Work station clutter

[Senior ole salt]

My name is SOS  and I'm a clutterholic

 

My  work station must be the worst.  I have all my tools handy including paint brushes  fittings in containers and more model stuff too numerous to list. As a result the model is surrounded by my self inflicted CLUTTER. Help!

 

Are there any others out there ?  Fess up.

 

. What do you do to work efficiently ?

 

SOS

 

 

[mtaylor]

All I do is clean up on a regular basis, like once a week.  My workshop is a spare bedroom and thus, clutter and sawdust are a direct violation of Admiralty Orders.     I also clean up as I go.  If I use the saw, when I'm done, it gets vacuumed.  Same for sanding dust.  

[hornet]

I have a vacuum next to my to my workspace which removes any sawdust very soon after it s created. I also have a CAT who enjoys seeing how far she can belt anything that has been left out overnight or chew anything that looks remotely edible. Needless to say this encourages me to put things away after use maybe you should get a CAT????

 

 

Said CAT waiting for her opportunity to create havoc:)

Edited January 24, 2016 by hornet

[Canute]

Like the advice from one of the other threads on this site. Put a nylon stocking down the inlet of your vacuum hose. The itty-bitty parts get caught. Unfortunately, if you're picking up sawdust too, it'll clog up.

[bear]

Ahoy Mates Here's what I have to fight for working room. Sweet Pickels. Just as soon as he hears me,he's right there getting as close as he can,laying on top of tools,stepping into Titebond,and stealing plastic strips if they are lose to play with or even better for him-my sanding sticks. He loves to grab one in his teeth and run away with it.

 

But most of the time he just lays down and takes a cat nap under the warm light. He then snores  when he falls asleep.

 

He doesn't bother what I work on other than to rub against the ship now and then except for a rare time when he does grab something.

 

Pickels is now 12 years old. I adopted him when he was 8. He's a great cat.

 

Keith

[Bob Blarney]

Regarding mitigation of clutter, it is true that neatness is a virtue, but unfortunately it's not one of my virtues.

 

To help with that, tools that are not in my hand are not placed the main work surface.  There is a gutter (a piece of rain gutter actually on one bench) or a mobile tool rack next to the bench.

 

Over the vac inlet, window screening or hardware cloth (1/8 or 1/4" grid) will catch small parts.  In fact, when cutting off small pieces on a table saw this method works very well to keep the pieces from jamming in the slot or disappearing inside the saw.

 

Here's pic of the rack where I build guitars, and my shopbuilt cyclone separator HEPA vac system that takes up 1 sq.ft of floorspace (it's attached to the wall).

 

  

[shiloh]

Sometimes, even out in the wide open spaces tools in your pocket are not safe from critters. Wife had a horse that liked to steal the hoof file while I was using a hoof knife on his hoof. Kept the hoof file in my rear pocket so I could grab it and not need to put the hoof down and go git it. He would grab it and hold it up, way above my head and grin while I was hoping and pleading with him to give it back without dropping it on me, the tone of my voice seemed to change when I got the file back in my hands, but he kept on grinning, those who have been around horses know what I mean by grinning.  He was named Shiloh which is my wife's user name here.

jud

[John Allen]

sos

 

You do not need any help I promised myself I would not be overwhelmed by clutter. A place for everything and everything in its place.

 

It created a huge problem I could never find anything. I was missing a mini-screwdriver and was accusing my wife of putting it up when she started laughing. She said and I  quote "fool did you look in your hand!"  true story.

 

I now love my clutter where I can find everything sooner or later Don't despair your good.

