How often do you guys and gals clean your shop? I clean mine about once a week but lately I’ve been thinking about cleaning it more. My girlfriend is constantly commenting on the dirtiness of my shop and wishing for me to clean it. She’s concerned about mold and dust mites forming from all the dust but I have never read anything in any woodworking magazine about the dangers of lingering dust in your shop.
Plus, is there any correlation between the cleanliness of one mans or woman’s shop and the quality of work they do? Consider James Krenov or Sam Maloof’s shop. Are their shops clean because they take the same meticulous detail to their shop as they do to their woodwork or are their shops dirty because they have no time for cleaning it?
Edited 1/27/2007 9:37 pm ET by mvflaim
Edited 1/27/2007 9:49 pm ET by mvflaim
Replies
I clean mine, generally, at the end of a messy part of a project and then better at the final. I don't dust (like you would in a house), just sweep, vacuum the tools, empty the dc bag and clean the air cleaner filters. As for your girlfriend, you [she] have two choices: she can live with it or get busy cleaning. If you marry her, you need a new hobby.
mvflaim
What do you mean by "cleaning the shop", and by "the shop is dirty"?
If it is messy, with cut-offs and sawdust piles all over the place and you need to move a bunch of stuff before you can adjust the fence of your table saw, then your girl friend is 100% right. A shop becomes dangerous when it is messy, and stepping around things as you are machining and assembling will surely throw off your concentration and cause you to produce less than your best work; or cause an accident that no one wants to happen, ever..
Is it dirty in the sense that the layer of dust covering your lights reduces the intensity of your lighting, so that you can not see as clearly?..that could be a situation that effects the quality of the finished product. Is the dust so thick on the walls and rafters so that it rains down on you now and then?..not very good for the lungs. Is the floor slippery with dust?..another safety hazard.
In all the professional shops I have worked in, we cleaned up our own work area daily, and there was always a labourer or two spending the day reorganizing the cut-off piles, throwing out that which would never be used again no matter what the individual who kept it might think.
So, what exactly do you mean? JL
It's just the common saw dust that you get from everyday working with the machines. She'll notice the dust that lays on top of the drill press or the chips that are in the corner of the legs of the jointer. It's the dust that lays in the corners or behind a workbench that's against the wall that's out of site from a common shop vac hose that has her concerned.
mvflaim
In all my time woodworking I have probably swallowed and inhaled more sawdust than I could even calculate. It is not healthy. The finer the dust the worse the danger. There are many articles published on the various lung diseases caused by each species of wood dust. It is not only asbestos or stone dust that is dangerous to our health and the health of our loved ones. Wood dust tends to grow fungus in the lungs. Dust , especially fine dust, is also a fire hazard. The fire marshal once came to our shop, scooped up a bunch of dust balls from behind a pile of wood, and spread it on a piece of metal, in a small roll, like a fuse. He lit one end and it burned just like a fuse on a stick of dynamite. It was an interesting demonstration. After the demo our shop became much cleaner, and we did not consider it dirty before the demonstration.
The other posts give interesting information on the way they clean their shops. I believe that yesterday's dirt is one day too old...but I would still come to your shop if invited. :-)
Edited 1/27/2007 11:25 pm ET by jeanlou
Edited 1/27/2007 11:26 pm ET by jeanlou
Jeanlou,
I find your response fascinating. Why is this issue not brought up in woodworking magazines????
