How often you do a major rearrangement / reorganization of your shop?

[Wm. R. Robertson]

I just bought a new big lathe (actually it is a older one from 1968 that was almost never used) and when I went to fit it in place I had to move a few things. This led to the domino theory and I am moving almost a 1/3 rd of the shop completely around. I am also combining my upstairs and downstairs shops so I'm adding a few new workbenches and cabinets. I hope to be done within a week.... I have already been at it 4 days and the place has never looked so bad. You have to empty cabinets, etc. before you move them and that stuff has got to go somewhere..... And then paint a few walls. Etc.....

This is the biggest shop clean up I have had in 25 years..... How about you?

[Warren Barnard]

Hi Bill,

 

my workshop is so full I have to rearrange projects on an almost weekly basis to make work space to keep going with other projects. More a problem of Bigatures and kit production. I keep my computer space clear as I do need somewhere to change my mind without going outside.

 

My biggest cleanup was 4 years ago when I moved house, the new workshop was empty and bigger than I'd come from and full of promise, now it's full and brimming with ideas. I know which I prefer and that's how I like it. New machines, well no point buying, i wouldn't know where to put them, I'm not allowed any more under the rear carport under threat of dismemberment, and she has her own studio outside and an office in.

 

Your mess now is just the storm before the calm and just think what a real mess you can make with a big lathe. :)

 

Warren

[ElgaKoster]

I think having enough working space is a universal problem for crafts people. We moved my workshop three weeks ago into another room, that took two days but still not enough space. I need to buy some more tools but don't have any place to put them.

We are actually thinking of selling our present house and looking for a smallholding that will have a shop or two separate from the house, hubby also wants a workshop for when he tinkers with his motorbike and at the moment our garage is over full with almost no space to do anything in.

[miraclechicken]

Every time I acquire or make a new tool I have to re-arrange to absorb/accommodate it, so quite often. Another time I clean real good is when I lose something, usually I see it fall and when I reach for it, it is gone........even hits my foot on the way....still vanishes into thin air......I get so mad and determined to find it that I start tearing everything apart which then leads to cleaning and re-arranging. 

[WeekendMiniaturist]

I only have a 5 power tools for scale miniatures, so not a lot to re-arrange.  They are on a shelf at home, and I move them to my countertop as needed.   All in all, my Dorothy LeClerc Loom takes as much space as these tools, in terms of cubic feet. 

 

I have never needed to re-arrange my workshop because of tool acquisition; but I do have to re-arrange because I can't find something.  I'm quite experienced at not being able to find something I need for my next project.  I think the issue is that I do too much multi-tasking.  Need to unplug and concentrate on what I'm doing, but work is a huge distraction.  

 

Warren, I know what you are talking about - the re-arranging and the promise of a new space.  When dear hubby acquired his woodshop, it had all the promise of empty space.  When the gorilla racks moved in for wood storage it was pivotal, next thing you know we are shopping for wood, We acquired a wonderful stash of birdseye for Life Size Projects, but we may have an internal competition here for stash accumulation--> his is wood; mine is fabric, and fibers.  He throws away a piece of Cherry, too short, not stackable for his stash, and I'm in his box of throw away wood harvesting it for minis.  Just be glad your wife isn't invading your workshop space! 

 

Warning:  If you get a larger space, you will buy more tools!  The most beautiful thing about my next new Lathe is that I can pick it up and move it where I want! 

 

Tamra

[carolinagonzalez]

It's a constant work in progress - as others have said above, there is never enough space and I need to prioritize what I'm using more often, and store the rest in a cupboard in another room. I also have a (very modest) collection of dolls in the bigger sizes, that I need to have around for photoshoots and for modelling clothing, so they need to be in the studio room, and take a lot of space to keep them displayed properly. For woodwork and stuff that creates a lot of dust, it has to be done wherever there is space in any other room, because all the sewing supplies, fabrics, and the dolls need to be saved from it. It is relieving to know that we all have the same issues, though .

[Apriliadan2000]

I recently had a major cleaning, it was awful, I fear I will never know what all I have lost, what I did gain was space, and a very big bonfire, this has been going on for almost 2 weeks now, this happens every year.