 

John

[Senior ole salt]

I examined my model boat work station a bit more thoroughly.   I seem to have  to much tool duplication like several tweezers, Xacto knives,files of all kinds and sizes, same for sanding boards and measuring devices., Various drills all mounted  with spare bitts in separate containers. I save table saw scraps left overs in a jar which I find useful in making small parts etc.   Various small artist brushes reside in a handy jar. In defense of my clutterholic, I must say that I rarely loose store bought fittings as they are stored in small containers further housed in an old cigar box. They are guarded by swivel guns, ( not loaded of course ) but the key to the guns access I will not reveal here.   I did construct years ago a tiered carousel with appropriate holes for various tools and a lower compartments for small stuff. It worked quite well for some time .... then I became aware of Micro-mark tool catalog.  Well ....you know the rest

 

Now by contrast my  regular work shop for full sized boats and " The Admiral" type projects is very neat  with all hand tools up on a peg board. So go figure.

 

SOS

 

PS a possible solution is to keep all the tools out of reach . That way i have to get up to obtain them so then I get a bit of added exercise.

 

I forgot to mention  numerous pliers,hammers and saws. I found a place for them in  two drawers beneath the tiny space left for the model to be built is on.

 

[EJ_L]

This is an issue that I feel all model builders struggle with. Over the years and largely thanks to my wife's love of shopping at craft stores I have received many different types of storage shelves, drawers, boxes, baskets, and a few things I don't really know what they are for. Using them remains an issue sometimes. What has helped to keep me organized the most is that I bought a small battery operated vacuum. I keep it directly under my table and try to use at the end of every session especially if I have been cutting and sanding. By forcing myself to clean up the dust and small pieces it also forces me to pick up tools and supplies so they are not in the way or don't get sucked up. So far this has been a fairly successful trial.

[twintrow]

So are you saying this is cluttered.  I call it ready to start building ;o)

 

 

Tom

[kurtvd19]

I try to clean up as soon as I notice too many tools on the workbench rather than in their proper place and I try to always use the shop vac when cutting or sanding.  However, nothing works as good as having the monthly club meeting here in my shop - it forces me to do a fairly thorough clean up at least one a month.

Kurt

[Rustyj]

I start out with a clean desk, lots of room. Then hour by hour, day by day the area that I can work

in gets smaller and smaller. Eventually (usually within a week or two) the space is so small I'm

setting the model on top of the clutter.

 

Then it's clean it up, put everything where it belongs and within thirty minutes it all starts over again.

 

Even adding a second then a third bench didn't help. In the long run it just ment I had more to clean up.

[Ponto]

I start out with a clean desk, lots of room. Then hour by hour, day by day the area that I can work

in gets smaller and smaller. Eventually (usually within a week or two) the space is so small I'm

setting the model on top of the clutter.

 

Then it's clean it up, put everything where it belongs and within thirty minutes it all starts over again.

 

Even adding a second then a third bench didn't help. In the long run it just ment I had more to clean up.

LOL........this, in a nutshell is a blow by blow description of  what I face. When I start stepping on assorted shrapnel and the sawdust starts to hide this and that, I know it is time to start the cycle over again! 

 

JP

[EJ_L]

This is my temporary work station so it's far less cluttered than usual. I have a nice big area in my basement dedicated to model building but due to an illness that has made me much weaker than normal I no try to avoid going down stairs unless I have too. In the meantime I have set up a card table and along with this rolling cabinet that I modified to hold my materials and tools I am in business in my living room. I also got lucky at work and salvaged that 4'x4' tack board that has been great for a plan board.

Edited February 19, 2016 by EJ_L

[pompey2]

I was suffering from the exact same problem, lots of clutter.

So I designed and built a trolley on castors that was custom built for my tools and would wheel under my work bench.

It is normally just at my side so within easy reach.

 

Here was my progress.

 

Nick

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8928-design-and-build-a-custom-work-station/

[Corey]

I find when I'm about to take photos for my build log, which I try to do frequently, I tend to tidy my work space up a bit. I wouldn't want to give my fellow modelers the wrong impression and let them see just what a total slob I really am.

 

 

Before,

and believe me it has been much worse!

