Okay, these shop pictures are FAR too organized, even for the ones that are slightly messier.
Not nearly enough MAJOR-HAVOK style CHAOS.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

Ah yes. A Sensenich. My Father-in-law found that prop on one of his routine antique outings many years ago. Since I had a birthday coming up he bought it for me. I think that was when I realised that I had too much of anything. It also is a really nice gesture toward the man-child that loves airplanes and took his daughter away.

Just for grins I ran the serial number back through Sensenich and they told me that the prop was originally installed on a Ranger engined Fairchild 24 in the 40's. I think part of the appeal of that prop is that you can go to Homelowe's and see several birch planks laying in the bin, but somone can craft those planks into the means of pulling an aircraft through the sky. Pretty amazing reminder of skill and woodcraft.

__________________
Gravity is a harsh mistress
SAM 002
NAR 91005
"The complexity of living is eminently favored to the simplicity of not."

I used to have that same "method" of organization, but eventually I had to try to rein in the chaos. I was having way too many episodes in which I spent an hour or two sifting through the piles looking for a part or a tool that was needed for a task that would take 30 seconds to complete. It was not an efficient use of my time and it introduced much too much frustration into what had once been a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. When a relatively simple project grinds to a screeching halt because you have to spend half a day tracking down the items that are needed to complete two simple steps, then something has to change.

Additionally, nobody's funds are unlimited, especially mine. I found that I was buying the same items two or three times in order to accomplish something that I only needed to do once, because I could never locate the items that I had originally bought for the task. (At least not until several months later in many cases. One time I did an inventory of my spray paint stock, which was stashed in various corners of the house. Ask me how many shopping bags I found that contained forgotten and never used cans of Glossy White.)

Over time I have purchased a large assortment of plastic parts boxes. The largest number are the 6" square by 5" tall clear Sterilite Flip Tops, which I get for $1 each at my local dollar store. They have an integrated lid that is connected by a live hinge, so it never gets separated from the box (and lost). I also have larger ones, right up to big bins and tote boxes. The key feature of all of them is that they are CLEAR, so that I can distinguish the contents of each one at a glance. I use them to organize my parts, tools, partial assemblies, etc. according to category or function. I don't get too granular with it, though. All of my small hardware (machine screws, nuts, etc. smaller than 6-32) are in one box. Then I bought a cheap wall unit comprised of stackable wire cubes (that are assembled from individual wire squares) from Walmart to hold them all. It isn't a perfect solution, but it has drastically cut down on my search time. NO box is ever designated as "Miscellaneous." And now I keep all of my spray paint cans together in a couple of large cartons so that I can keep track of what I have and find it when I need it.

I also purchased a really cheap but perfectly usable 3-tiered rollaway cart at the dollar store. I keep it right next to my work table and keep my glues (in bins) on the top shelf, my rolls of masking tape on the second shelf (also in bins) and my clamps (in bags) on the bottom level. The neat thing about the cart is that it is narrow, so it doesn't take up much room, and wheeled, so that I can easily roll it out to get at things on the lower two shelves.

For really small items, like my hardware parts, I purchased recloseable clear poly baggies in the three sizes that are sold in the crafts section of Walmart. I use Sharpies to write the contents on the outside of each bag. I aggregate individual bags of same-sized parts (e.g., 2-56 screws, nuts, blind nuts) into a single larger bag to make them easier to find, so that I don't have to sift through the entire box.

I keep components that I bought for scratch projects together in the boxes that they were shipped in, along with the slip that lists the contents, which contains (and this is very important) simple annotations for what projects the parts are for. (The packing slips that Semroc includes are great for this. In the Comments section of the online order form, I indicate in general what specific project the items are for, and this gets printed onto the packing slip. Very convenient!) For generic items like body tubes (up to BT-80 in size), I purchased several 2" x 24" and 3" x 36" mailing tubes from my local post office. I nest tubes inside of tubes in them. The mailing tubes are quite rigid and heavy duty, which keeps all my lightweight tubes from getting ovalized. I stand them all up on their ends in one corner of my room, but even if they get knocked over (which happens with some regularity) the contents never get damaged.

I also use a 3" X 36" mailing tube to store all of my balsa and basswood sticks and strip stock. I store all of my balsa and basswood sheet stock standing up on end in one tall box on the floor and all of my plywood in another. I also keep a small carton next to my bench into which I toss scraps of wood that are too small to go back into the sheet box but too large to simply throw away.

What I try to avoid as much as possible is having lots of stuff just piled up on the floor. I'm not always successful with that, but it's my goal. It's amazing how much more pleasant a workroom is when you can actually move around in it! I don't have everything figured out yet, and I still deal with a lot of clutter, but this has really helped to keep me from going insane in my work room.

