What Adam Savage Loved (and Hated) About M5

[@tested]

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[@caseysmith544]

I get what you mean about walking, however I would have more like a kit I can grab for specific tools or if one tool same size is used for X and Y is used for Y as I do not want to have to have a ton of multiples of tools only those used most frequently for very different ways. Of course, my way would be more on mobile small carts or like for my shop. My Dad is like Jamie to a more extreme where in his non Green House shop (owns a Greenhouse Business) he has his own tools and only one of what he needs unless tool is very useful even sometimes using his own tools for greenhouse if shop does not have a tool he needs and when place until October 2023 had a Landscape Division, was some day labor/head of Landscape was ruining his tools if he did not hide them in a back corner.

[@samsimozlof2963]

My words are directed to you, Sir Adam. Can you accept a copy of my invention?

[@catmcjune9811]

Hey, I just wanted to say that the organizational system that you are describing is an ADHD strategy called "Point of Performance." It works for other things than shops too! (Other question: Have you ever been diagnosed with ADHD? Totally okay if you don't want to share, though.)

[@Paxchi]

Adam: *stares longingly at chair* Wife: "You know, they have price tags on these things, and if you give them that amount of money they'll let you take it home." Adam: *lightbulb* Honestly, they sound like an adorable couple, and that she's got just the right amount of humor and grounding to get Adam to focus.

[@tested]

Mrs. Donttrythis is absolutely amazing and perfect for Adam.

[@christopherreed4723]

I was going to say something like this. This video is the second time we've heard the story of the club chair, and while the details of the remark were a little different each time, the character of the speaker comes through loud and clear. I lift my hat, madam.

[@criggie]

@@tested Do we speak in the third person? :heart:

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

​@@criggieThat's a tested employee lol

[@Exile1a]

Well. He went on a Date with her in Season 1 of MB ("Am I missing, and eyebrow) and he later commented on that the Date went spectacularly. So pretty sure it clicked from the start. ;)

[@Xassels]

If you work on a farm, you gather up all the tools you need at the start of a project and take them with you. It's more important that tools are in one place to be gathered because your "work station" is often improvised and it's impossible to have tools everywhere.

[@MegapiemanPHD]

This is very true. There's nothing worse than having to walk all back to the tool shed from the middle of a field because you don't have the right size wrench. You pretty much always take whatever you think you need, and even stuff you don't, with you just in case. It's better to have something and not need it, then need it and not have it.

[@CJRoberts8812]

I completely agree. That being said, I don't think that I've EVER done a project that didn't have something come up and I had to go get a tool that I didn't anticipate that I would need.

[@Xassels]

@@CJRoberts8812 sure, but after driving half a mile back to your shop to get the forgotten tools, are you more likely to begrudge walking an extra 30 feet to grab them? Or not knowing where they are/having to collect them each from a different place?

[@tomhetrick881]

Gotten to the point on the farm where the farm truck has a full complement of tools and other odds ends and part depending on season. Lots of work done out in the big blue shed.

[@peterw8835]

@@CJRoberts8812 and that why in every tool is a hammer

[@aaronrisnerr]

Best video on youtube would be adam going to jamies work shop and jamie going to adams work shop with the goal of each making something the other persons shop. Then reviewing each others shop Edit- could be a charity thing

[@brettfontaine4681]

I think each of them making something to make the other’s shop better.

[@Geographus666]

@@brettfontaine4681It would probably end with Jamie going "OK, what did Adam mess up in my shop?"

[@lewisparrott8381]

Adam would need a cookie

[@poisondart]

Cookie dispenseres every 10 feet

[@TheNiteinjail]

Adam would thoughtfully pull off a small.but brilliant shop need that clearly helps ... Which Jamie would never use. Jamie would stand around in Adam's shop and find the one silly thing to comment on that will set off Adam .. then he will just paint it brightly to point out it is silly.

[@tjthehobopainter9173]

"He has got a very different approach to his flowstate than I have to mine. What is his? I haven't the slightest idea." Beautiful 😂

[@KyleOfTheNorth]

I don't think they truly understand how each other's brains works 😂😂

[@wobblysauce]

Some take it as a breather and allow for some thinking time. Some it is a little extra exercise.

[@montystar]

1. Needs the hammer. Walks to get the hammer. Uses hammer. Continues with the project. Finishes the project on time. 2. Needs the hammer. Walks to get the hammer. Sees something and gets an idea to solve another problem or to start a new one. Forgets to get the hammer and on going project. Starts a new project or starts to work old project that doesnt need that hammer. Gets starting many projects and has a hard time to finish the one that really needs to be done. Yes. Nro. 2 example is a totally normal for ADHD brains. And nro.1 example is so called neurotypical or non-ADHD brain.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

3. Hates wasting time when it can be avoided. Is comfortable spending money for multiple of certain tools so that they can live at various workstations _(usually, these are lesser-quality duplicates),_ thereby eliminating having to interrupt what they're doing in order to meander over to The Sole Tool Storage Location to grab what they need... then interrupt what they're doing again to return it to its place... _then_ do it all over again the next day... and _every subsequent time_ they work at that location, because said tool is used there, *almost every time.* 😁 I don't know what brain type that's associated with, but, it's how many of us are. I have a hammer and screwdrivers in the utility closet in my cabin. I have a hammer and screwdrivers in the shed of said cabin. I have a hammer and screwdriver in the bunk house at said cabin! 😅

[@rcjbvermilion]

​@@DUKE_of_RAMBLE I hear you. I have a screwdriver in the house, and another in the garage. Same with a hammer and pliers. It saves having to go to the garage every time I want to hang a picture or do some small task in the house.