 

 

After

Edited February 26, 2016 by Corey

[JesseLee]

I have got to be one of the worst. I have clutter all over. I do seem to be able to find anything I need in my cluttered mess. When I do clean up I always cant find things. I also have a cat who likes to lay in my mess & she shoves stuff onto the floor. Sometimes I do try to clear a spot just big enough for het but when I do I always lose something in the process. My main problem is I don't have space. I am crammed in a small corner. The back of my chair actually touches the side of one of my aquariums.

 

Jesse

[CaptainSteve]

Once upon a time (some two years back), I had to work from a very small coffee table. This space had to house not only the model, but also all my tools and various items of clutter - NONE of which was rubbish, mind you. I would regularly have to enact a full clean-up, just so that I could locate a simple pair of tweezers.

 

Fast forward two years, and I have a dedicated bedroom-cum-modelling room. Any sane person would think that this should have solved the problem ...

But, that sane person would be so very, very wrong.

 

Instead, now I just have more space to be filled with new and wonderful tools, toys, books, spare parts etc etc etc.

 

The upshot: it takes me every bit as long to find the pair of tweezers I was using 5 mins ago, as it took me to find that same pair two years back !!

 

Edited February 24, 2016 by CaptainSteve

[sfotinos]

I suffer from flat surface syndrome, If there is a flat surface I'm not happy until it has stuff piled high.

 

At least this way I know about where everything is.

Shawn

[captainbob]

Einstein once said, "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk a sign of?"  I think that goes for work stations also.

 

Bob

[bigcreekdad]

Give up...been there, done that, and it just gets worse.

 

Drives my wife absolutely nuts, so she stays out of my den....so, it's not a completely bad thing.

[CDW]

 

It created a huge problem I could never find anything. I was missing a mini-screwdriver and was accusing my wife of putting it up when she started laughing. She said and I  quote "fool did you look in your hand!"  true story.

 

John

Ha - A day or two ago, I rushed into our bedroom, frantically looking for my cell phone as I needed it to look up an address. My wife asks what I am looking for, and I answer, "my cell phone." She sorts of laughs and at the same time looks at me with consternation while saying, "it's in your hand and you're talking on it, dummy." 

 

Sadly, that's another true story.

 

Regards

Craig

[James H]

Maybe you should head to HobbyZone

 

They make the most amazing workstation units that are interlinked with powerful magnets, so you can rearrange the modules as to how you like them. The quality is top rate, and they are beautifully designed. Here's my setup:

 

 

[Captain Slog]

 Wow, I can only dream about a set up like that!

 

Thumbs up for the Clanger, that brings back memories of my childhood.

 

Cheers

Slog

[mtaylor]

Your work area is better stocked than some of the hobby shops I've been in, Jim.   

[Mike Y]

Jim, thanks for the info! Never heard about this system. Looks very interesting! Now I am seriously thinking about a lifting sit/stand table, with shelves build up from this modules

[bear]

Ahoy Mates

 

Here's my clutter that moves around and does just what it wants to do. It's called Sweet Pickels who is the shipyard Supervisor and Inspector of anything that looks or moves like loose wires or strip material,which becomes his prey.

 

 

Keith

[Canute]

The HobbyZone folks are in central Europe, either Poland or the Czech Republic. I know of a US distributor, but right now you email them for quotes on their products. Can't order directly on line. The product line looks pretty interesting. I'm contemplating a few modules to store some stuff, but have no other "financial" interest in the products.

 

Jim's setup looks better stocked than the few remaining toy stores around these parts. I hesitate to call any of them hobby shops, unless you're an RC car guy.

[James H]

Jim, thanks for the info! Never heard about this system. Looks very interesting! Now I am seriously thinking about a lifting sit/stand table, with shelves build up from this modules

 

I can promise you won't be disappointed. Myself and a number of friends have invested in these workstations. The beauty is that you can buy whatever units you need, and tailor them to your own bench space. Totally flexible. 

 

Here's their promo vid: