My dirty shop tour

J

Jason Fry

Joined
Jun 5, 2008
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3,216
There was a real nice thread on one of the knifemaking facebook pages where everybody was showing pictures of their knife shops. Some of them were small, some big, and some had work benches clean enough to eat off of. Partly in reaction to some of the uber-clean workshops, I shot this little video shop tour. Enjoy :)

[video=youtube_share;selor6rCPfg]http://youtu.be/selor6rCPfg[/video]
 
I think Nick Wheeler had to turn off that video or else he would fly down and clean ...lol

I thought my bench was bad....yours is uber bad...lol
 
AVigil said:
yours is uber bad...lol
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Yeah, not in good shape right now. I had my remodeling contractor storing stuff in there, which threw off the work flow, etc, etc. I spent three hours one Saturday just before I shot the video re-arranging the floor junk and cleaning up. Too bad you can't see the floor in the video. Haven't got to the work benches yet.
 
AVigil said:
I think Nick Wheeler had to turn off that video
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The only part that made me cringe was seeing that Jason's spare vise is 10 times nicer than the one he's using. ;) :D



FWIW- my natural inclination is the have a shop like this... but my brain won't focus on what I'm working on if I don't keep things in check. If everything has a place, then your body and mind will build a memory and just reach to that place when you need whatever it is. That's why I keep mine the way that I do. :)
 
eh ehe eh... it is the same for me. Before i had the courage to set things in order it was a mess. Sometimes i actually forgot having the right tool for the job because it was buried within the disorder for months, and had to improvise unhappy workarounds just to slap the palm into my forhead after the inavoidable mistake...and then remember ;)
 
Yeah, Nick, I picked up that Buffalo for $25 bucks a few weeks ago and haven't found a permanent place for it. The other one's just Harbor Freight.
 
hah! Love it, my bench would look like that but every once in awhile the fiance "just has to" organize it :)
 
My shop is pretty bad as well.. You know what they say, never trust a skinny chef! I'm starting out and most of my tools and grinders came from harbor freight. Did some modifications to them and they'll work to start out! Once I get a few more knives under my belt I will try to build a grinder. I built my own forge out of fire bricks and it's worked wonderful.
 
Mine is longer and worse(?). I have gone that way since whenever. I like having it that way since it means I have to remember where stuff is. Frank
 
NickWheeler said:
The only part that made me cringe was seeing that Jason's spare vise is 10 times nicer than the one he's using. ;) :D



FWIW- my natural inclination is the have a shop like this... but my brain won't focus on what I'm working on if I don't keep things in check. If everything has a place, then your body and mind will build a memory and just reach to that place when you need whatever it is. That's why I keep mine the way that I do. :)
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My first job out of high school was as "toilet cleaner" and "bosses' car washer" at an aerospace r&d company. We specialized in optics and the shop had to be hospital clean at all times, including every hand tool wiped down after use, etc. We had a full machine and fab shop right across the hall from the clean room and assembly area.

I apprenticed under an 88 year old Frenchman that was just retiring as I started, and he almost literally beat me into the habit of keeping things in order (as well as the owner).

All these years later, and I am still unable to kick the habit. I am absolutely unable to think/concentrate in a dirty shop. The state of the shop is an exact representation of my current state of mind.

Now that I'm on my own and in a limited space, cleanliness is even more important, as things go south FAST :D
 
I got a guy I trade blades to just for cleaning my shop!! I sent a message to him last night.... cause well, where did I put my......?
 
NickWheeler said:
FWIW- my natural inclination is the have a shop like this... but my brain won't focus on what I'm working on if I don't keep things in check. If everything has a place, then your body and mind will build a memory and just reach to that place when you need whatever it is. That's why I keep mine the way that I do. :)
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After talking with Don Fogg years ago, I began STARTING my day in the shop by cleaning it. His philosophy makes perfect sense. It's too hard to clean after working in the shop all day - if you did it right, you're spent. So, begin by putting everything where it's supposed to be, that way you know where to reach for it, and you don't eat up 20 minutes and create frustration with a search for the goddamn calipers. : )
Sweep up and vacuum, make space to work on the benches. There's no question it helped me. I'll admit, just like Nick, I'm wrapped too tight, but having an orderly work environment is almost cathartic.


Nice shop, btw, Jason. = )
 
Matthew Gregory said:
I began STARTING my day in the shop by cleaning it.
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As a full time behavior analyst, part time knifemaker, I only get a full day in the shop maybe three days per month unless I'm prepping for a show. The rest of the time it's half an hour here, an hour there. When I'm in the shop, I'm working hard putting knives together and trying to get orders out on time. I have found that when I'm putting in longer hours, there are times I don't want to work hard, and those are the times I spend cleaning up. I would love it if I had "days" in the shop that I could start with cleaning.
 
I hear you, Jason. For the record, it's only been recently that I've managed to spend ANY time in the shop at all. I managed to make one knife last year, if that will give you an indication. I assure you, I can relate to the lack of time - FAR more than you may know!
 
NickWheeler said:
FWIW- my natural inclination is the have a shop like this... but my brain won't focus on what I'm working on if I don't keep things in check. If everything has a place, then your body and mind will build a memory and just reach to that place when you need whatever it is. That's why I keep mine the way that I do. :)
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It was very hard to train myself to put tools back after each use. Really, that took a lot of time to accept and put into practice. The thing that sealed it was that I have no patience for looking for things. If I can't reach up and grab the dividers, I get super frustrated. It was even harder to teach it to others, and get them to comply. We have a shop full of folks working there now. Its tight for us, and if you're also looking for tools, its impossible. We don't have it down even now. Even me. Its still very hard.

And then there is the tools at home, where my two daughters live also. And those exsist only in my memory...
 
Oh Mamma... Jason !!! Clean that shop !! All kidding aside your work is nice and clean so if it works for you keep at it !
 
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