Cleaning up

[Mark42]

Even though the hard top is not 100% done, its done enough to clean up the work area. Today I started to clean out the garage. I had two temporary work benches, and one permanent bench and loads of tools, resins, fillers, spreaders, sand paper, hardware, and everything was still out there.

Holy Cow! I've been working since 7:00 am and I am less than half way through the mess. Not only does everything have to be cleaned out, but it all has to go back where it came from. Mostly from the shop in the basement. So its pack up a box of stuff from the garage, carry to the basement, then put all the stuff away, then back out to the garage. Intermittent breaks for sweeping up residue sanding dust, dumping out 6 gallons of gas I found in a portable tank (mixed 50/50 with good gas for use in the garden tractor) and on and on.

My wife walks through the garage and says "Making space for the Firebird?" LOL! Well, yes, but even if I hadn't bought the Firebird, I would be putting our other cars in here. But try to convince her of that.

Anyway, It took two years to collect all that stuff in the garage, so I guess it will take more than one day to clean it all up.

Just a word of caution: Try to clean up as you go so you don't end up with a huge clean up like me.

 

[navis]

Re: Cleaning up

Haha, sounds all too familiar. Last weekend we cleaned out our garage for the first time in probably two years. It is shiny now! All worth it when you are done, it's almost a shock every time you walk into the garage now and see how clean it is!

As a positive side, you always find all kinds of goodies hidden away or lost that you have either been looking for, or that you see and have a better new use for and can bring back into service!

By the way, your hard top threads have been a VERY interesting read, I would like to one day attempt something like you did! It looks awesome too!

 

[allpoints360]

Re: Cleaning up

I have set up and clean up each time I work.

I rarely have what I need when I need it and am always going to get something I didn't know I needed.

It seems I'm forever cleaning up and putting away! I don't know which is worse? Ugh!

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Cleaning up

HAHAHAH MArk sounds like fun !!!! I had to do it a few time in the prosses of buliding or I woulnt have been able to move on there !! I dont have all the room you have !! have fun !! lol John

 

[lowkee]

Re: Cleaning up

I find every time I do mass cleanup I have less to put back than what i took out.. even after buying new stuff. Seems a wrench or three and a socket or four always finds its way into the trash pile.. home projects always have their collateral wallet damage. Of course, having no system to organize the mess never helps. I can never decide what goes into what pile, so it often gets thrown into a giant box which sits in front of my main workbench. Sometimes it's fun digging in it to see what I find.. most times it isn't.

To anyone considering a workshop, all i can say is.. toolbox on wheels! My toolbox is stationary, I'm not.. which means all sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, power tools.. all end up on the floor next to me.. and sometimes in the trash pile (by accident ).

 

[redfury]

Re: Cleaning up

I have a bone yard tool box that holds most of the things that I may need on a daily basis, and I keep that in my truck. Light enough to carry with one arm and small enough to put just about anywhere. Anything beyond that has to be drug out of the shed or the storage room. I have NO work space. My shop is wherever the project happens to be parked at the moment, or where I decide is a good place to work ( usually close to an outside outlet, or shade ).

I don't get the option of cleaning up, if I don't, someone can walk away with my tools, or they get rained on, etc, etc, etc.

Now, if I had a garage, you bet I'd have crap all over the place

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Cleaning up

Keep it clean as you go along, the clutter can be a hazard to others who pass through the space. I always stop for clean-up about the time the chore starts to get my goat...let the frustration evaporate and new ideas filter in to the brain pan. That's when I do clean-up...sometimes by the time I finish clean-up I've got a new idea fermenting already.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Cleaning up

Oh yeah, gotta be careful with the cleanup. I took a second look in a resin encrusted 16 oz cup that was stuffed with what looked like garbage plastic bags, and it turned out to be bags full of stainless hardware! Yikes! I am being more careful now.

Looks like I made it through about half of the garage. The big part of sorting through the stuff and distributing the stuff back where it belongs is over. Just sweeping, shop vac, and re-organizing. Can also toss lots of leftover foam bits and pieces that are no longer needed.

