he needed one. He broke down and went through his cars, his toolboxes, his garage, workshop, his basement, and the kitchen junk drawer. and came up with 17 of them but none where they were supposed to be. Don't be that guy.

Do you have things that you know you will never use? Find them a new home - gift/sell/donate/pitch depending on what they are. Duplicates (ok, triplicates/quadruplicates, etc.) could be low hanging fruit in this regard. Likewise those tool restoration projects that you've been saving for the past 20 years. Be honest with yourself.

Pick your battles. Opt for a cleanup/organization task that is relatively easy but has significant impact on your situation. Making some recognizable progress will help you tackle the next step. Few things are more frustrating than spending a Saturday afternoon "organizing" and stepping back and not being able to see that you've made any headway.

Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Good luck.

well, if you like it.....

David Weaver

..you have to do what you like.

I worked in a cabinet factory when I was in college. We knocked off 10 minutes early each day and did nothing but sweep and blow things toward blast gates, every day, never ever an exception.

Before that, I worked in a tile factory where they never cleaned up the dust that wasn't in main areas. It was like being on a different planet.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Curt Putnam

When I run out of space, my better half takes charge and starts asking what we can donate or trash. Getting rid of stuff is painful but cathartic.

Get organized

Kevin French

Most of the tools in my tiny shop are on the wall in front of my bench. I have a 4x4' pegboard, mag bars, hanging nails, etc. The important thing is everything has a place and when a project's done it takes very little time to put the shop back in order.

I can't have a cluttered shop, @10 x 10' workspace it becomes a trip hazard quickly.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Joe in a Cleveland suburb

I always try to pick up things at the end of the day. When I complete a project, I try to put everything away and clean up. I don't like messes.

Shop time for me is limited and I hate wasting time looking for stuff under other stuff.

I just try to keep things picked up and somewhat organized as I go...

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Joe Fleming

I have been redoing my shop for about a year. My education is in Industrial Engineering so organization and layout is in my DNA. But my shop has been a mess.

There are four factors that drive my organization decisions:

1 - Density of items

2 - Accessibility to items

3 - Frequency of use

4 - Recover my workbench and tablesaw flat surfaces from ad-hoc storage

A quick comment on the last one. I am primarily a turner, so I don't do much bench or tablesaw work. Therefore, those areas tend to collect.

Because I was already densely packed, reorganizing has been difficult. I suspect most of us are of an age where we played with one of those 4 x 4 tile games where you had to slide around 15 tiles to make a picture. In that game, you could only move one tile at a time. Because of my density, my reorganization has been like that. Therefore, I try to plan ahead to future moves to minimize removing items.

I am also purposely taking everything off the shelf/hook/drawer to see what's covered up. I am finding a ton of stuff that I've collected over the years, that was tidily stored, but completely out of sight and out of mind. Doing this is allowing me to assess frequency of use. Little used items are out the door. I either Craig's list them, give them away or trash. During covid, selling is more difficult. I am making a big box of tools and supplies to send to my kids.

This is an important rule: Even if something has value, if you are not using it or haven't used it in a while, it has no value to you. Get rid of it.

Another rule that I'm developing is Joe's rule of acquisition. About a year ago, I bought a large belt sander on Craig's List. I was replacing my little benchtop machine. That floor-standing machine sat there for a year, unused, but taking up about 8 sqft of floor space. I sold it on Craig's List for the same price as I paid. I got lucky on that one. I want a Laguna bandsaw for easier resawing. I'm slowly convincing myself that I don't really need it because I don't do much resawing and my 1 hp Delta is probably good enough. We'll see

I'm scrapping a lot of pegboard for French cleats. Better density and accessibility for me.

As a turner, I like all kinds of turning. Unfortunately this drives tool acquisition (generally, a small problem - tools are usually small), but also wood acquisition. Wood is bulky. I could a box of pen blanks I cut up 18 years ago. I made three pens back in the day. I hate making pens. I'm donating the box of pen blanks to our club's Wounded Warrior program. And the pen mandrel.

I have three or four large boxes of small scraps for inlay work, finials, and box-making. WAY too much small wood. Donating to our club.

