What workshop item do you always misplace

[Stefan Antwarg]

I thought I would make light of a constant irritation of mine. 95% of the time that I am in my workshop and I need a pencil, I can't find it. I almost always have to stop everything and go on a search. And I usually have to go upstairs into my house and get another. Once I move my tools (soon because I will be finishing the area for a family room), I am sure I will have enough pencils to fill a stationary store.

Stefan

[Cliff Newton]

Safety glasses. I spend more time looking for my glasses than actually cutting wood.

[Ken Salisbury]

My opener for this:

[Ray Johnson]

It will be on my bench or someplace that I see day after day. But come the day I need it, it has grown feet and walked away!

[Matthew Dworman]

I installed a remote control unit for my dust collector. I'm always searching for the remote. I would spend less time walking over to the dust collector and turning it on than I do looking for the darn remote so that I don't have to walk the 15 ft. over to the dust collector to turn it on by hand!
Also, for some reason, when I'm done at the jointer, I seem to place the push blocks somewhere far away from the jointer, sothe next time I use it, I'm always searching for the blocks! (don't worry though, I never use the jointer untill I find them - that's one shortcut I'll never take!!)
Matt

[Frank Pellow]

My glasses. For close-up work I see better without glasses, so I am always taking them off and placing them in the darndest places.

[Tyler Howell]

I installed a remote control unit for my dust collector. I'm always searching for the remote. I would spend less time walking over to the dust collector and turning it on than I do looking for the darn remote so that I don't have to walk the 15 ft. over to the dust collector to turn it on by hand!
Also, for some reason, when I'm done at the jointer, I seem to place the push blocks somewhere far away from the jointer, sothe next time I use it, I'm always searching for the blocks! (don't worry though, I never use the jointer untill I find them - that's one shortcut I'll never take!!)
Matt

FYI MATT!
I attach bungies to all the remotes and a magnet on the back. They are always hooked in the same place (central shop or close to the place they are used) and stuck to the overhead air duct. Works great.

[Tyler Howell]

Safety glasses. I spend more time looking for my glasses than actually cutting wood.

A fix for you Cliff, I put eye glass guards/straps on the safety glasses and hang them all over the shop usually bye one of the work stations. Have about four pair (kept loosing them) so now they are hanging on the machine or around my neck.



I keep loosing my tape measurer. Solution, Strength in numbers about 6 of them (See above) I also take broken ones, old rulers and store bought adhesive backed rules and attached them to benches around the shop. Ever present.

[Kurt Aebi]

I'm with ya Stefan, I also lose track of my tape measure as well. To solve this, I picked up some of those acrylic trays that movie rental places have for the VCR tapes and cut them into 10" sections and placed one near every power tool and bench in the shop (8 total) and placed sharpened pencils into the tray and hang a tape measure each one. Voila! There is always a tape measure and pencil close by.

Now if I could say the same about screwdrivers - where have they all gone

[Larry Browning]

I seem to always be looking for the tape measure or square.
Now that we have identified these things, does anyone have some trick or work method to solve this most irritating problem? For me, this is by far the biggest time suck in my shop time. I know that being more organized would go a long way in solving this, but I have known this for over 50 years and I still haven't been able to do it.

Larry

[Tyler Howell]

I seem to always be looking for the tape measure or square.
Now that we have identified these things, does anyone have some trick or work method to solve this most irritating problem? For me, this is by far the biggest time suck in my shop time. I know that being more organized would go a long way in solving this, but I have known this for over 50 years and I still haven't been able to do it.

Larry

Look up Larry two threads

[Larry Browning]

FYI MATT!
I attach bungies to all the remotes and a magnet on the back. They are always hooked in the same place (central shop or close to the place they are used) and stuck to the overhead air duct. Works great.

Hey Tyler,
Sound like your shop looks like a meat locker. How about a picture of all that stuff hanging arround?

[Larry Browning]

Look up Larry two threads

Tyler,
Those post appeared WHILE I was writing that one. I'm a slow typist, what can I say?

[Tyler Howell]

Tyler,
Those post appeared WHILE I was writing that one. I'm a slow typist, what can I say?

Just hope it helps Larry, Not a fix for everyone but it sure takes some of the hassle out of it and a fight against the dreaded CRS.

[Dan Dubeau]

Tape measure, pencil, six inch steel rule. basically all my layout and marking tools. so i just bought about 3-4 each and place them near where i use them the most.

It still doesn't work all the time though.

I think I need to start wearing a shop appron