Interesting question.........First, I don't think cleanliness and orderliness have anything to do with the quality of work that comes out of a particular shop. I've seen work that was to die for come out of shops that are veritable pig sties, with tools piled all over everywhere, dust and scraps strewn all over.That said, I am about as compulsive as one can be in terms of putting tools away and keeping the place clean. In addition to a dust collector and an air cleaner, I have three vacs located in strategic areas. When I have some problem to solve, I will often pick up a vac and think about it as I clean away. Some call that obsessive, I call it multi-tasking. Anyway, I would say assess your own comfort level, and then clean to that level. It's up to you whether or not you want to factor your girl friend's comfort level into the equation. ********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Nikkiwood
I am happy to see that someone else thinks this way. "When I have some problem to solve, I will often pick up a vac and think about it as I clean away". I also work out shop problems while cleaning and I work out installation problems on the site in the same way. As I move around the job site after the tradespeople have all gone home, with a broom in my hand and trailing a garbage can and a shovel, I take stock of the daily progress and plan the next day. I find it therapeutic. Does that make me obsessive? I don't think so. It also is really appreciated by the workers on the job site the next morning. It puts a positive note on the start of the workday. Everybody is required to clean up their own, but somehow, there is always a load of refuse that remains behind that doesn't belong to any one, so I take care of it.
Your other point about great work coming out of pig pens, I respond to as follows. I will often evaluate shops before giving out contracts. As I tour the shop, always one I have never seen before, organization and cleanliness is at the top of the list of criteria I evaluate. This is followed by the number of people working, work flow setup, equipment availability , finishing facilities and final quality control and shipping. The messy shop will never work for us. This may be unfair to some, and we may miss out on a good cabinet maker...but the possible downside makes it a risk I am not prepared to take. JL
Edited 1/28/2007 8:06 am ET by jeanlou
I think your method of working out shop problems while cleaning is not obsessive, but an efficient use of time. I will try to adopt this because my method, most of the time, is to work until I can't find a tool and then clean up.
I hope that all have considered the health risks, quality of work, efficiency of the shop, and concerns of partners, but one thing not mentioned, and maybe it's ony me...
I enjoy my woodworking much more when my shop is clean
Scott
...and enjoying what we are doing is what it is all about. JL
Clearly, you and I are on the same page when it comes to keeping our own spaces clean and organized. Not only it is it more healthy, but it allows you to be more efficient/productive.On the other hand, I try not to be judgmental about what others do in this regard. Different strokes......... and all.In your case, if you are in a position of selecting cabinetmaking subs, you are perfectly entitled to use whatever criteria you want -- including the nature of their shop environment.But I still have to say, I have known people who are so single-minded and focused on the project at hand, that they are able to produce astonishing results in a messy/dirty shop that you and I would find unbearable.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
nikkiwood
I agree that different strokes for different folks always apply. I would never insist that someone clean up his shop. I do, however, use tidiness and organization (the visual cues) as a barometer of an internal organizational ability and the vision of the business and trade I am investigating. I believe that these things do have an influence on the quality of the finished product, so I will not jeopardize the contracts I have by using a sub who may (or may not) have a negative impact on my client and on my reputation. Like I said before, I am possibly missing out on really fine cabinet makers, but I will never know because I will not budge on this most important criteria when I do the evaluation.
As far as someone's home shop is concerned, it is their business how they run their personal business and I have no problem with that. I would not comment to the individual when visiting and I would simply sit in the dust and share a coffee and conversation. I am not THAT much of a hardass. :-) JL
Here's one story:Some years ago, I was working on a renovation, and we needed to duplicate a few quite complicated balusters. I asked around, found a highly recommended turner, and took a sample to his shop, which I could only describe as something out of a horror movie. You can guess the rest of the story............I had already made up the four blanks I needed, and I asked him how long it would take -- thinking he was so disorganized it would take weeks. This grizzled old guy said "gotta half hour?" So I stood there while he whipped them out -- no duplicating lathe for this guy; he did everything by eye, and they were perfect. I marveled at this guy's mastery of his craft as I stumbled around the crap on the floor and plowed my way through the mounds of wood chips on my way out the door.Still, I don't dispute your general observation that a crappy, dirty, disorganized shop often equals crappy workmanship. But there are exceptions.............. <G>********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The solution is obvious: When you are about ready to quit for the day, get a little bell and ring it. This will be the cue to your girlfriend that it's time to come and clean the shop while you hang up your apron, put the tools back in your toolbox, and admire your day's work. Just remind her that vacuuming is better than sweeping, since sweeping merely makes the dust airborne and that will not only make everything dusty, but aggravate your dust allergy. It's Miller Time for the woodworker.----My story: When Shopsmith used to have their local stores and local instructors teaching classes, one told me this story. One day a lady calls the store and asks for <his name>. When he got on the phone, she said who she was and angrily asked if he had told her husband he should keep 1-2" of sawdust on the shop floor to absorb moisture so the tools wouldn't rust. He said he didn't ever remember saying that to anyone, wondering just where this was going. On the other end of the line he heard, "That bastard. He's been tracking that damned sawdust all over the house for two years. I'm going to kill him!"---
Obvioiusly, I don't have much to add, either.
