Overwhelmed

[Mr_P]

As no skills said

Ways to make progress (ime):-
Have a clear out and throw anything you don't really need - and I mean be really ruthless, no really really ruthless.

Easier said than done I know. Maybe start with the planes, depending on your circumstances either sell them or give them away.

We all make mistakes but not much point worrying about them, when I started this woodwork lark I cleared the garage, big job which involved being ruthless, stuffing things in the loft and even getting a shed for the garden. Wow that was a mistake, full of rubbish now except for a few shovels and the lawn mower. In hindsight I should have forgotten the shed and been more ruthless in the garage hohum but at least they are not in my way.

 

[Bm101]

30 Handplanes?!? Dear God.
How many do you use? I have 8 and I have to many. (Thats not including a few I have rescued for future use mind ).
Why not be methodical?
Write down a list. What do you really do? Be honest.
If you have 30 odd planes the chances are you have a lot of other gear you don't use.
Sell it. Be disciplined.
Step by step.

5 weeks ago I couldn't get in my shed. I did some dump runs (ruthless!) I finished today after another clear up. I can do a dance now in my shed. And it's lovely. It feels liberating. You wouldn't put up with it at work so why put up with it doing it at home?
I still have a long way to go. need to sort storage etc. Where am I gonna fit my bandsaw? Where will the lighting be best used? I still have a surplus of handtools knocking about but I can walk round and sort it.

Make a plan, be ruthless.

 

[Paul200]

Masses of sympathy here. Due to moving house I don't have a workshop but the house was a wreck and needed work doing. My kit is stored in the house, the shed, the summer house, the loft and the back of my truck and every single job I try to do takes approx. 10 times longer because I can never find what I need. I'm very good at setting myself unachievable goals (quantity and quality) and this has culminated this week in my stopping doing anything more that's woodwork related until I've built my workshop - purely for the sake of my sanity. I understand your feelings of depression. I've taken a week off from the numerous tasks needing doing because I felt the same way, but I've come to the conclusion that the over-riding 'head' thing going on is stress. I feel sad and frustrated sure - but stress is the number one.

Take it a step at a time. Walk away for a while and re-sort your priorities. Meet some friends, have a laugh, get drunk! All of the practical solutions have been mentioned already but the main thing to sort out is you. Only when you're in a calm frame of mind can you think straight about how to sort the practicalities. I'm in the same process right now and it works - honest! Good luck!

Paul
PS. Whisky works too - but only in moderation and savour every drop ;-)

 

[SteveF]

only 3.5m x 7m is probably the biggest issue
those of you with big workshops I guess can easily push stuff around
this is a small space so amplifies the issue of getting it right
I would love a bigger space but sadly it is at at SWMBO limit
even with the layout (in my head) there is not room for a P\T which is a major letdown
as a hobby space I think you only get one shot to get things right
my mistake was having the conservatory full of stuff, and the suddenly the boss snapped and it had to go
then it was, can you do this, sure i will get something from the back of shed, but was a pain to return required items


as far as planes go,I plan to keep the following:
3, 4, 5 1\2, block, plough and an unknown infil..not that I really use a 4

should be all I need
which leaves a load of 4, 6, i should dispose of
never really thought much about the space they take up
and then all the sharpening stones i never use, or plan to
and that doesnt even get to a garage with an extractor \ RAS \ kity k5 that will never see daylight

note to self......stop talking....i know the answer.....get rid
will i ever use a slotted steel screw or old brass hinges or the hinges from a previous kitchen?
or the bits of angle iron or chrome piano hinges?
how many hand saws...why..just why... i never use them

I have tried whisky...seems to work for a while
I have decided to walk away for this year...and hope will be more positive in the new year (a sort of resolution)

Steve

 

[Bm101]

Why not give it a few days then go in with a pen and a pad and start to list stuff. Get a plan formed in your mind. If you know what you want to achieve you have a goal to work towards. You'll get there! Sometimes just starting to address the problem can start to resolve it. I'd keep an extra No 4. Put a cambered blade in it! Keep your chin up fella.
Regards
Chris

 

[AJB Temple]

You must be ruthless and get proper storage, not collect crap, and keep it clean and tidy. It is a workshop not a store.

My brother has this problem. His workshop is useless as it is full of "stuff" that he can't bear to get rid of, 90% of which both I and his wife know he will never use.

I do sympathise. I am naturally tidy but I have spent the best part of three days re-organising my workshop and shifting machines around to fit a new extraction set up. It is quite a performance getting a workshop to a useful state!

 

[skipdiver]

My workshop is 5mts x 3mts and i have a PT, as well as a 14" bandsaw, a tablesaw, drill press on floor stand, extractor, 2 workbenches and the bottom of an old Welsh dresser with drawers, all of which can be wheeled around. My workshop is 15 sq mts, yours is 24.5 sq mts. If i can do it................

