before or after?

[russ]

Do you clean your shop before or after you do a project? What's the proceedure for multi session projects.

My dad demonstrated the never clean your shop lifestyle. If for some reason you can't find one of the 5 or 6 identical tools that you know you own... simply put project on hold and go garage sailing. Eventually you will find what you need and the 6 month delay will make it clear if afore mentioned project really needs doing. If shop gets too crowded no problem simply expand shop... again, or build barn... again. (I should mention that out of that chaos has come a steady stream of the amazing. Mostly in oak, Cherry and Walnut.)

It is clear that I am my daddy's boy. I am hard wired to spend a little much a little to often on tools and then loose them in the cluter of my shop.

It would seem this cleaning concept might be a good idea. So I am wondering when exactly does a fella do that. And is there anyway to talk one's wife into handleing that?

Just wondering.

Russ

Yes I know I can't spell, no I don't really care.

[Unisaw A100]

I clean up during the lulls like waiting on a glue up to dry.

UA100, who isn't much better than your Dad on project durations, just that I don't like inactivity...

[Ba r r y]

I "pick up" each day, putting away tools, scrap and good materials.

Total cleanup comes when I can't stand it anymore or I'm finishing something in the actual shop. At that point, I'll Shop Vac the whole place. My shop is in a basement, I usually finish in a garage.

Barry

[Eric Johnson]

After sawdust and before finishing. And I try to spend 10 minutes everytime I'm in the shop putting things away, a tip I picked up here that is good advice. Most of the time it's relatively orderly but I'm currently working out of a 12x26 garage stall and don't have room to spare for the mess...

EJ

[Nick]

Pay the kids to do it!

[Doug Miller]

[snip]

"Clean as you go" seems to be the best AFAIC, although in my shop that's more often a goal to be aspired to, than it is a reality.

If you offer to do the cooking and cleaning she might go for it. But I'd advise against it -- you'll probably spend more time hunting for your tools than you do now.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Get a copy of my NEW AND IMPROVED TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter by sending email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

[Buck Turgidson]

I clean as I go. I find that it is safer to work in an uncluttered, clean area, and the less the dust, the better in terms of polluting your work.

[firstjois]

My Dad had a great deal going - when his wife came down to the basement to visit him, she would put tools away and sweep the floor. I don't know how he managed that.

I have tried to keep the things used near a machine near that machine, I hang the wrenches, hex wrenches, screw drivers used for that machine hung on the wall near it. I honestly do get these things put back to their places as I use them, they are duplicates I purchased for this purpose. I'm sure I'd never find those "right" tools again if I didn't. Hey, a little paranoia is a good thing.

But the main work bench does get cluttered as I try to keep the things I'm working on and things I'm using right on the bench within easy reach. That gets messy. And if I have to take a few things over to help a cousin or neighbor, then those things tend to stay "messed up" a long time. Any little spare place I have set aside as temp storage during a job gets swamped. I'd like to work on getting picked up as I go then I could just sweep the floor and be done until next time.

I've been in shops where the sawdust is thick on the floor like a carpet and I find that a little scary. Is that kind of carpet a fire hazard?

Josie

[Richard Clements]

[Gary A]

I pay my 13 year old $10 to come down into my shop when it gets messy and help me shop vac and floor sweep until we're spotless. I try and clean while I go (like sweep around the table saw constantly towards the floor collection vent I have in my DC system) and then do the major cleanup at end of each project. Also get him to help me sharpen tools a couple of times a year. Hope he gets the woodworking bug from coming down to help me, but best thing is I don't have to do all the cleaning and sharpening.

Gary in KC

[patrick conroy]

During and after.

For a noob - I find the more I *think* about what I'm going to do before I akshully do it - the fewer mistakes I make. (Much to Paxton's dismay...) When I need think time, I grab the vacuum.

[Larry Bud]

As I go. I read somewhere that every time you enter your shop, put away 10 tools. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it's a great way to keep this straight.

[TeamCasa]

Before - During - After- It never seems to get completly clean however. Dave

[George]

Before, which is to say, after.

The purpose of having a clean shop is to have room to work. Eye candy isn't my thing.

[patriarch]

[e-mail] (russ) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Someone, here I think, recommended putting away six 'things' whenever they came into the shop. Big things. Little things. Any six things. Their rule, so whatever fit the bill, obeyed the rule.

I try to do that now. It's the only way I come close to being able to keep up with the clutter. It's safer and better for the edge tools, too.

Thanks, who ever it was taught that lesson.

Patriarch

[MaxEN]

I clean my shop once every other month or so. It has been a while I try to clean my shop right before I leave it and put everything on it's place, but so far no chance. You will save lots of time during each project if you clean you shop more often and you do not have to look 10 minutes around for a sharp pencil or screw driver even if you have 10 of each. After all you do not have to walk on top of pile of scrap wood from one site of the shop to the other side how I do and each time get agrevated.

When I was working in a big company in Germany, I found that they have a good process for cleaning, a small put everything back on it's place proces by end of each day, and a big Organaize and clean the shop by end of each Friday, which I think it would be very nice i could get myself to use to it.

Like you said, if you are a organized person by the nature, you will keep you shop clean, other wise you will look for earything everytime you need it like me.

good luck Maxen

[NoOne N Particular]

When I must! :-)

Wayne

[Jana]

....and she'll probably find her favorite paring knife you swore you didn't take!

[Eric Ryder]

Usually before starting a new project or phase of the current job. I make an exception when it gets dangerous. I do find that if I'm doing repetitive work (like lots of glueups), I get used to a pile of clamps next to the work table.

[Phisherman]