I am not a neat freak but I am not a slob either. I do like things neat and tidy in my shop. Mostly it brings me joy when I walk by it and see it ready for work. Life and the world is messy, I can't control almost all of it. Keeping some control over the shop helps me feel better. Also, I believe that a messy shop increases the risk for an accident for all kinds of reasons. The way that I keep my shop clean is that when I am out of breath from doing some hand tool work, I sweep up the shavings and give the bench a quick shop vac. It takes just a minute or two and is a good low level activity while I am recovering my breath. The trick to keeping a pile of tools from building up on the bench is to frequently put them back in their place as I'm working. Again, I'm not obsessive about it. Would love to hear if you have any simple tricks that have become habits.
Commend you for keeping it clean - it's a good practice. At the end of the day, I put all my tools back where they belong (not on the bench) and clean the benchtop and floor. Keeping a clean shop - especially when it's small - is key for me to keep my sanity.
ReplyDeleteMatt
I agree with your approach. Sweeping up a few times a day and putting tools back in place after using them keeps cleanup from becoming a daunting task. I also schedule some of the most unpleasant tasks in the shop (e.g., hauling out the dust bags, changing air filters) as "stand down" days. Spend a couple of hours vacuuming behind floor tools, cabinets, benches, and bins can be a source of great fun - make it into a scavenger hunt! You'll never know what treasures lurk in dark corners! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ted and Matt for the comments. The part of the shop I work in is indeed small. Ted, doing some not fun things on "off" days is a great idea. During the week, especially when I had to commute to and from work, doing 15 min of yuck stuff was a good way to feel like I was making progress even of the wood itself wasn't being altered.
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