# Keeping the shop clean and organized



## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Man I have such a hard time keeping my shop clean and organized. When I do a project, I mean there is stuff everywhere. By the time I'm half way done with the project, the workbench top can't be seen, there's air nailers, drills, saws, hammers, etc. all over the floor and bench. But, I find that if I put everything back as I use it, I spend way too much time digging it back out when needed again. But I also have a bad habit of leaving the shop in disarray even after I finish the project. I'm not sure why. I guess I just don't want to take the time to clean it. I'd rather spend my time moving on to the next fun project. I look at it like this: I'd rather spend 2 hours once a week to clean and organize than to spend 30 minutes, twice a day to organize it. I figure I am saving time that way. But, there has to be a happy medium somewhere and so far I haven't found it.


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## robert421960 (Dec 9, 2010)

you described me and my shop to a tee
i have been turning alot of bowls and the shavings pile up everywhere but i hate to take the time to clean nit up


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

TS,I've been studying this for four decades and theres still not a clear,"here you have to do it this way" answer.And this isn't our shop......I'm talkin bein in HUNDREDS of shops.

One things clear,in a typical scenerio,lets say theres a roll up door.......you put a big TS and an attendant outfeed table right in front of that door.........and all its gonna be is a catch-all for everybody who comes through that door.

As a shop manager,that just cannot be tolerated.You can have all the storage bins...roll-arounds...peg bowd,ect,ect.But put a large surface area type pc of equip in fr of that door abd see what happens.Its this whole,"gotta just set this down for a minute" that very well may be at the core of the issue?

I could go on and on...will let others chime in,best of luck,BW


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## sweensdv (Mar 3, 2008)

I hate clutter but most of all I hate having to hunt for tools that I need now that are buried under that clutter. My solution to that is I put all tools away at the end of the day and then do a partial cleanup of the work area. That way when I come back into the shop I don't have to waste any time getting started as I know where everything is already.


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## b00kemdano (Feb 10, 2009)

I used to put off starting the next project because I knew that I'd have to clean up from the last one before I could get started!  

I've made conscious efforts to put things away when I'm done using them so that they're 1) not in the way while I'm working on the rest of the project and 2) if I put it where it belongs, I know where to find it when I need it again for the rest of the project! 

I have probably spent more time wondering where I left a tool, tape measure, square, etc in the middle of a messy project than I do putting it away and getting it back out if I need it again.


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

The secret is to put each tool away after using it, dust and sweep after every operation and thoroughly clean the shop at the end of the day.
Do I do that? He!! no, I don't.:laughing:
My shop is a total unorganized mess during and after every project. It usually takes me a full day to put it back in shape. Yesterday was that day. Today starts a new project and a new mess!:no:


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Gene Howe said:


> The secret is to put each tool away after using it


 
Simple as that. :smile:


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

my head does not work well when my work space is cluttered. i remember always being frustrated with the crew i framed with years ago. little ankle breaking cutoffs everywhere. half sheets of ply strewn around the site. no time for organization. drove me crazy. but everyone else seemed to be just fine with it. 

in my shop i have a place for all of my most used tools. usually this place is near where i know i will most likely use the tool. when i am done with it i put it back. its right there if i need it again. with a shop as small as mine, and my ocd for organization, this is pretty much necessary for me to get anything done.


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

o man.... you mean your supossed to clean.....damn, time to hire a maid, cuz the wife dont go into the shop.


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## hancockj (Jul 2, 2009)

I tend to clean up after I am done for the night. I usually am in there during the week after work. 
My FIL has moved into my house. We now have double everytool stuffed in the basement. Very small space. FIL is a bit of a neat freak. If I am not cleaning up after every operation and every time I use a machine he usually just chases me around with the shop vac and putting tools away when I am using them or not. Takes a bit to get used to. But..to keep the peace...


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

For the time being, I have to do metal and woodworking in the same shop.

After talking to the CPA, I may have to wait another year or two till I have the bucks to do both shops. I clean when I can.

This reminds me of something my old man used to say, "If it's too clean, he ain't making much", talking about his friend's shop.:laughing:


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## klr650 (Apr 4, 2010)

TS3660 said:


> Man I have such a hard time keeping my shop clean and organized. When I do a project, I mean there is stuff everywhere. By the time I'm half way done with the project, the workbench top can't be seen, there's air nailers, drills, saws, hammers, etc. all over the floor and bench. But, I find that if I put everything back as I use it, I spend way too much time digging it back out when needed again. But I also have a bad habit of leaving the shop in disarray even after I finish the project. I'm not sure why. I guess I just don't want to take the time to clean it. I'd rather spend my time moving on to the next fun project. I look at it like this: I'd rather spend 2 hours once a week to clean and organize than to spend 30 minutes, twice a day to organize it. I figure I am saving time that way. But, there has to be a happy medium somewhere and so far I haven't found it.


Tell me about it. My shop perpetually looks like a tornado hit it. I truly believe that there are people who are neat to a fault, others like myself, who are messy to a fault. I sure would love to learn how to split the difference.


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## mwhals (Apr 13, 2010)

sweensdv said:


> I hate clutter but most of all I hate having to hunt for tools that I need now that are buried under that clutter. My solution to that is I put all tools away at the end of the day and then do a partial cleanup of the work area. That way when I come back into the shop I don't have to waste any time getting started as I know where everything is already.


Ditto for me, although mine does get cluttered due to a red truck getting parked in the middle of it.


