[AT] Cleaning the shop (or not)

[jtchall at nc.rr.com]

Is it possible to build a larger shop? Not being funny but if the one you 
have is that full, you probably need a bigger building. Otherwise here are a 
couple things we have done. I have a few large plastic bins for storing 
things that are rarely used (magneto parts, sandblaster accessories, parts 
for a tractor I was restoring). We have a genuine bolt bin, that is a must 
if your shop is more than just for tinkering. Large washers and hose-clamps 
are mounted on a plywood board hanging on the wall. We've got about 4 of the 
small plastic storage cabinets that are filled with setscrew, chain links, 
woodruff keys, small screws (divided by type), springs, electrical wiring 
components, etc.
The main work bench runs down one wall and is high enough you can work at it 
while standing up. Underneath are bins that are about 2 1/2 ft cube. Each 
bin is parts storage for a certain piece of equipment, baler, combine, 
harrow, sprayer.
The welding area has a kitchen style cabinet mounted on the wall to keep 
welding rods and grinding supplies in. We have another of those cabinets 
that also stocks ignition parts (plugs, wires caps rotors). I have another 
cabinet like that in the back where I store some of my machining 
tools/supplies. Across the back we have a huge wooden cabinet with full 
sized drawers (aprox 30) that we store a little of everything in---fuel 
system parts, service manuals, spare starter, generators etc, Misc. left 
over new parts as well as used parts we want to keep--most of this stuff is 
high dollar items or is easily broken. I also have a 2 machinist toolboxes, 
one by the mill and one by the lathe. All the wood blocks are packed under a 
bench. Having said all this you would think our shop is pristine, but it is 
generally a mess. It seems we rarely have time to finish one job (as in 
clean up and put things away) before we start another one.

If your shop has become a place to store things, find somewhere else to keep 
them. I see too many people storing their lawn and garden equipment, boats 
and jet-skis in their shop, what a waste of workspace.

One thing I forgot, I made a row of plastic palletts outdoors along one wall 
of the shop so I can segregate iron to be used for building and repairing. 
True scrap metal is placed in a barrel or a pile to itself, I need to haul 
away a load now.

It ain't perfect, but we manage. And yes, I wish we had a bigger shop, but 
that isn't possible for us.

John Hall


-----Original Message----- 
From: Greg Hass
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 9:20 PM
To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
Subject: [AT] Cleaning the shop (or not)

The last couple of days have gotten to a little over 40 degrees which
feels like summer. Unfortunately, Wednesday is supposed to get to a
record low of 5 below zero; terrible for the middle of March. Anyway,
with the better weather, the last two nights I have "looked" into the
shop. It is such a mess I don't know where to start (a lot of people say
start at the beginning) but I'm not sure where that is. Everything is
where I threw it last November when this weather started. Last night I
put away 2 wrenches and tonight I put away 2 wrenches and 2 hand
grinders. The rest of the time I spent staring at the mess and trying to
come up with a plan. I think some of the problem is I have too much
"stuff". Some of it I might only use once a year, but a lot of it should
stay in a heating building or it will be damaged by cold and moisture.
Before going further, I should say my shop is 24 x24 and 10 feet high. I
realize this isn't big but its better than any thing I've had before. I
do have a couple of outbuildings to store things like plow parts,
combine parts and tillage parts that some rust on them wouldn't hurt. I
have run out of wall space and always said I would not build shelves up
in the air to where I needed a ladder to reach them, but maybe I should
reconsider. My biggest problem is where to put things so I can find
them. Bolts I have in plastic drawers labeled by size so that works
great. I have sets of plastic drawers, cheap tractor supply type,
totaling 200 or so drawers. One drawer has set screws, another grease
fittings, another square keys; and the list goes on and on. Many times I
spent almost a half an hour opening drawers before I find what I'm
looking for. I can't really label in alphabetical order because
different sets have different size drawers and I fill them according to
the size of the items. Any hints you guys have on how to organize or
things you do to make things more efficient  and less  stressful while
still being somewhat convenient and easy to do?
    Greg Hass
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