How much time do you spend "looking for stuff"?

[Larry Fox]

The thread asking how much time we spend in the shop started me thinking how much time I spend looking for things around the shop vs. accomplishing something. What I mean by that is that I set things down here or there and then have difficulty finding them again. It occurred to me that I can't be alone here and wondered how other people have solved the problem.

I am not a particularly messy person but my shop is somewhat on the small side. I find that I waste a lot of time traversing the shop looking on/under/around stuff looking for that ruler, chisel, knife whatever that I just KNOW that I left around here somewhere. Perfect example - I spent 20 minutes of precious shop time last night looking for a pair of scissors.

So, how do you stay organized or is it just a loosing battle that everyone just accepts?

I have tried to "put things back" when done with them which works - to a point. Problem is that the definition of "done with them" is somewhat flexible.

Anyway - happy Friday.

L

[Al Willits]

My problem is after a bit I think I have to rearange things, then I can't remember where I rearanged them to.

But I do suffer from the gremblims that move stuff after I set them down, and probably spend a bit more than I like looking for them, although Beasty has a uncanny knack of knowing where everything is, so I usually end up asking her.

Al...honey...where is my...huh? on the bench...ok thanks dear...

[Dave Bonde]

No Larry it is not just you I am looking for things all the time. I know when it is time to clean the shop when I spend twice as much time looking for things as I do building. I get frustrated but don't seem to change my ways. I visualize everything right in its place but never seem to accomplish it. An interesting observation I made this summer - I am in the middle of a major remodel of my house and I had a friend helping me this sumer - he always had the tools he needed and I would have to borrow X- tool because mine was either on the ground MIA or whatever. I helped him with a project at his house and it was the exact opposite I always had the tools and he didn’t – go figure maybe there is something to that. By the way I see we are about 1 month apart in age - maybe it has something to do with turning 40 last summer Dave

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

That depends on where I put it.

[Bruce Haugen]

Okay, is it time for true confessions here? My shop is very small, but expandable if I want to park outside. What's embarrassing is the amount of time I spend looking for a piece of scrap wood that's already the right size so I don't have to cut into something bigger. In a perfect world, when I finish a project there would be only the project and sawdust.

Bruce, hanging head in shame.

[Brian Doris]

I have exactly the same problem, always have had. I work in a tiny basement which clutters up in no time. Between jobs I put my tools, bits etc., away in drawers or cupboards so the wall area above my cabinetmakers bench is relatively free. I bolted a 2' x 4' piece of MDF to the wall and screwed on a couple of rows of round, pierced, rare earth magnets at about 8" centres. I also made up what looks like a giant knife rack, consisting of two pieces of 2"x1" mild steel just under 4' long sandwiching some flat rare earth magnets, which is also screwed to the MDF.
Any magnet store will advise you on the required magnet strength, and for the "knife rack" the required spacing - watch polarity.
My set up will hold anything from a 2lb+ hammer right down to a 1/32" drill bit with just the right degree of stick. Long clamps remain a problem!
Regards

[John Bailey]

I've always been pretty organized and never had a problem finding things in the shop. Of course, my old basement shop was only 10'x12', or something like that, and I didn't have enough stuff to get lost, and it didn't have anywhere to get lost. Recently, I built a "large" 20'x20' shop and I still knew where everything was. I don't know what it is, but now that I'm building a boat, I can't find anything and my shop is always a mess. I'm getting better by putting tools back when I'm done using them, not when the project is done. If I lay it down while I'm working a project, I forget where it is, so, instead of laying down, I put it away. It saves a lot of time in the long run.

Dave B. - 40 HA!! Just wait till you hit 50.

John

[glenn bradley]

When I am between activities or just pausing to think about what I'm doing, I pick up around the shop. This accomplishes my goal of pausing to reflect on my approach and also keeps the clutter down and improves safety. So. . . being the anal type-A sort of guy I am, I generally go right to what I'm after 'cause I just put it away. Of course, there are ALWAYS exceptions like the shelf brackets I couldn't find for 3 weeks because I put them in a box and labeled them shelf brackets (???) duh!

P.s. My dad gave me a bucket-boss that he got as a door prize at his WWing club. I thought of it as more of a job site item but it does come in handy for holding stuff I will reach for repeatedly during a certain phase of a project. You just have to clean it out between phases or what you want is buried under what you needed before (did that make sense?).

[Jack Dickey]

Yeah I agree , 50 is my next number , it gets much worse , trust me ..
I have three tapes , and 40,000 pencils .. You would think with all that , that I wud remember to clip ONE of the tapes on my jeans and put at least one pencil in my pocket , when I move around .. You would THINK that ..
Also why is it when I want a Phillips screwdriver all I can find is one of the 1000 or so slotteds I have laying around , and vice versa ..

[Dennis Peacock]

Shoot, I'm so well organized that I can't seem to find anything!!! In short, I spend a lot of time looking for all my organized items I NEED.

[Matt Guyrd]

I added three tape rules and steel rules to my Xmas wish list for this very reason!

I walk circle around my "relatively" organized shop looking for anything to measure with. Same with pencils.

I also asked for a shop apron to hold some of these items in hopes that the circling is minimized.

Matt

[pat warner]

"So, how do you stay organized or is it just a loosing battle that everyone just accepts?"
__________________________________________________ __________
Have a terrible time with this. Even worse when a student is waitng on me..
I lose up to 10% of my day looking.
Strategy:
Keep as much as possible in my pockets, work on as few projects as possible (simulataneously), consolidate tools in a small box for job specific tasks then return to crib.
Concentrate to the max, slacking off in to dream land will aggravate the hell out of the seek & find conflagration.

Routs.

[John Schreiber]

That's the advantage of my small shop I guess. Especially this time of year when the cars are in the "shop," my work area is confined to just a few arms' reaches.

I'm a big believer in "A place for everything and everything in its place" and I try to be disciplined about it. I try to internalize Shaker philosophy which I summarize in part as: When you sit in a chair you sit in the chair. When you are done sitting, you hang the chair back up on its hook.

[Rennie Heuer]

I'm sure I spend at lease 25% of my shop time looking for something I had in my hands minutes earlier. Very frustrating!!!

[Bob Childress]

This thread struck a raw nerve! Whenever I'm ready to begin a project, everything is hunky-dory and in its place. But as soon as I start using tools and lay them down for a minute, they mysteriously wander away. I know I laid it on the assembly table, but I find it on a shelf. I put it down on the tablesaw top and locate it later by the drill press. It's very strange.

I've even bought 2 or 3 of some common tools, just hoping I can find 1 when I need it. I have 6 tape measures, 3 claw hammers, 2 full sets of allen wrenches, 2 torpedo levels, 4 pairs of safety glasses, 3 combination squares, and at last count about 7,211 pencils, give or take (all true, except maybe the pencils). And I can still never find a tape measure when I need it. (Or a pencil. )