[@SocksAndPuppets]

From watching Mythbusters, the "wall of boxes" is the most visibly iconic thing about M5 - it gives me a yearning, despite having nothing that needs that kind of solution. I guess the home version of this is my IKEA Kallax, which is stuffed with art supplies, organized by cube.

[@Geographus666]

I was just about to comment that the wall of boxes reminded me somewhat of the Kallax. I have a big 5x5 and a 3x4 in my hobby room, mostly filled with board-games, they are almost perfect for your standard "Ticket to Ride" box.

[@jeffkleist9679]

The best part of the wall of boxes was how the crew would mess with the signs

[@WafflePlaneRC]

"Wall of boxes" is just a sensible thing. I arrived at the same solution in my garage without even recalling the M5 space. I needed to store tools and supplies, and I had the shelves already, so there wasn't ever a question.

[@GnomaPhobic]

I reorganized my storage shed and attic last autumn, and I utilized a similar labeling system to M5's boxes. I like being able to walk in my shed, and see at an immediate glance exactly where everything this without needing to go poking around in search. Everything from bolts, nails, and screws to caulking supplies and electrical pumps.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

I think it's subtle, but Adam's comments here about the differences between his shop mentality and Hyneman's is a beautiful demonstration of his professionalism and respect for Jamie. He didn't say "Jamie's way is insane" or "my way just makes more sense" or any other form of "I'm right, he's wrong." He ask didn't try to impose his views on Jamie's shops. Everyone likes to "watercooler chat" about how much they "didn't like" each other. They're two different people, and while I haven't heard Hyneman's views on the same topic, I'm willing to bet they would sound a lot like this.

[@killernat]

yeah i always had the impression that they work well together and have a great deal of respect for one another. but out side of work they likely have very little contact other than "I need help with X project and i know you have the skills to do it right"

[@peterw8835]

@@killernat The worked together for decades in industries and situations where they did not have to. So they got along at work, because they respected each others skill if not always how they did it. I think it is easy to see they would not hang out outside of work, they have very different personalities and interests. Other than work, they probably wouldn't have much to talk about in common.

[@criggie]

TBH the people with whom I have worked the best, have been not polar opposites of me, but perhaps "90 degrees around a circle", if that makes sense. We complement each other, and fill the voids left by each other while not being so wildly different as to bring conflict. Perhaps the best "team" is 4 people, one of which you absolutely despise (and they feel the same about you in return) along with two people who are a quarter-turn away from you, both of whom cannot abide by their "opposite"

[@peterw8835]

@@criggie that is a good point.

[@epremeaux]

Yeah. They were co-workers. They dont have to be best pals. I have worked with plenty of people that I got along well with and had very synergistic, high output productivity with. 9-5. But then we all go home, and take part in our OTHER life, with our friends & family. People dont have to agree with each other, be friends or even like each other to do their jobs every day and work together. And people can irk each other and get on our nerves sometimes but that doesnt mean we hate our coworkers. Neither of them ever said anything about "I dont like that guy.." or anything of the sort. "we likely will never work with each other again." is about the most negative message. "We are not friends" or "we have never had dinner together" or "we sometimes clash/get on each others nerves" or "we think very differently" are NOT negative comments. That's just standard coworker reality. There are people at work you WANT to hang out with outside of work, and people you don't. Doesnt mean there is animosity there.

[@joermnyc]

My great memory of watching Mythbusters and M5 is the “Clean up or die” sign. 😂

[@ToddyTornado]

and Adam made the biggest messes

[@wttwtg4165]

I tend to lean towards Jamie's philosophy on shop organization. While nowhere near as large as either shop, the walk to get tools often cools my impetuous nature and gets me closer to the "measure twice, cut once" mentality then if everything is already at hand. Plus, I tend to plan everything and put what I think I need for the project first (cooking and baking habits) and if I forgot something or find I need something I didn't think of, that walk time is invaluable to completing the project in an a more thoughtful way and hopefully getting it done right the first time.

[@gingerscholar152]

I don't have a workspace, but I remember my dad being quite negligent towards his tools, so if we needed a hammer or a drill we had to go looking for it because it wasn't in the tool closet. so I think if I ever built a workspace I would lean Jamie because of limits of tools and therefore make sure they're available. If I only have one drill, make sure you know where that drill is suppose to be

[@criggie]

@@gingerscholar152 I thought I had three drills, but I had four. That hiding one would have saved me $221 had I remembered it in time. Darnit.

[@Mythbustersfan101]

I can't believe that it was 8 years ago today that we last saw M5 on TV, and it's been 21 years since we first saw M5 on TV, time flies by fast.

[@Stephen_Huckle]

with you saying about Jamie's work flow having his tools in a spot to where he needs to walk could be his thinking time and returns to the job with fresh eyes

[@MrDummyisDumb]

I'm way more of a Jamie. Hammers are always in X space. If they're in both X and Y spaces somehow they'll either end up naturally only in one space or no spaces and rather than knowing where it should be you'll have to break out of rhythm to go track them down when where you thought one would be is no longer there. Idk why but the anger of something not being where you expected when you need it is second to none

[@owensparks5013]

Hmm. Think you're missing the point here. If there are multiples of tools, then they're zone specific and never ever leave that area. For example, the "lathe hammer" is only ever used at the lathe. If a "take it with you" hammer is required, then that is drawn from a different tool set.

