My shop shirts which are long sleeved, double pockets and usually a slightly heavier material (MN winters) are wearing out. I have a habit I picked up from my father of wearing old clothes to do work in the shop.
My favorite shirts have two pockets. Glasses, cell and walkie-talkie for saftey reasons. Can't find them at Wal-Mart and Kmart use to carry them is now not serving southern MN.
So I'm thinking about it. My shop is usually dirty even though I clean up after every job. I usually bump into or rub against some finish. GRRR! But that's me.
Notice a lot of YouTube guys are in cool clothes or white shirts?
since I was thinking about what to do next, I thought I'd see what my fellow LJ's do in their shops.
Pretty much what I always wear, but I've started wearing an apron when finishing or gluing. I've got a flannel shirt that still has tite bond on it from over a year ago.
T-shirts and jeans in the summer, sweat shirts and jeans in the winter. My wife made me a shop apron from worn out jeans which I really like and it takes all the abuse rather than my shirts and jeans.
Usually just old jeans and t-shirts. I do, however, keep one shop coat for those times I'm wearing something that needs covered up or doing glue ups or finishing. The coat is one I picked up from a scrub & uniform shop. It is long enough to cover a shirt and top part of the pants, has cuffed sleeves so they can be pushed up out of the way when needed, and a couple front pockets for keeping things in place. It works just as good as the fancy shop aprons and coats,is available in a choice of colors and is very reasonably priced-it was only about $20.
jeans, flannel, t-shirt. I heat with a woodstove that is made to heat 2 1/2 times the space. so when I light it it heats up fast so I peal out of the flannel pretty fast. Within an hour its 80*+ in the shop. In the summer Its shorts. Usually they are all work clothes. I will say quality flannel shirts are getting hard to come by, and pockets are a must on all shirts. I smoke. I know BOOOOOOO.
Old jeans (no shorts) year-round. In cold weather I wear old sweat shirts … in warm weather old T-shirts. When I am turning, I throw on a smock. When doing glue-ups and hand-tool work I will often don an apron.
I buy cheap shirts from the local thrift store for $2-$3 to wear in the shop because they get glue, stains and tears very quickly. Some oily woods such as cocobolo have dust that will stain a shirt and not wash out. I have a Duluth Trading heavy duty shop apron that I wear when grinding, carving and sanding. I have about a half dozen old and stained pairs of blue jeans and blue jean shorts that only get worn in the shop.
I always wear jeans so that is a given. As far as shirts I wear whatever based on temperature. I usually don't make any sort of effort to wear any specific item basically whatever I have on. Might be a t shirt one day and then some expensive button up the next.
Dickies or Sears brand, long sleeve, double pocket, heavy cotton, light colored, work shirts most of the time, in the shop. Carhart T-Shirts the rest of the time.
I also have a heavy canvas shop apron with pockets and a turners jacket, both get occasional use when staining or finishing and free hand router work.
I'm with Greg the Cajun, thrift store t-shirts - cheap and totally disposable.
I have rags galore, but inevitably wipe my hands on my shirt or pants. In Chicago it's hot hot hot in the summer, so cut-off sweat pants shorts are the ticket.
I don't know if you have a Farm and Fleet store in the area, but they still have all kinds of great work clothes.
Happy hunting!
In the summer it's just a t shirt and shorts, sometimes pants.
But the rest of the time it's too cool in my shop. My wife got me these insulated shirts from JC Penney for my bday or Christmas one year. I fell in love with them, so I got 2 more, since they are very comfortable.
It's a shirt that's really an outer garment. so I wear it over a t, or long sleeve, and on really cold days over a flannel shirt.
it has 2 pockets, very durable material, only problem has been the buttons which I keep sewing back on.. Maybe I need a heavier thread.
i wear carhartt bibs with the carpenters apron on the front, i wear those all the time except on sunday for church, or if i'm going to an appointment, dr or the likes, but that isn't very often, so basically the bibs…a very simple wardrobe…i use to just wear my boots, but since my back has gotten worse, i cant wear them any longer, there just to heavy…in my alaska years, i wore a very heavy set of leather hiking boots…i wore those 24/7..i would chance the red laces every 3 or 4 months , oh, those were the days…
My profile picture shows the red jacket that I'm wearing most days. It can be chilly in the shop for more than half the year. All cotton with a military flair.
I also have an identical jacket which I keep on the hook for wearing outside the shop. It's not as dusty, stained or ragged as the shop jacket will soon be.
Pants are always Riggs ripstop. They have generous pockets and are very durable.
Shirts are invariably button up with a collar and need to have at least one pocket.
Shoes are currently urban walkers designed for concrete. They are light and have good shock absorption.
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