my shop's sort of organised, as far as keeping things in "stock" I try as much as possible to borrow from the J.I.T (just in time) philosophy.
Doesn't apply to things like nicely figured wood or speed parts of course, but if i need plumbing parts, hardware, sheets of ply etc for something that...
you're trying to create platforms bent from a u shaped cut out to 90 degrees yeah? clamp it down to a piece of angle iron/flat stock/ bench edge etc and use drifts to drive it down, much easier than prying it up. It nay be worth making a die up that supports it at the ends but that can done...