The "shop" I have is tiny at just 8 feet by 8 feet with another 8 foot by 8 foot storage area behind it!!!! WORKING in a shop this small, DEMANDS I put things away as I use them OR ELSE! You see there isn't a lot of "work space" to start with, and if I don't put things back as I use them, then I literally have ZERO PLACE TO WORK to begin with!! BUT also having a shop this small means everything is basically in arms reach more or less too!! So putting things away isn't hard at all!! It is the one nice thing about owning a small workspace, because "everything has a home, everything has its place"!! And if you get just one tool or item out....suddenly the whole place looks cluttered and disorganized!!
I’m happy to know that I’m not the only person like this. Like seriously. I am fucking in capable of doing the tiniest stuff, but I will slave to work on cars Four days on end, but when it comes to putting the tools away for 10 minutes, I just can’t do it. Thanks for making this video!
I worked for several years with a small crew of folks who "just couldn't put stuff away." As the junior member, that always fell to me. The aisle of our small work trailer would be covered with boxes they had pulled out to get something - a trip hazard. My several college psychology classes hadn't offered an explanation, but one day we were having lunch and I announced, "Guys, I'm quitting next Monday if you won't put away the things you pull out. It's not fair to any of us to clean up after each other." What do you think happened? Did they start putting things away? Nope. And I did quit. I think Adam's workflow process could easily include putting stuff away - if he really wanted to. I wonder if he's a smoker . . . . .
It seems you share my disorganized bench tops: a result of adult ADD. My brain focuses on a task, and the tools I use in the process get left where they are, while my brain quickly shifts focus to the next step in the project (or to the squirrel running past!). My bench tops look even worse than yours do. When I need a tool, I go to the place where I last used it, and find it laying where I put it down. Your problem is less serious than mine, because you actually HAVE a "place for everything" even if things are sometimes out of place temporarily. I've never managed to create a "place for everything" so cleaning my bench tops usually involves moving tools from the bench top, and "storing" them on a nearby bench top, adding to the disarray there. Maybe your video will inspire me to create more permanent storage spaces! I found this video instructive as well, and maybe you will too, if only for creating quick, temporary storage while you wait to built something more permanent: th-cam.com/video/jV-Jow0Azng/w-d-xo.html
I thought that I was the only one who had a problem returning things! There must be an answer ,some sort of therapy perhaps? I know it would eventually speed things up but I just can’t do it! Great video by the way!🤓
"I'm physically incapable of storing this box" oh men, it's so reassuring to hear a grown man saying what my brain thinks but can't handle. Thank you for sharing.
Very relatable! And at the same time I work more efficiently in a clean shop. Always do a million projects at the same time.. My shop is maybe 1/3 of yours with an added separate room for long term storage, but everything looks the same. I eventually stettled for drawer storage for everything, as this is, for me at least, quieter.
So relatable, but my space is tiny. I see a lot of useful ideas. Im mainly looking to better organize a corner work table and wall by my drill press. Basic stuff you grab all the time, like squares angle finder, calipers, micrometer, ruler , tape measure, drill index, pliers screwdrivers. Not all of everything, as I will keep most stuff in a tool chest. Most of the time, you gwill grab one particular screwdriver and one particular wrench and one particular screwdriver.... So just the basic go to stuff that you always reach for Thanks for the ideas. 👍
Another idea: hang the masking tape rolls on the wall above where they live now. Then set a shallow box where the tape is now. You can use the shallow box to hold the small scraps of abrasives that aren't yet used up. (I keep a box of abrasive scraps for that reason too.)
Paper towel rail - looks like you could just turn it upside down so it can be refilled from the right hand side, which has more clearance? I absolutely have the same inability to keep things organised, but I also don't have the ability to figure out how to organise things in the first place so I love this video full of ideas!
OK only into video 1 min and somehow you are describing me perfectly? I envy the size of your shop though - mine's quite a bit smaller. Gave me some ideas, thanks!
I’m really bad about putting my tools away too. I hear ya. I thought about spray painting or painting a red square or something on my workbench to remind me to put stuff away. I subbed for more. 😊
Fine tooth bandsaw blade mounted below or above the sandpaper rolls works great to cut the paper. I really like hanging speed squares perpendicular to squares.
