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I kept opening the wrong drawer looking for my multi-meter, so I changed what lives in that drawer so that the meter was in there. If I cannot condition myself to look in the right place, I will make the place I look the right place!

@bryannorris8049

Жыл бұрын

I started following Adam's advice a couple of years ago. Now my wife goes into my shop for something and can't find anything. This advice works well for one user but may not be extensible.

@grizz23

Жыл бұрын

I did the same with a set a hex drivers

Early in my career, we worked in cubicles. Power distribution was a daisy chain of power strips (typically 4-6 cubicles per chain). Because of the kind of work we did, everyone had a minimum of 3 computers, with monitors, hard disks, etc. The group's laser printer (one of the early, power hungry ones) was in my cubicle, plugged into the first power strip in the chain. When someone would print something, you'd hear the printer's fan come on, then it would start heating the fuser wire (which literally melts the toner to the paper). That's when the circuit breaker in the power strip would trip, and the swearing began. We quickly developed a policy that whenever you wanted to print something, you had to announce to the whole group that you were about to print, and remind people to save their work. Ah, those were the days.

Most of what I lose are hand tools. It happens when I have something in my hand and lay it down to pick another item up. As a result, car keys have been an issue. To combat it I intentionally place keys on the corner of a workbench or table. One day in my shop I had placed the keys, gotten out some boxes, found what I needed and reached for my keys. THEY WERE GONE! I looked under the bench and all around every corner of everything I was near, no keys. Doubting myself I stopped and visualized what I did. Yes, I did place it on THAT corner. So I sat down to get this conundrum solved and crunch, I felt the large key ring under my gluteus. Standing, I looked at the chair seat, no keys! WHAT!!! As I turned to look under the chair I felt something swinging from my backside. There they were hanging from my back pocket supported by the N52 super magnet I had slipped into my back pocket. It is difficult to describe how disorienting it was to lose something that was intentionally placed…

You talking about losing conduit benders is really funny because I'm a commercial electrician, I deal with 3-phase power all day every day and mostly what I'm good at is running conduit. The other electricians I work with I tell them, "Always put the bender back on the cart (We have carts we roll around with us to carry all our stuff) because if you don't you'll never find it again." I have gotten in a rush sometimes and I'll bend a piece, lay the bender in a corner against a stud or something, go install that piece, and then when I need it again I'll spend 20 minutes trying to remember where I put the damn thing.

The shop "Law of Tool Migration" was what I taught my college furniture design students. It states that the farther a tool/clamp/whatever is from the place it was stored the less likely it would ever be found again. The farther from the expected place to find a tool meant spending exponentially more time finding it. To minimize this natural migration of tools we encourage anyone that came across a misplaced tool to move it closer to if not all the way back to its official storage spot.

Listening while sorting out roughly 150 sockets from 10 years of being a mobile mechanic, currently have about 16, 10mm sockets. THEY DONT DISAPPEAR AFTER ALL

Yes, as a repair/builder of electric guitars (and sometimes bass) someone bought me a StewMac screwdriver set for guitars/basses, has like every flat/phillips/hex bit relevant to imperial/metric parts for guitars/basses, plus a really compact ratcheting handle with an extension. All fits in what looks like a dark red sunglasses case… and I have no idea where it went. It was on top of my tool storage, then I put a set of locking tuning machines in a box up there, and somehow that little case went *poof* then next time I went to look for it! I have other tools I can use, but they aren’t all in that one convenient little case.

Tool tip. If you have a one off and need a place to store it for the once in a while use go with the category it is. For example multimeter, OBD2 scanner and other electronic testing equipment gets the same drawer.

Love love love, Adam saying hire the expert when it comes to electrical work!!!!

@omniferousswan593

Жыл бұрын

It's gotta be one of the most simple trades. I've been working as electrician for about 5 years, it's way easier to find information now than when Adam was younger, anyone can do at home electricity.

@Nebby_99

Жыл бұрын

@@omniferousswan593 You might be overstimating the common sense of a lot of DIYers. Also it's illegal to DIY mains power in some places.

