Over time my shop evolved

[Mike Davis]

Or should I say DEVOLVED?

I am not an organizer, I am not organized, I try, I have tried, I need help.
I think I have some of my Grandfather's hoarding tendency.
He lived through the great depression and survived by reusing, recycling, repairing, and inventing what he couldn't buy. I grew up in a Federal Housing Project, AKA slums. I have wasted hours to keep from spending a dollar and have little to show for it except this fine collection of second hand junk.
They say one man's trash is another man's treasure, but at some point trash is just trash.
Most of this does not belong in the landfill but it no longer belongs here.
Its time to pare down to the essentials... If only I knew what is essential.
Ima try to post a panoramic collage of photos taken today. There are projects and remnants of projects that should be ignored such as the curved glass cabinet on the floor, etc.

Laugh, make jokes, call me rude names, I don't care, as long as I get one good constructive suggestion.

 

[LeftyTom]

Keep only the planes and parts you use.

 

[bainin]

You got some work to do Mike

 

[mdbuntyn]

A decluttering rule I've heard—that feels almost wrong—is, "If you can replace it in under 20 minutes, for under $20, get rid of it." Obviously you wouldn't get rid of a nearly full box of screws or nails, but you probably have several items that qualify.

It also looks like the areas below your lathe, tool cabinet, and the small grinder by the door, could the better utilized (new cubbies/cabinets).

 

[Henry W]

My shop looks like yours. That's not a constructive suggestion, but an affirmation that not all shops look like what you might see on videos. But you knew that of course. Also on my last project (off the wall shelves) I did just use some all thread rod I had been saving (hoarding) for more than 25 years. Again affirmation.

Two things
1) The 'organized' thing can become a holy grail - I clean up when the stuff hinders me from what I am wanting to do. I will never have a pristine shop, in part because I am cramming a lot of capability into a 14x20 space. That is a huge space compared to some, and miniscule compared to others. I am not into the comparison game; I have what I have, and I LOVE it. No one works in there but me, so I don't care what others think.
As my projects vary (not as widely as yours) and I get interested in other aspects of WW-ing, I still keep adding more capability (but am cognizant of space constraints). New stuff is hard to fit in, but I will do that because I am interested in what I am interested in - I DO NOT have make my shop time efficient; this is my relaxation, not another job project I need to create a project plan for. BUt like I said earlier, when clutter hinders my project, I will do the minimal to get working space.

2) I do not have a labeled cabinets & drawers or a real systematic system - everything in there evolved. I did create a 3x3 drawer bank under my 'bench' when I picked up a bunch of drawers for free from someone here. These were good enough and that has helped keep the DOmino, routers, sandpaper, shop 12V drill & driver plus bits etc together in known places.
If you want some drawers, I have extra - and you can of course have them, but I'm in Raleigh and you are not. I did find that organizational change made a big difference for me. SHop does not LOOK any better, but I function better.

 

[Mike Davis]

That blue tote on the shave horse is full of tools to sell. It is 1/50 of the things that need to go.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

You make me feel better. My shop looks the same so I can no longer be ashamed! My wife refuses to go inside my shop

 

[holcombej]

Mike, I think you’ve got the same problem I have. We like to work on various projects and not just one. I saw the words “cutting boards” on your whiteboard. Making them is great but you don’t need a wood lathe to do them. My point is because we work on different things, we need different tools. It is hard to reduce and sell/throw out. Heck, I’ve got a 48” vernier caliper from my machining and fab shop days. For why am I keeping it?? Good luck figuring out what to keep or not.

 

[TTocs Elgoh Woodw3rks]

I think we all have these types of issues. A few things that have helped me clean up and get slightly more organized is my view of what tools I have and how I use them. Example: My woodshop only consist of those tools I use regularly that are woodworking related. And if I have multiples of some tools, that are not used often, I keep the main ones I always grab for first and the rest get set into my shed. I use my shed not just for yard/gardening tools and storage, but I have boxes (old Dewalt tough stack ones) that I have labeled for specific purposes, such as one for wall/drywall, another for electrical, one for plumbing, etc. These are all outfitted with all the tools I would need for that specific task. I first fill it with the tools, then if I have room I add in the consumables/other supplies in those categories. That way it is easy to grab a box with everything or almost everything I need if working on that specified job, vice trying to piecemeal what I need together. it also makes use of the multiple hand tools you may have by spread loading them this way. It definitely helped my wife while I was stationed in Louisiana and she stayed home with my daughter in Virginia. She could just grab the box she needed and was set to work on whatever she needed.

