Workshop Cleanup — again

I’ve been working on cleaning up, organizing and creating better storage and a more functional workshop for over a month now.  It’s difficult for my family to see the importance of this task when there is so much to be done in the part of the house that we are living in.  You saw the three year video tour, right?

For my part, I can’t believe it has taken so long to finally set up shop properly.  I built the workshop cabinets within the first few months of moving in.. That gave me some needed storage but storage isn’t all one needs to set up a functional shop.  Every few months (it seems like every few months but it’s probably more like once a year), I clean, vacuum, re-organize and try to keep it that way but it’s always goes to crap within a day or two.

I bought a dust collector about two years ago which is nice in theory but having to roll it over to whatever tool I’m using or changing the hoses from one tool to the next…get’s to be a pain and I don’t do it for small jobs.  Which means I have a lot of dust that doesn’t get collected.  And because I’m always in such a hurry to get the project done, I don’t take the time to clean up every day so the dust accumulates.

The state of my workshop was ridiculous.  The lingering sawdust was unhealthy, there was no layout for optimal functionality, there was not enough organized storage and there was no work table to actually cut or build on so I would have to wait for a nice day and set up workhorses and plywood.  And it rains here A LOT so I had to wait or take over Wes’ garage — which is not fair to him since we specifically bought this house so I would have a workshop and he could park in a garage.

Not to mention I have somehow accumulated a TON of “treasures” from thrift stores that I just can’t part with because someday they will be awesome!

 

I’ve been tripping over myself in this space for too long…and I had finally had enough.

 

So for the last (many) weeks, I’ve been spending my free days trying to create the optimal workspace for myself.  I’ve installed a dust collection system, new lights, pegboard walls, built several lumber storage areas as well as a giant worktable.  All this has created TONS of storage and a much more efficient workspace in my garage workshop.

 

The cleanup itself took forever because I wanted to move everything outside, vacuum EVERYTHING and then bring in only the things I will ever use again (not everything I have) and put things away in an organized fashion.

 

I swear it took me three weeks just to vacuum because every day, all of a sudden, out of the sunny, blue, cloudless skies would come a torrential downpour like I’ve only ever seen here in East TN and see about once a week if not more.  So I had to BOOK IT LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW to get things back inside.  And then my space was even more cramped than it ever was and all I could do was wait out the rain!  I finally just took over Wes’ garage — and he was very generous about it for more days than I expected it to take me to get it cleared back out for him.  😀

 

Once I got everything cleared out and cleaned up, I positioned my new saw (Sawstop which I love and will post a video) where I wanted it and taped off the space I needed for perimeter tools and walkway.  What was left in the center would be the size of a new outfeed table/work table I was set to build.

 

That’s enough for one day, let’s pick up on that work table tomorrow!  🙂