One expression of ADHD is the tendency (once one actually gets going on something) to push the session right up to (or often past) the point where we should've started winding down or stopping altogether. I catch myself doing this all the time - "I can squeeze another five minutes out of this; I can be a little late for dinner/that appointment/whatever". I'm often trying to get to a place that feels like a natural stopping point (even when that isn't really a necessary thing), instead of reminding myself that for the most part I can set this thing down right here and pick it up again from this state without a negative consequence. Part of ADHD time blindness is not having the capacity to accurately gauge how long something will take; another is losing track of how much time is left. One way I deal with this is to set my "wind down" alarm (on my phone) for some time before I know I have to stop what I'm doing - so if I'm going to stop at 7 I'll set the alarm for 6:30 with 10-minute snooze intervals. It goes off; I remember I have to stop in a half-hour, so I snooze it and go on. Goes off again 10 minutes later; "Oh yeah; I'm getting closer" (I'm mentally preparing to change gears). Goes off again 10 minutes later, I know it's time to stop working and start putting stuff away. I need to build that clean-up time in at the end and try to stick with it if I'm ever going to have any hope of having an efficient workspace, 'cause the flip side of that is that A) I can never find anything, and B) I'll take one look at the shop and think "I can't work in this mess." - so not organizing at the end of a session becomes a built-in obstacle to beginning the next session. I also use that phone-alarm trick for when I have to leave the house to do something. It's helped me a lot - when I remember to set it.
You have ADHD my friend. Great video and great ideas. Good to see someone who can make it a positive experience. This is the first lesson to Lear before you start anything.
I also have ADHD. I'm trying to get my shop organized right now and hopefully these ideal help. I just hope my distractibility doesn't make me lose my fingers.
Exactly this - I came to watch a shop organization vid and the first minute and a half is the guy describing his undiagnosed ADHD. Not really surprised, tho. 😏
Anyone else like me? Built a French cleat wall for holding most of my tools, squares, rulers, etc. l decided on a French cleat wall because “it’s flexible… you can quickly reorganise things as your shop evolves”….. and yes, everything is exactly where I placed it 4 years ago 😂
great video. about your towel rack situation. something that hit me is with your current setup, your could just remove the towel rack holder and mount a hinge between the holder and the wall such that the towel rack could rotate outwards to your right for replacing the empty roll. in order to keep the towel rack in place, maybe have a magnet on the wall to keep the hinge in the closed position.
You should mount your paper towel holder under your pocket hole box but rotate it 90 degrees. You could even then mount something to bottom that leans against the role to add friction for one handed operation. I use a weighted hinge for mine.
Fix your paper towel holder easily: simply mount it on the underside of the shelf above. You should be able to move it to a place where it is easy to replace the towel roll.
Amazing tour and shop. Thank you for sharing. Ed Stiles has amazing tool wall if you’re looking for some ideas. He has two videos from a decade go. Is that a crawl space access on the left? For a moment I imagined it was a convenient spot to sand projects if it had a furnace fan sucking air in. Dust collector in corner looks great.
I know they have been done to death, but would french cleats be worth it since it seems like you want more flexibility to move things around as you use them and expand?
I'm currently looking at building a new shop. I was considering one of those buildings like you are in. How did you go about attaching that foam board insulation to the building? is there anything under that insulation board that we can see?
Ha, it came with the property and i would not recommend it if you can go new construction with square walls. I did try some adhesive methods, but now the foam is held on with furring strips. The foam allows for condensation behind, so when it is cold outside it will freeze, and in the daytime I'll get sporadic drips around the shop. I remember reading a forum where someone said "the easiest way to insulate and use a quonset is to build a structure inside it" and they were probably close to the truth. Eventually I'll do a shop tour, but between the walls and platform I've built it is getting closer to being a structure inside the quonset. everytime you think "hey, I could use another shelf, or hang a white board, you have to build that wall to do that. For storage and parking, I'd say they are good and cheap, but I hope one day to have a shop with square walls.
Its called ADHD. I used to have this issue on a MONUMENTAL scale causing so much hassle for me and frustration for my wife seeing my garage get super disorganized. Medication helped and my life is fat better.
