how often do you clean your shop?

[HowardH]

I just spent two hours cleaning up my garage shop. Found all kind of tools that were buried under piles of cutoffs, dead bodies, you name it.  I know it will get the way again soon but at least it looks for now!

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I'll sometimes clean up a bit when I'm looking for something or trying to make room for a project, but once that's done - no point in going overboard.

 

[Michael H Hinkel]

I'll sometimes clean up a bit when I'm looking for something or trying to make room for a project, but once that's done - no point in going overboard.

"Ditto"
Oh! also if I know another woodworker is stopping by I will try to clear off some surfaces.

 

[Fred West]

Unfortunately where my heavy iron is located I must clean to some extent after every use.  This is especially true if I use my table saw which is not connected to the dust collector and as it is a contractor saw and just has a bag throws dust every where. Fred

 

[semenza]

Hi,

  Actual cleaning- vacuuming the floor and such is about twice a year, because that is all it needs.  Putting tools away is everytime I work.  The stuff goes back to were it belongs.  Keeping surfaces open is done anytime no project is sitting on one.  Basically I can't work if the benches have extra stuff on them, or I can't find a tool in the place it should be.

Seth

 

[Mark Carlson]

About once a month I release the roomba dirtdog.  It gets everything off the floor, including leaves, dust, dead bugs, wood chips, screws I dropped, etc.

 

[Fred West]

Mark, wow how in the world do you get that small amount of dirt, dust etc. in a month  ???? I could generate that small amount by looking sideways at my table saw.  ;D Fred

 

[poto]

And that's just the stuff that falls out of Fred's nose! 

I clean my shop after every use - otherwise we can't get the car in. On the other hand, you should see my desk in my office. I use the sedimentary filing approach. Once things have fossilzed at the bottom of the pile, they become irrelevant, and I can throw them out during the semi-annual cleaning.

 

[Fred West]

Poto, you know me so well.  Is it true that the bottom of your pile on your desk is actually from the Lower Paleolithic era?  : Fred

 

[Michael H Hinkel]

About once a month I release the roomba dirtdog.  It gets everything off the floor, including leaves, dust, dead bugs, wood chips, screws I dropped, etc.

My wife bought me one of these, it is pretty slick but it could not get up and over the rubber mats in my shop. I run it in our family room/kitchen almost daily, it really gets the  hair from 3 dogs and a cat. Our floors are tile.

 

[Mark Carlson]

Mark, wow how in the world do you get that small amount of dirt, dust etc. in a month  ???? I could generate that small amount by looking sideways at my table saw.  ;D Fred

I took these pictures the 1st time I used it and the shop had already been cleaned with a shop vac.  It did still pick up tons of stuff on a floor I thought was clean.  I also use it inside to clean up after a couple of cats.  Where it really shines is in the bedrooms where it can go under the beds and other furniture.  I now build furniture with at least 3 inches of clearance so the roomba can go under.

~mark

 

[dltflt]

I usually clean-up after I get done working on the project at the end of the day. It helps in keeping the house free of saw dust since the garage is connected.

 

[poto]

Does anyone make  roomba to clean up drips? We just got new wood floors in the house, and every time our (large) dog drinks, he flings water all over the place  . If we could get a roomba that zeroed in on small puddles and sop them up, our floor would last forever! At any rate, we'll have to look into them for the dog hair. Fred, with however many pooches you have, perhaps you should get a bunch or roombas and train them to follow your dogs around...

Also, the bottom of my pile on my desk is Pre-Cambrian. Old, old granite. Like my brain.

 

[Bill Wyko]

I have a rule. When ever leaving the shop I have to put away at least 10 things. If you do this, you'll find it much easier to keep up on cleaning. ;D

 

[Frank Pellow]

I have a annual shop clean up and maintenance week each autumn where everything gets organized, some repairs and painting gets done, and some new things such as shelves get built.  Other than that, I tidy up areas of the shop when starting a new project that is going to make use of tools and things that occupy those areas.

 

[colinw]

Poto
      I'm pretty sure I have seen a Romba that cleans and squeegees hard floors! Its called a "scooba"

Colin

 

[tvgordon]

I put the tools away before I leave the shop - unless I'll be using the same tool the next day.  I don't usually run the shop vac until there's a good amount of sawdust on the floor.  Unless I'm sawing or routing, that's usually every month or two.  I start cutting up and tossing out cut offs and such after I start tripping over them or knocking them over a lot. :-[

Tom.

 

[poto]

I have the worst time with cut-offs. As Eiji will attest, I can't throw them away! For the types of work I do, the cutoffs - even really small pieces - present an opportunity for details on my pieces. So I have bins full of tiny scraps of all odd shapes and sizes. I guess if I haven't used them for five years or so, I should consider tossing them. But I'm an inveterate hoarder (no Fred, not invertebrate), and it pains me to throw away something of value.

Which I how I ended up with a great pile of Eiji's cutoffs. Nice wood. I'll have to build him something nice in thanks. Maybe something that requires an MFK router, for instance...

Thanks for the head's up on the Scooba. That just might do the trick. Would also get the other stuff that comes out of Fred's nose  ;D

 

[semenza]

I have a rule. When ever leaving the shop I have to put away at least 10 things. If you do this, you'll find it much easier to keep up on cleaning. ;D

Hi,

  So if you have less than ten things to put away are you stuck in the shop ;D

Seth

 

[Frank Pellow]

I have a rule. When ever leaving the shop I have to put away at least 10 things. If you do this, you'll find it much easier to keep up on cleaning. ;D

That's a great thing to attempt to do Bill -and, from time to time for about 5 days in a row, I have even managed to do put away 10 things every time I enter the shop.      But, then I revert to my old undisciplined ways.