July 25th, 2009 
TBDKeith Why should you take away from your precious woodworking time to clean the shop? The obvious answer is safety. Woodworking is much safer without a lot of clutter and piles of saw dust everywhere. There is another reason and in some ways it’s just as important as having a clean, safe place to work.
A few years ago, I was working in a cabinet shop building store fixtures for a large retailer. Three months had passed since I had been promoted to Journeyman Cabinetmaker. Times were good, we were working 10 hour shifts, six days a week and there was no indication that the work would be letting up any time soon. It was a Friday near the end of the shift when we were cleaning up as we did every day. The superintendent came strolling through the shop as he often did, chatting with the guys and checking out the work that had been accomplished that day. Warren was a pleasant guy whose laid back demeanor made him easy to talk to and quite often he had a funny story to tell or a little tidbit of news about some upcoming work.
For quite some time I had been wanting to ask Warren why we had to spend so much time cleaning when we would just mess it up the next morning. I had decided that this was the day that I was going to put on my new journeyman’s hat and quiz him as to why we needed to go through the cleaning chore each and everyday. As I was cleaning around my bench, keeping an eye out for Warren and thinking about how I was going to approach the subject, I could feel the butterflies starting in my stomach. Cleaning the shop was a hard and fast rule and I was going to question it. Is this a good idea? Could I end up cleaning out the dust bin every day for the entire winter? As he approached my bench I could feel my face starting to flush and it must have showed because he started the conversation with “So Keith, what’s on your mind?” Well, I said, pausing for a moment while trying to decide if I was going to question a shop rule, I was wondering why we spend time cleaning the shop every night when we would just mess it up again the next morning? With a slight smile and a firm tone he offered a simple explanation. When you start your day with a clean and organized work shop, it is much easier to get started. It makes it too easy to put off getting started if you start your day by looking for tools or clearing off your work bench. Then he stated that walking into a shop that is clean gives you a fresh start for the day.
Having to follow these rules for many years, the cleaning aspect has become habit for me and it’s true when I work late and don’t clean at the end of the day, I am slower to get going the next morning. From a business standpoint this is easy to understand but what about the hobbiest? I think that it is just as important for the hobbiest because your woodworking time is limited. If you start with a clean work area, you are able to get more enjoyment from your woodworking.
Try cleaning up when you are done for the day and I think you will agree that starting out with a clean shop is best and it entices you to get back at that project.
Keith
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I take this post as a direct shot at me/ my shop!
Your text makes perfect sense Keith – I promise to clean my shop every night as soon as I get things caught up!
(name withheld to protect the guilty)
You know, I never thought of it that way, but I think that you make an important point, even for me as a hobbiest. I’ve had times where I’ve gone down to the shop to do something, but gotten so frustrated by the mess that all I did was clean up some and then quit. Cleaning up at the end of the day has not been my habit, but it soon will be.
Steve
A 15 minute cleanup at the end of every day is a lot easier than spending a whole afternoon once a week – because it has to be done either way.
If only I’d taken that same approach with cleaning my room when I was a kid…
Guilty,
No shots fired here.
Keith
Well and truly guilty most woodworker would be horrified at my workshop. But in my defence the sawdust under foot is much softer for my feet than concrete so i was only thinking of my health (yea right) Joking apart very good advise. I will sort it out right away best wishes ….Mark
Mark,
I think that we are all guilty to some degree. We get so busy sometimes that there is little time anything else. Sawdust under foot, well that’s a 100 times better than concrete.
Keith
Keith iv tried telling my wife that but she still wanted carpet in the house and told me “don’t bring any more sawdust in the house on my boots or else” well some people just don’t understand the beauty of wood in all its forms….Mark
Mark,
I think I am going to have to borrow your line “some people just don’t understand the beauty of wood in all it’s forms.”
Thanks for the chuckle.
Keith
There are a couple other good reasons, I think. One is that if you’re like me, you may not have a separate finishing space. CLeaning everyday keeps dust to a minimum (as much as that’s possible). Also, cleaning around tools keeps them cleaner too – dust, woodchips and all sorts of things can get into power tools, gears, etc. and cause problems over time. I also like to start with a clean, easy to use space as Warren does.
Peter,
You make a great point about finishing. The prep time before finishing can be cut down with regular cleaning. I have to admit that I don’t clean around/under my larger tools as often as I should.
Thank you
Keith
Boy if I could just commit to a clean shop. My shop gets dirty even when I don’t work in it
I swear!
My main goal is to return my tools to their proper place after I’m done with them. I would like a clear workbench though. Sharing a shop with a car is not the best set up. I wonder if my wife really needs a craft room?
Better not go there.
Happy sawdust,
Stan
Hi Stan,
Sharing a shop with your car presents it’s own challenges but asking your wife to give up her craft room!!! Wise decision to stay clear of that one. Do you have the larger tools mounted on casters?
Keith
Cleaning and putting away is best done as a habit, for both health and safety. I find that I get less frustrated when I have enough space, and a place for things in an organized shop.
I will admit that I do not always follow my advice, but when I do, I enhance my joy of being in the shop.
Jack,
I look forward to getting to work when my shop is clean.
I spent the first half of today cleaning and moving a few tools. There is a large storage cabinet that was always blocked for one reason or another, so I decided to move it today. It was to heavy to move full so I emptied it and sorted out the junk that been collecting for years. Now I have a few new(old) tools and some extra storage space. I should do that more often.
Keith