Finally, I'm finding several unfinished projects. I'm going to finish them or toss them.

Joe

Re: sell things...

Jack Dover

(2) just doesn't work, the storage must provide an unobstructive way to grab a tool and put it back. My first tool cupboard suffered from this. I thought that space will be utilized better if I make it 14" deep (should've made it 6" deep - a half for doors and the other half for the cupboard itself). Going dense is definitely the way to go, I'm actually trying to figure a quick and simple way of building holders, hangers and tills that would allow better space utilization in my small garage.

Getting rid of things that one won't ever restore or won't really use is also a good advice. Hard to follow though.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Eric Rathhaus

Hi - I've always found using a rule ten helpful: every time you walk into your shop, put away ten items before you do anything else. If you find you're always putting stuff away rather than working, then you can assume you're buying more than you need.

yessir...

David Weaver

when it's nice and looking at it makes a nice feeling, it's hard not to say "I'll figure out where I can use it later".

some self-admission needs to occur (at least for me). I'm comfortable being the guy who keeps some things just because I like them, and still trying to make things well rather than becoming only that guy. Or the converse.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

al morgan

I moved to a bigger shop..from 24 x 32' to approx twice the size....that worked for me...also 20 years of working in old shop, had learnt me what to do "next time".

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Bruce Mack

I will ask my wife to help me restore order when I have finished the current project. Though not a woodworker she is able to appraise disorder and correct it in her office, the kitchen, and the garage. I need some questions and nudges to do this for myself.

Re: What is the best thing you've done to tidy up

Guillaume

Duplication (counter-intuitive), dedicated storage, ruthless reassignment, and a P-Touch label maker.

One of my issues is that oftentimes, there are some tools that serve dual purposes so they often take a walk to other parts of the house or the shop even and since they travel so much, they don't have or reside in an assigned spot. Adds to the disarray and mess.

I now have function tool bags that reside outside the shop with the tools of the trade (I have a bag for electrical, a bag for plumbing (OK not much cross-pollination there), and one for general repairs and handiwork. Each tool bag is fully stocked with everything I need to do a job so there is a lot of duplication but it saves time and aggravation and the inability to find the tool you need.

Another area where I have much duplication is I dedicate tools for adjustments and make them a dedicated home near the tool they are used for that means that they are always there when I need them, always at hand, and not likely to be left on the nearest flat surface as they are pulled out on a when needed basis, usually when I am going to use the tool they support so I will be more inclined to put them away.

Duplication reduces clutter

As I am generally messy and lazy dedicated storage comes next. I need to train my brain to recognize where things go and make it such that it's easier to put it away than dump it. That's why I am not a fan of too many flat surfaces in my shop that aren't dedicated stations, flat surfaces are too tempting. Taking the time to make stations or organized storage for every tool and supply that enters your shop makes it easier. Dunno about you but if I don't have my hamster wheel noggin trained as to where something goes, it just gets dumped.

Although I am not a fan of deep or layered storage (see above for hamster brain and general laziness), there is a need for some. I label everything, every shelf every bin every (GASP) Rubbermaid large bin, hell, I'd label the cat if it stayed still long enough. I also label the support tools so the screwdriver to adjust my router table fence is labeled router table, same as the hex key for my mitre gage (no, it's not labeled router table fence). Come to think of it, I may also have a problem...

Ruthless reassignment (see dedicated toolbags), anything that isn't directly related to the furniture making process gets shipped out of the shop, no exceptions. I may need to shlep out of the shop to get something specialized once in a blue moon but it stops my shop from becoming cluttered and more importantly, it stops my wife from dumping anything tool or fastener-shaped at the entrance of my shop (the answer to that is to relocate it to their preferred deep storage area. "Honey, why did you put that in the laundry room? It doesn't belong there!"... "Exactly! It doesn't belong in my shop either."

At least those are the goals, success is achieved or not on a daily basis and, as my own do, your results may vary.

Cheers,

Guillaume

To the last question- yes

Justin Szeliga

https://clutterersanonymous.org/