I’ve got similar problems : ) I’m wondering if a couple things would help you return items… They sound minor but I’ve found that very small factors contribute to my not doing what I should. 1) Ease/round-over your slot openings so it’s easier to slide in your squares, etc. It won’t hold them any less securely, just make it easer to find initial placement. 2) Use magnet strips perpendicular to your wall (like where your insulation saw is) to hold your rulers (if they aren’t stainless). If they are stainless, make the hanging holes much bigger so you don’t have to fiddle with them as much. Cheers
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
The "shop" I have is tiny at just 8 feet by 8 feet with another 8 foot by 8 foot storage area behind it!!!! WORKING in a shop this small, DEMANDS I put things away as I use them OR ELSE! You see there isn't a lot of "work space" to start with, and if I don't put things back as I use them, then I literally have ZERO PLACE TO WORK to begin with!! BUT also having a shop this small means everything is basically in arms reach more or less too!! So putting things away isn't hard at all!! It is the one nice thing about owning a small workspace, because "everything has a home, everything has its place"!! And if you get just one tool or item out....suddenly the whole place looks cluttered and disorganized!!
I’m happy to know that I’m not the only person like this. Like seriously. I am fucking in capable of doing the tiniest stuff, but I will slave to work on cars Four days on end, but when it comes to putting the tools away for 10 minutes, I just can’t do it. Thanks for making this video!
I worked for several years with a small crew of folks who "just couldn't put stuff away." As the junior member, that always fell to me. The aisle of our small work trailer would be covered with boxes they had pulled out to get something - a trip hazard. My several college psychology classes hadn't offered an explanation, but one day we were having lunch and I announced, "Guys, I'm quitting next Monday if you won't put away the things you pull out. It's not fair to any of us to clean up after each other." What do you think happened? Did they start putting things away? Nope. And I did quit. I think Adam's workflow process could easily include putting stuff away - if he really wanted to. I wonder if he's a smoker . . . . .
If you build another of those cubby storage racks, do a video on it, would be curious to see. Love your system and how it's just all a plywood wall.
It seems you share my disorganized bench tops: a result of adult ADD. My brain focuses on a task, and the tools I use in the process get left where they are, while my brain quickly shifts focus to the next step in the project (or to the squirrel running past!). My bench tops look even worse than yours do. When I need a tool, I go to the place where I last used it, and find it laying where I put it down.
Your problem is less serious than mine, because you actually HAVE a "place for everything" even if things are sometimes out of place temporarily. I've never managed to create a "place for everything" so cleaning my bench tops usually involves moving tools from the bench top, and "storing" them on a nearby bench top, adding to the disarray there.
Maybe your video will inspire me to create more permanent storage spaces! I found this video instructive as well, and maybe you will too, if only for creating quick, temporary storage while you wait to built something more permanent: th-cam.com/video/jV-Jow0Azng/w-d-xo.html
I thought that I was the only one who had a problem returning things! There must be an answer ,some sort of therapy perhaps? I know it would eventually speed things up but I just can’t do it! Great video by the way!🤓
"I'm physically incapable of storing this box" oh men, it's so reassuring to hear a grown man saying what my brain thinks but can't handle. Thank you for sharing.
Very relatable! And at the same time I work more efficiently in a clean shop. Always do a million projects at the same time.. My shop is maybe 1/3 of yours with an added separate room for long term storage, but everything looks the same. I eventually stettled for drawer storage for everything, as this is, for me at least, quieter.
Looking forward to seeing you reorganize your shop. It’s kinda my thing. Benjamin Franklin said “A place for everything and everything in its place”😊
So relatable, but my space is tiny.
I see a lot of useful ideas. Im mainly looking to better organize a corner work table and wall by my drill press.
Basic stuff you grab all the time, like squares angle finder, calipers, micrometer, ruler , tape measure, drill index, pliers screwdrivers.
Not all of everything, as I will keep most stuff in a tool chest. Most of the time, you gwill grab one particular screwdriver and one particular wrench and one particular screwdriver....