@omniferousswan593

Жыл бұрын

@@Nebby_99 In all the places I know of, the law is that if you own the property, and you are doing the electrical yourself, then it's fine. I'd trust my grandmother to do my electrical before I would trust myself to do plumbing or roofing.

We save a little when it comes to electrical because I know what needs to be done to run the wiring and install the boxes. Then we have an electrician that we use regularly that will come in and double check me before doing the hook-ups.

First thought, best thought has been ABSOLUTELY PARAMOUNT in putting together my fabshop over the past few years and people ask ALL THE TIME how i find things so fast and i tell them this. First time i heard Adam say this was a game changer. In fact i think my girlfriend moves things as a sport to watch me think im loosing my mind lol

Extension cords are fine... if you buy one designed for the purpose you are using it for. The problem is people tend to buy the cheapest one which also has the cheapest materials and smaller gauge wire than what they need for the persons desired use case. Tip: Buy one size larger than the circuit you are plugging it into. 15 amp wall circuit? Buy a 12 gauge/20 amp extension cord. 20 amp wall circuit? Buy a 10 gauge/30 amp ext cord.

@Sanyaenyenwa

Жыл бұрын

The real problems arise when people chain multiple power strips one after another. I've heard horror stories of people using a single wall outlet and like a dozen power strips to supply an entire shop. Not only will you constantly be blowing your fuse, if you don't blow the fuse the first strip in the chain will inevitably get overloaded, eventually. And that's a great way to start a fire and burn down your entire house.

@bityard

Жыл бұрын

The bigger danger with extension cords is that when they end up getting put into permanent service, they get stepped on, rolled over, pinched, nicked, and so on. These cause electrocutions and fires much more frequently than overcurrent conditions because the latter typically just result in a tripped breaker or your undersized cord turning into a length of smoking plastic. This is why large swaths of the NEC are basically dedicated to wiring up spaces in such a way that nobody sane should _need_ to use an extension cord in the first place.

As an amateur maker, it’s nice to know even Adam is hesitant on welding in his space, just as I am in my own space 😂

"The answer is no, I wasn't clever. BUT NOW I AM" I need that soundbyte 😂😂😂

Somewhere around the house I have one of those giant channel lock pliers you tell the funny story about. I have no idea how to lose something so massive, but it has definitely disappeared for months now.

@oguzhanturk2315

Жыл бұрын

Tamam 😢 aşkım

@sweetasdude

Жыл бұрын

I think its also about frequency of use. Something like that massive tube bender I'd stick up on the wall with a nail, almost like an art piece. But more importantly its about getting into a habit of cleanup after a job and I'm pretty sure first spot best spot will help with that. - Also on the electrician stuff, in some countries it is illegal to DIY, and in doing so might mess with an insurance claim, beware.

@jamesupton143

Жыл бұрын

I swear that my wife has a black hole that she throws tools, clothing, and other crap down when I am not looking.

@goosenotmaverick1156

Жыл бұрын

I have two sets of those, maybe 3 and can never find one, and if I do find one, it's only one.

@sweetasdude

Жыл бұрын

@@jamesupton143 Yep, Wife has multiple tool storage areas that my smaller tools seem to migrate to over time, combined with random moves of those stashes.

You would do well with a couple of rolls of ceramic wool. Just lay a mat under your welding, and a shower curtain around you. Roll it back up when you're done. It feels like cotton comes in rols like fiberglass insulation, and insulates like space shuttle tiles. You can heat it white hot, and hold it in your hand a second later. I can't believe you don't do more welding.

Just the other day I couldn't find my wire cutters. I searched for a few minutes and eventually decided it would take less time to go buy another pair than to keep looking. I found the missing pair a day or two later and they are now stored safely in the drawer where they belong, at least until the next time I use them and forget to put them back.

When we moved into our new house I used this philosophy to organize our kitchen cabinets! Open a drawer expecting cutlery, in it goes. Are the plates in this cabinet? They are now! It worked beautifully! It is so easy for me to find everything I need to cook and serve a meal.