Edited 1/28/2007 12:00 pm ET by byhammerandhand
byhammerandhand
If I look at it from her point of view, it will soon be time to put on the black suit and tie and buy some flowers. JL
LOL, as my English teacher used to say, "The problem with satire is some people will take you seriously."
Reqium in pace (rest in peace old woodworker who lied to his wife for so many years)
I wonder if St Peter will open the gates or initiate the hot and slippery slide? :-( JL
Edited 1/28/2007 4:14 pm ET by jeanlou
nikkiwood
I agree with you, but when I am confronted by the overpowering urge to pull out a broom and a waste container and start cleaning up the shop I am visiting, I get out before I make a fool of myself.
I heard a radio interview the other day (I often have a radio on when I am working - no headphones) that I found interesting. It was about the neatness habits of people like Albert Einstein and other geniuses in their field. It seems that their "disorganization" is part of their ability to think out-of-the box and that many obsessive neat-nuts lack the creativity to take the quantum leap and make the incredible discovery.
I knew a professional, now passed on for some years now, who had...no exaggeration, really..., a 4'' thick pile of paper completely covering his desk. He always found his papers, and I was always amazed.
I tell these two anecdotes to help calm the nerves of those out-of-the-box thinkers who may feel attacked by this non-genius. Enjoy building your next project. :-) JL
<<< I knew a professional, now passed on for some years now, who had...no exaggeration, really..., a 4'' thick pile of paper completely covering his desk. He always found his papers, and I was always amazed.>>>I love that. Back in the day, one of my fellow editors was like this -- only he also had the floors stacked high with stuff, and a path to his desk chair. But, if I walked in and asked for a copy of that memo on xyz he had written last March, he would finger his drooping mustache for a few seconds, get up, go to one of the piles on the floor, reach a foot or so down the stack, and pull out a piece of paper and ask "this one?My office, of course, was the picture of organization -- but I could never find anything as fast as my friend Richard could. The theory I postulated from that experience was "a disorganized mind needs and organized work space" ... and vice versa <G>.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
nikkiwood
We are all blessed when we are given the opportunity to work with these exceptional people who, without exception, have a tremendous influence on our lives. JL
I used to work with a guy that if you asked that question of, he'd reach for his Index notebook, determine that subject was in notebook #27, locate it (in numeric sequence), open it to the table of contents on the first page, determine the memo was probably under tab 12, tab to 12 and search for it there. I just wonder how much time he spent filing things away. Apparently too much because after a series of positions that didn't work out for him, he was let go.Another co-worker, who interestingly enough came to that employer from the same company, got laid off. The building staff cleaned out his archive and boxed up 110 boxes of notetooks (at 12-15 notebooks per box), dumping out the contents of each into a dumpster. He truly knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.Obviously, there is an efficient and manageable point somewhere in the middle.
Have you heard the saying, "A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind"?
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
JL, you will be enthralled to know that the actual quote from old Albert was " If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind , what is an empty desk?" .
I was , as the head of facilities and administration for a very large corp. always chided by the CFO (we know that the accountants don't have to think, just follow the rules of accounting) for having an office very full of paper in giant piles, which were in fact multiple copies of construction estimates /blue print sets,48x72+ with revisions and modifications. But he could never understand how my capital budget vs actual variance was never more than 2% - or + on some very large numbers.
