Shopsmith Forums

I am always so amazed at the beautiful and neat shops I see on here. Some of you guys have shops that you could eat off the floor! How the heck do you do it? I admit, I used to say negative stuff like,"Yeah, it's cause they don't do anything in it!" But now, I am admitting, it's just envey. I know you guys and gals are true craftsmen/women, and you have a system for your shops. I just never could get a handle on it like you guys. I clean and vacume, and try to organize, but the first job that hits the shop, causes a malay of messes, that takes me days to clean up. Am I trying to work too fast? Should I charge more, so I can slow down and put things back every couple of hours/minutes? I have supported my family doing woodworking and restorations, I know what I'm doing there, but I'm getting older, and slower, and I need your advise to be able to keep going. I get a ton of satisfaction from resto work, but it is such a dirty endeavor. Stripping, repair/rebuilding, sanding/assembly, and finishing. Each makes it's own mess. Now I'm not horrible, just can't get that polished look to the shop. It is SOO impressive to customers, as well. Hope you all don't think I'm a pig or something! This is hard for me to admit, but I trust in you all!!! Thank you, jimsjinx

jimsjinx wrote:I am always so amazed at the beautiful and neat shops I see on here. Some of you guys have shops that you could eat off the floor! How the heck do you do it? I admit, I used to say negative stuff like,"Yeah, it's cause they don't do anything in it!" But now, I am admitting, it's just envey. I know you guys and gals are true craftsmen/women, and you have a system for your shops. I just never could get a handle on it like you guys. I clean and vacume, and try to organize, but the first job that hits the shop, causes a malay of messes, that takes me days to clean up. Am I trying to work too fast? Should I charge more, so I can slow down and put things back every couple of hours/minutes? I have supported my family doing woodworking and restorations, I know what I'm doing there, but I'm getting older, and slower, and I need your advise to be able to keep going. I get a ton of satisfaction from resto work, but it is such a dirty endeavor. Stripping, repair/rebuilding, sanding/assembly, and finishing. Each makes it's own mess. Now I'm not horrible, just can't get that polished look to the shop. It is SOO impressive to customers, as well. Hope you all don't think I'm a pig or something! This is hard for me to admit, but I trust in you all!!! Thank you, jimsjinx

It is obvious to me that this was not tossed in my direction. I am the antithesis of a 'neatfreak'.

I really think it is a matter of 'habit'. Some would refer to it as 'self discipline'.

IMHO they are both true! They just do not 'exist' here!:eek:

If you get any helpful responses I will be 'observing as well'. Problem is it would take me a month to get to 'the starting point'!:D

No matter what I have worked at for income (except farming) over the years I was always a neat-freak. I'm the guy that often made others angry by insisting on "a place for everything and everything in its place"...
When I went home at night I turned that switch off... I am now retired and that switch is stuck, permanently off.
BTW, my parents were horrible pack-rats and I was passed that gene. I guess that is why the farm shop was always a mess.
Still I believe that if you want something done properly and especially with some imagination don't hand it to the guy or gal with the clean desk. look for some clutter.

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Interesting timing on your post. I spent the last two days just cleaning, waxing, oiling and trying to re-find a home for everything. At the same time I was bemoaning the fact that I was not accomplishing a single project. I'm not a neat freak, my son-in-law is OC (obsessive compulsive) so I know what a neat freak is, but their happily married with two beautiful children, so I have no complaints. But I digress. In my shop, unlike my introduction to woodworking in Jr. High in the early 60's, every tool does not have a place. I used to have 3lb cans of mixed things, but the 94 Earthquake wiped all that stuff out, so I got to start new.
Now at the end of every setup I take time to vacuum. I dust the SS constantly. I never put a tool away dirty. It may not be "clean" but it is not dirty. But then, I work on small crafts, most of the projects can easily be carried from bench to bench.
My car has never seen the inside of the garage. I wish I would have sealed the concrete before we moved in....I'll never ever get to it now. In California I can work with the doors open year round, and blow or brush lots of stuff outside. And it probably takes me twice as long as it should to turn a pen, because I turn on the vacuum every 10 minutes to clear the work area.
We are what we are....enjoy.

I think they just clean it up for the photo.

I'm often chided/kidded about my clean shop. While some would consider me a model of organization, truth is I have to work at it. Perhaps it is human nature to become "comfortable" with a poorly organized shop and this a great way to keep your shop in a constant mess.

The Shopsmith system itself encourages one to clean up the shop. For example, you have just completed sawing and now need to go to drill press. This is the perfect opportunity to take the broom or vac and clean up the dust and scraps.

Most of us have severely limited wall space, especially in garages. Avoid the temptation to "display" your tools on the wall. Those beautiful wall cabinets are for guys that have 1000 sq ft shops. Shelves are much more versitile and metal "Craftsman" type tool cabinets store the blades and smaller items much more efficiently.

A finishing room is a luxury very few of us have. An air cleaner on the ceiling makes it possible to avoid dust in the varnish. My DC3300, a turbo vac, and dust pan and broom do the rest.

[quote="rlkeeney"]I think they just clean it up for the photo. ]

That may be very true. I find when I work on a project, my shop explodes into a nightmare. At the end of the project, I usually don't feel like cleaning up because I just want to be done.

I end up cleaning the shop up a little at a time over the next week. But, I could still tell you where almost everything is at during the mass havoc in the shop, except my tape measure. That thing gets away from me more times than not and I don't know how.

If "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", I'm surely going to Hell.
Every machine in the shop is DC capable. But, "I'm just going to make this one little cut. No need to hook up the DC."
Every tool has a place. But, "I'll probably need it again in a few minutes."
Wife has a sign in the kitchen. "An immaculate housekeeper is a dull woman." If that applies to my shop, I must be one exciting guy.
I notice that my dog only visits after I've cleaned the shop. Otherwise, he has nowhere to lie down.

I see the killer cabinets, the epoxy floor paint, or even worse, a beautiful hardwood floor, with rubber mats at each machine. I see color coordinated slat walls, with hanging equipment, all shiney and ready for use. All the sharps hanging in rows on the wall, next to other sharp tools. That's what I see when I get envious. I have tried the "work triangle" approach, and it always becomes more like a "hexagon of hell"! I used to have one huge oak trunk I built to hold all my woodworking hand tools, but that ended when I started using electricity! Power tools started to earn thier keep by saving me time and money. So now the trunk holds all the adapters, and accessories, that would otherwise get lost. I have a 26'x32' garage with an 8' ceiling. I have a fair amount of workspace, but it's never enough, when I'm doing a job. I think I'm OCD! jimsjinx

Francis,
Liked your clean desk comment. Before retiring I always had a small sign on my desk "A CLEAN DESK IS THE SIGN OF A SICK MIND"