[@jerithil]

@@owensparks5013 Yeah I have visited larger machine shops and most of the better ones use the multiple sets with the station/equipment tools always being tied to that gear/station and a general section that can be used throughout the building. They also tend to have lists of tools at each area and you are supposed to check if they are there when you get there and when you leave.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

Also, if there's a place for them, you're likely only going to have one. If you're in a page that might have others there helping in occasion, and the tool (hammer) is in use... Now the person has to track that person down to see if they can borrow it quickly. For a *small* single-person shop/man cave (garage size)... Totally fine to want everything kept in one place, I think. But even then, I have a small socket set that lives in my bedroom, just to spare me having to walk to the garage (an out building) to get what's needed for tinkering on something inside. 😊

[@thorin01]

I like Adam is clearly playing around with camera angles and shooting locations in his expanded shop space. I like seeing the space from new perspectives and the occasional glimpse of new projects in the background.

[@peterw8835]

I really like that he is using more of his shop.

[@DustinDawind]

When you talked about tape storage that reminded me of how my grandfather stored sandpaper. He build himself a sandpaper dispenser. It was a wooden box with a lid that he had sectioned off and it had a dowel through the center that he would load rolls of sandpaper onto. Each section was labelled with the grit of sandpaper that would be in that section. And he attached a hacksaw blade to the edge of the box. So any time he needed sandpaper he would just walk over to this box on the shelf and tear a strip off one of the rolls.

[@thugnasty1021]

I bet you're grandfather was an intelligent man.

[@johnbenson4672]

I used to work at R. Mort co., a screen printing place owned by an old graphic artist. He had stations in every room of necessary tools. Each tool had a color vinyl wrapped around the handle. Each station was a separate color and each board had the tool outlines drawn on it so if any tools were missing it was obvious. I'm getting to the point of organizing my workspace and I'm going to borrow that bit.

[@criggie]

"shadow hanging" is the name for that outline method. More recently there are methods using foam cutting to do the same task, or for some purposes a custom gridfinity holder works too.

[@heroslippy6666]

@@criggie Plus the gridfinity holder can be relocated easily when its time to rearrange the shop.

[@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo]

My mom spraypainted the pegboard of her tools, with the tools still on it. That way she knew what went where, and if it was missing. (I forget if she taped blades off or not. She was like 25 when she did it and neither of her parents were makers, so it wouldn't surprise me if she didn't)

[@kkumi1782]

​@@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo Pass me the hammer. What hammer? The white one. Where is it? Up there, on the tool board. ?! Just feel about, until you feel something that's hammer shaped.

[@crabman3144]

The talk about the shop being an externalization of an approach to work gave me part of a realization of why I had so much lethargy when I had a computer repair shop in my local mall, despite loving computers and enjoying working on them. Not only was it a lack of creature comforts thanks to a mindset of "This is a rented space for work," but also that part of my philosophy is "Leave me alone and let me get stuff done." That's kind of hard to achieve when one of your shop walls is a door and a giant window. Even now, my ideal shop/computer lab is a separate building, partly because I don't want people bothering me. Unlike my current setup in the corner of the basement, where I can hear everything through the floor above me and my light system is a salvaged ceiling light hanging from a gas line, and the last few times I was down there for something, people came by and distracted me. I guess I just need to be alone and undisturbed to get much of anything done outside an academic setting.

[@lunamcmeen7088]

Honestly, as someone with ADHD, Adams philosophy of minimal steps to flow state is very similar to mine! I've always likened it to friction in a machine. My brain is running full tilt at a problem but keeps getting its wheels stuck in the sand. each problem that needs to be solved before i can start makes it more likely my engine will burn out completely and i wont get going. i hope that was, clear. excellent video as always!

[@Pragabond]

Yeah he mentioned having ADHD and him talking about how he stores and organizes tools made 1000% sense to me and I honestly might end up consciously putting it into practice. Its so easy to get slapped out of the flow state and just as hard to get back into it. Its so incredibly fragile and fickle that you really want absolutely nothing not even a second of distraction in the way or your brain might decide its over it and we're done now actually.

[@dbtech7914]

A comfortable chair and proper table height is very important!

[@HickLif3]

I love that you are talking about organization in terms of flow state and not efficiency, which the way you do it adds efficiencey, but staying in that flow is so crucial. I can get knocked out of it and sometimes that's it, I'm done for the day because I just end up wasting time doing random things

[@Scarodactyl]

My shop is not an externalization of my philosophy about how to work, it's an externalization of my lifelong struggle with ADHD.

[@joemedley195]

He ain’t lying about the medical stool. I got one based on his recommendation several years ago. Aside from the obvious benefits of a place to perch, the chair really shines when I need to get my eyeballs at bench level for more that a few seconds.

[@morrisonAV]

I just posted a question right before I saw your response. I couldn't tell if he said "medical stool" or if it was a brand name. Did you find the Brewer chair he raved about years ago?

[@joemedley195]

@@morrisonAV I think it is. I believed I looked for ‘doctor’s stool’ or something like that on Craigslist.

[@rupe53]

While we are on different height for stools (I have 2 and a milk crate for extra low) I also have different height benches. One about 36 inches and one about 30 inches, which is better if you need to work on TOP of a project instead of the actual bench surface. The short bench also makes the top of a bench vice about the right work height.

[@joemedley195]

@@morrisonAV I must have missed the video on the Brewer chair.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

😭😭 TWICE now, Adam has talked up that club chair, and *_twice_* I've hoped he'd show it... but hasn't... 😑🤣 _"You're killin' me Smalls!"_ - *The Sandlot*

[@Incandescentiron]

I bought eight safety glasses and I have a pair of safety glasses in every power tool case that I own. I never have to look for safety glasses.