There was a segment on today's Sunday Morning (CBS) about just this topic and it was heart warming. It was of course to support a new book that I will buy. Paddy
Paddy, Thanks for the quote...it is a jewel!
As strange as it might sound, I can understand living and working with piles of papers and boxes of documents and even desks piled so high that there is no place to write.
Where I stop is in the shop and on the job site, only because over time I have seen both sides of the issue and it has been proven to me that the orderly work place (work shop and job site) has less accidents and better productivity. The finished product is also of better quality than in the sloppy (maybe a bit strong; call it messy) environment. To the people who have seen great work come out of a pig pen, imagine the masterpiece that would come out of the the same pig pen after it has transformed into a professional workshop. (I feel that the messy pro shop is not really professional, even if they are technically pros because someone is paying them for the work they are doing).
The feelings I have around this subject are subjective and personal, but I see them as objective and directly linked to reality. I am prepared to agree to disagree with those who feel that I am too rigid around this issue, because I know I can not change how I feel when I step into a shop or a construction site that doesn't reflect even a simple level of respect for the client and the tradespeople working there.
Imagine that you are one of the carpenters installing the cabinetry and millwork on a job site, and before you can do anything at all, you have to move the electrician's conduit cut-offs, the plumber's piping and the plasterer's half open and collapsed boxes full of bags of redi-mix plaster. Then you have the pleasure of moving the drywall cut-offs that are leaning against the wall, only to have to move them again later, because all the walls are to receive cabinetry and millwork. Don't forget the 25 gallon pail of greasy black water that came out of the sprinkler system when the pipefitter installed his sprinkler heads.
The carpenters are not going to work with a positive attitude and a creative frame of mind. The finished product will reflect this. "Good enough" is going to be the mantra of the day...and all this means is that someone is arbitrarily giving less than they can because they are fed up and will not do any more than the bare minimum. Coffee breaks will stretch, because the workplace is not inviting and lunch will take forever.
Before the job is delivered, there will be damaged millwork and casework due to workers leaving their lunch boxes and tool kits on and in the cabinets and damaged wall paneling because the pipe that the plumber leaned against it slipped and left a wicked gouge across the grain.
Now if this wasn't a rant, then I never heard one. I apologize to you and anyone else who suffered through it, and I will try to contain myself a little more in the future...but it sure feels good to get it out. Bless you all. JL
Edited 1/28/2007 11:18 pm ET by jeanlou
Edited 1/28/2007 11:21 pm ET by jeanlou
mvflaim
I guess it is not brought up because it is not as exciting as talking about machining or tools or finishing or any other woodworking activity...but it is important, and judging by the responses, it does touch all of us in some way. As far as the dangers of inhaling dust, I expect everyone knows and accepts that it is not healthy. It is just one of those things that we do not talk about very often. It is not a topic that sells magazines. JL
At my home shop I clean up less....keeps my wife out of the shop.
All the pro shops I have worked in clean up at the end of the day. Each man has his own bench and area to mess up and clean up. Machine areas each guy picks up his surplus and cut-offs when they are done useing the area. Some guys just don't get it. More in the last ten years since parents stopped teaching thier kids the basics. I have a rule for me. If I step on junk 3 times, I clean up no matter whose mess it is.
I think the suggestion to give up woodworking is tooo drastic. Just find another girlfriend.
Other suggestions...cut a piece of cedar when you see her coming and say..."Doesn't that dust smell good! The smell of sawdust really turns me on...come on over here rigt now baby!" She won't be buggin ya again.
If you decide to marry her put in skylights and get rid of the windows (more room to pile stuff higher anyway) and lock the doors. Tell her you are making christmas presents.
But on the other hand if you are bugged by the mess yourself. Make a rolling cut-off box 2' by3' by 3' high too chuck the cut-offs in and instal really good dust collection. (festool comes to mind, if you're rich or crazy like me.)
