About my clean shop!

[chiloquinruss]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread so here are some answers to some of the questions:
1. one man shop
2. horizontal space gets filled on a regular basis :D
3. I do clean the shop after each job (major job)
4. Wood scraps go in the wood stove(s) 2 in house 1 in shop
5. Dust collector is connected to each major machine, table saw, chop saw, band saw, planner, and da' bot. Includes two floor sweeps (the best part).

When I have a customer come by (very rare) they comment about the shop. I blame my high school shop teacher for the clean part and how dangerous an unkept shop can be. Thanks for the comments, the 40x50 shop is the fullfillment of a lifelong dream. Russ

http://hobby-tronics.lenzus.com/content/21775739/r/s_29156463.jpg

http://hobby-tronics.lenzus.com/content/21775739/r/s_13346463.jpg

[jbova4]

How our life long dreams are simular.

Great Stuff....


JB:)

[Brian Harnett]

Mine usually looks like a bomb went off in it. I love a clean shop but it doesn't seem to be in my genes to keep it that way.

[chiloquinruss]

Trust me when I say 'it ain't in my genes either'! Just ask my wife! :D I cut a lot of sheet goods and the debris pieces are usually pretty small so I just scoot those into the wood bins at the ends of the tables. The Woodmaster Dust Collector is awesome (4500cfm) and leaves very little dust. The two floor sweeps make it easy to clear the floor of loose (slippery) stuff. I don't clean after every job and when doing assemblies ALL of the horizontal space DO get covered with clamps, glue bottles, paint cans, screws guns . . . . . . :D Russ

[rawhide]

your shop is very nice.but the building looks great.did you build it your self?

[genek]

Russ Your shop rocks, best lay out I have seen. I am planning on Moving my shop in the near future to our home near Lexington Ky. I plan on when I get it moved to where our home is to have classes on Making production runs, allow other companies like shop bot, sign people to have classes there as well plus sponsor camps etc. Would love to see Pictures of your full shop.

thanks for posting... Laying out a shop can be hard and you have laid out your shop very well.


Info on my shop. I retired from the Navy, I moved back to my dad's place to take care of him When my mom passed away built my shop, then one of my customers introduced me to his sister (my Wife) we got married, now I drive two hours to my shop stay with my dad work like mad 14- 18 hours for three to four days to get orders out drive back home.. Really need to move my shop ...

[twelchPTM]

keeping the shop clean is a regular struggle here especially since I have to share with 4-5 guys who think they are over qualified to use a broom!

I long for the day when I have my own shop because no matter what they taught me in kindergarten.... I DON"T WANNA SHARE MY TOYS!!!

[shilala]

Beautiful, Russ.
I have to keep a chronically clean shop, myself. I finish everything up with a backpack leaf blower to knock the dust off everything. I clean as I go, so it's not a big job to put the shop back together once a project is done.
My shop is just itty bitty compared to yours. What I'd give for twice the space. :)

[GlenP]

Very nice Russ. Love to see more pics of the shop and tool setups.

[curtiss]

You're not hiding a 25 HP leaf blower in there someplace are you ???

[chiloquinruss]

I don't have a leaf blower but I have seen them that have a reversable setup that makes them into a backback vacuum. Might just have to try one! :D Anyhow the Woodmaster dust collector is just terrific. I do have to turn it off when doing thin stuff though! :eek: Russ

http://www.woodmastertools.com/NS/accessdetail.cfm?PID=88

http://www.woodmastertools.com/images/ProductImage/88-DustChute5HPLR.jpg

[scottp55]

Russ, I'm jealous. beautiful job on organizing, I would have to work hard to get the wheelchair tangled up in there. :)

[signsbyjay]

What always has worked for me both in my shop and at work when I managed several automotive installation shops was to set aside the last 15 to 20 minutes of the day to clean the shop. Not only does it keep it from getting too far ahead of you, but it sure is easier to get up in the morning and go into the shop if you know in the back of your mind it is clean.

[chiloquinruss]

"get the wheelchair tangled up in there" I use the horse stall mats from the local feed store but they also make them just for wheel chairs that have a taper on all four edges. It might be nice to also raise the floor around the shop so the equipment was set down in the floor to give you more access to the equipment. You could also hide the dust collection system and the wireing as well. A while back a fellow posted pix of his shop and he used 2x6 on edge for the underlayment support then skinned it with regular flooring. He hid all of his stuff underneath. Russ

[scottp55]

Hi Russ, tapered mats good idea, I was going to just get the largest doormats I could find, because I just know I'm going to drop bits and collett's sometime. been running stuff around the edges of shop so far because it's small and vac hose overhead but if there was a problem I couldn't get to it. rethinking now, thanks.

[chiloquinruss]

Scott, I'm still looking for the thread with the cool 2x6 flooring but I did come across a related thread over on the Wood Magazine forum about handicapped shop designs. Lots of really interesting ideas with lots of great pix. Russ

http://community.woodmagazine.com/t5/Shop-Setup-and-Design/Shop-for-disabled/td-p/125620

[Ajcoholic]

Russ I love your shop. If there is one thing I wish my shop had, was taller ceilings. Mine are 10' 6" (standard 10' two by 6 construction) Since my working shop is actually a wooden building built within a larger metal frame/metal clad sturcture I was limited by the height of the metal building's ceiling.

Anyhow, my formula for keeping a clean shop is simple...

- a good dust collection system
- hand tools also hooked to vac if possible
- keep a few brooms handy around the shop and use them, soon after a mess is made and not wait until "later"
- never leave for the day until you clean up
- a good shop cleaning once every few months with vacuum

Also, if every tool and accessory has a "home", and you get in the habit/pattern of using things and putting them back - nothing is ever missing, and/or in the way.

Messy shops really scare me!

[scottp55]

Thanks Russ, not a lot of time today as my brother is showing up with the control computer any minute, But I bookmarked the info and that last guy who's trying to do a disabled woodworker site. Most of my shop is adapted fairly well and maybe I can help. Scott

[jerry_stanek]

I have interlocking foam flooring under my shopbot and that has saved a lot of broken and chipped router bits.

[Kyle Stapleton]

Great looking shop!
Is your floor heated? If not take a saw to that slab and cut a path for your dust line to your tablesaw, did it in my shop and could not be happier.