Any flat surface at my residence has a gravitational attraction to random objects and half completed projects. Both the wife and I are guilty of it. What's on my bench in the garage? Let's see here. Bullet casting pot, lead dipper, ingot mold, bits of lead all over the place, work gloves, Dolmar service manual, roll of wire, safety glasses, nuts and bolts that go to who knows what, tin snips, half empty roll of weedeater line, drips of grease, oil, and epoxy. You get the idea!
My tool cart is what I actually use for working on small machines. Because I use it to hold tools while working on stuff, it never has random junk on it. To work on a saw or weedeater I just shove the tools to one side to make room. Or just sit the machine on top of the tools.