I know that tool reviews are by far the most popular article for magazines to cover but why this subject hasn't been brought up I don't understand. I've been a subscriber to a half dozen or so woodworking magazines over the past twenty years and I can't ever recall an article about the dangers of dust in a shop. Whether it would be airborne or lingering on the ground.
I'm 33 and hopefully if I'm lucky I'll be working with wood for the next 50-60 years. But I don't want to be in my 60's dying of lung cancer or COPD because I've been inhaling saw dust for the past fifty years and that I could have prevented it if I would have changed my habits in my shop. The one thing that I have changed in the past year was buying a nice Fein shop vacuum and attaching it to my palm and random-orbital sanders. That has cut down the dust a lot. When I use a sander without the vacuum I can't believe how much dust gets into the air and I use to breathe all of that in. I also use card scrapers and hand planes a lot more instead of pulling out the sanders every time. Hopefully my new habits will keep me healthy for years to come.
mvflaim
I also hope that you can keep on working as long as you want to...let me see now 33 + 60 = 93. I think that is a reasonable expectation if you respect the safety rules that OSHA and many other organizations post on their web sites. There was a man named ''Jackrabbit Johansen''. He cut the majority of the Maple Leaf trail in the Quebec section of the Laurentian Shield Mountains. The Indians gave him his nickname because he could move through the mountains so quickly on his skis.
At the age of 104 he still participated in the ski marathon from Lachute to Hull, in Quebec province. It is a two day event of 50 miles per day. At 104 he would do the first leg (10 miles) of each day. When you do what you love to do, there are no limits. JL
As a matter of fact that is exactly what I was doing today. For the first time in two years. (Although I only "work" one or two weekends a month in my shop)
ChuckN and I have nothing of value to add to this discussion.
The shavings, sawdust, etc are cleaned up every time from all tools and the floor. The DC is emptied when the two 55 gal barrels are almost full. The dust is minimal since I have two Delta dust filters that run (ceiling mounted). They are cleaned when the indicator on the side starts to show the flow being reduced.
Clean shop - No! Organized -- poorly, although the power tools do NOT have "stuff" stacked on them. I know where everything is and can usually immediately put my hands on what I need. I am the only one who works in my shop.
I clean my shop up at the end of each day of work. Not spotless mind you, but it gets swept up, most if not all the tools put away. If I am in the middle of an operation and I know I'm going to go right back to it the next day I'll leave those tools out, but everything gets swept off and up every day, offcuts disposed of, raw materials put away, glues put away. Doesn't take long, I rarely spend more than 10 minutes at it.
I find it easier to keep ahead of the mess this way than to let it get out of hand and then I've got to spend half a day cleaning my shop. I find the quality of my work is better working in a clean shop as well. I learned this years ago when working as a machinist. Early in my career (as a machinist) I never gave it any thought and worked in some pretty dirty shops till I changed jobs and went to work for a large company that required cleaning the shop at the end of every shift. It didn't take long for me to appreciate the difference that working in a clean shop made. A clean shop also makes for a safer shop too, and that's not a trivial point. To each their own, but that's the way I do business.
Jeff
Much like Jeff I learned early working in scenery shops to clean up at the end of each shift - every pro shop I ever worked in dedicated the last 10 or 15 minutes of the day to cleaning up. I continue the habit in my tiny home shop - especially given the lack of space staying clean and organized is key.
My shop got cleaned towards the end of whatever project I'm working on. When I get to the finishing stage, everything got vaccuumed, swept and dusted to keep the dust off the project. Once clean, I waited an hour or so so that whatever I stirred up could settle. My shop was my finishing room so it was a necessity.
I moved to Germany and don't have the shop, most tools are stored. O can work ina friends garage, the basment storage area, or the front stoop. Which get cleaned every session.
Long time ago I had a friend who used to stop by my shop from time to time. Judging by how clean the shop was, he used to be able to guess pretty accurately how many jobs I had waiting...
