Sqeezing more shop into small space continues.

If you’ve read my workshop entry, you might just gather I am crunched on space even though I am in a 2 car garage, and you’d be right. And I am trying to squeeze as much usable shop into the space I have available. Unfortunately vertical space isn’t well utilized yet, so most horizontal spaces, like the current workbench, the various tool tables, the floor etc… get covered in stuff.

As I was walking from the lathe, into the house the other day I noticed something about my clamp rack setup…

I have since moved the 24” clamps to the bottom rail, and the 6” up to the top rail. Which means I have about 14” of wasted vertical space. What to do?

A quick trip to the BORG offered up a fast solution… A pair of simple closet rod holding shelf brackets like the ones Amazon sells.

A piece of closet rod, and a 12” x 36” piece of scrap 3/4” plywood, some 3/8” hardwood dowels and an idea…

While this project is still in the ongoing stage, the plan is…

#1. Move the upper clamp rod down 14” to where the 12” clamps above and 24” clamps below do not interfere with each other. #2. Move the stuff that is more or less just screwed to the wall off. #3. Install the closet shelf brackets DIRECTLY above the upper clamp rod. #4. Size the plywood for the shelf, ROUND OVER THE FRONT CORNERS! Use the doweling jig to add a few dowels to the sides to hang things like the push blocks, shop apron etc… #5. Size the closet rod, and drill pilot holes for the screws that will hold it in place. #6. Paint the shelf and closet rod, and install both. #7. Place clamps back in place. Move spring clamps from bag on workbench, to hanging from closet rod. #8. Place PPE such as respirator and accessories (kept in airtight plastic tub BTW), work gloves, finishing gloves, eye and ear protection on new shelf. The exception to be the face shield, that stays on the lathe.

I am hoping that by maximizing my use of vertical space, that I can reduce my use of horizontal space, meaning as more and more of these projects get done, I can actually free up space to do silly things, like do woodworking. And I hope that my goofy brain ramblings here gave at least one other person here an idea for shop organization.

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!