Shop organization for those that are OCD

[Roothawg]

I don't post here very often. I do lurk alot and I am envious of you guys and your abilities.

Here's my dilemma. I have a 40x50 shop that I build hot rods out of. I have my dad and nephew also cohabitating right now. We are nearing the end of a projectand the shop needs a good purging.

I am OCD, the other 2, not so much. I need advice on what you guys have done to "compartmentalize" your stuff.

I am thinking of buying lateral file cabinets for the bigger tools that are awkwardly shaped i.e sawzalls, circular saws etc. They can be bought cheap and should support some weight.

I have palletized racking for the bigger stuff like engines, heads etc. The problem with that is I hate seeing it. I feel like it needs doors, Drives me crazy. Plus it takes up 30 sf of floor space. I have thought about raising the shelves up high enough to allow me to put stuff underneath, like the blast cabinet, drill press etc.

I am buying the **** out of those black and yellow storage boxes that Lowes sells.

So what are some other good ideas to help me sleep at night.

Thanks,

Root

 

[zmotorsports]

In my last shop I had a lot of open shelving and although organized I hated seeing the items on the shelves and they collected a layer of dust no matter how clean I kept my shop.

In my new shop I swore everything was going to be behind doors. I have large locker style cabinets for my fluids, filters, chemicals and tools that are in blow molded cases and many that have no cases. I also have a couple of old gray metal filing cabinets that work exceptionally well for housing welding supplies such as grinding disks, roloc discs and other supplies/tools.

I also have some storage drawers for my small drop pieces of metal that I keep organized by material, shape and somewhat by size. My large metal rack is in my storage bay next door and not in the actual shop.

 

[rsanter]

A friend of mine had a machine shop in the LA area where rent is high.
He had pallet racking covering the walls and the first shelf was above head height or machine height.
Under each shelf was a machine.
Even heavy stuff was up high and they just pulled it down with a fork lift.
All the shelves had that netting stuff so things can’t shift and fall in an earthquake.

I took that idea and had done something similar in my last garage

 

[PNWguy]

I've used a pallet rack wall a few times. I used the bottom shelf for a bench, and the upper shelves for storage. Some tools, like a drill press could go under the first shelf, but it'll feel claustrophobic if they are much lower than 8' - will that work for you?

One of my storage methods has been milk crates (or bins) with a 10" piece of white duct tape along the front. I label the tape, with big categories "12v, 120v, abrasives, plumbing, etc" and can then place loose items in the crate. I don't have to dig through more than one or two crates to find the thing I'm looking for and it doesn't take forever to store things. All the random plumbing bits go into the same bin, and I don't have to look at them.

I'm not a fan of file cabinets for tools, as I think they are too deep. I like shallower drawers.

I built a huge rolling cabinet 6' x 6' x 3' deep with doors and shelves that most of my hand power tools go into. I can close and lock the doors if needed, but all my stuff is together.

Having shared workspaces for years now, I think one of the most important things to do is make sure that *everybody* is on the same page for cleaning and organizing. The "that guy" works in your space and leaves tools out, put things in the wrong spot, etc - it doesn't matter how organized you *want* to be. Either you'll do all of it or end up hating him. I'd have a serious sitdown discussion about what they expect, how they want it to work and come up with a solution that all three of you can live with. I doubt it'll be exactly what you want, but it'll be good enough if everybody participates.

 

[Steve from Socal]

Lateral files are great storage and, have a nice clean look.

Steve

 

[gearhead1]

I bought used lateral files for power tools and bulky items. I also want to put pallet rack on my back wall, and was thinking instead of doors, installing a small steel cable, then use big curtains to cover up the stuff.

https://www.curtain-and-divider.com/pallet-rack-curtains-pallet-rack-covers/

https://www.cmh-inc.com/curtain-walls/

Since the industrial ones are expensive, I’m thinking a cheap tarp, and zip tie some 3/4 nuts to the holes on the bottom. That way every little breeze doesn’t move it.

 

[PNWguy]

Lateral files are great storage and, have a nice clean look.

Steve

You're just showing off your lathe collection. Yes; I'm jealous .

 

[tarmy]

Build lots of cabinets...big ones too...

 

[Skyking1992]

I have four sections of 8 foot wide, 12 foot tall pallet racks - 32 running feet. I put the lowest shelf about 4 feet high - enough to clear one of my Corvettes on dollies. I then bolted each joint of the pallet rack together to make it much stronger and stiffer. I also bolted the rack to the wall. There are five legs as I face the pallet rack - I cut off the 2nd and 4th leg at the lowest shelf, giving me 16 feet of free space to slide a Corvette under each "bay".

I then put sliding doors on the upper shelves, with peg board on the ends, so that everything is totally enclosed.

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow - shop is in a bit of a mess right now!

 

[Roothawg]

Good stuff guys. Keep it coming.

 

[Steve from Socal]

I have pallet racking and, it can be a hot mess to look at. The curtain wall is a good idea to hide it, use unistrut or barn door track to hang doors. One thing about pallet rack, mine has the first deck about 5 feet high, you need a fork lift or at least a hoist to put anything heavy or bulky up high.

If you have high ceilings perhaps a mezzanine with storage for heavy stuff on the floor level and, lateral files / modular cabinets above. You have probably seen the Lista versions. The full width pallet rack frames would be about the right width for lateral files and a nice size aisle. The bottom could have doors to hide the mess.