Nowadays, we're 7 people in the shop. The scraps and cutoffs get thrown out every morning. Otherwise it would bury us. Machines get a real cleaning once a week.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Like others, I tidy up at the end of each day. Put the tools back, gather up the chunks, sweep or shop vac the worst of the dust. It rarely takes more than 5 minutes. The result is a reasonably clean, healthy shop that is a pleasure to work in.
I started my commercial career at a cabinet shop that practiced none of the above. Always dusty and everything lost. We wasted hours each week looking for things. Once a month we'd clean up and it would take a full day. It was a serious waste of labor (read: money).
But is cleanliness next to godliness? I don't think so. That dusty shop from hell produced some of the finest cabinetry and custom work. It still does.
Different strokes...
mvflaim,
As I work, I create quite a mess. Because my shop is so small, I find it necessary to pick up my mess, sweep and make sure all my tools are in their proper place, at the end of each day. I find it difficult to start working if the shop is left messy. In addition, as I work, if I find myself walking in circles looking for tools etc., I will stop and tidy up.
As for a major cleaning, like a hole day of spring cleaning; it will never happen!
Bob, Tupper Lake, NY
Edited 1/28/2007 8:32 am ET by salamfam
Edited 1/28/2007 8:33 am ET by salamfam
When I was a young kid, my best friend's grandfather was the private chauffeur for one of the USA's wealthiest women. Once in a while, we would ride our bikes over to the estate, through the iron gates and stone walls to visit gramps. If we were lucky and sat quietly in the garage, we'd get to have a bottle of Coke. The lady had a full time mechanic to take care of her Rolls, Bentleys, Bugatti's and a Whippet. The little Englishman mechanic always wore a white shirt and bow tie. He never had a spot of dirt or grease on him and all the tools were in fitted boxes and cabinets. That made a big impression on me, since dad's garage was just the opposite. Of course, we had an old Plymouth station wagon that oozed oil from many places. The mechanic probably had more time to clean than he did twisting wrenches.
I am adamant about my everyday tools. They always go back in their place as soon as I use them. I don't leave anything on the bench or I'll be looking high and low for them. Try as I might, my shop makes dad's old garage look clean and organized. I start every new job by cleaning up from the one before. It gives me time to think about what's coming up and put things in their place. These aren't total shop cleanings. It's only once or twice a year that I get into the distant nooks and crannies and vacuum out the cob webs. It takes two long days, minimum. There are always those corners where stuff accumulates that you don't have a specific spot for. A couple of weeks ago I got into one of those corners, only because I wanted to change the set up. I'll be darned if I didn't find a Stanley block plane that must have been there for years. I didn't even know I had it. Sort of a tip for the maid. I also found a picture of an aluminum Rolls that used to remind me of the old mechanic. Bet he never found a long lost tool. Someday, I'm going to clean out the lumber rack. Wonder what treasure I'll find in the back corner with the spiders.
Dust mites, mold, spiders, other little creepy crawlys don't bother me. I'm like a hermit locked away in the shop for weeks, all alone. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have much contact with living beings. I'd rather be with them, than a lot of human's I know.
hammer1
Great Scott! It IS an alu Rolls. Wow is all I can say.
Thanks for sharing the story about finding a block plane. I bet there was a time you searched high and low for that piece of tool. (I can only imagine) It is great that it came back to you. When you reorganize the woodpile, you will probably find some solid Brazilian Rosewood. :-) JL
I think you're on to something, I do a tidy up at the end of each day but my shop always looks worked.
Like other's posted, I'll do a better clean up at the end of one job and the beginning design stage of the next...good thought time, regathering tools etc.