[@crrassh69]

I used to work selling shop supplies including body shop supplies and something as simple as a body clip or a spot welder drill out bits can cost or earn tens of thousands of dollars per year. The largest body shop in western Canada hired an efficiency expert and some of his recommendations blew me away. He suggested they doubled their body clip stock to the cost of 10,000 because they were wasting more shop time walking across the body shop getting clips through out the day and put 2 complete clip bins at each end of the shop to save time. They also did things like purchase spot weld drill out bits that were the most expensive we sold because even though they were 60% more they would drill out 500 spot welds per bit instead of 100 the cheap ones would drill and even though it’s simple math some parts folks just looked at the initial costs. These are just 2 examples of the 100’s of suggestions given to the shop. As an adult seeing this report and its results in action changed the way that I think. Love the show sir.

[@ThisSteveGuy]

4:02 - Over on Max (in the US), while they do have a bunch of Mythbusters seasons, there seems to be some missing ones. The seasons go from 1-4 and then 10-19 and then 101 (3 specials). I'm not so sure about that season numbering scheme, though, so I looked at the episode years, and almost everything from 2007 - 2010 is not available. The Titanic Survival ep from 2008 is randomly in season 13. I know this probably isn't the place to post this, but there it is.

[@LaMaquilleuse99]

Was about to comment the same thing. Max in the US is missing 5-9. Discovery plus is missing several seasons as well.

[@jaredjuhl6343]

Someone needs to give us an answer because there’s also episodes missing from different seasons

[@siggy4candy]

A “good friend” re-upholstered the chair - lol! Love Adam’s humility.

[@ambsquared]

Yeah. Saw the video when he got the reupholstered chair from his friend.

[@conqu2]

Yes a good friend and 12-time Grammy winner and one of Rolling Stone's greatest guitarists of all time, etc. etc. 😅

[@Smajtastic]

Absolutely!

[@Shakes-Off-Fear]

He’s an upholsterer who had a rock band as a hobby

[@uptonogood1893]

In my flow state I have a pair of scissors in nearly every room of my house. And it annoys me when someone borrows one and doesn't put it back where they found it.😅

[@Leightr]

My shop creature comforts are the chairs (wooden folding ones with cushions I got to match what my grandpa had in his shop), the mini-fridge w/ coffee maker on top, and the woodstove (due to my location and shop size I would go broke trying to heat it any other way, as it is I can have it 80 degrees inside on a 10 degree day by feeding it old pallets I get for free) I also have a decent sized screen and speaker setup, though it's only hooked up to a DVD player and (currently) my old Zune with several hours of music on it. I often had a DVD of the Red Green show playing as background noise when I out there tinkering. My lighting cheat is that in addition to the permanent bulbs I have several of the fairly cheap "chicken incubator" single bulb fixtures with the clamp attachment that I can move around and get extra light where needed.

[@LogicalNiko]

They dropped the HBO as Warner/Discovery believed HBO had a brand connotation to the type of content they produced. They said they feel that it both brings expectations on quality and grand scale that both can be a positive and negative when including the other catalog of content. Just as the Discovery name and the WB name have implied content/production expectations. This it was better to reserve HBO for studio and production indicators. People expected certain things from the HBO label, and they have a lot of stuff that doesn’t deserve it. And they want to preserve some aspect of prestige and importance to when they do use it.

[@caphaenaddiction]

Sometimes the walk to get a specific tool allows for a problem solving thought time I’ve found. But I can also se it being a time waste as well.

[@auckalukaum]

Oh man. My "shop" consists of the enclosed front porch, and the finished attic, in a 104 year old house. The porch houses the woodshop, and the attic the artistic area. Yesterday my wife was looking for the drill because she needed it upstairs, and it was on the porch at the time, and I said "Well, I guess we need to get another drill." I am so huge on having the tool you need at every station, even if that means you have 10 pairs of scissors at literally adjacent stations.

[@Speedbird9L]

I’ve found that travelling theatre companies are a good inspiration. They have a surprising number of tools and equipment that vanishes into ingenious cabinets and drawers. They fit so much, into a small space, and have everything organized so that it is on hand when needed. I often take photos of their setups. Musicians, on the other hand, seem far less organized. Merch and supplies end up in wherever they can fit, never to be seen again!

[@woodandwheelz]

Adam, I have learned so much from you about shop storage and setup. My only problem is (not complaining just stating) the need for money to do some of the things I want. But that will happen eventually. I'm excited to watch as my wood shop comes together piece by piece. And, yes, I do say, "I got that idea from Adam Savage." It's still a mess, but it's coming together. Thank you again for another great video and sharing your insight. God bless.

[@soulphisto79]

The compromise is to have a set of commonly used tools on a rolling cart/tool cart that you can roll with you to the work station. I have to do this at work...but usually I bring 1. adjustable wide jaw wrench. 2. Small channel lock pliers. 3. 11-in-1 Screw driver 4.) small Folding hex wrench set. If I need more than these, I go get my tool cart.

[@thejacksonmurphy]

I feel like a close friend to Adam when he tells a story for the second or third time and I’m still chuckling to myself about the results. For instance his club chair. Thank you Adam for telling new viewers your stories and not just getting into the mentality that “you’ve already said it so no one is interested”.

[@Alfonso162008]

And I'm an example of that, since this was the first time I've heard of that story 😂

[@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo]

So, I watch Peter Brown (he's the guy who made Adam's book into a literal hammer), and when he's sanding resin, he uses micromesh pads, and he explains them the same way every time. And when he doesn't, he gets people commenting on him not doing it - he thought people get bored of it, but it's actually a comforting part of it, if you know it already. And I think this is similar - it's more akin to a callback than repetition, and is more positive than it, too :)

[@DuxSupremus]

8:20 "And my philosophy turns out to be: the lowest possible threshold to the flow state." My mind immediately went 'high speed, low drag', but 'laminar flow' or 'low/no impedance' are probably also pithy ways of saying it too if you'd like additional ways of articulating it.