 

[stewart]

Wheeled bases is definitely an answer. I have a bandsaw, tablesaw and p/t on wheels. Makes a world of difference. I did a scale floor plan with equipment cut out to scale as well. Really helped getting no the layout done. Wall storage is also a must. I've got a single garage 16 x 8 feet...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[xy mosian]

My problem is I never create space, always a vacuum.
xy

 

[Paul200]

only 3.5m x 7m is probably the biggest issue
Steve

Oh no! My proposed new workshop is 3.9 x 7.0m - and that's twice the size of my old one :? I thought it would be luxury - you've got me worried now :-s [-o<

Paul

 

[SteveF]

I think it will be luxury if you plan ahead
I only got in this mess as I extended mine rather than a new empty build
should have been easy if I had the time to just spread the small into large
but typically SWMBO allowed me time to build shed and then was back to house jobs, and her hot tub
as tools came out they got piled back into the empty part due to working till I ran out of energy, so no clear up time
now the cabinets \ drawers I want in the new part are furthest from doors and buried
I am also trying to make sure I have room to process 8x4 sheets so everything has to go around the walls to leave the middle empty for "knock up" work bench
next weekend is the big empty time...pray for dry weather, but I will put a gazebo up right outside the doors

Steve

 

[Mr_P]

Pau200,

It's not the size it's what you do with it ;-)

Steve,

as a hobby space I think you only get one shot to get things right

?
I'm a bit confused by this statement, its an ongoing process.

Buy a tool, you think you need and oops sell it.

I bought a 3 phase table saw cheap with grand plans, quickly realised it was to big for my single garage and sold it.

Can you not grovel to your good lady and ask about using the conservatory again ? stress it won't be piled high like last time.

 

[RobinBHM]

A few thoughts,

Is the lighting in the workshop bright enough? Ive just replaced all the fluorescent tubes in the joinery shop and its surprising how good lighting makes a positive impact.

Take some photographs so you can keep a record of the improvements.

Have a look at the basics of 5S which is a system developed for business. I know a hobby shop has different demands to a business. However the difficulty with making a workshop organised is understanding the process. When it gets really bad its hard to get the motivation to get started.

For example:

5S stage 1= Sort

Basically, sort through stuff and categorise,

Stuff used a lot
Stuff gonna be used someday
Stuff broken, obsolete, never gonna be used, duplicated

How many of us have instruction manuals, old boxes for something that got thrown out years ago!

In a workshop this often amounts to old cutters, accumulation of offcuts etc etc.

Once the stuff has been sorted the next 5S is set in order.

The Pareto curve applies to workshop tools, 80% of the time only 20% of tools are used.

Its useful to identify what those 20% most used tools are and make those a priority for being accessible. Shadow boards for example.

Stuff which is rarely used can be put away in boxes, even put up in the loft.

I did a 5S process on a spindle moulder in the joinery shop. We built a shadow board next to the machine. The spindle nut spanner is positioned with the spacers closest to the machine, then the cutter blocks. The rebate block and groovers first as they are the most used. The 6 most used moulding cutters are also on the shadow board. However the 100's of rare used cutters are put away in an upstairs store room. The 5s pilot scheme I did with staff was some 5 years ago, it still is about 95% in place without any day to day effort. It works simply by the fact its easier to put the cutters and tools back on the shadow board than anywhere else.

The frustration with tidying up is that it often quickly becomes a mess again, the answer is to sort, set in order and sustain so the organised layout becomes the default. Not easy in a small home workshop I know

Sometimes it helps to start with a small improvement project that can be organised and sorted in a few hours.

 

[skipdiver]

only 3.5m x 7m is probably the biggest issue
Steve

Oh no! My proposed new workshop is 3.9 x 7.0m - and that's twice the size of my old one :? I thought it would be luxury - you've got me worried now :-s [-o<

Paul

OOH! Luxury. My old workshop was 4.2 x 7 and i'd love to have that size space again but i haven't, so i work with what i have. In a way, it's a good thing because it forces discipline, whereas in my old workshop, i had plenty of room to pile stuff "out of the way", whilst carrying on working. It soon got very untidy and was a bigger job to sort out again. Now, i tidy as i go, either at the end of the day or first thing in the morning if I've had a late finish.

 

[SteveF]

all good and positive comments
thats why i like this forum
I was going to give up sorting it this year, but just a chat has made me want to get back at
this weekend was lost to other commitments sadly
next weekend is free
loads of cardboard boxes to collect this week, i can pack everything away and pile in

Steve

 

[AES]

Steve, I've only just seen this thread, apologies for being late.

I don't suffer from the mess you apparently have, but I did at the start opf my home workshop "career". And like everyone else, I do suffer from not enough space/shared with domestic authorities/new additions to add to the "pile" from time to time.