[SueV]

I try to rearrange as seldom as possible! If I move something, and it's usually crucial to what I'm working on, I can

never find it again.  Although, last week I did go through a lot of just plain junk, threw is out, and now I can see my

work table again.  How many beat up old paint brushes did I actually need, anyway? And a ton of obsolete paints,

half dried, etc. Boy, that felt good

[Wm. R. Robertson]

It is pretty crazy when you really dig down into your deepest storage cabinets...... You find things like paints that have prices marked on then, remember those days?...... And the are from hobby shops you shopped at 40 years ago!...... But they are unopened and still look good... Will just have to stir a little more if I should happen to need them in the next 40 years!

It is interesting..... 4 carloads have gone to live at the land fill and 2 pickup truck loads given away........ And I'm almost done...... But I won't have time to "do" all the drawers........

I just wonder how long it will take me to clutter up all these new benches..... I added 15 linear feet of new benches plus 9 feet of newly surfaced benches....... Plus I have 30 feet of my older benches! As some of you know, I tend to have what would be concidered a dream workshop plus there is a separate woodworking shop which has gotten a little cleaning too......

[Bill Hudson]

I just wonder how long it will take me to clutter up all these new benches..... I added 15 linear feet of new benches plus 9 feet of newly surfaced benches....... Plus I have 30 feet of my older benches! As some of you know, I tend to have what would be concidered a dream workshop plus there is a separate woodworking shop which has gotten a little cleaning too......

 

One project…..  

 

 

PS: I'm way over due for a workspace cleanup.  The book shelf is done for a while but every thing else's still fair game.  I need to start thinning incase we decide to down size to a condo or apartment.

[WeekendMiniaturist]

Bill R, So what is the required square footage of a "dream" workshop?  15+9+30 linear feet = 54 linear feet.... My preac isn't this large.  I'm obviously missing something on this space issue.  I need to tell DH what is required for our next move...    post retirement.  

 

Bill H,  yuk - downsizing to move to a smaller place should be a four letter word!

 

Tamra

[Warren Barnard]

Hi Tamra,

I learned very quickly in our marriage that my wife needed a craft room as much as I need a workshop so when we bought this place see got a 3.5m x 10m workroom of her own plus she acquired the second bedroom as her office so I feel quite safe. Some days I have to invade her space to lay out mini's, which she allows as long as it has a definate use by date.

Warren

[Wm. R. Robertson]

Hi Tamra.... That is 54 linear feet of workbench..... I think a good size shop would total a 1000 square feet with about 1/3 for storage. I do not like to store stuff in the shop unless it can be put away in drawers, I have a "stock room" next to the shop. For wood I have an attic above the wood shop to store timbers.... And I some heavy chunks of wood up there...... 250 year old cherry boards up to 22" wide, a whole stack of 5 quarter walnut 18" wide by 10 feet long......

[WeekendMiniaturist]

20' x 50' that is doable.  Perhaps I can just add to the basement - that would be a funny conversation with the contractor, and the city. hahahah...

 

It amazes me that 1/12th scale objects takeover entire rooms of one's home.  A dollshouse within the home requires its own room.  Now what am I supposed to do with my sewing machine?

 

I'm really Green with Envy over these 250 year old cherry boards that are 22" wide - I can imagine it is like cutting into the most beautiful piece of silk; I want to use it to costume; I do, I do; but cutting into just kills me, so it stays in the stash.  Yep; I'm definitely a fabric hoarder; much easier for me to cut a piece of wood into bits and run it through the planer then to cut that wonderful piece of silk.

 

Warren, this "use by date" is funny!  I'm not telling my husband about the Use by Date, as he will kick me out of his woodshop.

[Wm. R. Robertson]

I have a friend who told the real estate agent he wanted a 2500 SF house, with a mother in law apartment and a 10,000 SF basement for his shop....... He did get this sort of.... The previous owner liked to race go carts in the basement, it was that big. Needless to say he has a very nice shop, the only problem is it takes a 120 foot crane to lift new machines over the house to the shop door in the back.

I like, and have a couple of different shops..... One for course woodworking that can get real dusty, one for fine machining that can stay clean, one for miniatures, and one area for using really old lathes. Any course and dirty metalwork I do at a friends fabrication shop.

[Bill Hudson]

I don't have to move to need a major clean up.  This is what happened to my bench when I had to be away from it for a couple of months.  It went from purpose (building miniature tin ware) to what ever non miniature, quick project (which got piled up on the bench) around the house I needed to do. 

 

Rather than starting on my last project where I left off to take care of my wife, I now have to spend precious energy and time to get things back in shape.