Less on top, more done
Do you clean out the top of your bench everyday, or do you just leave it ready to roll the next day?
For me, I like to start the day with a clean slate. I pick the tools I'm going to use that day and pull them out of the drawer or cabinet. I like a peaceful workbench. I know some of you out there like to have all your tools on top, but to me, it just collects dust. I wipe my bench down daily at the start of the day.
The way I organize my bench: everything I use daily (or at least weekly) stays in my bench drawers i.e. tweezers, oilers, vise, microstella, etc.
Weekly-use tools live in a side cabinet within arm's reach i.e. case tools, pressing dies, that sort of thing.
Monthly tools like the escapement meter and screw extractor go in a separate cabinet further out.
A well-organized shop becomes a sanctuary. You spend less time hunting and more time working. The bench stops being a pile of stuff and starts being a place you actually want to sit down at in the morning.
How do you run yours?
-FZ