__________________
SAM # 0011

I use a similar method ,( which is why i suggested buying totes all at once) I try to assign a tote to each ptoject , that way all the little bits can gointo them .

The problem i had with a disorginized shop is i would get side tracked while looking for somthing and never finish the first goal.

So for me Chaous is ok , but i try to continuley put things away to keep it somewhat under control.

one key is IT IS OK TO THROW STUFF OUT . I dont know how much used sand paper I kept I also kept the scrap balsa , ply wood ( even sawdust) . The tote method allows you to save allof the above , but only till the tote is full .

( I use sawdust to mix with epoxy )

__________________
If it was easy , everyone would be doing it
www.jammer.com

You hit the two biggest disorganization issues squarely on the head! NO system will ever work unless to get into the habit of:

1. putting things away, back where they belong once you use them, and
2. continuously and ruthlessly throwing unnecessary stuff out!

No one is ever totally faithful about doing this, but it should be a priority. And although it is true that a little bit of chaos can be the spark that ignites innovation and creativity, so can the fact of knowing what one has and where to find it. I can't tell you how many times in the past that I brainstormed an idea that I then never followed up on because it was to much work to locate what I needed and to clear out enough space to construct it.

__________________
SAM # 0011

I can live with your above mentioned rule #2, but barely.
Rule #1 I find to be an impossible nuisance that WILL NEVER DOO, EVER.

One needs to EMBRACE THE CHAOS of DISorganization. Once you do that, better than half the battle is WON !!!

Seriously though, If I find myself spending even up to 10% of the time of my hobby on organization, that is far too much in my book. Rather deal with a little mess than waste the time not building during the little time I have to build.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

I've been married for 36 years. I think my wife is finally softening to the notion mentioned ...

__________________
Lee Reep
NAR 55948

Projects: Semroc Saturn 1B, Ken Foss Designs Mini Satellite Interceptor
In the Paint Shop: Nothing! Too cold!
Launch-Ready: Farside-X, Maxi Honest John, Super Scamp

Totally in agreement with #1 but as to number 2...(all together now)...I might NEED it someday!!

__________________
Kit (aka Cranky Kong)

I'm just a roadie for the banned...

I remember G. Harry once telling a story about something I think he called his "cultch" box - a box of usable junk, like a pair of old electric contacts that you don't need anymore but don't dare throw out because you know in 25 years or so you will a piece of brass exactly that size and shape for something. I have lived my life in a cultch house ever since!

__________________
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the
road move beneath the chicken? Albert Einstein

You Can't break the laws of physics but they can break you. Christine McKinley


Dale Greene

Mentor, Penn Manor Rocket Club
VISIT SPAAR
2010 Calder Cup
The Old West
2009 Calder Cup

" Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. " George Orwell

But unless you cull the pile it will eventually bury you. I can't tell you how much junk I have pulled out that I saved because it might be useful at some point in the future, only to realize some time later that I couldn't ever fathom why I saved it. I couldn't imagine ever using it again for anything, often because in the interim I had found a better way, or a more suitable item had become available or I had simply moved beyond those types of projects and they no longer interested me. Look, it's great to imagine a future with endless possibilities, but you have to be realistic about what you can or will ever even want to accomplish. Plus, it's not like you will never see an item like that again, or one that would be even better down the road.

And GH, it is true that getting stuff organized can take a little bit of time, but not as much as you think once you get down to actually doing it. And then keeping things organized but putting stuff away when you are done with it takes very little time at all. The time that it does require is more than earned back when you don't have to spend frustrating minutes (or more) looking for it the next time. It may seem obvious to, say, leave that bottle of CA out on the table. I mean, it's right there, so how can you miss it? But you would be amazed at how quickly it gets buried under other stuff that you might be working on. Which then requires all kinds of time spent clearing away clutter so that you can find it again. I have misplaced fins, motor mounts and nose cones of active, ongoing projects that way.

I have a few "clutch" boxes, too. But if I'm not ruthless about throwing stuff out, I can easily end up with an entire basement stacked floor to ceiling with boxes full of such miscellaneous detritus. You have to assess realistically whether you will ever actually get around to using any of it. If it has been just sitting in a box, taking up space for a year or two without getting used, throw it out! And if you really can't bear to do that, then come on and get going on doing what you had envisioned for it right now! I mean, you will come across most of that kind of junk again and again and again, so it makes little sense to hang onto it. If you do ever actually find some use for some item like that, it won't be hard to obtain it. Chances are that you will always have it or something like either immediately at hand or else easily obtainable.

__________________
SAM # 0011