# Rescued two flat spaces



## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

I got 2 flat spaces back in order today. What a relief, it's so easy to put stuff down while doing projects, and they stack up.


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## mikey (Dec 2, 2019)

Yeah, that ain't gonna' last long ...


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

Yeah, I know...... But I can tell my wife I did clean up for the New Year.


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## MrCrankyface (Dec 2, 2019)

I can relate... I try to clean up everytime I run out of flat spaces, somehow this seems to happen every 4th day or so.


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## toploader (Dec 2, 2019)

Just did this myself. I really need to just clean up at the end of the day.


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## C-Bag (Dec 2, 2019)

Good job Aukai.

Somehow no matter how many drawer units I put in I still run out of drawers for stuff. My worst place is the top of my rollaway toolbox and stuff collects there idling for years. But if I toss it I swear the next day I need it and even worse if I move it to organize it I can never find it again. My SO is a tidy hurricane and everytime I despair at getting that one spot organized she just itches to help me out but I might as well throw it all away because the only thing worse than me putting something in a "good place" is her putting it there.


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

I can relate to that, 2 6' benches with drawers, 2 work bench rollaways, and 2 more stacked mechanic rollaways. all drawers have stuff. Now when I know I have something, and can't find it, that's a ton of drawers that get opened, sometimes several times.


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## Jakedaawg (Dec 2, 2019)

I cleaned my workbenches completely last year...in doing so I found a lottery ticket from 2004.


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## C-Bag (Dec 2, 2019)

I've resorted to two rolling carts for workbenches so I HAVE to keep them clean. No big work benches. I know so well the drawer search syndrome but when you have more stuff than you have wall space to hang whatchagonnado? BTW I love the welding table.....but that would be buried in a heartbeat in my shop


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

The rolling carts have hard case tools on them, the welding table WAS buried, that's why it's rusty, still have to deal with that too.


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## C-Bag (Dec 2, 2019)

What do you do for rust? It's nice being close to the ocean but dealing with rust and everything I have being made out of cast iron or steel is a pain. I've got all my machine tools under covers that my SO made and keep the tables protected with Fluid Film. But my welding table still has its black or blue look it had when I fabbed it and as long as I don't grind it seems to not rust.


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## DavidR8 (Dec 2, 2019)

C-Bag said:


> What do you do for rust? It's nice being close to the ocean but dealing with rust and everything I have being made out of cast iron or steel is a pain. I've got all my machine tools under covers that my SO made and keep the tables protected with Fluid Film. But my welding table still has its black or blue look it had when I fabbed it and as long as I don't grind it seems to not rust.



Not specific to welding tables but I had tremendous success removing years of crud, rust, paint etc from the top of my Unisaw by using a maroon non-woven belt on my 3x21 belt sander. 
Top is almost like a mirror now. 


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## Nutfarmer (Dec 2, 2019)

Have not ever seen a non woven belt for a belt sander. Sounds like a good idea. Where did you find one?


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## mmcmdl (Dec 2, 2019)

Aukai said:


> I got 2 flat spaces back in order today. What a relief, it's so easy to put stuff down while doing projects, and they stack up.



I'll take care of those open flat spaces for ya Mike .


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

I'm hoping Dave, I use the 3M rolock discs when it's this bad for rust.


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## C-Bag (Dec 2, 2019)

Nutfarmer said:


> Have not ever seen a non woven belt for a belt sander. Sounds like a good idea. Where did you find one?


I'm with Nutfarmer, where did you get the belt? I've got a belt sander that would be a good use for as I do little wood. Sounds like it would be cheaper than one of those drum type sanders too!


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## DavidR8 (Dec 2, 2019)

Nutfarmer said:


> Have not ever seen a non woven belt for a belt sander. Sounds like a good idea. Where did you find one?


I bought mine from these good folks.
They are local and I picked them up.

They were very snug on my Ryobi sander and they basically wore themselves into place.




__





						Non-Woven Belts
					

Surface conditioning Scotch Brite belts - Custom sizes available - Ships from Canada




					onlinesupply.ca
				




US folks might be better served here:


			https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/73220691


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## DavidR8 (Dec 2, 2019)

This is my saw top when I bought it.






And after about five minutes with the non woven belt.





I spent about 20 mins in total and the difference is amazing. Some paste wax and material now sails across the top.
 <threadhijack off  >

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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

No thread jack, great information.


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## Nutfarmer (Dec 2, 2019)

Thanks


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## westerner (Dec 2, 2019)

I think I have posted Mike Campbell's "Rule of Horizontal Surfaces" here before, but I can't find the post. Please excuse me as I duplicate it-

"You can build a shop with one acre of workbench space. There will STILL come a day when you must sweep your hand across the bench to clear a space to set your beer can down". 

Is this about the beer? Is this about the shop? Is this about the shop owner/manager/janitor/apprentice? You decide.  But the truth remains, we have ALL been in that shop on that day.


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

EXACTLY!!!!!!


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## tweinke (Dec 2, 2019)

I just leave all flat surfaces full that way more can not collect there..........


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## Aukai (Dec 2, 2019)

That's about how it was, till I tried to put my drink down........


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Dec 2, 2019)

So when does it start to be considered "Hoarding" to others which many here would probably  consider it to be more like an intolerable mess to the shop owner....Is it mearly when all the flat areas within the shop real estate are occupied or does there also need to be Stacking of multiple objects multiple layers deep?


