Messy Shops Vs. Clean Shops AKA Order & Chaos

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[GeorgeLowrey]

When it takes less time to run to Home Depot and purchase a new tool instead of searching for the old one in your shop, it's time to organize.

[lonnewsom]

My mother had a plaque on the kitchen wall... "Our home is clean enough to be healthy...and messy enough to be happy" I have tried to follow that philosophy all my life.

[chriswest]

When my father was in his early 20s, he had a mechanic friend named Roger. And Roger had a technique, which my family now calls "Roger's Rule", used when he couldn't find something in his shop. The rule is "When you can't find something, clean up until you find it."

[overallgreatidea]

My uncle and I shared a shop. He had deeper pockets so he bought the high dollar stuff and I kept us in sandpaper, glue, and screws. I also swept and occasionally vacuumed. But we both absolutely put the tools away every time each of us quit for the evening. His evening ended about eight if he had a project going. I would come in after supper and work until the wee, wee hours. I don't know how I made it on so little sleep, but I would tune the radio to some music and was perfectly happy. Good times, I miss you Al.

[Advocate]

This guy is like my version of a preacher. I could listen to his sermon for hours. Keep up the good work you are inspiring at least this 25 year old craftsmen with every video growing up with out much of a father figure it means alot. Thanks again.

[robertghinzel]

I was fortunate to grow up with a shop that was equipped with a rich array of tools from woodworking, tool makers and forging tools. I had complete access to the tools. In my teens I must admit I was a messy bustard but what touch me was when my dad returned home from palliative care for the day when I was in my late twenties. He went into the workshop and organized the tools. It was the last thing he did in the house before going back to palliative care after which he passed away. Those memories have stayed with me, . So after a job is complete I put the tools away. Not to mention I like to go the the same place to get the tools when I need them.

[shARyn]

The habit is that you put things where they are supposed to go as you use them. Don't put anything down that you aren't going to be immediately using. If putting it away is a hassle, you need to reorganize the shop so that tool storage isn't remote from the work. Putting things away should NOT be a separate activity (well, ok, sweeping up after the fact is ok)

[bobswitzer]

I've had three woodworking shops over the past 40 yrs. and a habit that I discovered that I had was storing little used hand tools in prominent places. These poorly placed tool locations followed from one shop to the next until it hit me what was going on. Now I have the hand tools I use the most on roll around carts where I can get to them easily. The others are in deeper storage but I know where they are. My mother's motto when I was growing up was "A place for everything and everything in its place". I try to achieve that, but I don't obsess about it. My biggest challenge has always been how to store wood scraps that "appear to be" worth keeping. My concept of "appear to be" changes as the amount builds up and they go in the woodstove. Many thanks for the video.

[jonahsadowski]

As someone who's a generally messy person and having spent a significant amount of time berating myself for the workspace not being "sterile" like some of my peers this video is incredibly encouraging. Thanks for bringing up this discussion!

[kevinthomas]

Adam Savage has a pretty good grasp on shop organization. Sometimes that means having multiple sets of the same tools in multiple locations so they are always near the point of use.

[jasonhammond]

My uncles both had a machine shop and a sign shop. They both had the white tool wall with the tool outline on it. When multiple people were using tools, you could tell at a glance what was missing and either find it or replace it. Their tools had a home and they always returned them there.
My dad's shop wasn't like my uncles. He was always losing tools, misplacing them, and then buying more. I don't know how many times a job was delayed because we couldn't find the tool in his truck or shop. You're not making any money if you're looking for or buying replacement tools.

[mynefield]

As always, you exquisitely outline another example of allowable tolerances. I agree completely with finding the right balance of safety and opportunity cost. Just orderly enough to be safe and also efficient.

[frankweldwhite]

I had a boat shop for many years, and we all ( both employees and myself) spent an inordinate amount of time looking for tools and materials lost in the shuffle. This cost had to be passed on to the client, making us less competitive. Now retired, I have found that walking into a clean and organized shop makes me want to be there, and when I open the door to a flashback of the boat shop, i want to shut the door and find something else to do. I love the concept of compromise, and actually enjoy the process of making a mess, but I now fully embrace the efficiency of at least knowing where everything is!

[kurtdietrich]

One of the worst things is to waste time looking for a tool or something that is out of place. I'm not a neat freak, but I put things away when I'm done. Clutter just makes it harder to do your project.

[Jim-Wade]

Right on Scott! When I was in junior high school shop there was a sign that said, "No job is done until cleanup is complete" so I'm thinking about putting it up in my shop, and right next to it I'll add another one that says, "There is always at least one project in progress". At 75, things have slowed down enough for me (or should I say I've slowed down enough) that I'm finally making a real effort to at least keep things picked up and cleaned up a bit.

[ReadyUpGo]

I don’t know you. I just tripped over your Favorite Tool Mods video upon waking in the wee hours and was intrigued enough to open your channel and this particular video…in fact this subject, I would say is a perfect philosophical bio of who a guy really is all about in his shop person. I like the way you think.

In my 8th decade and while I have let order go in an inner motivation to produce more while there is still time, I have reached the point where the time spent searching for things I now don’t recall the location of consistently is starting to exceed the time i would spend bowing to more order on the bench, etc., I must needs bow to the added requirements dictated by an aging mind. Alas…

Thank you for helping define where the point of balance between chaos and needless neatness lies. New subscriber.

[tipstruckers]

As a truck driver I need several things within arms reach. It adds so much to productivity not having to go in the sleeper for my hard hat or vest.

However if you do small things to not be a complete slob (not wear shoes in the sleeper, have individual tool bags for each type of tool) It reduces the amount ot time cleaning actually.

[AyAytch]

What really helped me was limiting storage space and having a dedicated chaos bin. Limiting shelves just reduces the amount of places things can accumulate. A chaos bin is for pieces and parts that take too much time in the moment to put away, and it can be organized later by me or a helper. It keeps the chaos in one place so to speak.

[briancorboy]

My favorite video of yours for a long time. Shops and tool trailers are a reflection of the people working in them. My trailer and shop are organized, but covered in sawdust. Just like every carpenter should be.

[OBC-radio]

I totally agree, but the joy level certainly diminishes when the shop gets too messy as well. When I start spending more time looking for the right tools than I actually do working on my project, that’s when I realize it’s time to stop and start organizing. Organized chaos is how I’ve always described my shop, it works for me but can certainly be frustrating at times. Finding the right balance is certainly sage advise!