Shop Maintainance
 

I was wondering. Does anybody have issues with their shop being dirty and unorganized? I have had to dedicate two meetings to get our shop organized and in decent order? Anyone have a good system to keep things relatively clean and maintained? IN addition what is a good cheap way to keep tools in certain locations and such?

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

well, we didnt have a shop last year. just a basement that we tried to clean up after we were done.

You know those pegboards that people have in their basements that they hang tools on? maybe one of those. other wise, get some of those plastic cabinets with pull out drawers.

-vivek

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

When I was on 1293, we had the Small Closet Method of Area Maintenance. In essence, you get a small closet that belongs to the team, and a larger work space that doesn't. In this way, everything has to fit back in the closet at the end of each meeting. It tends to keep things tidy and accessible during meetings.

As for making sure that tools are put back in their proper space, I remember a trick from assisting the theater counselors at camp: take a sharpie and a piece of paper (or maybe something more durable) and trace around each item that belongs on that paper. If you see an outline, that means a prop (or, in our case, tool) is missing (or sometimes, in their case, on stage).

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

Ah, the chaotic organization. Our space of storage is known as The Closet and it used to be that it was faster to yell for one of the freshmen (actually me and two friends) to get a tool instead of finding it. It was incredibly messy and looked as if a tornado had ripped through it, and because we had no system, it was easier to memorize where everything was than to actually sort things :yikes:. We did have a red Toolbox (chest of drawers on casters), but it stuck often. Everything was and is still in bins from Stack Attack, but is now organized since we spent much of the summer taking The Closet apart and putting it back together in a logical manner.

Now we also have a brand-new Toolbox (it doesn't stick!), which is a bright red, sturdy chest of drawers on red and white casters. We have magnetic, dry-erase labels (which sadly erase with a finger) and fine-tip sharpies with which we write and draw miniature models of the tools on the labels. We also have small, flat, stackable bins with dividers, each labeled "Pointy Screws," "1/4 20," "Bolts," etc. in a movable set of shelves built by the team. The bins go on sturdy metal shelves we got from the swim team. Despite this being an ongoing project (our drill bit sets are dismal), 766 no longer risks life and limb to fetch part or tool! :)

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

Drill the rule into everyone's heads that as soon as you're done using a machine for the meeting, to clean up everything about it. A good rule of thumb to know if it's clean enough is that you should not be able to tell what the last part being worked on was. If there are still aluminum chips or Lexan shavings around the machine/on the bit/etc., it fails the test.

Another rule to drill into their heads is that when you are done using a tool, you put it back in the proper place. And to ensure that they always clean up, make a rule that no one can leave the shop at the end of the meeting until everything is cleaned up.

Nothing can sink one's productivity (and safety) faster than a messy machine shop with missing tools and parts.

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

Very true. The 30 sec used to put away a tool can save the 10-15 min that can be wasted looking for a missing tool.

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

Our bolt drawer is labeled "Drawer of Despair" if that gives you any idea... :ahh:

We've tried many times to clean up our act... but the shop seems to be perennially dirty. If anyone has any ideas... I welcome them!

-q

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

Both 228 and 190 have team meetings where the only objective is to have every team member clean the entire shop for the entire meeting. Have the team break up into subgroups, and have each one responsible for a specific area. That involves resorting everything, putting all that random hardware back in its proper spot, going through the scrap bins and getting rid of anything that's unusable, making lists of what materials the team is low on to restock, etc.

Re: Shop Maintainance
 

We just spent two full meetings cleaning our shop. We got all of our junk out of the materials rack, swept the floor (gasp!), and cleared all of the junk off of our tables. We moved around all of the tools, doubled the work space. It is probably the best thing we ever did. Still waiting for a bin system to organize projects and tools, but this is quite an impressive feat. It feels like we moved our wall back five feet.
But I'd love to hear if anyone has a good tool organization system.
Thx!