How much stuff is in your shop?

I am still moving into the new shop.  I have mountains of stuff.   I really thought finally I can toss my tile saw and concrete tools now?  Well I just had to redo the bathroom floor in the new shop, so I needed the tile saw.   

I have Five 2-stroke HF generators, because I wanted to build a 2-stroke v8 from them, or a v12 would be even better.  Still actually looking for 3 (or 7) more (cheap), but really am I ever going to build this engine?  I guess maybe some are useful as generators, but one is plenty for that...and this is just an example of all the sheet I have.  

Here is one set of shelves using the rack beams, which is small part of my junk.

This is a HUGE improvement over the hoarded mess that it was before. I took probably 3 heaping truckloads of crap to work and pitched it in the dumpster and another truck and trailer load to the metal recycler. It was mostly good usable stuff but it was just cluttering up my life too much.  The middle is a stack of my sons powerwheels, grill, tool carts, shop press and other things that move easy. I can pull a car in and do work. Going to get a quickjack soon. And i'll still get rid of a lot of the stuff in here. I dont need a shelf of motors. 
 

for those of you who are storing too much crap and its keeping you from enjoying your space, do yourselves a favor a get rid of the crap! There has been maybe 1 time since then that i could have used something i tossed, but it was still worth it to get the garage functioning again. 

eastsidetim; my problem is I've seen pictures of F1 factories and so I think my garage is disaster.

In reply to Tom1200 :

In shops like that, I just always assume there is a big closet stuffed full of crap somewhere nearby 

In reply to eastsideTim :

Yep, they have a warehouse size storage area. You know they have lots of bodies, engines, tires, wheels, and parts that are never seen in the shop area. I would bet that most of the shots are staged. I see a day of two for cleanup and hiding top secret parts to get ready for the photographer. I would almost guarantee there is a "No Photography" sign on the doors. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

dang, that's a baller shop!

This is my 16x24 attached "Rabbit hole".

The most recent addition is a table and a repurposed easel so my wife could start painting.

And an electronics bench-

What a mess.

Liking that bike!

48 x 30 coverall with an attached 48 foot sea can for storage. I cannot complain about lack of space. I also have a 40 by 20 shed for vehicle storage. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Dude, you disgust me with your all shiny and organized, could-eat-off-the-floor shop.  :)

In all seriousness, though, that loft thing you have is pretty righteous.  What's the height of the building ceiling/headroom under the loft?  Is that just 4x4 posts supporting that?  Detailssssss!

paranoid_android (Forum Supporter) said:

Clean that bench! I swear my workbench used to look exactly like yours, always covered in projects and mess. I made a vow to myself to clean the workbench and put away my tools at the end of every single day when I started my MR2 part-out, in order to increase my sanity level. And I can't tell you how satisfying it is to see that clean workbench every time I walk into the shop. The place may be messy, but I have a clean bench and toolbox and can just start in on today's project without any need to spend 30 minutes clearing a tiny spot on the bench. Am I perfect at it? No, but you could walk in at any time and see my workbench is 99.9% clear. And it really helps keep you on track. Get some bins or boxes or drawers and even if you just label them "current projects" and fill them with crap you'll be halfway to perfect.

In reply to dculberson (Forum Supporter) :

This is why I don't have a bench. It's now a storage shelf. If I need a work surface, I use a table that sets up wherever needed. I also use the big gray table that is in the pictures. It's currently holding all the parts for the Lemons car. 

For the interested, the other wall of the shop.

What's hiding behind the welders and gray table. All of this is on wheels so it can be rolled out to the middle of the shop for use. Even the mill is on wheels. 

The Hole, for the seldom or never used stuff. I didn't clean back there.

The loft is also fully floored and used to be jambed full of stuff. I emptied it last fall. The only thing up there are some solar panels and a set of tires. 

That's pretty much all of it.

dculberson (Forum Supporter) said:

paranoid_android (Forum Supporter) said:

Clean that bench! I swear my workbench used to look exactly like yours, always covered in projects and mess. I made a vow to myself to clean the workbench and put away my tools at the end of every single day when I started my MR2 part-out, in order to increase my sanity level. And I can't tell you how satisfying it is to see that clean workbench every time I walk into the shop. The place may be messy, but I have a clean bench and toolbox and can just start in on today's project without any need to spend 30 minutes clearing a tiny spot on the bench. Am I perfect at it? No, but you could walk in at any time and see my workbench is 99.9% clear. And it really helps keep you on track. Get some bins or boxes or drawers and even if you just label them "current projects" and fill them with crap you'll be halfway to perfect.

I have been cleaning it, I swear!  :-)

Honestly what is on the bench now is what remains from the jumbled disaster that was on the shelves.  90% of it is destined for the trash.

In reply to chandler :

That's a SE Bronco I bought for my kids.  They never rode it.

You may recognize the engine on the floor underneath it ;-)

paranoid_android (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to chandler :

That's a SE Bronco I bought for my kids.  They never rode it.

You may recognize the engine on the floor underneath it ;-)

I do I do! 
 

I thought you sold the rabbit though

TJL said:

for those of you who are storing too much crap and its keeping you from enjoying your space, do yourselves a favor a get rid of the crap! There has been maybe 1 time since then that i could have used something i tossed, but it was still worth it to get the garage functioning again. 

I've got way too much stuff lying around but I have also frequently needed parts I've thrown out. On balance I still think getting rid of crap is best unless you have a ton of space. And I still need to get way better organized.

I finally started dividing the number of spares by how often I needed them; I had 6 sets of brake drums for the Datsun yet the car still had the originals on it, I kept one set. Why do I need 6 used water pumps when they are available new, I kept one. The list went on and on, it took two years to slowly either sell or give away stuff.  I've done the same with tools, why do I need nine 1/2 wrenches when I have two in the tool box and two more in the van and one in the garden shed? It's the little stuff that piles up and takes up space that could be used for bigger stuff.

Man, I wish I could bring myself to throw stuff out.  It just causes me near-physical pain to throw something in the dumpster that someone, somewhere, sometime could make use of.  I've been told it's my German heritage.

In reply to wae (Forum Supporter) :

Oh man I'm the same way. I do t care about making money on it I are more about getting it into the hands of someone that will use it. 

In reply to dculberson (Forum Supporter) :

Would donating it help? I feel similarly about getting rid of useful stuff but if the Salvation Army or someone else will take it then I know someone who needs it will have a chance to get it. 
It also feels good to whittle down to the essentials. 

In reply to spandak :

I donate as much as I can but there's stuff that even habitat for humanity won't take that's still usable. Car parts don't make great donations. 

dculberson (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to spandak :

I donate as much as I can but there's stuff that even habitat for humanity won't take that's still usable. Car parts don't make great donations. 

That's my problem too - most of what I have is car parts of some sort.

eastsideTim said:

dculberson (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to spandak :

I donate as much as I can but there's stuff that even habitat for humanity won't take that's still usable. Car parts don't make great donations. 

That's my problem too - most of what I have is car parts of some sort.

Or parts of car parts.  I've got a whole container full of random bushings that came from swaybar endlink sets.  One day, I will have an endlink where JUST ONE BUSHING is bad, and then who will be laughing??? 

Probably you because I'll have eleventybillion bushings and not one of them will be the right size.