Workshop

Don Case

Don Case

Joined
Jul 10, 2021
Messages
1,464
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Location
Vancouver Island
Hi, my name is Don and I have a messy workshop.
I want to tidy it up some but I've always been the messy type and I need some ideas. First on my is small thin tools like chisels, paintbrushes etc. Right now they are in ice cream buckets and baking trays. Tough to find stuff in there. My wife has some lazy susan type holders that are about 8" dia. for her paint brushes. They look convenient but I wonder how space efficient they are? Would a long strip of 2"x4" with 1" holes drilled in it be better? Any other ideas? I'm not the type to tidy up at the end of the day but I did train myself to put every drill bit away when I finish with it so there is some hope for me, I think. Pics show what I'm up against.

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Don Case said:
Hi, my name is Don and I have a messy workshop.
I want to tidy it up some but I've always been the messy type and I need some ideas. First on my is small thin tools like chisels, paintbrushes etc. Right now they are in ice cream buckets and baking trays. Tough to find stuff in there. My wife has some lazy susan type holders that are about 8" dia. for her paint brushes. They look convenient but I wonder how space efficient they are? Would a long strip of 2"x4" with 1" holes drilled in it be better? Any other ideas? I'm not the type to tidy up at the end of the day but I did train myself to put every drill bit away when I finish with it so there is some hope for me, I think. Pics show what I'm up against.

View attachment 311275View attachment 311276
Click to expand...

A hopeless case if ever I saw one ROTFROTF
 
The lazy susan might be a good solution for holding brushes and some tools. The wall actually looks fairly organized and looks like it just needs some pruning. Another thing to do is just remove everything from the flat surface of the table and don't put anything back until it has a home. Getting organized isn't something you do once, it's a continuous process. Check out this site for a good hobby organization system https://www.hobbyzone.pl/en/prd_list/prd_list.html

Sometimes I go to my work desk and just organize and throw crap out. I also clean up before I leave the desk every day.
 
Start with small...clean your desk! Yeah man, no one will do it for you! You will be surprised how many things you will no longer need. Throw them without regret. Separate tools from materials...Soon you will have at least two groups. The tools you are using every day like knives, needle files, and tweezers leave on the table in the tray. Those tools you are using seldom, store in the drawers. look at the simple caddies\organizers

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Something you can store in the bins similar to this

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Paints could go here

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But seriously...start cleaning your desk first!!! :p
 
I'm working on it. :) I'll do it while I'm waiting for glue to dry. I like some of those caddies. For some reason I've always hated those little banks of drawers. I have two of them but I don't like them. I'm not one to tidy up at the end of the day as I'm just going to be using the same stuff when I pick up again in the morning and it seems pointless to me to put it all away and then get it all back out.
 
Don Case said:
I'm working on it. :) I'll do it while I'm waiting for glue to dry. I like some of those caddies. For some reason I've always hated those little banks of drawers. I have two of them but I don't like them. I'm not one to tidy up at the end of the day as I'm just going to be using the same stuff when I pick up again in the morning and it seems pointless to me to put it all away and then get it all back out.
Click to expand...
...then why do need to clean t it up? Just keep it as is... :cool:
 
I have used a carousel for holding paints that saves a lot of space and keep things organized. As my paints expanded I also got a wall mount used to display nail colors in a store. from Amazon. The acrylics I use fit perfectly. I have also mounted on my walls a few of those magnetic strips (Harbor Freight) to which many of my metal tools hang from and are easy to access.
https://imgur.com/hgjnFAA
https://imgur.com/vaXpAJS
 
Start at one end of the bench and work your way along. take a dustbin (trash can) with you. Throw out all the materials / paints / glues etc that are out of date / been sitting for too long / were bought for one specific project. You'll be left with usable stuff, which you can then stash in the above mentioned racks etc. We accumulate stuff, e.g. paintbrushes well after their useful life has passed do we really need more than 10/12 different brushes? Similarly, we are masters of keeping all manner of scraps which might come in useful one day, and then accumulate several more similar pieces before that day actually comes!
Thinking that I was about to move house three years ago, I went through my sheds and garages and filled a skip or two (dumpster); we didn't move house and it's surprising how few things I chucked that I've actually had to replace.
 
I can totally empathize with you Don. The Force of Entropy is strong in this one. I feel like I spend more time in my shop making things to organize my shop than I do making things that are destined to leave the shop. The fact you recognize you have a problem means you still have hope ;)
Here are some things that have helped me:

- Once you have an established place for something, it gets much easier to get in the habit of putting it back after use, instead of just setting it down somewhere.
- Once you finish a project and before you launch into the next one, force yourself to clean everything up and put everything away. That helps to keep things from getting so bad that that the task becomes overwhelming.
-For things like the air compressor and the jigsaw, you can build little cabinet or cart with casters for those to go on. you can roll it over to your work station when you want to use them and then roll them out of the way when you don't need them. It also makes it easier to rearrange your workspace as your organization system evolves. I think just about everything in my shop is on wheels at this point and my organization system is still evolving
- Set up stations for different activities--assembly bench, painting station, etc. and store things where they make sense. For example, most of my sandpaper is in drawers in the roll-around cabinet my belt sander sits on (although I keep a few small pieces in a drawer on the assembly bench within easy reach)
 
BenD said:
The lazy susan might be a good solution for holding brushes and some tools. The wall actually looks fairly organized and looks like it just needs some pruning. Another thing to do is just remove everything from the flat surface of the table and don't put anything back until it has a home. Getting organized isn't something you do once, it's a continuous process. Check out this site for a good hobby organization system https://www.hobbyzone.pl/en/prd_list/prd_list.html

Sometimes I go to my work desk and just organize and throw crap out. I also clean up before I leave the desk every day.
Click to expand...
This lazy Susan has she got a nice sister who isn’t lazy ??
 
FROM MY END A C WILL SHOW A PICTURE LATTER I TRY TO KEEP DESKS CLEAR AS I CAN AFTER EACH OUPLE OF THINGS I DO AS I CAN NEVER REMEMBER WHERE I PUT THINGS SOMETIMES RIGHT AFTER I USE THEM ALSO NEED BUILDING ROOM SPACE FOR DESK TOPS WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING IS USING AMOZON DELIVERY BOXES SMALL AND MEDIUM ONES AND I PUT A SMALL AMOUNT OF TOOLS IN THEM PUT THEM ON THE FLOOR I TRY TO KEEP THE DESKS WORK TOPS CLEAR AFTER EACH SESION THE BOXES ARE CONVENIENT SOMETIMES I DISCARD SOME OF THEM AND USE A DIFFERENT SIZE JUST ME. GOD BLESS STAY SAFE ALL DON
 
Having looked at you work area I'd have to agree that the dust bin method and start looking at each item for date, use, worn broken and toss them. As to paint brushes good brushes last forever if cleaned and stored properly. Buy cheap (online as in Amazon) brushes for cleaning or dusting whatever and then throw them into the bin.
 
I don't have to worry about painting stuff. My wife paints so that all stays in her room. All my stuff/junk is just tools, jigs and stuff I "know" I'll have a use for later. I can't count the number I have thrown something out only to want it within a week. I have trouble throwing away perfectly good stuff. I hate waste. I pretty much know where 90% of it is. That amazes my wife. My "system" works for me except I'm running out of a flat spot to work in. :)
 
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