Neil
Got a review video here in the Fine Woodworking Glue Tube-
http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=gluetube&entry=9&redirCnt=1
I've noticed lately that when I work in a clean shop I'm more productive and make fewer mistakes. I'm not looking around for my tools and I don't feel any anxiety about tripping over bar clamps lying on the floor or moving tools all over my shop so I have an open place on my bench to work. My mind is completely focused on my work. It may be the key for me as why my woodworking has improved over the last year. Like a golfer that has taken five strokes off his game.
Mike
At the end of a project the tools get rubbed down with wax/steel wool. Everything is dusted/swept/vacumed. Tools get sharpened if they are dull and lubricated if necessary. I try to fix or improve things in the shop that irritated me during the last project. I do three or four big projects a year (I am a hobbyist).
When I am working I try to clean up my work area as I change from one operation to another. A cluttered bench distracts me. I try to periodically stop and deal with off cuts so I am not tripping and stumbling.The shop gets swept up once a day-more so if I am milling.
It isn't a pretty shop. My tools don't all have matching handles and most of the planes came from the junk shop. Still I can find things and they are sharp.
Some of my friends who are more accomplished woodworkers have filthy &disorganized shops. I think it is all one's personal preference.
Frank
I clean my shop right before I finish a piece. I don't have a finishing room so it's a necessity. Were that not the case, I'd probably wait until I couldn't find my smoothing plane.
I love a clean shop and yes it also impresses my girlfriend. Nice double benefit.
One technique for cleaning out the corners and fine dust is to use a yard blower. I merely open the main door and make sure the wind is not coming from that direction and blast away. Helps to have swept up the big stuff first and put away the small loose tools and paper and wood pieces. And do not park the car outside, and don't do it when the neighbors are watching or having a BQ, etc.
Does a wonderful job of cleanig the sawdust out of the miter saw, the jointer, the planer, the table saw and anything else the the path, cleans off the lumber storage and the cobwebs full of dust. Directed correctly and with care your drawers can be blown out too. ( no not the ones you are wearing).
Good idea to wear a mask and eye protection so OHSA will be placated. Otherwise bllasting out the shop is fun, clean and a good way to take out aggression and frustration.
bak
Why not the other drawers? That insidious dust manages to get in everywhere! :-) JL
If the air in the shop is dry, you generally won't have a mold problem. Dust mites feed on dead skin cells and unless you share a "hobby" with someone like Jeffery Dahmer, I don't think that's an issue, either. Shavings and sawdust make standing on concrete much more bearable, too. Makes a nice cushion but can make finding small machine parts and tools difficult.
My shop is in the garage and I get leaves, sand & gravel, etc in there. If it doesn't keep me from moving my machines around, it usually stays unless it's too bad or I have to clean up sawdust or shavings. I have a dust collector and that makes it possible to not need cleaning after using the saws, jointer, planer and router. If the fine stuff gets too bad, I open the door, fire up the compressor and use the unregulated fitting to blow the dust off of things and out the 9'x16' door. Whatever settles to the floor is vacuumed up (I don't sweep unless it won't go airborne).
Oh, goodness. Here we go with dust mites again. The marketing machine of this country has got us so worked up about (a) dust mites and (b) bacteria, it's just unbelievable.
OK, sorry for the rant. I clean up after each project, because each project creates a "meltdown" of organization it's almost comical. For sure, sawdust needs to be cleaned up since I don't have a separate place to finish stuff, so I figure the SD has to be kept somewhat under control (and for the lungs also). I pick up stuff off the floor, so as not to trip, and put stuff away so as not to cry trying to find it.
Personally, I think the shop should be your domain and your girlfriend needs to put blinders on when she goes in there. She should not say anything about your shop at all, only how wonderful the stuff is you build there. I'm serious -- it's your thing, and unless she's sharing it with you in a working situation, she's best to not concern herself with anything about it. A woodworking shop is not a test ground for cleaning procedures. Oh dear.