So just the basic go to stuff that you always reach for
Thanks for the ideas. 👍
Another idea: hang the masking tape rolls on the wall above where they live now. Then set a shallow box where the tape is now. You can use the shallow box to hold the small scraps of abrasives that aren't yet used up. (I keep a box of abrasive scraps for that reason too.)
Thank you for leaving the chisel/file thing in and not re-recording it. This man is a human like I am.
Oh man. You got issues But you’re not alone. I have the same issue but never would admit it. Thanks for your honesty.
Paper towel rail - looks like you could just turn it upside down so it can be refilled from the right hand side, which has more clearance? I absolutely have the same inability to keep things organised, but I also don't have the ability to figure out how to organise things in the first place so I love this video full of ideas!
OK only into video 1 min and somehow you are describing me perfectly? I envy the size of your shop though - mine's quite a bit smaller. Gave me some ideas, thanks!
I’m really bad about putting my tools away too. I hear ya. I thought about spray painting or painting a red square or something on my workbench to remind me to put stuff away. I subbed for more. 😊
Fine tooth bandsaw blade mounted below or above the sandpaper rolls works great to cut the paper.
I really like hanging speed squares perpendicular to squares.
One expression of ADHD is the tendency (once one actually gets going on something) to push the session right up to (or often past) the point where we should've started winding down or stopping altogether.
I catch myself doing this all the time - "I can squeeze another five minutes out of this; I can be a little late for dinner/that appointment/whatever". I'm often trying to get to a place that feels like a natural stopping point (even when that isn't really a necessary thing), instead of reminding myself that for the most part I can set this thing down right here and pick it up again from this state without a negative consequence.
Part of ADHD time blindness is not having the capacity to accurately gauge how long something will take; another is losing track of how much time is left. One way I deal with this is to set my "wind down" alarm (on my phone) for some time before I know I have to stop what I'm doing - so if I'm going to stop at 7 I'll set the alarm for 6:30 with 10-minute snooze intervals. It goes off; I remember I have to stop in a half-hour, so I snooze it and go on. Goes off again 10 minutes later; "Oh yeah; I'm getting closer" (I'm mentally preparing to change gears).
Goes off again 10 minutes later, I know it's time to stop working and start putting stuff away. I need to build that clean-up time in at the end and try to stick with it if I'm ever going to have any hope of having an efficient workspace, 'cause the flip side of that is that A) I can never find anything, and B) I'll take one look at the shop and think "I can't work in this mess." - so not organizing at the end of a session becomes a built-in obstacle to beginning the next session.
I also use that phone-alarm trick for when I have to leave the house to do something. It's helped me a lot - when I remember to set it.
You have ADHD my friend. Great video and great ideas. Good to see someone who can make it a positive experience. This is the first lesson to Lear before you start anything.
I also have ADHD. I'm trying to get my shop organized right now and hopefully these ideal help. I just hope my distractibility doesn't make me lose my fingers.
Exactly this - I came to watch a shop organization vid and the first minute and a half is the guy describing his undiagnosed ADHD.
Not really surprised, tho. 😏
My man I have been trying to organize my garage for 8 years now.. I have the exact same problem!
I like how most used nailer has its handle covered in glue :) Really hard to avoid if you're fixing glueups with nails.
Tool storage is one thing. Material storage is killing me!! LOL
Love those chisel holders. I'm going to make some right now.
Oh no, no kaizen foam showing as much red as possible? 😂 I like your practical approach!
Yes, videos or designs for your racks would be amazing
Looking at these comments, and your vid, I don't feel so bad anymore. Thanks.
Some of your ideas will be utilised by me.
Anyone else like me? Built a French cleat wall for holding most of my tools, squares, rulers, etc. l decided on a French cleat wall because “it’s flexible… you can quickly reorganise things as your shop evolves”….. and yes, everything is exactly where I placed it 4 years ago 😂
FYI, that angle rule will fit neatly in the gap between the square rules & the markout measures, maybe need a shim to close the gap a bit
@ 1:43 , you may have a TMA. (Tape Measure Addiction) Lol
You may have just inspired me past the crippling indifference that’s been killing me in the shop lately!
great video. about your towel rack situation. something that hit me is with your current setup, your could just remove the towel rack holder and mount a hinge between the holder and the wall such that the towel rack could rotate outwards to your right for replacing the empty roll. in order to keep the towel rack in place, maybe have a magnet on the wall to keep the hinge in the closed position.