I also use my shed as my supplemental shop, where I keep some hand and power tools that I either don't use much or are too big for my woodshop or are more specialized tools like demolition drills, extra circular saws etc. Kind of like an overflow of my shop but for things I don't use daily, or at least 4 times or more a month. If you don't have a shed but have another location (basement) or something, this could work. Just giving you a few more ideas to think about. Have a great rest of your day.

 

[ChemE75]

My shop in Maine was similar. But only had a tablesaw, router table cabinet and bench top drill press so fairly open floor space. Lucky I had 2 attics with easy access. Hand tools and supplies mostly fit in 3 cabinets I had along the walls. Relocation to FL forced a heartbreaking but ultimately beneficial clean out via yard sales, donations and some low priced sales to friends.

Thinking about a plan of attack… I can only suggest to go through section by section to put the absolute keepers in your current stg, get some more totes and put the rest into the totes. Stack in a shop or garage corner, or move the totes elsewhere. Resume or start some projects. If you never open a tote to get a tool or supply, consider it all disposable. If you do dig out something, great, it’s a keeper, but the rest can go. I’d say no rush, you can tape a list on each tote for reference, wait til you’ve been through enough projects to declare a tote ready to go.

 

[Westpacx3]

I dont know you all that well but I sense you're like my dad. You can do about anything, make about anything and know-how to use a lot of tools. Issue was dad did not do a lot of what he could later in life. There gets is a point in our life where we need to untangle and realize we will not get to it all or our body wont let us get to it all.

For what its worth, decide what you want to build or what you like to do regardless of all the stuff you can do. Get out a sheet if paper and do the pros and cons going around the room then sell, gift or scrap what does not make the list.

Thin the herd and you will have the space and time to do what you want. Clearing some shelves might free up 8 sq ft of floor space. Recognizing the issue is the start and you are there.

Hope that does not sound insulting, as I dont mean it to. I try to get rid of something every time I look in my storage shed or attic and everything I see how much wood I have..sometimes im successful but not always.

 

[MTod]

Frankly, I don’t see anything that stands out as needing improvement. It looks like a well organized and well kitted out shop. Is there some project you would like to be able to do that the current state of fullness prevents?

 

[Mike Davis]

Frankly, I don’t see anything that stands out as needing improvement. It looks like a well organized and well kitted out shop. Is there some project you would like to be able to do that the current state of fullness prevents?

It seems you may also need help organizing. Just an observation...

I have room for one project at a time. Projects don't arrive on schedule.
I often have three or four things waiting while I work on something else.

The little curved glass cabinet was bought on a whim, I saw it at a flea market priced at $75
and thought that would be nice to showcase some of our collectibles.
The top was badly damaged and the skirt veneer needed replacing.
I kept coming back to it and the guy joked that he really didn't want to take it back home.
I said the most I could do was $20 and he said take it.

So, here it is, meanwhile I have a model sailboat that will be completely rebuilt,
a cabinet door for my grandson's play cabinet, another run of cutting boards for the local butchery,
thinking about boxes to sell for Christmas craft show, preparing for a sharpening class Saturday, working on a list of projects for local craft classes, and I'm sure some more repairs will come in when I least expect it.

Yeah, I wish I could just pick a thing and do that all the time but my mind won't accept that.
I guess it's ADHD or curiosity or just a wondering mind or passing thoughts. But I get bored very quickly and have to switch gears, change patterns, shift direction, and work on different things all the time. It's a curse and a blessing.

 

[MTod]

I may indeed need some help organizing as I can certainly relate to only having space for one project at a time.

I tend to think of that as being an artifact of the human condition; that we only have enough time, energy, motivation and resources to do at most one thing well at a time.