I had a friend awhile back who's been a woodworker for a long, long time, everything from cabinets to carving to theater props. One day his wife came in the shop to talk to him, and "tidied" a small place on his bench -- just a quick realignment of a couple of tools. The next time he reached over for a chisel or gouge or whatever, he cut his hand because she had moved them from their "normal" place. Ouch! That was the last time she ever touched one of his tools.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl
I agree that the shop is our domain and God help the unsuspecting fool that tries to organize it for us, but I want to take off on something you said that touches home and also aligns with the post about the guy with 2" of sawdust on his shop floor. You said "and unless she's sharing it with you in a working situation". If the shop is in the home, be it a basement or an attached garage or shed, then all the people living in the home have a right not to have to deal with the saw dust in their living space. My freedom ends at the point where it encroaches on someone else's freedom.
I am amazed at where the thread is going. I wonder if mvflaim had any idea what he was starting when he asked the question. Maybe he did, the rotter, and is sitting back and smiling broadly as post after post is posted. I did read that he says his woodworking improved when his housekeeping improved. I enjoy reading your rants and your insights. JL
Sorry, I should have thought about "attached shops" -- mine's 25 feet from the house.
Haven't read the rest of the posts -- short on time. Building a storage shed today -- insert Tab A into Slot B (if you can find it).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
No need to apologize forestgirl. You are right that the shop is the domain of the person who works there.
PS I can never find slot B. I am pretty sure you will have better luck. JL
Edited 1/28/2007 11:27 pm ET by jeanlou
Like many of you I tend to put up tools at the end of a work session and try to keep things organized as I work through a project. But the one way I differ is that I usually do my clean up first thing before starting to work. Often I'm having trouble focusing on what has to be done that day, 15 or 20 minutes of sweeping and brushing tools off will get me going and kind of ease me into the day. Not sure how this habit got started, but just turning off the lights at the end of shift works for me. I have often wondered if anyone else does this.
Dennis
It's a balancing act on how much time to spend cleaning to keep yourself the most productive...you just have to find the right balance for you and your work habits...
is some dust in teh corner of machine legs and underneath shelves going to adversly effect anything? probably not...
the easy fix is just to keep your girlfriend out of your shop...
As a rule, it takes three weeks to develop a new habit. If you want to do something good without thinking about it, you have to do it while thinking about it for about three weeks.This is a lot easier if someone is telling you what to do for three weeks.If you want a cleaner shop, get your girlfriend to ride your *ss for three weeks, after which it will be habitual to keep a clean shop.If you don't care to have a cleaner shop, tell your girlfriend to get her *ss out of your domain.Rp
Although I have not always followed it, my current belief is that a certain level of tidyness is essential for a woodshop. Dust and shavings pose too much of a safety risk. I now take the time daily to sweep (or vacuum) up any piles that accumulate, and of course I'm a little more dilligent on keeping my offcuts together. I had a close call with a heater earlier this year, had my shop not be clean it probably would have led to a fire (in my attached shop).
The dust that eventually finds its way to the tops of cabinets and so forth isn't that much of a concern and I usually use the compressor to blow it off between projects as part of shop maintenance.
As for any correlation between shop cleanliness and quality of work. I think it's a matter of organization. Some people have organizational systems that just look messy to me, but work for them.
I wonder what walnut sawdust does to dust mites? Or red oak sawdust. I bet they can't live in it. Sounds like a good reason to make something lovely for you S.O. with walnut.
I got one of those little on the wall vacuum cleaners for Christmas the 18 foot hose with three extension pipes reaches my whole shop.
Regards,
Ken
"Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis
I clean my shop before a project and before finishing, since I use the same space for finishing. I will tidy up if there are cut offs where I might stumble over them. If I have an hour today to work on a project I may leave the tools right where they are until the next work session. Safety is key. Piles of sawdust and cutoffs are an injury waiting to happen. It's hard enough trying to be cautious when you get tired without throwing an obstacle course onto the shop floor.
There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Dust mites are very fussy about their food. It must be particles of skin, human or other animal, including birds (down and feather). Workshop dust causes its own problems, but not dust mites.
Tom ( retired M.D.)
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