How clean is your shop?

[BBackSoon]

I keep seeing pictures of shops so clean you could eat off the floor. Now my not being a neat freak aside, is this because you don’t use a chop saw and limit your grinding?

I have a layer of black dust everywhere.

[whateg0]

Well, I know I have a shop. I just don't know where I put it. I could show you a photo if I had one, but you'd never believe it had a floor.

Dave

[BBackSoon]

Man am I glad you said that. I have paths and piles everywhere. I was starting to get a complex that maybe I wasn't worthy of my welder.

[whateg0]

As long as the welder is put up on a pedestal (cart) I think it's okay.

Dave

[hankj]

My oldest son was a neat freak. Don't know where he got it, except that it may have been from disgust at trying to find a tool in my shop.

I confess to being one terrible housekeeper. When everything is finally out of drawers and cabinets and left lying where I used it last, I have to bite the bullet and put it all away. That usually happens about three times a year, and it's overdue right now!

Hank

[Roospike]

I like to keep the shop neat ..........

I like to know where every thing is and as everything does have its place so thats where it goes.

As for the chop saw dust ....... it drove me nuts getting all over and into to everthing so thats when i went out and bought the DeWalt metal-multi cutting saw with the steel blade. That took care of all the black C R A P all over the place.

[BBackSoon]

Is that one of the mini band saws or the ones that look like the chop saw but use the steel blade?

[Trout]

clean shop?

Depends how early you wanna clean up, and who's visiting... we also have a large problem with dust in the Lincolns and Millers... so we put filters on the intakes.

[unkle spike]

I started doing my pickup before I start for the day. I do a better clean up, because I want to get to work, and I am not tired from working. I pick up the tools, but sweeping is a rarity, with a coal forge it is hard to keep the soot level down. The shop is usually organised to a point, but never is it "clean". And don't let the wife in there to clean it up, even with the best of intentions, you will never find your tools again.

[wrenchbender]

Just clean enough to work in & I try to keep stuff where it should be. When building engines it's clean very clean, But when building buckets,trailers,truck beds and about any large welding job it's a mess untill I finish.

[Conrad_Turbo]

I usually clean up after every job, so that way the shop is ready to go for the next one. It's just a PITA to find tools that are out of place, I hate playing "where's waldo". So I just clean things up and I get stuff done a lot quicker.

[tommyj3]

After finishing a project I clean & put tools away, sweep mess up off floor, and I'm ready for next project. I quess I,m kind of a neat freak, but I can't stand to work in a messing shop.

[hankj]

After finishing a project I clean & put tools away, sweep mess up off floor.......

Therin lies my delimma! I nearly never finish one thing before I need to do somethnig else! On occasion, I've had to search through the mess for the projest that I abandoned to tackle the more urgent item!

Ahhh, planning has never been my forte! But, when your making some gewgaw and the well stops pumping water, ya gotta adjust yer priorities!

Hank

[BBackSoon]

Hankj, I must agree with that. I seem to have quite a few projects going at all times. Usually one or two art projects, a yard or garden item like a cart or bench, maybe a new mailbox (Punks 1, Ice storm car crash 1, Tree 1) or let us not forget the chain saw died, then the weed eater. Picked up some tools at a garage sale so I had to redo the Wood side of the shop, this means new Radial Arm bench, new wood rack and new cutoffs rack.

How about another question? What do you guys do with shorts, cutoff and art parts? I have that foot deep pile of stuff under my bench and have been trying to figure out a way to organize it.

[whateg0]

Smaller than that I put in a milk crate until it's full. Then I find somewhere else. Eventually, I get rid of some of the small stuff that hasn't been used.

Dave