The fact that you can and are interested in doing many things is testament to a curious mind. The fact that you can’t do all of the things is not a shortcoming.

That being said, if you wanted to improve your systems I would start with one corner and take everything out. Only put back what is necessary.

Just some musings…

 

[Jim M.]

I grew up with my grandfather as a constant presence in my life. He too had depression era tendencies, "never throw something deemed useful away, you never know if you'll need it later". I sadly suffer from that as well, I'll finally decide to get rid on "something" only to find 6 months later I could have used it to make a repair, then it bother me a little. We moved recently I thinned the collection based a similar suggestion like Matt said. I still hauled way too much with me but it seems more manageable now. Good luck, for me it wasn't easy to let go, but harder to feel the frustration.

 

[Mike Davis]

That being said, if you wanted to improve your systems I would start with one corner and take everything out. Only put back what is necessary.

I want to start with one corner and not put anything back. The problem is where to put the stuff while I rearrange... So, I'm taking a little here and a little there and getting it gone.

Fill a tote, take it away. Fill the tote again.

 

[chris_goris]

The first step is admitting you have a problem!

 

[ptt49er]

I want to start with one corner and not put anything back. The problem is where to put the stuff while I rearrange... So, I'm taking a little here and a little there and getting it gone.

Fill a tote, take it away. Fill the tote again.

Know anyone with an enclosed trailer you could borrow for a week (or a few)? Could use that to empty the shop into and then organize as things come back in.

I totally understand the struggle of trying to organize the pile while you can't get out of the pile.

 

[Hmerkle]

Mike, one thing I did (and it sounds like you are trying this) is get a bin for small stuff that is infrequently used.
Put them in there (organized so you can pull that one item out) and if you don't use that stuff for XX time (I put a year on mine) I either sell it, throw it away,or donate it.
Like you I have too many projects and I need to start using the same method for those.
I have a fiberglass birdbath that needs repaired and painted. Since I haven't done it for two years, that one is probably headed to the landfill this weekend!
OH, and it is really hard for a horder er. collector... LOL

 

[JRedding]

Mike -

I like my shop highly organized - some have said I’m a bit OCD about it - but there was a time mine was smaller and packed to the rafters. One thing I’ve done is to figure out what I’m going to say “no” to. It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I won’t (unless it’s for my wife or kids, then it’s a yes and I’ll figure out how). You certainly take on more projects for others than I do based on what I’ve seen, but if there are types of projects you don’t enjoy, just on’t want to do, or don’t make money (if that’s a consideration for you) and that you’re willing to pass on, see if there’s a set of tools you don’t need because you’re not going to do that kind of work. By removing those tools, it may also help reinforce saying “no” to certain things and people. For example, I’m not going to prep lumber by hand any more, instead relying on machines with some final planing as needed/wanted. As a result, I have a few planes that are going to leave the shop.

Like with your hammers, I inventoried my tools and decided where I had 4 or more of something. With very limited exception, if I had 4 then I got rid of at least 1 and often 2. Sometimes it’s convenient to have them all because I can sharpen/hone them all at once and not interrupt my flow by picking up the next one, but it takes up space. Turning tools are my big one, and I still have multiples there, but I turn more than I do anything these days so have rationalized keeping multiples of the ones I use most (though I’ve let go 25 - 30 turning tools over the past year).

Last one is that last time I saw your shop (it’s been a while), is that you had a lot of wood in there that takes up a lot of room- I think it was walnut toward the front of the shop at the roll up door and under the table at the front. I recall you also have covered storage just outside (which as I recall is also full). Consider thinning the wood herd and getting all wood out of the shop until it’s being used for a project. You may have to go buy something if you get the “right project” (or wrong project?), but limiting wood on hand to the types I use most plus any special pieces freed up a lot of space for me when I thinned down - I used to have about 1000 bf on hand and I’m sure I don’t even have 250 on hand now.

I don’t know if these will be any help, but thought I’d pass the thoughts along.

Good luck, and wish I was closer to stop in and try to help given my OCD tendencies, John