Our robotics team has a small shop setup in a spare room in our school building. We have 8 outlets in the room, 6 of which are right next to each other in one corner of the room, and the other two (which happen to be two prong rather then three) are on the other side of the room, but next to the same wall. We have all our tools on the other side of the room, under the windows, nowhere near outlets. To run our chop saw, mini drill press, etc, we have to run an extension chord along the wall and plug our tools into a power strip connected to the extension chord. We have asked for the school to add more outlets (which should be fairly straightforward given that there is already conduit with electrical boxes right where we need power), but nothing has changed so far.

Hi Adam I was asking the same question when it comes to power in your shop haha appreciate the answer. I've recently found a maker's space (space is a premium in the UK) & have begun to build my shop infrastructure. The problem I've had is that I have no power whatsoever..... So I've gone completely solar. Using batteries that have come out of my old vehicles as storage for my power... Inverters & led lights..including many battery tools... . What a mission. But the feeling you get from having your own space to make is worth it. I watch many of your videos that give me the push to start or change projects. Please keep them coming. 💪🏽💪🏽

For anyone needing just one or two things to run on 3-phase power, one of the easier methods is to buy or build a rotary phase converter. The only hard-to-get component is a large 3-phase motor, the rest is just some relays/contactors and a bunch of capacitors. When tuned properly it will do a decent approximation of real 3-phase, without overheating after 6 minutes like Adam's (I assume) static phase converter. There is a small derating factor, but it's not huge and you won't notice it unless you're running whatever 3-phase machine pretty hard. I use one for my mill, and it works great. Running actual 3-phase into the garage would have been several thousand dollars minimum.

I also have the same size channel locks and they've came in really handy doing some plumbing work.

@4:09 - Happens to those uf who don't even have much room to lose things. I remember when we were clearing out my grandfather's workshop we found so many duplicates of things, often still in the original packaging, because he couldn't find it and would buy another.

I have some actual electrician training. I happily run my own two-phase, with permits, the inspectors know me and like my work. And I _still_ pay other people to run three-phase.

LOL !!! I know about the buying a 2nd tool and then finding the first. I've started putting them where I would first look also!!! Also working up a shop-grid database and barcode library helps. Mine is a work in progress.

@nurmr

Жыл бұрын

I did that last month when I bought a new box of light bulbs (because I couldn't find the half used box). When I went to put the new box away, I found the half used box right there.

I wonder if, for a shop like Adam's, it would be worthwhile to embed passive RFID tags in the handles of tools, and the scanner you'd use translates the tool name you picked from a search result and points out the direction / distance to that tag number.

By the number of comments I'm guessing your core demographic is not of the "over night" crowd. I always find the out takes of your Q&As to have some of the best advice I've ever heard, shop talk and beyond.

i'm lucky i have many friends in the I.B.E.W. if i have a power question they're pretty good about answering my questions. i was the concrete guy on the job sites and when i had nothing to do I'd help out the wire guys loved me lol cause i could push around the bigger spools of wire. that's how i met most of them. Adams right improper gauged wiring causes so many safety issues.

I recently tested positive as a Adam Savage fan... Just kidding I've been a fan for what feels like decades. I did however recently return to the channel... Why you ask... Well let me tell you. Once upon a time on an Internet not so far away this channel was 90% Norm and 10% Adam. Thankfully that changed. Bravo Adam and thank you for taking the time to share with us all.

For finding "rare tools," you could always make an index. Like come up with a name for at least the general areas of the shop where you might store things , and then make a list. Just have that in a spreadsheet, then you can just search the spreadsheet for the name of the thing.and then say "pipe bender? It's in section F3 of the shop." Not the easiest way to do it if you can just remember where you put it, but a good safety net when you've completely lost it.

@Mishotaki

Жыл бұрын

maybe for a shared space, but that would be an insane and useless project for someone with his own space

@timogul

Жыл бұрын

@@Mishotaki Depends on how much random crap you have, and how often you use each item. If you have enough stuff that you can't take it all in at once and know what you're seeing, and if you have plenty of items that you only use every few years, then it is a good idea to have ways of keeping track of them. The initial set-up is a bit of a hassle, but less than a day's work even in a space like Adam's, and once you do it once, then you only need to log new items into the system and remember to put things back where you found them.

I still miss you guys on Mythbusters. I still think about a few episodes when something related comes up... (and a few where the incorrect logic was used...) Sadly, I know that tools storage problem... just 3 days ago I found the missing tape measure that I replace a month prior... just thrown in the incorrect drawer in the tool box..

Just a heads up but standard residential power isn’t 2-phase it’s split single phase; though in your shop with 3-phase power you would actually have 2-phases for your phase converter though the phases aren’t offset by 180 degrees but 120 degrees. You really should drop 3-phase to your sander as it’s much more efficient than a phase converter as no power is lost in the conversion. Not sure if your 3-phase is wye, delta, or high leg delta; I personally prefer high leg delta as I like having the benefit of a leg with 240V to ground. I will say the big downside of high leg delta is if you don’t have a lot of 3-phase appliances or receptacles you’ll have a lot of empty panel spaces. As an electrician I don’t have an issue with finding benders they are all on a rack in the rafters which is a highly utilized space in my small shop; at 6’6” I’ve never had an issue reaching things, though I do wack my head my often than shorter people.

@tomcardale5596

Жыл бұрын

The US version of three phase power seems a lot more complicated than the rest of the world! Aside from Japan, it's a bit weird over there too. We have 230V phase to neutral (/ground) and 400V between phases. That's it, simple. No split phase, no different voltages, etc. I've heard rumours of occasions where split phase exists but only rumours. Very occasionally you get a premises that has two of three phases connected but they're still 120 degrees out of phase so it's 400V between phases. Obviously the whole harmonisation thing is a joke, 220V countries and 240V countries all standardising to 230 with enough tolerance so no one needed to change anything.

@libertarian1637

Жыл бұрын

@@tomcardale5596: It’s not really that complicated as their are options; NEC voltage ratings are to 125/250V on most standard items like receptacles and switches and we tend to see 120-124V and 240-243V on split single phase, which is standard US Residential power were both legs are fed from a single phase and single transformer with neutral tapped off the middle, this provides an apparent 2 phase system with the sin waves being 180 degrees out of phase. 3-Phase brakes down thought the world in 2 varieties either Wye or Delta represented as phase connections of either a Y or a triangle and provide in the US standard voltages of 120/208V, 277/480V, as a basic service and differ in power factor calculations, with if I recall right Delta providing slightly more power in calculations, though frankly I run everything through an app and haven’t thought of power factor in years. The outlier is high leg delta that has leg voltages of 120, 120, 240V and a leg-to-leg voltage across any two conductors of 240V; this is popular were I live and work as it means people can use standard 240/250V rated appliances as outside of the commercial sector few things are rated to 208 up to 240/250V without some marked losses. There are also done other outlier voltages but they’re usually only dropped for industrial uses or involve getting a buck converter to bring things up or down to the odd voltages. As an electrician I stick to residential and commercial and rarely do any industrial as frankly it’s just a lot harder and as I’ve gotten older I have learned to do/take the jobs I like plus 600 and 1,000 Volts while not that much tougher to work on do have some increased risks as do our line voltages of 7,200-12,300V though you rarely desk with tapping off of those things though in industrial applications it’s not out of the question to run things through pad transformers to reduce losses over distance, though unlike electrical service we can shut off power to the feeders and lock out and tag out things which takes away most all risks.

Top tip that adam thanks. I am always losing stuff this way and search for it like a demented shitehawk until I give up and order a new one of amazon. then the new one arrives just in time to see me find the old one. all my best to you and yours from Liverpool

The great J Baldwin (also of the Whole Earth Catalog) described his tool storage as containing a drawer of “assorted unsortables”.

Thank you Adam for sharing your essence. sooo many people admire you! I remember you from the Charmin days! You're a national treasure ))

Oh, yes. The 'buying another one of something because I can't find the first one' thing is why I have 3 or 4 12mm combination wrenches. Or forgetting I have something because I haven't used in so very long or got it but never used it. That's why I have 2 angle grinders. Though that's been a blessing in disguise since I can keep one set up with a cut-off wheel and one with a grinding disk.

I used to move a lot and I loved deciding where to put all the kitchen tools. "Where would I first look for this" is how I organized my kitchens.

