Need help with organization

[luv2eat]

Unfortunately I am not a very organized person. My garage/workshop is a mess. I spend more time looking for something i know i have (somewhere) than actually using it. At least it seems that way.

Over the winter I am going to completely empty my garage and start over. I do some machining as well as some welding and work on vehicles. My work area is not that large but is what I have. It is about 30 ft deep and about 22 ft wide with one garage door and one entry door. The height is 12 ft to ceiling.

I am needing storage tips and tricks for all kinds of things such as sockets, oil pans and funnels, wrenches, precision tools, jacks, jack stands, etc. I also am looking for ideas on good work benches, cabinets, welding tables, etc.

I plan to remove most everything from it and build or buy new workbenches and storage areas. Since I am doing machining, fabrication, and auto work in the garage, I want to make the best use of the space I have. I could store some things that i don't use very often up high and out of the way but I will need to build some shelves or something for them. I have a lot of small items used for machining as well as metal of various sizes and types to store.

Any and all ideas are needed. Pictures of your solutions would be greatly appreciated.

Perhaps there are other threads that cover some of this. If so please let me know.

Thanks much.

 

[rvieceli]

there are a ton of threads on storage options throughout the forms. Here's a great one:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174553&showall=1

there are also ones on building racks, cabinets and overhead storage as well do a search.

 

[ez-duzit]

If you setup the machine shop at one end, with benches, smaller machines and storage cabinets along the sides, you will still have room to work around a car.

 

[Ckengine]

Personally I use totes for welding stuff plumbing stuff ect. I use a small cabinet for chemicals and lubricants, peg board for things I use a lot and tool box organizers to keep it all in its place.

 

[egnorant]

Well, I did the bulldozer clean of my shop too. I still change my organization all the time after 3 years.

With all the choices it will boil down to how you use your shop and personal preference.

Don't put stuff back in the shop if it does not belong in the shop. Many things I thought would be useful turned out to be space wasters. The first way you handle something may not be the best. I have moved my funnels 3 times and that could change again!

Be very stingy about giving up open floor space. I rearranged stuff when I found that I wanted room to pull an engine or open both doors on a 72 2 door Cougar while I work. If you only make room to park a car, you will park a car there. Floor is not a shelf!

Oh, and pictures are always helpful!

Bruce

 

[MichaelBikel]

I see a few factors that will sway decision making
-Budget
-Amount of stuff
-Intended use of space

Most of the time on this site I see guys welding benches around us general tool boxes, they turn out great. I wouldn't mind attempting this some day. If you are worried about floor space, I would recommend that any footprint you use, you take up as much vertical space as possible. For example I got a small parts cabinet that is fairly narrow/tall and I used the top for storage as well, its right for my smaller shop. The other thing is you are probably going change thing around a few times, my shop is continually changing. Just make sure whatever you do works for you and its efficient!

 

[nadogail]

My workshop in a garage also used as a parking area is "a work in progress" . My limitations are, space, budget, weather, time and stamina.

I have a large tool box for wrenches, screwdrivers, and other hand tools. I try return those tools to their appropriate drawer as I finish using then.

Clamps hang on a Clamp Rack.

Welding Rod in a cabinet above the Clamp Rack.

Large Power Tools, are on casters so they can be shoved into their parking slots when not in use.

Plumbing, Paint cans, Electrical Supplies are in plastic totes inside cabinets.

Steel, Lumber, and Plastic Pipe are all in a 3' wide covered fenced area at one side of the garage.

Space is tight, the 6' stepladder is stored next to the toilet in the shop W/C.

My welding table is a piece of Hardy Backer Board I lay across two saw horses.

 

[rayra]

I'd suggest the OP start with figuring the major work tasks he does and what sort of workspace they require, clearances to work around things or for stock materials to be clamped, fed into machinery etc. Get the gross layouts figured first. Welding needs good ventilation and it and grinders etc need clearance from flammables.

Then figure what key cabinets you need, like paint lockers, storage for large clamps, tool drawers etc.

Then figure how to fill the rest with storage cabinetry, both high and low.

