I used to start working on my project and I just kept accumulating more tools, trash, parts etc until I would finally get tired of tripping over and stepping on stuff. At that point I would make an effort to clean up. I used to marvel at a friend who had military training. He never made a mess. If he did, he cleaned it up immediately. He always put his tools back where they belonged as soon as he was finished using it. He said, "It takes less time to put it where it belongs than it does to hunt around and find it wherever I left it." As I tried to convert myself over to his way of operating, I came up with my Ups rules. 1. Get up. 2. Pick up. 3. Put up. 4. Clean up. I do this most of the time and I find I enjoy working in a cleaner, more tidy environment now. It also promotes safety. When I fail to follow this, I usually trip over something or spend an inordinate amount of time looking for a tool. This always serves as a reminder to start back obeying the Ups. Do you have a similar discipline?
cleanup is good as long as it doesn't stop the flow of work. I worked in a shop where the owner would walk in and tell us to stop and clean up then start over or he would be putting stuff away while in the middle of using it. there is a balance.
I am anal about it. If if I’m in the middle of a big project, when I finish with a wrench or whatever, It goes directly to its sleeping spot. I absolutely loathe looking for a tool I’ve already had out.
As comedian John Pinette once said, “I don’t do Ups! I do Downs Sit down Lie down Wolf down And when I’m in the mood, I Boogy down. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'll agree with the clean up and all the rest, a clean and tidy shop is a true joy. There is one up I'd like some people to practice and that's the Shut Up. And sometimes it's Shut the **** UP
I am in the former military and keep it clean camp. Pick up and put away when I am done with the job, and WIPE THE TOOLS DOWN BEFORE YOU PUT THEM AWAY!!! I loathe grabbing a dirty tool out of the box. And keep the floor clean. I have no problem laying down on my garage floor in khaki pants just home from work to have a look at something under the car Chappy
A sanitary shop isn't traditional, my shop is such a disaster I weed out the "clean freaks" from visiting...........................
We Virgos are born like that....as my late father would always tell me "put it back in the rack, Jack". I need to put my tools away after each use. It's a compulsion I can't stop.
My process is to keep tools out as I'm doing a job. That way the tools I used for disassembly are available right there for reassembly. When I finish the job the tools get wiped down and returned to their proper storage spot.
Libra be me..Use up all the tools till can't find any out and about or in the toolbox; stop to gather all the tools up and get them in the box and start over..Repeat till project end!
My wife used to be a clean freak. I’d be sitting on the couch reading a magazine, put it down and go take a leak. Come back and my magazine is gone. Where the F is my magazine? Wife “ I put it back in the rack” After years of debriefing, she leaves my shit alone. Everything of mine is on the do not touch list. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
cutting corners on clean up can easily lead to cutting corners on your build - yep, different levels of clean up : if shop in a mess can waste a lot of time trying to find the parts & tools that you know that you have "someplace" or I will just mock up up something until I find what I need later & end up doing things twice - clean shop helps reinforce safety too - don't really need to find welding helmet, just do "blink" welding, etc - I am far from perfect but, sometimes ya gotta stop & do it right, even in the middle of the day
I clean the Marine Corps way. Move everything to one side, clean floor and then move it all to the other side. Clean it and then put it all back correctly and realign.
I was going to post, until I realized that in order to put the tools away after a job, one must finish the job.. I've got tools that have been under the car since 1988.
If I'm welding and grinding, I sweep up after every grinding session.....several times in a day. I hate to be walking or rolling around in grinding dust.
At work my coworkers always complain about people using their tools and never putting them back. But they're always in awe about my toolboxes that are in order. Thing is they are the ones who are sowing their tools everywhere as if they are going to grow. I hate spending even 10 seconds to find a wrench. I also broom my spot at least once a day. I can roll on the ground where I work and not look like I 've been down a mine shaft.
Hmmm go to garage, get ready to fit new part, 10 minute job, spend next hour looking for special tool you bought last time that made it easy. Give up and use old crappy tool that you can find. This is my world.
I have a "no hot work within 30 minutes of quitting" rule--that last 30 minutes gives me time to clean, straighten up, have a beer, and admire what I accomplished. Is my garage military sano, spic & span? Absolutely not. But I never have to search for tools, and other people can find stuff without issues if there's a group wrenching at the house. That's good enough for me.