[@Yourfriendwasmagnificent]

This may sound odd but I could sit and listen to Adam all day, it's kinda meditative 😊

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

As James Herriot said, "an aficionado is enjoyable to watch but a true fanatic is irresistible."

[@timrobinson6573]

A LOT of MythBusters is on Hulu too. Watching it recently.

[@sourbunnyproductions2937]

Forget Hulu its not worth the price HBO MAX has it with NO commercials way better and ya me too started watching it again lol

[@tom4208]

just visited san fran a few weeks ago and had a lot of fun bar hopping then had the idea that I was gonna go see the m5 shop... I went at like 1am, doors were closed and only 1 car outside but it felt great to see the front door and garage door to the facility that produced some great memories I had the pleasure of growing up and watching on TV... thank you adam!

[@spidersj12]

R2 needs a Sombrero to accompany that "g" belt on his shoulder. How well would Adam's shop handle an earthquake, and would everything be on the floor in a shambles?

[@joermnyc]

He got those material storage racks from ILM’s old offices just north of the city, so I’m guessing they were built with earthquakes in mind.

[@Incandescentiron]

I took a weekend seminar on building tiny houses. The first thing he told us to do is to take two handfuls of Carpenters pencils and throw them up in the air around the building area so he always had a pencil nearby. I thought that was brilliant.

[@ottopartz1]

For the creature comforts, I have been adding small and large LED strip lights to all kinds of places. So nice to have extra light and i now have a workbench with pretty much no shadows. And with the low cost of LED strips it really hasn't been an expensive upgrade.

[@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo]

Is that hard on your eyes, over time? I find LEDs very painful to light areas for extended periods of time

[@ottopartz1]

@@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo there's still a good amount of fluorescent and a few incandescent bulbs in the shop, also I'm only ever in my shop for an hour or two at a time. Plus I got the kind with the diffuser housing on them so they aren't nearly as brutal or bad as the naked COB style lights. Also my main goal was to eliminate dead spots and shadows on my workbench and parts graveyard areas so I tried to have the lights above me, to the sides, behind and under things so it's mostly bouncing and not directly hitting anywhere. My garage shop has no windows and low ceilings since it's two stories and was originally built for horses, there's a small door and a swing out block and tackle thing for pulling hay and feed to the upper part. It's a bit more challenging to light than a normal garage.

[@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo]

@@ottopartz1 oh okay, thank you! That sounds like a hell of a garage. Very nice :)

[@yarnexpress]

Have 2 thoughts. I'm a maker and I make quilts. I have several work stations--machine sewing, hand sewing, quilting frame for hand quilting, cutting station, & etc. I want the tools needed at a station to live there even if means duplicates--I have 4 or 5 pairs of my most useful scissors for example. Seating is a creature comfort. I spent many uncomfortable, even painful, hours at my hand quilting frame--sore shoulders, back, & neck. I kept buying cheap chairs. Finally I invested in a steel case leap chair. Like all high end ergonomic chairs it follows one's every move thus encouraging fidgeting. (Picked steel case because I'm short & it was the best fit.) Never looked back. I've sat down at the frame to work with a sore back & the chair eases it. I've often said if the house was on fire it would be the only thing (people & pets excluded) that I would want rescued.

[@spcglider]

Jamie probably hates searching for stuff too. Thats why tools are in ONE PLACE. There is never a question about where to find a hammer. Its in the spot for hammers. Need one? Don't need to search. Its in the hammer spot.

[@NG-VQ37VHR]

Jamie's lack of a hammer in the machine shop, may come down to just having a hard time making himself believe he needs to buy multiples of the same tool, because he already has one and knows where it is. This is an issue i run into all the time. I have a ton of great tools and equipment at home that i use almost daily. I also have some tools at work. I find it very hard to make myself buy multiples of the same tool for work, even though cost isnt the issue. I tell myself that i can just borrow one from home if i need it. But i always end up just getting the job done with the wrong tool because i dont have time to get the right tool from home. And the job is always more difficult than it needed to be because of that. Im beginning to correct that issue now that ive recognized what ive been doing. But his issue may have been something similar.

[@1pcfred]

If you need a specific tool at a specific location get a tool just for that location. Your time is more valuable than the cost of tools. You can't even put a price tag on the peace of mind having what you need where you need it imparts either. If you need it then get it. That's better than going and getting it.

[@squidcaps4308]

Interesting topic.. My craft station is made like my dads shop, tools close, materials at the back, "knickknacks" like screws etc on the side. The most used tools are so close that you don't even need to look when you retrieve them. Carousel tower for screws and bolts has been amazing space saver, and it is FAST to find stuff in it.

[@jkmatthews42]

As a an alumni (1998) of @Case and longtime fan, I appreciate the think[box] shout-out! Keep up the great work.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

No, not *all* of Mythbusters is available on Max. It has seasons 1-4, then 10 onward. Seasons 5-9 are *not* available.

[@LaMaquilleuse99]

Correct. 5-9 are missing on Max.

[@Richard_Nickerson]

​@@LaMaquilleuse99 I checked after commenting and edited my comment to reflect the facts.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

They're over at Amazon. They like to play us

[@RichardStroffolino]

Knowing Ian Charnas who helped found the CWRU think[box], makes me happy to hear your esteem for it Adam. Cheers!

