Shop Clutter - New Years Resolution

[Sam R]

I know some of you guys got more saws than dollars, got shops with enough equipment to field a logging company and I bet your shops are cleaner than an operating room.

In the new year we're cleaning up our shop, getting rid of junk that's abandoned. By the way if you live in the Monroe county Indiana area, come by RK for some dirt cheap DIY fixer-uppers. If you need PP4218 parts I got them in spades.

What do you do for shop organization? I want to devise a better system of keeping track of who has been called, when and how many times. I think in the future you'll get 3 calls and maybe 60 days and then it's going for scrap or to be resold for the cost of labor. That should cut down on scrap piling up.
I already spent about a month getting the Stihl parts organized, everything in its own bag with its own sticker on it, tried to put them away in a logical order.
I've also kicked around doing some kind of labor log - or maybe just estimates. Sometimes I call someone with an estimate and they don't call back until a day I'm off.
The plan isn't really to have an operating room for a shop, I think it just needs to be efficient.

 

[92utownxh]

I opened this thinking you were talking about garage shop clutter. I've been cleaning out ours for a year now. It's close! It's my grandparents old place so they left a lot, then my dad left a lot, and I was left to sort, get rid of and get things in order.

Then I saw you're in the same town I am. PM me if you want. I work downtown and live to the northeast near Lake Lemon.

 

[Sam R]

Hey cool, yeah I've been to Unionville - one of my closest friends is from there. Actually if you're in the market for some used O P E you could come see what we got at Rural King, we're throwing out the old junk people haven't picked up and some (almost) new stuff, a couple Huskie saws and such. Or if you're just in the neighborhood come see a fellow AS member - I'm one of the shop mechanics there (maybe that was obvious)

Do you do your work on your equipment in your garage shop? I'm still open to ideas about your organizational practices.

 

[CentaurG2]

I opened this thinking you were talking about garage shop clutter. I've been cleaning out ours for a year now. It's close! It's my grandparents old place so they left a lot, then my dad left a lot, and I was left to sort, get rid of and get things in order.

Then I saw you're in the same town I am. PM me if you want. I work downtown and live to the northeast near Lake Lemon.

I have cleaned out many shops and outbuildings. I recommend getting a dumpster and adopting a "take no prisoners" attitude. Its tough. If you cant go it alone, get someone else to do it. The real trick is, once it is clean, trying to keep it that way. Good Luck.

 

[Sam R]

Centaur, that's exactly my contention. We have a dumpster - I think I inherited a lot of that from the previous mech who didn't throw away anything. I think 3 phone calls & 60 days and you're stuff gets trashed or sold.

 

[Philbert]

1. Consider making parts boxes and selling them cheap in the Trading Post - 'misc parts for model / brand XXXX saws'. Lots of guys here really interested in stuff no longer available for saws that you no longer service. Could be a 'win-win'.

2. Consider changing the name of this thread to something like 'Saw Service Shop Organization Ideas Wanted'. Might get more of the input you are looking for. There have been several threads on cluttered home shops, which is what I thought this thread was about.

Philbert

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Been at it 5 years.

Some parts of the shop are a time capsule of junk from ~30 years ago.

Did part of outside a few years ago, hauled off about 50 tons of scrap metal. Mowers, yard tractors, old sawmill stuff (like flatbelt old), couple trucks, bulldozer, etc.

 

[Sam R]

Ah man that's not heartening! I want a lean shop. I think the thing to do is junk it once they're not coming back.

 

[92utownxh]

I'll have to get in there and see what you have. Hopefully RK doesn't limit you too much about how sell stuff and clear it out.

 

[Sam R]

That old junk you can come get the lot if you wanted to. I don't know what's left, like I said it was mostly trimmers & blowers but a few saws. (No Stihl saws though people don't abandon those!) talk to Margaret you can probably negotiate a bulk discount if you wanted to.

 

[Sam R]

The only limitation RK really puts on it is that I can't personally buy it. Weird rule but that's from corporate.