The Organized Wood Turner: Tips for Organizing Your Woodshop and Projects

You might be a brand-new woodturner: you’ve set up a shop or shop area, you’ve obtained a lathe, procured some wood, and you’re ready to begin turning, but you want to start off on the right foot. Or maybe you’re a seasoned pro, but you’ve realized that your woodshop is cluttered and you’re forever trying to remember, “How did I do this last time?”

Organization may not be the most glamorous topic, but it’s necessary in all areas of life. Even in woodturning, staying organized can help you avoid mistakes and reduce turning time.

No matter how experienced you are as a wood turner, there are some steps you can take to help you organize your shop and your mental state so that you’re always ready for the next project.

Organizing Your Woodshop

The first step to organizing your woodshop is to physically start moving things around. Below are some ways to keep your tools and materials ordered and ready.

Containers

The first things you might invest in when organizing your woodshop are some new containers. These containers can be brand new, or they can be re-purposed Tupperware, baskets, or boxes (and we all have enough Amazon boxes lying around to make it easy to find many different sizes!)

These containers can house all sorts of things: small bits of wood that can be used in other projects, large pieces of wood that don’t fit well in a wood pile, tools that don’t have a home, small things like washers or nuts that are good to keep on hand…the list goes on.

If you find a small piece of wood that would be great for a certain project, put it in a separate container marked with the project and who you would like to give it to. This will save you from looking for that one certain piece later.

It’s also a good idea to put all your tools in one place. Make sure each tool has its parts with it; don’t store them separately. This is similar to keeping Tupperware lids with their containers instead of in a separate place, which is a good habit to get into, because who doesn’t have a cabinet full of lids that don’t match the containers?

Labels

Whatever kinds of containers you choose, make sure to keep some labeling items nearby (in their own designated container!). Label all boxes as specifically as possible. If you are using cardboard boxes, you can use a marker to write straight on the box. If you are using plastic containers (clear ones are nice so that you can see what’s inside), you might also want to keep some masking tape or painter’s tape in your shop so that you can write on the tape instead of on the container itself.

Using tape on the cardboard boxes can also be helpful if you want to use that box for another purpose at some point; simply remove the tape and re-label the box. That way, you don’t have a box with a whole list of things crossed out on the side.

Shelves and/or Cabinets

Once you have your containers filled and labeled, you’ll want a place to put them other than the floor. Even stacking them against a wall can get tedious, as you’ll have to move the top boxes to get to the ones on the bottom. An efficient woodshop allows you to access all your tools and materials with a minimal amount of time and energy wasted on locating them; that way, you can spend more time perfecting your craft!

It’s a good idea to invest in some shelves or cabinets for your woodshop. If possible, purchase or design a cabinet with small shelves to go behind or near your lathe. In this cabinet, store your most used tools and tool parts so that they are within easy reach as you are working.

Then, find a place for some larger shelves or cabinets. These can house larger containers of wood or lesser-used tools. Cabinets with doors are nice so that you can shut the cabinet, keeping your materials free of sawdust and out of sight. However, if this is not an option, a simple sheet or curtain can keep your woodshop looking neat and tidy while protecting the materials on the shelf.

For more ideas on keeping your shop de-cluttered, see our previous blog post on setting up a woodshop.

Organizing Your Thoughts and Projects

So far, we’ve talked about ways to physically organize your woodshop, which should help keep things uncluttered and ready for you to work. However, a neat and tidy shop does not help you keep track of what you’ve worked on and what your plans are for next time.

Knowing what projects you’ve completed and what you would do differently next time is important for anyone who wants to be able to duplicate their process. Whether you simply want to make everyone the same gift for Christmas or you want to create a whole inventory of pieces to sell, having a written record of what you’ve done and how you did it will help you reduce the time you spend on each piece and ensure that each one is turned to perfection.

Writing about your woodturning process and the techniques you’ve tried will also help you reflect on what works and what doesn’t for different kinds of wood, different projects, and different tools. This will help you not only duplicate the process when making the exact same piece again but will also help you turn new pieces more quickly and efficiently.

Shop Notes

Enter your Shop Notes. What are shop notes, you might ask? Great question! Shop notes are a written record of the pieces you’ve turned and how you turned them. While it might feel strange or boring to take notes on your turning process at first, you will grow to appreciate the notes as you turn more items.

Setting Up Your Shop Notes

Before you begin writing willy-nilly, designate a place where you will keep your notes. Some woodturners have a separate office for paperwork, which is important if you are running a business. However, even those who turn just for themselves or friends and family can also benefit from having a space set aside for paperwork; one of the shelves in the cabinets mentioned earlier could work as your “desk,” or you might use a small table or designate a side of a workbench for your notes.