[@MightyDrakeC]

One thing I did with my workbenches is I set them pretty tall, so that they're comfortable to work at while standing. Then, I bought chairs that are tall enough to work comfortably at the height of the workbench. Because, while working on something, it is often useful to be able to stand up quickly to change the angle you're addressing the item. The low chair that Adam showed takes a lot more effort to lift yourself up from than just basically stepping off of a tall chair. It's another of those not-breaking-the-flow situations.

[@kredonystus7768]

I wish we could get as deep a look into Jamie's philosophies as Adam's. They're so diffferent that the contrast will for sure make them both useful for us.

[@Spock910]

Your idea of the workspace would fit in nicely with Six Sigma 5S which is Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

[@tomhorsley6566]

Heck, I get a lot of exercise by walking back and forth to retrieve stuff I need. I like getting up and moving occasionally :-).

[@johnbogle6475]

The pinnacle of organization is (some believe): "Everything has a place and there's a place for everything". The opposite end of that spectrum is, tools are left where they were last used (I've worked with people who don't tidy up at the end of the day and it drives me crazy :). The best approach I believe lies somewhere in the middle, Where a tool was last used is the most likely place it will be used again. OTOH never designating a place for a tool ends in chaos which is very unproductive. Constant vigilance about where tools are used (and mental flexibility on the part of the user to re-organize) makes for the most efficient and therefor rewarding shop to work in. Great video. Thanks

[@JoseJimeniz]

That's actually a great line, and something i felt but never consciously recognized: > That problem has already been solved; it needs no more attention. It brings a simplicity to my life - i can throw overboard the things i no longer need to think about.

[@elektro3000]

Shop lighting, YES! I HATE peering at a poorly lit workpiece, maybe because in my youth, every room of the house was super dim after my mother got done setting up the lighting ("I don't want it to look like an operating room in here!") So now my whole house is well lit and my work spaces put any operating room to shame. I sort of estimate the amount of lighting a work space needs, then triple or quadruple it, and I'm always happy with the result. I also take the operating room concept of "shadowless lighting" to an extreme. I do a lot of automotive work, so in my garage I installed ten 8-foot LED strip lights, two on each rafter between the back wall and the garage door in the raise position, plus four more 2-foot LED strip along one side of the raised garage door where my shelving is, and then a leftover 4-foot dual strip "puff light" over my workbench on the other side of the garage door. It's brighter than an operating room and unless you're right up against a wall, it's very difficult to cast a shadow. Makes working on small objects SO much easier, reduces the need for shining flashlight or drop light on something, and even allows me to do quite a bit of the work UNDERNEATH cars without bringing a light.

[@lip03pd]

I love that R2 always just seems to be hanging around in the background, like a puppy following Adam around the cave 🤣

[@PrecludeLP]

You know, I've heard the story about the chair 3 times now, and I still love it.

[@CoolSilver]

7: 23 You can apply this to about any space. A kitchen to home office. If it's a space for a task then there is a philosophy ... or personality within it. Chaotic to minimalistic to one of everything you need in reach.

[@JeromeDemers]

Wow imagine a series of you visiting different shops around the Bay Area and see their philosophy. This was great video!

[@drewrathbone7857]

Ahah, now my adhd brain has worked out how to plan workspaces, thank you Adam, things can live where they are going to be used, so as to not get lost, cause distraction as I search for something, or go through a transition space and get my brain wiped. Multiples of tools are not an indulgence, when they are where you need them, when you need them, rather than lost somewhere in the chaos. Love it, thankyou

[@krosenmann]

Hi, Another ADHD brain here. I've worked out the same when tried some F.Tailor principles, but with some adjustments: all my projects now actually boxes with "all what I need to do a job". Because my workplace is in my living room, I can turn my desk into any operational center just by dragging only one box from the shelf. And yes, I have duplicates of tools, and so on, everything else the same. Works perfectly in small place, if you have enough boxes.

[@krosenmann]

One specific thing that I appreciate about that way to organize things that's it chaos tolerant: you don't need to do giant initial organisational work to put things in order, it possible to start from initial chaos, do some project relative work and then leave things in pile for that specific type of work. Month or two and most of the things become organized quite handy.

[@Josh-sFarm]

When you move that lever, the phase offset between the commutator bars and the stator windings is adjusted in two directions.Phase offset is what gives AC motors their direction, otherwise they sit there and buzz like in the middle position.

[@Voom_Industries]

I have the wall of labeled boxes in mine, but I wish I could find/afford to have uniform bins. I also have a rack of Harbor Freight Sortimo-style cases.

[@bennyfactor]

Yeah I think the HF cases are pretty good for a tight budget. Got a half dozen of them myself. And there are similar, but even smaller, cases that go on sale at Michaels every few months that are semi-transparent. Very nice for the money.

[@Tomd4850]

HBO Max has been weird. They, for some reason, removed a few of the seasons right from the middle of the series 😕

[@RileyZilla1001]

One bad thing about Mythbusters on Max is that 3/4 of the way through some episodes it repeats a 1 minute loop and you have to physically fast forward past. Very poor as a sleep aid tbh.

[@federicolin4563]

So Max is actually missing seasons 5 though 9. Has anyone else noticed that?

[@LaMaquilleuse99]

Yes. Discovery plus has the same issue. We switched because of this video and I was disappointed.

[@MrWhiteRabbitt]

"Lovely friend of mine made this top for me." Friend's name is Jack White :) pretty sure that's the one he upholstered.

[@AB8Y_radio]

I thought the same thing

[@jackpijjin4088]

White Stripes Jack White?

[@MrWhiteRabbitt]

@@jackpijjin4088 Yeah. Upholstering was Jack's first real job, he still does it as a hobby and gifted that stool to Adam. He explains everything in an old video.