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## westerner (Dec 3, 2019)

Latinrascalrg1 said:


> .Is it mearly when all the flat areas within the shop real estate are occupied or does there also need to be Stacking of multiple objects multiple layers deep?


If you can set your beer down on top of a layer, and not be concerned about gravity or balance, then you have not reached "critical mass" yet


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## DavidR8 (Dec 3, 2019)

Latinrascalrg1 said:


> So when does it start to be considered "Hoarding" to others which many here would probably consider it to be more like an intolerable mess to the shop owner....Is it mearly when all the flat areas within the shop real estate are occupied or does there also need to be Stacking of multiple objects multiple layers deep?



What is this “hoarding” thing you speak of?
I prefer to think of it as being well-stocked 


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## C-Bag (Dec 3, 2019)

When the machines, benches and everything are buried and there's no place to move anything and you can't actually work, that's hoarding. I wish I would have taken pictures of the estate sale I got my shaper at. The lot was 2.5ac with a 3brm house and a 65x75 barn. It looked like they had tools and equipment spread all over that 2.5ac and took 4 giant bulldozers and squished all that stuff together then dropped the barn on top of. Stuff was stacked 10' high with little narrow paths between the huge stacks. He was a hoarder. And when I got there it had been going on for 3wkds before!


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## Aukai (Dec 4, 2019)

I've seen it in a home, and it filled up a whole yard, but that is extreme.


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## C-Bag (Dec 4, 2019)

Being one who prefers to reuse and recycle whenever possible (read:junkyard dog) it's a constant struggle. I've learned to keep just the pieces that are useful but they take up space and storage where it doesn't rust and turn to junk is tricky. My dad has always been a borderline hoarder and his wife is a full on hoarder. So they are a bad combo. I noticed when he gave up being the park handyman he tipped into hoarder territory. A mess is one thing but keeping and storing stuff that truly has no use is an illness.

 I would have liked some background on the guy at the estate sale as I think he was like my dad. Being the unofficial handyman in a 55+ mobile home park everybody knew him and there is a pretty constant turnover as the old guys pass and the wife has his stuff to get rid of, so they gave it to dad. He has 4-5 of everything in buckets and jammed into a little shed. I already had to go through a bench that was a total heap along side of the mobile that needed to be gone through because they were replacing the mobile. It had been a pile for 25yrs under an awning and only maybe 2% of the whole pile 10' long was worth saving. It totally broke his heart for me to toss everything but he knows he's coming to the end of the road. He'll be 90 on the 30th of this month. I realize when I give up actually doing stuff I'm in danger of being a hoarder as folks have started offering me stuff. So far I've been able to resist......


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## DavidR8 (Dec 4, 2019)

C-Bag said:


> Being one who prefers to reuse and recycle whenever possible (read:junkyard dog) it's a constant struggle. I've learned to keep just the pieces that are useful but they take up space and storage where it doesn't rust and turn to junk is tricky. My dad has always been a borderline hoarder and his wife is a full on hoarder. So they are a bad combo. I noticed when he gave up being the park handyman he tipped into hoarder territory. A mess is one thing but keeping and storing stuff that truly has no use is an illness.
> 
> I would have liked some background on the guy at the estate sale as I think he was like my dad. Being the unofficial handyman in a 55+ mobile home park everybody knew him and there is a pretty constant turnover as the old guys pass and the wife has his stuff to get rid of, so they gave it to dad. He has 4-5 of everything in buckets and jammed into a little shed. I already had to go through a bench that was a total heap along side of the mobile that needed to be gone through because they were replacing the mobile. It had been a pile for 25yrs under an awning and only maybe 2% of the whole pile 10' long was worth saving. It totally broke his heart for me to toss everything but he knows he's coming to the end of the road. He'll be 90 on the 30th of this month. I realize when I give up actually doing stuff I'm in danger of being a hoarder as folks have started offering me stuff. So far I've been able to resist......



This resonates with me so much as I had to do the clean up with my dad when they moved. 
I had no idea that a 12’x12’ she’d could hold four full size truck loads of stuff to be recycled/landfilled. 
Eight large coffee cans full of misc screws, nuts, bolts, etc. 


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## westerner (Dec 4, 2019)

Messy and unorganized is one thing, and fun to poke fun at. Hoarding is not this. I have some friends who have relatives so cursed. My grandmother was a teenager on the farm during the Depression, and fought the "hoarder" mentality for the rest of her life. My condolences to those cleaning up after these poor people, and my apologies to any offended by my "humor".


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## C-Bag (Dec 4, 2019)

I certainly took it as humor. And I probably led this thread astray into something more somber than I should have.


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## Aukai (Dec 5, 2019)

There are two sides of the coin, we here can respect that, and take it as it's meant....


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## Aukai (Dec 5, 2019)

dbl post


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## stupoty (Dec 5, 2019)

tweinke said:


> I just leave all flat surfaces full that way more can not collect there..........



You say that, but sometimes it just starts looking like a half played game of Jenga


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## mmcmdl (Dec 5, 2019)

Lately , I can't find a flat surface ANYWHERE in the house , basement or garage . My stuff reproduces this time of year .


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## C-Bag (Dec 5, 2019)

My SO won't allow clutter especially on flat surfaces. So none of my stuff comes in the house unless I want her to tidy. And if she does tidy it we won't find it until we move. I think it's a good system as she's a minimalist and she tidy's and I do the heavy cleaning. I think there is an odd gravitational thing going on when something gets on a flat surface. It just attracts more.


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