As for the notes themselves, you can create a template (we’ll discuss what you might want to include on the template below) or you can write out your ideas new each time on a sheet of paper. If you print out a template, it is a good idea to invest in some plastic sheet protectors to keep your notes clean.

These protectors also fit well in a three-ring binder, which is a good way to keep all of your notes together. Using a three-ring binder would also mean that you could get color-coded dividers or paper for different kinds of projects, for those who want to break down their organization even further.

If you don’t have a three-ring binder, sheet protectors, and printer handy, a simple notebook or folder will work just fine to help you keep track of your notes. It’s important to find what works for you and your wood-turning process!

Different Kinds of Shop Notes

There are two main ways you might think of your shop notes: as a journal or reflection, or as a more formal record of your process. If you are keeping your notes just for yourself, you might write in shorthand or include abbreviations. You might also skip some of the things listed below because you don’t feel the need to keep track of those things; for example, you might not add specific instructions for turning an item, especially if you are an advanced wood turner, because those techniques are obvious to you.

The other way to think about your notes is as a recipe or instruction book, either for yourself or as something that another wood turner could pick up and use as a way to (roughly) duplicate what you’ve made. In this version of shop notes, you might include the materials and tools you need at the top of the page and add a step-by-step list of instructions below, leaving a space for reflection or other notes at the bottom.

What to Include in Your Shop Notes

There are many things you might include in your shop notes. We’ve created a list below, but feel free to include the things that you want to keep track of and leave out other items from the list altogether.

• Project title and description
  • This information makes sense to include at the top of your page.
• Materials and tools needed for the project
  • This is a good place to record specific tools or finishes that you use that are out of the ordinary. You might choose to include or leave out obvious items, like the lathe.
• Dimensions of project
  • Knowing the exact dimensions will keep you from having to guess about things next time.
• Instructions for making the item
  • You can be as detailed or sparing with these instructions as you like. It might be a good idea, especially if you are a new wood turner or if you are experimenting with new tools or techniques, to include the techniques you used.
• Kind of wood
  • When you look back through your binder of projects, you should be able to see patterns that help you understand what kinds of turning methods or projects are best for certain types of wood.
• Where the wood came from
  • This might be of interest if you are making something to sell or give away, or if you got the wood from a specifically interesting place, but it may not matter for other projects.
• Time estimated to complete project
  • We recommend including an estimate of the total time it took you to complete the project as well as a record of when you began or completed certain steps. This might change as you get better at certain techniques, but you will have a rough idea of how long the project will take if you attempt it again.
• Particular challenges with this project
  • Challenges might be specific to this project but also might help you identify patterns. For example, if you record that the wood was particularly wet or dry and then write down the challenges you faced, you might notice when looking back that certain challenges accompany certain circumstances with the wood or even things like the humidity in your shop, which might not occur to you otherwise.
• Changes you made to initial project/techniques
  • This is helpful to record if you are trying to make something for a second or third time, or if you are making something that was a suggestion from another wood turner.
• A reflection section and possibly a sketch
  • Always leave room for some overall impressions, even simple things like, “I liked making this!” or “Never do this again.” Also, having a sketch can be very useful when you are looking back on things you did last year or several years ago. For sketching, you may also want to add some graph paper to your binder or notebook.
    • If you are someone who doesn’t prefer taking notes or sketching by hand, taking pictures with your phone is always an option! Be sure to add those pictures to a document on your phone or computer that gets saved with a certain kind of title in a certain folder that is easy to find on your computer.
    • If you are taking a picture with your phone but otherwise have a paper copy of your notes, put the title of the computer folder on your paper so you don’t lose track of the pictures.

And, as always, remember to find what works for you!

Key Takeaways

• Organizing your woodshop is crucial to increase efficiency and reduce mistakes.
• Labeled containers can help make your shop tidy and accessible.
• Taking detailed shop notes helps track your projects, techniques, and any lessons learned. This allows for improved consistency and efficiency over time.
  • Use your notes to reflect on past work, identify challenges, and refine your process for future projects.
  • Dedicate a space in your shop for organizing notes—either a table or shelf can work. Keep your notes in a binder or folder and consider using templates or plastic sheet protectors for organization.
  • There are many different things you could keep track of in your shop notes, like the materials and tools you used, any challenges you faced, and instructions about the techniques you used.
  • Find what organizational methods work best for you, whether it’s detailed notes or more simplified tracking. Flexibility and consistency are key.