[@timbrosnan9372]

As a woodworker who just reorganized my shop, I loved this. One thought about The Cave vs M5.. Isn't there a difference between shops used mostly by one person as compared to those used by a team of people?

[@JesterC88]

On the hammer in the woodworking shop and not in the machine shop, Jaime strikes me as the type of person that if he needed a hammer for the project, he would collect it from the woodworking shop and bring it with him ahead of time. I'm with you Adam. If I need this tool in multiple locations regularly, I need multiples of the tool.

[@osirisatot19]

I love the way Adam thinks and talks about things. Like talking about how much he and Jamie have different ideas of how and what a workplace should be and what should be in it is interesting.

[@Incandescentiron]

I started keeping two tape measures on every wall of my garage. I'm one step away from getting a tape measure.

[@VictorBalestrin]

00:49 Wasn't the lovely friend Jack White? I seem to remember Adam mentioning that in a previous video.

[@Eric_Schon]

Yes, I was going to comment that/ How humble of Adam to say a friend and not name drop.

[@the_bjd]

My notes /summary of the organization philosophy Adam shares: differences in how Adam and Jamie organized and worked adam -- first order retrievability -- very important . hates looking for stuff. reduce looking for stuff. Jamie: all hammers go in one section. all tools organized together. downside: spend more time walking to get tool. downside of Adam's approach: may have duplicates and in different locaations (allan wrenches at several tools. hammers at multiple tool stations) Mythbusters shop: giant shelves with everything . nice to go shopping with eyes seems that Adam organizes for the function or tool center vs Jamie organizes more like hardware store departments.

[@Iamnemo1994]

The funny thing is that I think that Jamie’s shop philosophy is also about minimizing the barriers to flow state. The difference is what those barriers are. Adam is, at core, more of an artist; the core thing he’s focused on is the physical artifact he’s building. So, the things that remove him from his flow state are the barriers to making physical progress on building the thing. Jamie is more of an engineer; he’s more focused on problem solving. So the things that remove him from his flow state are the intellectual barriers to understanding what the problem at hand is and how to solve it. It is a more efficient physical workflow to have a hammer next to every lathe, but it is more intellectually elegant to have a single Hammer Zone where all the hammers live. As soon as I need a hammer, I know I need to go to the Hammer Zone, so there is no unnecessary mental effort that would distract me from thinking about the problem.

[@AnUncleanHippy]

You know, despite me being an artist and not a maker, I 100% understand what you mean about seeing someone else's space and understanding how they work. I absolutely love talking to other artists about their techniques, how they achieve the results they get, and I like sponging that sort of stuff up. I'll see someone do something one way and think, "Holy shit, how didn't I think of that?!" and shamelessly steal their technique.

[@epremeaux]

I posit that Jamie would ALSO think of his space philosophy as being "the least resistance to the flow state". Simply that you both have identified totally opposite "issues" that break your flow state (but I think, as I'll explain, they are actually the SAME). It sounds like he is of the mind of "everything has a place and everything is in it's place". he has identified not knowing where something is, or someone not knowing where to bring it back to when done with it as being the most detrimental. He does not mind walking over to the hammer rack simply because he KNOWS where the hammer rack is, and can confidently expect all hammers he owns to be there. My guess is that having to go searching, even for a moment, would flip his lid. From his POV, the idea that any particular tool could have MULTIPLE places it belongs is nonsensical. Seeing a T handle wrench on the table and having to think "WHICH T-handle station did THIS one come from?" and go searching for the station with a missing T handle is just as bad as not knowing where ANY T handle wrenches could be found. You are the "each station needs It's tools" personality, and he is "here are the tools for all stations" personality. But at your core, both personalities are thinking "First and foremost, know where the tools are. Make them easy to find. Easy to put back. Dont interrupt the flow." To you, walking around the shop, gathering all the tools you need, then doing the task, then walking around again putting tools away seems wasteful and time consuming. To others, having common use tools repeated at every station seems wasteful, and adds confusion. Sorting them out is time consuming. Same complaint. Different points of view.

[@mitchprever4632]

Adam, at 9:00, what you're referring to is called "Kaizan", it's a Japanese word that "doing more with less", (in terms of using less steps to complete more task), it's a practice used by Chefs to insure that prep cooks have everything they need at their stations to complete their assignments and not spending time and money repeatedly stopping production retrieving what they already know they'll need.

[@KaijuBiologist]

This video, on its own, was just as enlightening and educational as Adam's book.

[@Milleneum]

BTW Adam, Max does not provide all the Myth Busters episodes. Huge gaps exist. I too am attempting to rewatch, and season 4 is a disaster, seasons 5-9 are gone. I am sure there is more mess I haven't got to yet. It is a core issue that a company that owns the material can't properly make it available.

[@gpgarrettporter]

Seeing you in an ORGANIZED Space, vs UNORGANIZED, projects such a less stressful/chaotic feel to your videos!!! Its more of an inspiring feel: Keep goin!

[@jedidrummerjake]

2 people I could listen to all day long is Adam Savage and Brian Cox. ❤

[@himaro101]

I don't have a workspace, but I realised that I do exactly what Adam does. I prefer to have what I need, where I need it. If that means having multiples, I tend to do just that. I've got a small set of tools in my office as well as in the lounge, the two places I'll most likely need them, be it fixing a toddler toy, laptop or camera. When I get a garage and \ or shed, I'll likely do the same with them...

