Re-arranging...

So, one of the things I noticed recently was that I had filled all the spaces around my bench and on the shelves with stuff I rarely used... so my work space was filled with dead weight, rather than usable space or usable objects. So, I've been working to address that, starting with building a huge cabinet to hold all the drawer boxes and other things that are basically storage for once in a while things. Then I pulled the wall shelves down and put up newer, bigger ones. I did notice tonight that my first instinct was to fill them right back up again, but it's mostly the top shelf, which is out of the normal "active" work area, so I guess that's ok. I'm still moving things around, and working on making it a usable space, but it's moving right along.





























The real progress isn't visible yet, because there's still a lot of junk in the picture. Once everything is actually cleaned up, there should be more available space to store parts and bits of things, so they won't be directly in the way when I'm working.

I'm also debating the virtues of getting rid of the table that's against the wall, since it's primary role in life is to act as a crap catcher, in the hopes that my workbench doesn't get hopelessly overrun with crap. That's usually a futile mission anyway. But one of the things I like about that table is that it started life in the mobile robotics lab at MIT, where genius kids did amazing things... and using it now to hold piles of junk just seems like a misuse of something with such a cool history. Or, maybe it's just a tool, and I'm over-romanticizing its significance in the grand scheme of things. I'd like to put it to better use. But I can't think of a really good use for it just yet... other than to use it as a bench, but I already have two or three of those kicking around.

The real problem may simply be that I have an affinity for collecting things that are cool, or at least cool in my own mind, to work with and it's reached the point where I simply have too much stuff for one guy to be able to use productively. So, either the table will continue life as a crap catcher, or I'll move it into the finishing room... or do something else with it.