Try to get it organized in smaller batches, say by work task, it will make it easier to get it all done and get that progress feedback as you go. That sort of encouragement makes a real difference in getting things done. Start off with your key workbench and tool area. Then whatever will be adjacent to it and work your way around the space. That way you don't have to move everything out as a first step. Unless you are doing the floors too.
In that way, as you organize each work space, the pike of disorganized junk gets smaller in a hurry and you don't have to keep moving the pile(s) around. Moving stuff only once or twice is a huge time and labor saver, instead of endlessly shuffling stuff around as hoarders seem to do.

 

[bczygan]

OP,
There is no magic bullet or one sage piece of advice I can give you.

Each person's situation is different, depending on his goals and needs.

You are going to have to do all the work of analyzing each part of the way you work, and what tools, machinery and equipment that requires.

And as said above, you will likely redo things a few times. Some people are continually adjusting their shops.

It WILL require you to acquire some new habits, because you aren't just redoing the shop.

Lots of good layout ideas on this forum, but you must choose what combinations of methods will work best for you.

For a working garage it is difficult to have it look visually simple. That requires ways to put everything away and out of sight. This also requires that you do the putting away after each project. It sounds like you probably wouldn't like to be this rigorous in your habits. That doesn't mean you can't be organized. If you set things up so they follow the pattern of your work, you can end up with a place for everything and everything in it's place. Some things, that aren't used as often, can be put behind closed doors and in containers. The things you use all the time can be left out and visible, but in racks at the work station or machine they are associated with.

Take a piece of paper and start making a list of the machines and work processes you use. Organize the list to reflect the flow of the work. Then add to each machine or work station, a list of the associated tools and supplies that need to be at hand. Next, draw your shop building to scale and start locating the machines, work stations and other support items so the flow begins at the main door and loops around the shop and ends at that door.

You now have your layout.

Then all you need do, is to analyze each work station or tool and figure out how to accommodate the tools and supplies needed to support it.


Bill

 

[matt_i]

Wire tags, sharpie markers, heavy zip lock bags, and buy a labeler are good ways to start.

Then when you start to put things in cabinets, you have a quick reference on where they are. I didn't want to waste money on constantly labeling, as I'm still working on where things go in some areas, so I got some extra strength sticky notes and wrote in pencil on those until the layout firmed up.

Simply putting "like items together" makes sense as a first pass. The way your brain interprets that statement over time will be pretty consistent.

A cabinet with drawers (standard red stacked toolbox asm) or a Vidmar/Lista can eat up a ton of stuff, in my opinion. Then you can go about making room for bigger items that need shelves, etc.

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

There are some very resourceful people here that you can get ideas from.
Three that come to mind that you can search for are Steevo's thread about a workbench using HF toolboxes.
Jack's 12 gauge garage.
There is another about overhead storage, I dont remember who started that one, but it is a good one for you, especially since you have those high ceilings.
take some pics and post them, you will likely get other suggestions.
Good Luck

 

[Linda@Lista]

Unfortunately I am not a very organized person. My garage/workshop is a mess. I spend more time looking for something i know i have (somewhere) than actually using it. At least it seems that way.

Over the winter I am going to completely empty my garage and start over. I do some machining as well as some welding and work on vehicles. My work area is not that large but is what I have. It is about 30 ft deep and about 22 ft wide with one garage door and one entry door. The height is 12 ft to ceiling.

I am needing storage tips and tricks for all kinds of things such as sockets, oil pans and funnels, wrenches, precision tools, jacks, jack stands, etc. I also am looking for ideas on good work benches, cabinets, welding tables, etc.

I plan to remove most everything from it and build or buy new workbenches and storage areas. Since I am doing machining, fabrication, and auto work in the garage, I want to make the best use of the space I have. I could store some things that i don't use very often up high and out of the way but I will need to build some shelves or something for them. I have a lot of small items used for machining as well as metal of various sizes and types to store.

Any and all ideas are needed. Pictures of your solutions would be greatly appreciated.

Perhaps there are other threads that cover some of this. If so please let me know.

Thanks much.

@matt_i thanks for the Lista and Vidmar shout out! @luv2eat let me know if I can help answer any questions about Lista or Vidmar cabinets!