I picked up a few hints from your video, esp the ruler storage. Thanks for the video.
Part of the fun of my shop is not being required to clean up after myself. But yes, mine looks very much like yours.
I see a place for the woodpecker holders on the sides of your tape measure box. Good video & great ideas. Thanks
You should mount your paper towel holder under your pocket hole box but rotate it 90 degrees. You could even then mount something to bottom that leans against the role to add friction for one handed operation. I use a weighted hinge for mine.
Fix your paper towel holder easily: simply mount it on the underside of the shelf above. You should be able to move it to a place where it is easy to replace the towel roll.
Amazing tour and shop. Thank you for sharing. Ed Stiles has amazing tool wall if you’re looking for some ideas. He has two videos from a decade go.
Is that a crawl space access on the left? For a moment I imagined it was a convenient spot to sand projects if it had a furnace fan sucking air in. Dust collector in corner looks great.
We are very similar. Just so you know, you’re better than me and your shop looks better than mine.
It's your shop you can do whatever you want with it.
yes brother, i feel you
I know they have been done to death, but would french cleats be worth it since it seems like you want more flexibility to move things around as you use them and expand?
Something of an oxymoron… tool organisation by someone who can’t put things away 🥴🤣
Liked and subscribed.
Newest subscriber. What a great channel! You have skills, sir.
I'm currently looking at building a new shop. I was considering one of those buildings like you are in. How did you go about attaching that foam board insulation to the building? is there anything under that insulation board that we can see?
Ha, it came with the property and i would not recommend it if you can go new construction with square walls. I did try some adhesive methods, but now the foam is held on with furring strips. The foam allows for condensation behind, so when it is cold outside it will freeze, and in the daytime I'll get sporadic drips around the shop.
I remember reading a forum where someone said "the easiest way to insulate and use a quonset is to build a structure inside it" and they were probably close to the truth. Eventually I'll do a shop tour, but between the walls and platform I've built it is getting closer to being a structure inside the quonset. everytime you think "hey, I could use another shelf, or hang a white board, you have to build that wall to do that. For storage and parking, I'd say they are good and cheap, but I hope one day to have a shop with square walls.
Its called ADHD. I used to have this issue on a MONUMENTAL scale causing so much hassle for me and frustration for my wife seeing my garage get super disorganized.
Medication helped and my life is fat better.
My shop is like yours, and it's organized only when I can't move around anymore. That's because I've ADHD. Is it the case of anybody else?
Hey were did you get the tip on your tapes for boxes?
My bench is only 4’ x 2’ and has a an engineer’s vice, and drill stand on top, so space is limited with definitely no space to leave anything on it.
Start by reducing the quantity of tools. It is amazing what has been built in the past, with relatively few tools.
Nice, but I felt uncomfortable seeing the nail guns aiming into the shop :)
Thanx4post
I’ve got similar problems : )
I’m wondering if a couple things would help you return items…
They sound minor but I’ve found that very small factors contribute to my not doing what I should.
1) Ease/round-over your slot openings so it’s easier to slide in your squares, etc. It won’t hold them any less securely, just make it easer to find initial placement.
2) Use magnet strips perpendicular to your wall (like where your insulation saw is) to hold your rulers (if they aren’t stainless).
If they are stainless, make the hanging holes much bigger so you don’t have to fiddle with them as much.
Cheers
Yep bit like my house, I'm the same,
Irelatetothissamecondition
Me too! Its a typical problem for creative people whose creativity is the result of adult ADD.
You needed to use French cleats.
Person who can’t be organized here 🙋♂️🙋♂️🙋♂️
That's just showing off your tools, not helping us organize
your ADHD, common issue for all of us that are lol
Not so much organization, more of a guy bragging about all the fancy tools he has, lol.
It's harder to do a tour like this than you'd think. Especially when you are afflicted with the same issues he's discussing in the video.
Clearly, you need a filing cabinet. *badumtish*