Changing my principles

I have been doing a big "shop reorganization", a project that already took a few months and will take some more. My shop was not a total mess, but too cluttered due to ebaying and not knowing where is what (mostly minor things like where are certain screws etc, but enough to get pissed off). So here are my new principles of shop organization.

  1. Keep only two things: tools (things to work with) and supplies (things to be used up such as bolts and steel or parts).

  1. Do not keep anything for sale and do not buy anything with the purpose of resale.

  2. Know where things are. Not knowing where is what means having to buy the same stuff twice, which is the death spiral as it is harder and harder to stop.

  1. Keep everything accessible (and not in, say, closed cardboard boxes).

  2. Keep tools where they are used the most (basement or garage).

  1. Keep all supplies in only place, labeled, reviewed periodically.

  2. Do not have more than three projects going on at the same time
Reply to
Ignoramus13707
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Good luck with all that. I'd have a hard time with #2, just can't pass up a bargain.

Reply to
RB

Will you move in with me?

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I have hard times too, sometimes it takes a lot of willpower.

Reply to
Ignoramus13707

That sounds so ridiculous to me. I've pretty much given up on plans. Plans and goals are lies indoctrinated into education. Especially not having two of one tool, what about the finding of all the tools for one job and not being able to find one??? Best have a duplicate or your plans for the day will be shot to hell.

Reply to
Sunworshipper

You've basically covered it, but I would add more specifically: keep the most-used stuff the closest. 90% of the time what I need is within 1 step of my bench. All hand tools, all common hardware, many of small power tools. The drill press is 2 steps away, the grinders 3. The common screwdrivers, pliers, & wrenches are in the open. Drawers for everything else.

What you said & what I've added is going to be a "Well, yeah, of course" for many readers. But just because it's obvious doesn't mean that it's often followed. It deserves to be said. I still find myself shuffling stuff because seldom used stuff is taking up valuable close-up space.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

My name is Iggy and I'm a scroungaholic...

Reply to
Jim Stewart

I keep a few very common fasteners (1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2") but generally my rule is "let the store store". I live close to a quality industrial supplier and I have a cash account there. If I need e.g. six stainless SHCSs I just buy them as needed.

Over time I have learned the hard way to really minimize keeping metal stock around. I don't keep anything shorter than two feet long anymore. I toss drops and scraps into five gallon buckets which go into Ernie's school's scrap bin whenever I go out there.

I got rid of most of my shop benches. They were always covered in crap anyway, couldn't ever use them for what they were designed for. It forces me to put things away.

If any of you are just starting, buy a bunch of steel drawer units, and get a labelmaker. Start putting things into drawers and labeling them. It's amazing how the clutter disappears.

Grant

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Reply to
Grant Erwin

That's exactly what I am doing, putting things into steel drawer units and labeling. It is a great idea.

Reply to
Ignoramus13707

BWAHHHAA!! Number 7 is SOOOOOO funny!! I gotta have 10 big projects and 30 small projects workin all the dam time.

Nice goals - just ..... unrealistic.

mark

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Reply to
Mark Dunning

and the point of #1 is?

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

It is completed by point #2.

Reply to
Ignoramus13707

I'm trying to move, organize, compact stuff so I can make a insulated and heated

8'x 12' room in my 24x32 garage to keep my bridgeport and lathe warm and useful this winter.

I'm finding all sorts of things I wish I could have remembered. I found a cross needle SWR meter I forgot I had, screws I recently bought, 3 serial mouses that would have worked better than that crappy mouse with the usb serial adaptor I bought from mickysoft.

Need a square, I've found 7 or so. String for the weed eater? 5 rolls.

Blades for the sawsall, argh! Need a scsi cable, I've got many. Cerrocast? Only found one ingot but I know more are hiding.

It goes on and on and on.

Someone uses a tag line that "I have tools I don't even know I have". Well buddy, so do I. I also have guns I never shot and likely don't know I own by now.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

Reply to
Wes

My name is Wes and I'm a packrat...

Wes

Reply to
Wes

have worked

I thought I knew where my stuff was, until I began sorting through it. Then I realized that I did not know where the stuff was that I did not know I had...

Reply to
Ignoramus13707

have worked

Find any WMD's in there.........roflmao DaveB

Reply to
DaveB

Good luck on that one.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

I PLAN on a trip to the store to buy tools I can't find...the old ones were probably dirty anyway.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

On Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:03:36 GMT, the infamous snipped-for-privacy@nt.org (DaveB) scrawled the following:

have worked

With all the stuff I've seen Ig come up with, I wouldn't doubt he had a couple Pu-239s in there.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

"Ignoramus13707" wrote

My wife is a fan of multitasking, and uses it as an indicator of the female's superiority to males. My definition of multitasking is the ability of doing more than one thing at one time, but none of them well.

I learned in business that having more than three things going on at one time was counter productive. Finish them so you can bill them. It is also so with private projects. Finish the damn thing. No sense applying 10% effort here and 5 % there and so on endlessly.

I finished my project yesterday. A 13' 6" x 32' steel shade cover for my back patio. Built out of Fabral purlins, 3 x 3 x .120" square tubing posts, Fabral sheeting, and a few opaque plastic panels. A professional job that cost about $1500 all together. I'm sure glad it is done. Now, I can focus time and attention on some other things. It went on for a long time for health reasons.

But I find it infinitely more satisfying to finish things than having ten things going on at once and them all laying around in various stages of incompletion, and rusting and generally going to hell.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

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