Favorite Shop Organizers

I like the little plastic bins that have about 20 sections and clear doors/flaps to keep the dust out.

You can hang them on the wall saving space.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

I like the watch maker cases for keeping all the small brass screws, hinges, hardware, etc. that I use for some of my projects. You can get them from Lee Valley.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=44948&cat=1,43326

-- Tim-- http://www.tmuli.com

Hi Steve

My new shop is going to be in a 14 X21 single car garage. For that reason I like using drawers where ever possible. Under the assembly table, in my miter saw cabinet and any machine moble bases. I am planning on building my router table on the end of my table saw. It will be a closed unit similar to the bench dog cabinet. I still will have some drawers for the table saw, tools and blades. No matter what you do, the main thing to remember is there has to be a place for everything and everything in its place. If you are not using it, put it away.

I would subscribe to Fine Woodworking on the internet. They have all kinds of information you are looking for.
You can look at all the past articles and videos. I think it is still available.

God bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

Here are the ones I was talking about.

http://www.stack-on.com/tool_and_hardware/plastic_storage/cb-12.html

I have 5 of them all lined up hanging on one wall.

They are all labeled for all my wood screws.
Like I said earlier they have clear flaps to keek the dusk out of them.

I got them for just under $10 each at a store called Atwoods which I think is a regional store.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

Several items come to mind. I have made a set of drawers that store nuts, bolts, screws in the clear plastic food containers. You can buy these at Walmart or your local grocery store. They stay shut and are stackable. I should add they are cheap.

I made an extention to my table saw that is a router table. I have a drawer for bits and bought a foam bit holder at a trade show. The other drawer is for my saw blades. I made dividers that allow me to hang the blade on a dowel that rest in a notch. This keeps the blade from hitting anything and I can see just which blade is there. I have attached a picture of this.

-- "When we build, let us think we build forever." John Ruskin

I really like this little shelf that I built….

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Steve,
Welcome Aboard. Shop organization is always a challenge, espicially when first setting up a shop. I have moved stuff around my tiny more time then I can count.
I would reccomend:
1. Peg Board if possible (always gives you the option of hanging things directly)
2. Wheels (espicially if you have a small shop, the more mobile things are the better)
3. Some type of cabinet. There a re a tone around here. Check out projects with keyword of “Workshop”
This is my attempt at a cabinet system for my shop
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/clieb91/blog/3298
I am still have not gotten around to the doors, but when i do each side cabinet gets one. One is going to be a peg board insert the other a chalkboard.

Good luck in setting up your shop, look forward to seeing it.

CtL

-- Chris L. "Don't Dream it, Be it."

Hi Steve.

It doesn’t look like much, but in bang-for-you-hours-invested, it would be tough to beat the little wall-hung rack I made. It helped me quite a bit. It doesn’t need to be mounted onto peg-board. That was already up in that location.

-- johnjoiner

Hi Steve.
Maybe this pic will help in storage of some wood. I used some inch and a half maple dowel that came from a demo of a project at a school. And some pipe clamps.

You can see it in the upper left corner of the pic. Hope this helps…..I love it!

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

Thanks All… These are great ideas. I’m so tired of my shop being a mess. I can’t wait to start on some of these ideas. I’ve been looking thru some of the past projects on storage, when I get a list of links together, I’ll post them.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Steve, here are two of my previously posted projects you may not have seen. I find them quite useful.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Here are some great ideas from some members at Ersatz Tom’s forum entry: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/1864#reply-31073

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †