How small is too small?????

[Evan]

But how small of a part do you hold on to?

Anything visible. I am currently working through my stash of parts accumulated over the last 30 years or so in anticipation of my retirement. I figure I have enough stuff to keep me busy for about the same time it took to accumulate it.

[Al Messer]

I have found that two weeks after I throw something out in the trash that It is exactly what I need for Something!

[darryl]

There's another way to look at it- it's thermal mass. The more of it you have, the less will be the temperature fluctuation in the shop. Useful indeed-

[lathehand]

It depends on your goals. If you are in the shop to get away from it all and pass the time, then keep everything. You will spend hours searching thru piles to find a piece that you will then spend hours bringing to size.
If your goal is to be productive, don't keep round stock less than three diameters long. You need two diameters to chuck it up solidly. Don't keep rectangular stock without at least two finished sides. Used pieces must have at least two times width in length with no holes.

[Spin Doctor]

Hey, you stole my saw! Not the best in the west but for what I do it seems to work fine. But, man there enough adjustments to make a 3 in 1 machine look simple. One thing I did was to get rid of the factory casters and replace them with 6" wheels from my kids old red wagon So I can just push it straight against the garage wall

About the short stock. It is not so much a matter of saving things that are too short but keeping it all organized and identified

[rockrat]

It is not so much a matter of saving things that are too short but keeping it all organized and identified

I think that this is why I posted the question. I dont mind keeping the stuff and to be honest, I have smaller stuff in a different bin. But its the identification of the stuff that is tough. And keeping the brass with the brass os when you need brass you can go right to it and not have to hunt. I hate hunting for specific metal. Hunting phesants on the other hand.....

I saw some small bread pans (like the one in the photo) at a yard sale a while back, I wish I had bough them now. Would have made nice little storage bins.

rock~

[BillB]

It's not clutter. It's an object-rich environment.

BillB

[tiptop]

small?

I see you have not installed storage between your truss' yet so I guess you must keep it all. Remember the truss' were designed for dead load and snow load so you must be very creative when storing there. Good luck. Jay

[TECHSHOP]

Too Small?

I pull and save the staples from junk mail. Once the old gallon paint can is full, I sell it for scrap, and start over.

I have another jar I fill with those "really short" pieces of copper wire...

I could go on and on, but when I worked in a cabinet shop, I heated my home with the wood splinters I'd pulled out of my fingers!