[@Lamartian]

I found in my music production studio that I want instant access to instruments. Guitars, basses, snare drums... all right there. But when I want to swap out microphones I like a little distance. The mic locker is organized and labeled, but I kinda need that 1-2 minute buffer to think about the consequences of my choices. Some studios do it the opposite way where their microphones are right behind the mixing console and the guitars are stowed away in cases in semi-storage. There may be a philosophy behind it all, but it reminds me of a sidewalk that makes a right angle turn and there's a dirt path worn in the grass where people decided to ignore the concrete. So maybe the philosophy is just following the dirt path and paving the area where people found it more efficient to walk.

[@CallousCoder]

LOL, I had a massive row in my first job with the owner who said; "screwdrivers go here and not here!" And I was like: "screwdrivers go where I find the convenient and not where some pencil pushing paper tiger wants the to be!" When you are 22 you're not the most sensitive person. He had setup the technical department from a "clean space" idea, how we wanted his customers to see it. But it was unpractical to have a wall with screwdrivers behind test benches. So we had the tools on the test benches and never used those walls again much to his dismay. Because when you assembly and fix 20 machines a week, those screwdrivers never rest. And we had 3 distinct test bench section for each of us. I had my screwdrivers laid out in a different way then my other two colleagues. It's just what you naturally feel is great. I also and a soldering iron always on because I was the one who did most soldering and the owner wanted that thing in the soldering cart (on the other side of the department). I told him that the first thing I do when I come in is turn the power on and the soldering iron jumps to live and I use it on and off the whole day. And the last one to leave switches the power off. It was a happy moment for the whole company when the other partners bought out that wanker! It gave so much peace! Managers shouldn't micro manage!

[@dyrgewolf]

As Im in thr process of building a workshop (2 car garage sized building) on my property right now, shop layout is something I've been thinking about a lot. So, videos like this that talk about shop infrastructure are great right now.

[@1pcfred]

When I moved I had to face the challenge of setting up a new workshop. I tackled it by making a scaled physical model of everything I had and the space I had to put it all in. That's what I did and it worked for me. Now maybe you'll just get lucky? But I wouldn't count on it. You probably shouldn't either. Because you're the one that's going to have to rearrange all your crap if you get it wrong.

[@Kizmar]

I've been re-watching Mythbusters too... the Adam time jump back and forth between that and this is quite interesting.

[@clanzil]

Oh I wish you would do another tour like that one with Michael. I saw you in MA. It was a riot and we had such a great time.

[@ramagefreak]

also "first order Returning", your example of the t-allens is perfect. yes there could be a single place to go get one, but you need it now at that station, so you have it at that station... BUT will you put it back if you have to walk all the way across the space? no you put it down and continue working... that item has now left the "special storage" If you forget to return or misplace it, the next time you need that item its gone... Some things need a central point of storage, others need a dispursed storage. controlling that ratio and identifying which needs which is journey in controlling your space.

[@poot111111]

10:05 We would love an entire episode dedicated to just this folder !

[@babbagebrassworks4278]

Not "first order retrievability" but lowest level distraction. Going to find a tool means a mental and visual distraction, not good for us ADHD.

[@Fox.with.a.Dragon.Tattoo]

Unfortunately multi seasons 0f Mythbusters are missing off Max now Season 5 - 9 ... and have been for a couple months. It sucks, I was re-watching them to. And I don't know why they're missing

[@Geographus666]

I would not mind a tour of the 1000-ft storage space

[@robadams1645]

He did one a few years ago.

[@Geographus666]

@@robadams1645I know but that was about the storage space above his shop, which I think is a different place.

[@robadams1645]

@@Geographus666 oh yeah you're right. I misunderstood your question.

[@TheDementation]

Some people cant think ahead to what tools they will need, so they have to keep going back to their hand tools. This is why you buy multiple tools and put them next to each piece of equipment. This only impacts large shops, if your shop is small, then the best way to deal with tools is centralize them so the distance is minimized.

[@StrengthOfADragon13]

The beautiful thing about the story of you buying that chair is how well it highlights the beauty of being on the same page financially w/ your partner. Sometimes you need someone to remind you to spend money

[@criggie]

Jamie's brief walk to get a tool, is indicative that he takes a moment to "run background processes" and think through all those thoughts that are "in the background queue" I bet Adam cannot plan "what's for dinner tonight" while in the middle of a build, because the highest priority process is using all the CPU and no background task gets any timeslices. To Adam, task switching is a high-cost, to Jamie it is a lower mental cost. How's that for a paraphrase of the different approach? In no way is either better or worse; it's just different.

[@Neopopulas]

I would love to see a tour of the storage spaces. Imagine all the cool stuff he's got in there.

[@JeepinBoon]

Ritter medical stools are a staple in my workspace. I've refoamed and covered one stool twice, needs a third time. Whenever I get there I get there. I've taken your first, second, third order tools to heart and it has made my workspace work seamlessly. I have three different workstations and many tools are redundant to make life easy.

[@TheDOS]

100% on team Adam with having things handy and not disrupting your thought process or flow state.

[@KristenK78]

It serves ADHD hyperfocus mode. :)

[@bloodgain]

Thank you for including chapter markers! ❤

[@realpdm]

I wish there was a way to index and find all of Adam's tips that are buried in longer videos. I saw that horizontal tape storage video a while back and he mentioned it again here but for the life of me I can't find it now. I love watching these videos from Adam as there are just so may good ideas crammed into his head that they come out some times at random times as part of other conversations. I need to start just writing them down!

[@zachmoyer1849]

just keep a word doc with hyperlinks to the timestamp in the video

[@CarboniteDreamer]

Instead of First Order Retrievability it's more like Fluid Motion almost like Tai Chi of the work environment. I notice Adam has a way of working it's more of a Meditative movement and when he has to stop and go find something it messes with his Zen so to speak.