In my case when I bring a new one off tool into my shop, I have a dedicated drawer for special one off tools. So when I need to use that one weird tool once a year I know where it should be😅

@bityard

Жыл бұрын

I have lots of dedicated drawers for one-off tools! In fact, I think that describes most of my shop...

this video helped me find my drill that I had been looking for 3 weeks

People get wound up about extension leads. If the extension lead is rated properly there are few issues with them. Especially if I'm in the shop by myself. I have all my tools plugged into the one outlet but I'm never using more than one (+ dust extraction) at once. I never run the table saw and the drill press and the pillar drill and the jigsaw and the Dremel at once, I don't have that many hands!

That conduit bender looks like some scifi war hammer LOL

I used a Fuji Electric VFD on a 220VAC outlet to get 3ph for my lathe. Absolutely love that VFD, think it was around $500 from Grainger

I used a quite old milling machine because I could change out the motor to a single phase one. Whin I discovered that modern Variable Frequency Drives -that are fairly inexpensive can also CONVERT SINGLE PHASE TO THREE PHASE I sold my antique mill and bought a newer Bridgeport mill. Halleluiah. So if you don't have three phase available at your place you can get around it with a VFD for motor driven tools.

Here in Finland, all houses, and even most appartments have 3-phase power. Though I haven’t used it much after we built the house. But having 3 phases for regular power is also good. Actually let me correct myself. Our sauna uses 3-phase, as well as our induction stove

also don't forget the cost of ownership, assuming you only have 3 phase power to your shop and no single phase delviered by your provider that means you will have your own stepdown transformer for your single phase useage and those babies use around 60 watts in standby and most people don't put those on a switch so that's a lot of power being used 24/7/365 that you are paying for VS if you have single phase delivered to your shop the provider pays for that loss.

The first thought first spot for tools is true for kitchens as well. I had to move a few items like coffee cups to get that right. Coffee cups live above the coffee pot.

Bundaberg! I love it. I had no idea it came in diet. Their root beer is the best but so hard to find in Texas.

We need to solve the problem too of, "I had forgotten I had one of those" too!

Thanks for videos you all are great

In my rental 's garage I have 1 single power outlet (from the early 60's i think) and I don't have modern circuit breakers/RCD's on the distribution board, oh no I have the original ceramic fuses with threaded fuse wire. My landlord won't spend the money to upgrade. My solution: I bought a power board with an RCD built in, protects my tools and the landlords dodgy circuit. Of course I'm not running a lathe or mill.

Over time I've done just that with various tools. Luckily I can remember where things are in the end but I'll think to myself why is this thing living here after I just looked 3 other places first. I think you're right I've probably saved an untold amount of time not looking for stuff.

I don't understand. But it's still so interesting!

Split-phase or single-phase 240V is what is in the majority of homes. A VFD or phase converter converts single-phase to three-phase. In my neighborhood, there's a single wire, a 4600V feeder wire that the houses tap off of. Single winding on one side for the HV and a center tapped winding for the 240V line in to the house. I keep my conduit benders by the breaker panel. Makes perfect sense to me. ;)

Thank you

I like to make kits for the tools I need in small boxes that are easy to store. I have a kit for tools to clean spray guns, I have a kit just for air tools, etc. This way I don’t have to look for a specific tool for a job, just get the kit.

So a general question, what got you onto Bundy ginger beer mate? Would not have expected that to be available in the US, though there's enough expat Aussie's to at least stir interest I guess. Thank you for the wonderful insight and videos Jamie, you and the team that is.

@rkschloithe

Жыл бұрын

Some of the camera guys on Mythbusters were Australian, the show was produced in Australia 🇦🇺 and Robert Lee the narrator is also an Aussie as well.

Did your Power Co make you use 220 instead of 480? Everything runs cooler as your current use is cut considerably for a given piece of equipment. Smaller wire. Less current. Usually lower cost.

I agree about putting things back where you first think to look for them, but only for shorter term items than those measured on years. Wouldn't your assumptions and associations between tools and places change over such a long period of time?

My problem is I don't always put the tool back. I've got multiple sets of screwdrivers and can rarely find the one I'm looking for without searching for it.

