[Joy]

I think I have finally taught myself to put my tools back in place after I use each one. I was putting them down any ole 'whichaway' on my work surface and soon I had all my favorite tools laying around in the chips. Then I would have to spend time looking for the tool I wanted. For the last two weeks I have made a conscious effort to put them back in the holder before I take another one out.......I think it has finally become a habit.

What about the rest of you....are you neat and organized when you carve?
Joy

[Paul_Guraedy]

I tried (several times) early on to keep my work place neat. It finally dawned on me that I was spending more effort on organizing than I was on carving. Then I got older and started forgetting what tool I was putting up and what I was getting out. I also realized that I could periodically stop, sharpen my tools, organize them, take a new look at my carving and start the disorganizing process all over again. Works better for me.

[squbrigg]

Good question and I imagine the answers tell something about the carver involved, how their brain works, or some obscure personality trait, or maybe nothing at all. Who knows!

With me, I try to have things organized when I carve, and only have the tools I expect to be using laid out on the bench or desk. I get too confused if I have too much clutter around me, so I tend to put things away when I'm not using them. Having said that ...... I am finding that my work areas are getting cluttered and crowded, I just have accumilated too much stuff.

I built a nice tool chest a couple of years ago to hold all my carving gouges, chizels and knives, and the darn thing is full already and only holds about half of what I have for tools now! I guess I'm going to have to build an add on. The rest of the tools, the new ones, I have organized into trays, temporarly, until I figure out a proper way of storing them for use. I like the rack that Mark showed on the other thread.

Man, I have to stop buying tools.

Bob

[doris]

when i am in the mid of a project, my whole workarea is a complete mess, woodchips everywhere, tools lying how ever i had put them down, those i use often closer to my hand, ...i tried be more cleanly while working, but it distracts my concentration on what i want do , namely carving... so, i do a cleanup after (!) each projects, put all chisels in a neat row etc

[mark yundt]

Well Joy,,if you've read any of my posts,,you know how I work.

A dentist has the tools laid on the tray within easy reach ,,same with a surgeon. A mechanic keeps the tools he think he'll use right there with him,,not all lined up on a rack somewhere. A Painter has all the paints spread out across a "tray" where a glance and quick dab keeps the work flowing when inspiration strikes. A chef keeps the knives close at hand as well as a selection of the most common spices there as well.
All these people seem to know that for a fast ,fluid efficient use of their time,,it's better to keep the tools you need in the heat of battle close at hand. It may look messy,,but in the middle of organized chaos there is a method and reason.
They don't keep every single tool they own right there,,but if it's a selection of say the half dozen or so that are readily needed,,it's not so bad. And if they are generally laid out in a sequence,,selecting the next one doesn't even require you taking your eyes off the carving. You just naturally grab it without a break in your stride.

May not work for everyone,,But it requires no thought or pause or change of rhythm when learned. You may think the bench looks messy,,but who cares,,as long as the carving looks good in the end. The bench will get cleaned,,and the tools back in their respective places.

The extreme example of this would be the mechanic selecting a tool,,loosening a bolt,,taking the tool back to it's rack,,selecting another wrench,,going back to the car,,removing another bolt,,AHH I need the original wrench again,,back and fort he goes...Now I need a screwdriver,,and the process repeats,,,. If you were watching him,,you'd say he's wasting his time,he's not being efficient.
That's carving magnified over a bigger field. You switch back and forth so quickly one cut here one cut there repeatedly between different tools. If that's the case,,,keep them with you.

[Kenny_S]

I only have a few tools out at a time but find that sometimes I need another tool. I have a tool box setting next to be, I am a set down, Hand holder type of carver, so hence the tool box next to me. Having the tool box close by helps to keep the area in check, However, when my head hits the rafters, then I clean up. Otherwords, total chaos.

[Ron Davidson]

I may have a dozen tools out at a time and I have to keep them organized or I could get hurt. It just becomes a habit after awhile.
Ron

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

I'm a slob!

[mark yundt]

Is anyones bench this "messy"? Kinda' doubt it.

I've shown this shot before but I think it says a lot. To many it might seem a messy disorganized bench. To me it looks like nirvana and makes total sense. It's like those big organs with layers of keys to choose from right at your fingertips. I'm sure most of our benches,nor tool collections comes close to this.
Is it a mess or is he a slob? Far from it. I wish I had the space to devote to keeping my chisels arranged like this on a bench,,ready at a moments notice. I'd probably end up using more of my selection if I could. But my bench is used for a multitude of projects. Maybe someday I will devote a part of my shop to just such a carving area.

A similar and possibly related topic to being messy seems to come up as well. Many claim their CARVINGS are messy as they are working on them. Well,,the same as the bench,,THEY SHOULD. If you only see in a magazine a carving as someone is working on it,,and it looks all nice and neat,chances are it was gone over to clean it up a bit before a photo was taken. Including the bench.That's not the reality. As you're roughing in a piece,,it will look "messy" . It's not finished,,that's the reason. Photos of sequences are staged. If it,,as well as the bench is messy along the way that's fine. The job isn't done,,and when it is all can be made neat. It's not so much messy when it's supposed to look that way. That's the process,,not a mess.
Kenny seems to follow the plan I use. My cart with many of the selections is next to me,,with the tools I need right on the bench.Extra tools are handy to be brought into play as their role is called on.

It may not be for everyone,,and being messy or not isn't even in the equation. Just like a painters pallet,,Geez,,now that looks like a mess,,but it isn't,,it makes perfect sense,it's the best way to do that work. But if it doesn't work for you,,that's fine too. If you have to train yourself to select tools and put them back,,which isn't the natural flow,,then how hard would it be to train yourself to adapt to the natural rhythm of carving and make your selection that way?
I've had my bouts of trying to do that,,,keeping tools in a rack,,,lasted about a day. I just had to get back to the business of carving and for ME,,realized that's just the way it works.

[Ron T]

I would be happy if I could leave all my tools lying out on the table. Unfortunately, I work outside at a 36" diameter patio table. At the beginning of my carving day I take out the tools I think I will use and then, at the end of the day, put them all away. Another reason for putting them away is to avoid rusting from the moisture that settles from the marine layer each night.

This process hinders my carving since I spend so much of my limited energy cleaning up each day.

The good news is we're re-organising the den so I'll be able to do some work indoors. This will extend my carving time when it starts getting cold.