After some time away from woodworking due to a knee replacement, I recently ventured out to my shop to get started on some projects for upcoming fall and winter craft shows.

I spent a couple of hours looking over my machinery and tried to find hand tools and supplies. They were not where they were supposed to be, so I decided that the smartest use of my time would be to get organized!

Most of you are probably more diligent than I am about performing shop maintenance. But if you haven’t tidied up your shop lately, I would recommend it! The tips below will help you get organized and smoothly move forward with woodworking projects this fall season.

12 tips to get your shop organized for Fall projects:

(1) Perform a thorough cleaning of your dust collection system and shop vacuum filters.

(2) Check all lighting and make sure overhead lighting fixtures are dust-free.

(3) Make sure heaters and furnaces are clean and exhaust fans are working properly.

(4) Check all electrical outlets and switches to make sure they are dust-free.

(5) Check all machinery power cords to make sure they are safe.

(6) Organize hand tools, boring bits, drill bits, saws, and files.

(7) Check all miter and rip fences to make sure all adjustment calibrations are correct.

(8) Perform test cuts to make sure power saw blades are capable of making cleaning cuts without burning or other problems.

(9) Check planer blades and jointer blades for signs of wear or damage and perform necessary maintenance.

(10) Check condition of band saw blades and blade tension. If necessary, replace worn blade guides.

(11) Make sure you have an adequate supply of lumber required for pending projects. And of course consumables, such as sandpaper, wood stains, finishes, and wood glues.

(12) Do you have enough wood clamps? Make sure your wood clamp assortment is adequate and that all clamping is in good order.

We hope these tips will help you get organized and perform at your best! Do you have any tips to share? Post them below!

Written By: John Cooper

John spent the better part of the 28 years he was employed by Klockit, designing hundreds of clock and furniture kits and plans and has continued with product design since his retirement in 2008. John’s love of clocks, his passion for creating furniture for his own home as well as for family, and his great appreciation for the beautiful finished pieces Klockit customers make from our kits and plans inspire him to continue to create still more new clock and furniture designs.