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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Bud, I don't care what anybody says, I do it the same way and you and I are doing it the RIGHT way and that's my story and I'm sticking with it. :icon_smile:


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Thanks phinds.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

It's simple. Use a tool, put it back where it came from... Sweep up shavings and what dust the DC misses, no problem. It's so simple I can't manage to do it...


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

I know a clean shop says to me, "come on in and create something great"!
There is nothing like walking out to the shop in the morning (big ole cup of coffee)... and walking in to a clean and tidy shop. 
This is where the tv program stops and you have to get something done  .

When I use something, it's put away. I vac after a big cut. And I do a fair amount of cleaning every month or so. This has worked great, except-
My problem is scrap wood. I don't want to toss it, but I only end up using so much. I even made special bins (length), but it's hard to see the bins because of the overflow of wood. 

Anyways, my point. Besides dust collection, and a few other gadgets, woodworking makes a mess so don't worry about it. 
Try to clean up after every job (most importantly tools). And go on in clutter - because you will surely need every tool to get that next project done.


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## UKfan (Nov 16, 2010)

I don't have alot of free time to work in the shop since my actual money making job takes up all my time, but I do try to keep a clean shop. after a days work (more like a couple of hours work) I brush off all the equipment and surfaces and then sweep up all the shaving and sawdust. Once a month I sharpen all the hand tool blades and clean/wax machine tables. The one thing I am bad about is replacing blades in the machines...is usually wait until they have to be changes or sharpened. 

Oh yeah, my wife loves to set drinks down on the jointer infeed/outfeed tables and not clean up the moisture...so those always get special treatment to clean up rust spots or just to try to prevent them. I think she does it because she knows is pisses me off and takes time to fix :furious:


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I heard a little thing about a clean shop years ago. It was something along the lines of put 5 tools away and spend 5 minutes sweeping at the end of every day. Me personally, I was raised by an obsessive/compulsive auto mechanic dad who firmly believed in the saying "A place for everything and everything in its place". I like an organized shop and only like having a few things out at a time.


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## rhizando (Mar 19, 2011)

The problem I have is a I start so many different projects that require different tools. I also have the problem of letting the wife store her things in the shop!


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Here's one idea. Get some colored peel off dots from Staples. Each time you pick up a tool, put a sticker on it. Use different colors for the different workstations, like bench, assembly table, finishing room, table saw, drill press, etc. At the end of your trial period, go to each workstation and look thru _everything_. The things covered in the right color stickers need to be in plain sight. The things with a few of the right color sticks go in drawers or cubbies within reach without taking any steps. The things with the wrong color get relocated. The things with no stickers go in the attic or to craigslist. And the things with more than one color? Maybe you need two of those.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

SteveEl said:


> Here's one idea. Get some colored peel off dots from Staples. Each time you pick up a tool, put a sticker on it. Use different colors for the different workstations, like bench, assembly table, finishing room, table saw, drill press, etc. At the end of your trial period, go to each workstation and look thru _everything_. The things covered in the right color stickers need to be in plain sight. The things with a few of the right color sticks go in drawers or cubbies within reach without taking any steps. The things with the wrong color get relocated. The things with no stickers go in the attic or to craigslist.


 

And be sure and let us know how that works out. :smile:


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## dwendt1978 (Mar 13, 2010)

You know what, I'm not making excuses. I'm just a slob.


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## Minnesota Steve (Feb 12, 2011)

You need the Five S's...

Seiri(Sort)
Seiton(Set in Order)
Seiso(Shine)
Seiketsu(Standardize)
Shiitsuke(Sustain)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29

Which is basically what the other guys told you. :smile:

Sort means to throw out the stuff you don't need or use
Set in Order means to put everything in it's place
Shine means to clean the shop daily
Standardize means to make your tasks repeatable
Sustain means to keep doing the first 4.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

*Beieve it or not !!!*

Whether I am alone or with a helper or 2. we clean the shop after every phase of a job and at the end of the day. Sometimes that means 3 clean-ups in one day and sometimes its 5 or 6 clean-ups in a day. 
Each clean-up takes approx. 5 minutes or less because there is not that much stuff accumulated at any one time. 
I do this for a living. If I have to spend 10 minutes hunting down a tool or jig or a work space for that matter, I am very pissed. My commercial shop is only 1500 sq. feet. We custom build, strip and refinish and repair. Except for my table saw, outfeed table and work bench, everything else is on wheels. I have several dollys and tri-wheel for furniture. Everything is fairly mobile so we can stay out of eachothers way and "stuff" can accumulate quickly. We also always clean before lunch even though we will supposedly use the same tools again after lunch. Whether I get started in the morning or come back from lunch, I want to start with a clean shop. 
This works for me.

BTW, we blowdown every evening before quitting time with 2 gas engine leaf blowers. This keeps the air clean by not accumulating saw dust. 

I get to work about 30 minutes before the help. With a clean shop, I can look and think and line-up the days work.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

*I read this once following a link from this very site......*

"before I start, I do a ten pack." Everytime you walk into your shop, you find and put away ten things, before you start up again. nailer out... put it away... Thats one! glue bottle put away... thats Two.... and on and on.... I have found that once I started doing that, my shop would be less cluttered. I would try to put away the items that I an not going to be using in the near future, and then continue on with my project.

I also try to clean up the dust and what not at least once a week.


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## Willie T (Feb 1, 2009)

You guys are an embarrassment! I always keep my shop in pristine condition.

See.........?


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

But the shop was clean an hour ago. I can make a mess in no time.

Bret


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

Willie T said:


> You guys are an embarrassment! I always keep my shop in pristine condition.
> 
> See.........?


I can see the floor, your good.

Bret


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