Projects Is your shop a constant mess?

My garage doubles as a garage for the lawn mowers, most recent addition is the grandson's wagon with misc. outside toys, & his own work bench.... Now he's eyeballing my tools, I could be in trouble!

 

When I painted the floor with that epoxy etc It stayed clean for a few years... Then production took over... Now has random paint marks on the floor, some other stuff too.. I do try to clean the tools and mess up every month, a smaller garage gets shitty quick... Most of the time, picking up between major tasks, mechanics to fabrication requires stuff to be moved to get welder out etc and vice versa... I have parts storage down the sides of the garage somewhat... I do try to keep the workbench/top of toolbox clear and clean for the most part, needing to expand the workbench anyways, and finally finish that but it hasn't been top priority at all lately...

My shop is by any means a showpiece area, gets worked for sure... The 18k btu window ac keeps the garage cool for sure with doors closed.. 68 degrees in the shop when its 98 outside... best damn 500 bucks I ever spent... I did find that if you have an ongoing project... try to use trunk/bed space or under the car/truck space for part storage, it does free the work around room until you need to work under or in rear...

 

Went from a 30x50 commercial building to a one car garage. Can't afford for it to get too cluttered. Still have tools in boxes that I can't unpack.

 

Yesterday I was working in the shop and need my mini grinder. I know I looked for 30 minutes and couldn’t find it, and I had used it earlier. Flustered, I went outside under the shade tree and leaned against my tractor only to see mesquite thorns sticking out of a front tire I had just patched. Decided to take picture of it to send so I went to get my phone which was hiding my mini grinder. Now if I could just remember why I needed it!

 

I resemble that remark

 

Usually a mess, yes. Then I finally put stuff 'away' and I invariably need it like a week later. And of course, I can't remember where I put it, I can only remember the spot on the floor where it USED to be, because I stepped over it for 4 months.

 

I Clean Up After Each Project So I Don't Have To Stumble Over Stuff...To Each His Own...

 

I know there’s a floor in it,
I remember pouring concrete years ago
I just haven’t seen it in awhile

 

After my last build was finished I gave the garage a makeover, since then it is an occasional mess. Because it’s used for a variety of different things, it tends to stay a lot cleaner. My wife will actually hang out with me in the garage now...

 

I try to keep mine clean and well ordered. It's only a 1 car so all my parts and loose stuff gets stored on shelves in a rented storage unit...or 2.
I'd hate to have to 'splain to MRS Rocky I fell over some parts in my garage and broke sumthun...now I can't work 'till I heal up. This is what it use to look lilke before I took over the room next to the garage

 

And this is what that extra room is for.

 

This is about as dirty as it gets now.

 

I have always wanted to have the shop clean just like the shop in junior high school. Stop 15 minutes before you're done and clean it all up. A place for everything to be, etc. My ceiling used to be bright white melamine paint, now its just brown, from welding smoke.
I swore this summer I was going to stop working, move everything to one side of the shop, clean, organize and repaint again. Its now August and I haven't started yet. Might still happen.
Once you start grinding rusty shit, its all downhill after that. The dust and smoke get everywhere. Even in toolbox drawers. Some day.....

 

Mines full mostly tools. Two tire machines and two compressors welders. drill press. No room for a car. It got a bit less full this afternoon. I sold a Spare M Farmall Tractor engine I had stored inside. I tried a new activity this summer. I put a old recliner in there. Go inside and close the doors. put the oldie channel on the radio . turn on a fan recline in that recliner drink a beer and take a nap.

 

@Old wolf You gotta have a thinkin chair!

 

That's pretty nice, but I can't see me ever having anything like that, I weld, grind and paint, my shop will never be pretty! HRP

 

That sounds like a lot of work there but I would be happy to come help you.

 

If all of your tools are stored in their proper place, it means you are not currently working on any project. However, the reverse of that .....doesn't mean that you are working on anything.
My shop exists in a state of "acceptable clutter".....meaning that most things are stored in their semi_ permanent location. All the tools I have used on my current smaller projects (for implimentation on the awaiting large projects) continue to accumulate till they reach the UNacceptable
level. Only I know when that level has become irritating enough to need clean up.
To everyone else's eyes, I always look from semi- organized to semi-cluttered. And I do get pissed when I can't find certain tools, especially when I just had it In my hand yesterday.

 

For now the plan is to enjoy what I have and not start another big project. Eventually I will build a detached shop with enough ceiling height for a lift so I have a place to play when I retire.

 

This thread makes me feel much better about my shop.

 

I am surprised Moriarity has not put his motto up yet. I have adopted his since I first read it. BIG MESS BIG SUCCESS ! Makes perfect sense to me.

 

Unfortunately I have 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag, so no it's a mess.

 

I share a shop with a 16 year old and an 80 year old, so yeah mine is trashed at all times. I am OCD and it wears me slick.

 

I spent the last 2.5 months on weekends and such cleaning my garage, man what one accumulates in 15 years since this has been up.. If it was on the floor it got thrown out. Couple years back I built a 200 sq ft shed to clean out the garage and it is full.. the garage got full again. couldn't even walk in with out tripping on something, The pack rats wanted to take over also the little Phuckers, killed 8 so far.
Put in more shelving for stuff and still need more room. Made just enough room now to work on the new project. Terrible thing when you clean and try to organize you cant find shit any more.

 

Just can’t tolerate a cluttered shop. Lesson learned years ago from my shop teacher.

 

Mine is not bad right now, I still have a serious lack of storage space, I have to move 8 things to retrieve 1 thing I want... sometimes I have to pull the car out so I can get to something buried deep. The machine shop part is the worst of it. I have thousands of cutters, drills, taps in plastic bins.. of course nothing is marked.

 

No horizontal space is safe No matter how many benches I build I have no place to work

 

When I built my garage I took the time to seal the floor, insulate, paint the ceiling white, paint the walls white, wanted to keep the shop neat and organized. Unfortunately the better half regards it as unlimited storage space, everytime she decides to clean up something in the basement or the rest of the house it is put this in the garage, The garage has a walk up attic and it id bursting, the main floor is getting close with my stuff, I was expecting to keep more of my stuff in the attic. I do put my tools away
after using them, habit from having no garage for several years.

 

I'll stop short of saying after several hours yesterday afternoon and last night my shop is clean but it si somewhat organized and picked up, I didn't mop floors or dust but my fellow club members will be able to walk around without fear of tripping over jusk in the middle of the floor.

All I have left to do this afternoon is go home and turn on the air and try to find the bottom of my work bench, and me being the ever consistent procrastinator I had to leave something for the last minute. HRP

 

My mess and I keep buying stuff.