Shop Maintainance

[Billfred]

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).

[Blue_Mist]

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 . 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!