I kept the kids away from the boxes of stuff to go to the basement and out of the garage (and my hair) by telling them "Don't touch anything, its all covered with the ichy fiberglass dust!". Works like a charm. Kids stayed away. LOL!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Cleaning up

I have a bone yard tool box that holds most of the things that I may need on a daily basis, and I keep that in my truck. Light enough to carry with one arm and small enough to put just about anywhere. Anything beyond that has to be drug out of the shed or the storage room. I have NO work space. My shop is wherever the project happens to be parked at the moment, or where I decide is a good place to work ( usually close to an outside outlet, or shade ).

I don't get the option of cleaning up, if I don't, someone can walk away with my tools, or they get rained on, etc, etc, etc.

Now, if I had a garage, you bet I'd have crap all over the place

That reminds me, over the years various members posted pics of their temporary work areas. One that sticks out was a home made covered area made from PVC pipe and a large tarp. Keeps the sun off and the tools dry.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Cleaning up

Geez, you guys seem clean. I do all kinds of projects in my double garage. The most dangerous are metal work... the kind that leaves lots of razor sharp swarf all over the place. That mixes with dust from grinding and some sandblasting, fiberglass dust, oil, water from the leaky roof, and dirt.

Add to that the fact that the walls got some mold last winter and the whole thing could be labeled a biohazard/industrial waste site.

But it's my only large work area... I'd love to have a real shop, and I will some day, but for now it gets cleaned out a couple times a year. I think my machine tools are going indoors this winter, so I'll be able to clean and maybe repair the floor in there soon, but really that garage isn't worth much work.

I even looked into getting some rented industrial or warehouse space, but I couldn't get anything for less than about $1200 a month...

Erik

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Cleaning up

LOL Mark I have been cleaning my garage for close to 5 years and every time I get close I tart a new project and BOOM a bomb goes off in here . I have pretty much decided I just have way to much stuff for a 2 & 1/2 car garage and have decided I need to do a 25' X 35' addition . I belong to another web group called The Garage journal and what I have learned from there is no matter how big you go with your space its never quite big enough .

Rick

 

[lowkee]

Re: Cleaning up

When growing up, we had a 32x100' garage.. that was big enough .. I plan on 'settling' on a 24x40' in the next plot of land. There is just nothing like a good sized workshop. Being cramped makes working so much tougher than it needs to be. Even my 24x24' I have now is way too cramped by the time the boat or a car is sitting in the center.. by then you end up doing all your cuts and stuff outside.. which kills the whole point of a shop, IMO.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Cleaning up

I had a 24'x32' garage that definitely wasn't big enough. With 2 bikes, a car and a boat it was bad enough. Pile in all the tools (at the time no organization for them), all the motorcycle parts, random crap, etc, etc... it was a mess. When I sold the house it was the last thing we tackled and took 2 days to clear out. Loaded up two big garbage bins with stuff and still had 3 truck loads with the last load taking the boat which I also loaded up. I definitely feel your pain Mark.

The worst part is we're now in a smaller house with no basement or garage so when the GF shows people our little rental it's always... "this is the living room/garage, this is the kitchen/garage, this is the office/garage" lol

 

[jonesg]

Re: Cleaning up

That reminds me, over the years various members posted pics of their temporary work areas. One that sticks out was a home made covered area made from PVC pipe and a large tarp. Keeps the sun off and the tools dry.

My $9 boat storage building sets the redneck standard.
I found the popup frame in the trash.
All tools are guarded by spiders .

 

[78ImperialT]

Re: Cleaning up

my wife found an old steel roll around library cart at a yard sale for 2 dollars about 3 years ago. i use it for everything. i tools hanging on the wall, in drawers, cabinets and about 4 roll around toolboxes...you know...tools everywhere. so i just take my library cart and put everything i think i may need in it...pb blaster, duct tape, ash tray, beer...you know, the stuff you have to have every time you go to work.

no seriously, i put everything i may need in that cart. it keeps the tools off the floor or ground (i always loose stuff in the grass when i work outisde and then later hit it with the mower) and allows for quick clean-up. usually most of the stuff in the cart stays because i will use it the next time.