I have a super power for loosing tool, even when I am sitting at my bench I somehow manage to loose the tool I had in my hand 2 minutes ago 😅

Have a category of tools called “Category of 1” and keep them all together…It did turn out that you have two different types of benders, so they wouldn’t qualify anyway 😂

I don't know how many times I've lost a tool, bought a new one, and then when I put the new tool away, found the lost one there.

Uuuf, never been this fresh in on a video, keep the good stuff coming!

That bender looks like a melee weapon 😅😅

👍🏼 good stuff

First thought best though…….. well the middle of the workbench it is…… but how do I get it to the bottom of the pile

Sounds like you need to build a weld shop wing/area.. 😉

A question I’ve had for several years is: 1. is there a component to a fire that is electrical and 2. if so could fire be fought in one form or another to fight fire?

@MustangsTrainsMowers

Жыл бұрын

Correction: could electricity be used to fight fire?

The struggle is for real on finding the one off tools or supplies.

My Australian eyes caught that bundy bottle next to you, ginger beer I assume?

Some electricians will inspect your work and basically sign off on it. If you can do the work this could save some cash. Just make sure to leave everything "open" so it can be inspected.

yo shoutout to bundaberg ginger beer that shit is og also home to cheap rum. good mix... lo ts of glassings

@JohlBrown

Жыл бұрын

someone's gotta get some coopers to adam

Hiring an electrician is always less expensive than a fire.

Just make a googledrive document, with pictures if you like, and then the name of said item and where you put it. When you work on stuff and dont find it, just open up document and ''ctrl + F'' and write in what ever it is you need and it'll take you directly to your note on said item.

@Okurka.

2 ай бұрын

Why googledrive?

@MrSteelface96

2 ай бұрын

@@Okurka. why not?

@Okurka.

2 ай бұрын

@@MrSteelface96 Because it's Google.

The flaw in the “put it in the first place you’d look for it” rule is that you end up with everything in the same drawer…and there isn’t room in it for anything else.

Well..... Turns out this is not a video on prop showers and I need more coffee

Unfortunately, the first place I look for most things is on top of my desk and it's cluttered enough as it is, so putting those things there wouldn't work too well.

Adam! TIG welder! No Sparky 😊

Unique plier

Kevin Kelly the author of Out Of Control? If so that book had a huge influence on my life. If not, which one?

If I put every tool where my first thought to put it was everything would be on top of my toolbox

I just bought my 3rd oxygen sensor socket, count find the other 2.

The dust falling off of the tube-bendy thingy ...

Get Jamie in to tidy the place up !!

If I had Adam's grasp of electricity I'd hire an electrician too. What is two phase power? I imagine such a thing could exist I've just never seen it.

Bring in, if you can, 3p 600. You can transform thati to whatever you need.

A good electrician costs less than a cheap lawyer

Not sure about you guys. Yet I constantly lose my freggin tape measure I have like 10 now. I constantly forget where they are. So frustrating for real! Well I had 10 now I have 3 😂!

Singletons are quite a pain to organize and store!

You could tig, no sparks ✨️

3 phase 220 im confused my 3 phase is 410?

🤔I wonder if one could make videos on each item, then log it in a text program and play the clip alongside with a map of your shop.

Too dusty = dust explosions. They're bad!

Adam can you sometime go Incognito as Ghostface?

When you have ADD, you have a screwdriver but you can never find it. So you go and buy six screwdrivers and distribute them around to likely places. Now have six screwdrivers and you can never find them.

Unfortunately, the first place I think of, is always the exact same place, for everything.

Sounds like Adam needs a tig welder

How crazy is it to organize the one-offs by size and/or shape? A 3/4" tubing bender is shaped like a pole, put it with other pole-shaped items. Or not. I'm not a creator, more like a breaker.

What is really bad, when you lend a tool to someone and they don't return them. Then you forget who has the tool you need NOW , that really piss me off. SOOOOO now on I don't lend tools to NOBODY. My neighbor wanted to barrow my lawn mower, and I said NO, LOL...........now he's piss off at me............Witch I don't care !