Cleaning the Shop


bbarry9999

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I made some Christmas presents this year on the lathe.  It's surprising how many chips are produced from a piece of wood that is six inches in diameter and six inches long.  I got into the habit of vacuuming them up when the rough turning is done.  Makes for a safer footing, IMHO.  Then all I have are the chips and dust from the finished project.  I keep a bench brush near the lathe for the bulk of chips.  I bought some chip brushes at HF and keep them in the lathe, bandsaw, and drill press.  I found the tapered nozzle sucks up chips and dust off the power tools rather quickly.

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On 12/24/2016 at 2:01 PM, Chet K said:

I am weird in the fact that I put tools away after I use them even if I know they are going to be used again maybe in as little as the next hour.  I sweep and clean at the end of every shop day,  I just find it a nicer way to come back to the shop the next day, I really don't like starting the day with an existing mess.

A man after my own heart.  If I have to look for a tool while I am working, I'm doing something wrong.  Everything has a place and it goes there when not in use.  Guess where it is next time I want it?  Saves time, makes my shop time more pleasant and avoids accidents caused by a cluttered work area.  Rock on.

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My shop is a mess and it's always a mess. I do put tools away on a weekly basis, but sweeping is a monthly chore and none of my equipment has ever been "wiped down" other than cleaning up the work surfaces.

A lot of times I feel like "messy shoo people" are underrepresented on this forum because most people won't admit to being a member of the club. I know I'm not the only one...

I am most certainly a member of this club. I can keep things organized for a short time but a chronic case of "I'll just set this here for a second" quickly adds up to some maddening shop time where I can't figure out where I just put that damn chisel two minutes ago.

As for sweeping, I don't do nearly enough... and I don't have proper dust collection yet. My wife gets pretty pissed off when I start tracking sawdust into the house, though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
6 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

With time on my hands and leaf blower out, I gave it a shot. Although the wind was from the south today (76*) and the overhead faced the south, I put two fans in the other two doors, and with all three open, I went to work. Neighbor's are probably pissed but I have an almost dust free shop. Leaf blower is now part of my woodworking. Thanks! 

Getting ready to spray Coop?

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I put tools away as I go during the day, if I dont I will lose them, but dont sweep or vacuum at the end of the day. Just started a new project and did quasi-clean the shop afterwards. Going to try and keep that up through out the project. We will see how that goes. Its my son's nightstand, so maybe I will have him do the cleaning. He's 4 by the way, so wish me luck.

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15 minutes ago, MattF said:

I put tools away as I go during the day, if I dont I will lose them, but dont sweep or vacuum at the end of the day. Just started a new project and did quasi-clean the shop afterwards. Going to try and keep that up through out the project. We will see how that goes. Its my son's nightstand, so maybe I will have him do the cleaning. He's 4 by the way, so wish me luck.

Nah, probaly not. At his age, he should be enjoying the trade, not the cleanup

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40 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

I am but there's a 50-60% chance of rain this weekend and the first coat will be the shelac and I need to be outdoors for this, right, having no booth with explosion proof fan? 

I did mine in the garage - side door open, Garage door open have way and I meant to shut the water heater off but forgot and I am here to tell you about it. :huh:

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22 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

So the pucker factor should be less than I imagine? First time with the machine and spraying:(

Yes, no question. Spraying is enjoyable compared to brushing or wiping, you just need some "time at the range" with your weapon of choice.;) First time out use two pieces of scrap cardboard or ply and load some water in the gun. Use one piece for adjusting the gun and then paint the other piece Do a nice job coating your "project" with water. Get a feel for how it would be if you were spraying something that counts. Feel the relaxation of the process.

Then load some finish in the gun and do the same exercise.

Then move onto your real project.

Keep the doors/windows at least partially open, turn off sparky stuff, and clear the air before you close things back off again, and you're not going to get spontaneous explosion (unless you're smoking a stogie while you shoot). Of course, many other people probably think I'm too cavalier about managing spraying fumes but it works for me.

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I clean up when it becomes obvious that I need to, and sometimes it isn't very obvious to me until I can no longer move in it. I used to be more tidy, but I have gotten much worse as I get older. When I reach 100 you can just lock the door and put a stone in front of it. I can;t think of a better place to leave me for the rest of eternity, my tools, junk, and all. It's my "happy place".

Charley

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