Re your QUOTE: I was going to make small boxes with perspex fronts to put my small power tools in, and french cleat them
I cant get on with the clunky plastic boxes tools come in, and can never get the cable back in
I may include the accessories for them in same box
i.e jigsaw with all spare blades etc. UNQUOTE:

I have exactly the same problem with these boxes as you, but personally I find the boxes themselves worth their weight in gold for keeping some sort of order/knowing where to put my hands on stuff.

FWIW my "trick" is to take any multi-tool with a saw blade (I guess a chisel would do if no multi) and carefully cut all those annoying internal fitted mouldings out, leaving a more or less plain box. In 99% of cases I've found that you're left with a good tough box big enough to take the tool itself, plus the cable and plug, plus, just as you say, a small box or tin with accessories such as jig saw blades. (When I buy small batches of screws, etc, from the local DIY Emporium I save the plastic boxes the hardware came in and they're often big enough to hold such accessories). I also keep the instruction "manual" plus the receipt/Warranty card in a small plastic folder in the same box.

Finally, I mark the outside of the box on the top, 1 side and 1 edge with a marker pen. Helps me keep order a lot. (But if the moulded boxes are black, as they often are :twisted: !!! then I stick labels on the outside with contact adhesive and protect those with clear varnish or clear sellotape). All a bit time-consuming but you only have to do it once.

HTH

And also FWIW, I thought the above post about French cleats (or something) allowing you to sort everything out temporarily as you move forwards into the "junk pile" a very good tip.

I wasted a lot of time at the start trying to sort out everything like hand tools, etc, into "permanent" places and fixtures as I went along - Yup, you've guessed it - only to find that as I reached the back of the pile I got hold of something that belonged right at the start of the set up, so had to re-order and lay out everything again about 99 separate times before I got (more or less) everything where I wanted/needed it.

But don't despair, it's a nice problem to have in one way - think of how much it would cost you to go out and buy everything you're trying to sort out now

Good luck

AES

 

[Paul200]

only 3.5m x 7m is probably the biggest issue
Steve

Oh no! My proposed new workshop is 3.9 x 7.0m - and that's twice the size of my old one :? I thought it would be luxury - you've got me worried now :-s [-o<

Paul

OOH! Luxury. My old workshop was 4.2 x 7 and i'd love to have that size space again but i haven't, so i work with what i have. In a way, it's a good thing because it forces discipline, whereas in my old workshop, i had plenty of room to pile stuff "out of the way", whilst carrying on working. It soon got very untidy and was a bigger job to sort out again. Now, i tidy as i go, either at the end of the day or first thing in the morning if I've had a late finish.

I was being a bit tongue in cheek but SteveF's comment did make me think. I've been out and re-measured the space as well! :roll: I could possibly get another couple of square metres in but I think you (and Mr_P :lol: ) are right - work with what you've got. I'll stick to my original plans. (hammer)

 

[Paul200]

all good and positive comments
thats why i like this forum
I was going to give up sorting it this year, but just a chat has made me want to get back at
this weekend was lost to other commitments sadly
next weekend is free
loads of cardboard boxes to collect this week, i can pack everything away and pile in

Steve

Good man =D> Take pictures - it's amazing how good 'before and after' shots can make you feel. I think we all tend to forget the bad things and then when things are running smooth they become normal rather than the massive improvement they represent. Put a picture of 'before' up on the wall to cheer yourself up 8)

Paul

 

[skipdiver]

I have lots of pictures of my recent sorting out of my workshop stored on my tablet. I'm generally rubbish with all things PC related, so will have to get my head round posting pictures and get some up. Need to take some more up to date ones now it is near how i want it as it is still being changed by the day. I'm now thinking of moving my bench to another wall which will mean moving all my hand tools again, taking them off the wall and moving them to to new spot, which is currently covered in shelves, which in turn will need moving to the spot vacated by the bench. It's an ongoing process. Next job is to get a tablesaw that is more portable and takes up less space when not in use.

 

[mindthatwhatouch]

I know exactly how you feel. I am slowly getting sorted but for a while it seemed like it was going nowhere. Not being able to find things, keeping too much junk, doing one job and having nowhere to put away tools, whatever you want is at the bottom of the pile.
Start in one corner, be it tools/materials/screws whatever. Clear the corner then build racking or a shelf or bench unit for storage. Then move onto the next area. I am finding drawers are more useful than shelves below a bench. Things will change and develop so if you can make things movable that helps, as already suggested french cleats and big items on wheels.
As you sort and clear unwanted stuff sell it and put the money to something nice that you want.
Bit by bit you will get there.
It's taken me 2 years to get to the stage where I can see at least some of the floor. In fact the urge to paint the floor made me clear up. Stacked everything in one half of the workshop, painted the clear half, then moved it all... again.