You could do the mez with plywood and posts as well, there are a lot of options. Don't get too focused on one solution, flexibility in design and implementation. Lateral files, utility cabinets, plastic garden sheds, milk crates all have merit. Personally I like drawers/doors to keep stuff in and, dust or prying eyes out.

Steve

 

[Roothawg]

I actually built a mezzanine with storage on either side of a staircase. One of the sides is slated to be an office of sorts. I do like the idea of hiding the stuff. I create a lot of dust.

 

[Brad54]

I am currently building wood doors for my pallet rack. 10-ft tall x 4-ft wide (each). I have blue tote boxes for parts storage, and the upper shelves are spaced so they just barely clear the tote boxes, to maximize space. There's one "short" shelf that is just high enough to store cylinder heads on their sides--this shelf also holds valve covers, intake and exhaust manifolds. There is no sense in having 24 inches of clearance to the shelf above, when you only nee 9 inches. The bottom shelf is high enough off the ground to store engines on a roll-around dolly, or stand them up on-end (on a little Harbor Freight dolly).
I have a military surplus bin/cabinet that holds bulky tools like drills, sawzall, etc. etc. I have another flat file that holds rivets, dzus fasteners, commercially-available fabrication tabs/shapes, cardboard for making patterns, etc.
I measured EVERYTHING before figuring out where I was going to put it in the shop, so I could maximize my space, and make everything intuitive.
Like others have said, I'm also a huge fan of doors--hides clutter, and keeps things clean.

 

[ItsNemo]

Curtains simple and cheap solution so you can't see what's in each one and will keep the dust down. Otherwise if money no object, build/buy full pallet sized job boxes and put stuff in those before putting it on the racking. Even a plywood box would do the job.

 

[Roothawg]

I'm glad it's not just me. I have been looking at building doors the palletized racking for a while. I was thinking of a shower curtain rail for a couple of tarps.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

In a garage I see "curtains" as kindling to a fire!

No way would I use that to coverup shite! Just be organized/labeled/secured!

 

[gearhead1]

In a garage I see "curtains" as kindling to a fire!

No way would I use that to coverup shite! Just be organized/labeled/secured!

I was thinking the fiberglass ones if you’re close to an ignition source. Harbor Freight has ‘welding blankets’ and was thinking of using those in certain areas.

 

[PugetDude]

Lateral files-18" deep
+
Lockers- 18" deep
=
Storage wall
+
old18" HF/Husky Tool chests
=
Storage wall with benchtop

 

[Cryptic1911]

our shop is a disaster again right now, but we swapped all the pallet racking from 7ft bars to 9ft bars to accommodate an 84" toolbox in between and I took that opportunity to buy a shitload of red/black craftsman bins and bin up a lot of stuff. I've found that although lateral file cabinets are great storage, they take up too much floor space in a small shop like ours (30x30). I would rather get rid of those and put up shelving high enough to have floor space for machines and things underneath. Basically Have so much storage that I don't have any floor space and it *****. Organize things and put them up high. it's the only way unless you have a very large space

 

[AngryBeaver]

I acquired a pallet of those hard shipping boxes with the interlocking hinged lids. I too have pallet racking that I have cut down to 24" deep and hate seeing all the ****. mines a work in progress....

 

[Roothawg]

Yeah, that's what I need to do. More boxes.

 

[Boneyard51]

I picked up these ex government file cabinets for $20 really nice to have a place for stuff! Going to polish them a little to make them look a little better

 

[z28ke]

I use HF tarps to cover the front of my shelving attached with bungie cords. Simple and effective...

 

[PNWguy]

In a garage I see "curtains" as kindling to a fire!

No way would I use that to coverup shite! Just be organized/labeled/secured!

Theaters use a fire retardant you can spray onto things like curtains. Not too expensive, and not a big issue. There are reasons I don't want curtains, but fire isn't that big of an issue.

 

[aventino68]

I’m also doing pallet racking but the only doors I could find are the lockable mesh doors that some pallet racks have for security for expensive items. Putting a cover on those might work. Most of the really nice garage cupboard systems aren’t really made for holding the usual stuff you end up with in a garage. Fenders, engine blocks, rear ends etc. I’m hoping to use forks on the front of a tractor and put the heavy stuff on pallets and get it up and out of the way. I hate the floor not being clear when you’re cleaning it and hosing it out. Maybe either a separate area for storage, a room off the main garage, or just the large bins looking neat on the racks.

 

[aventino68]

I acquired a pallet of those hard shipping boxes with the interlocking hinged lids. I too have pallet racking that I have cut down to 24" deep and hate seeing all the ****. mines a work in progress....

Bunch of SVO manifolds there, takes me back.

 

[snowracer101]

I don't have much to add other than label all your storage boxes with the contents inside. I've gone months trying to find a certain tool, only to find it in a storage box in my garage that was labeled "snowmobile parts".

Oh, and OCD doesn't have to come with a negative stigma... A clean, organized shop is an efficient shop!

 

[aventino68]

And make the labels big enough that you can read the top shelf storage boxes without having to climb up and see.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Bunch of SVO manifolds there, takes me back.

kids nowadays will never know what it took to get 300 hp to the wheels from a 302

 

[couch]

I lined one entire short wall of my garage with the Husky racks and 15 gallon Husky bins, leaving room below for large items. The shelves work great for workbenches if needed and you can easily hang lights under a higher shelf. The rack has since been filled with more bins but you get the idea.

 

[aventino68]

I lined one entire short wall of my garage with the Husky racks and 15 gallon Husky bins, leaving room below for large items. The shelves work great for workbenches if needed and you can easily hang lights under a higher shelf. The rack has since been filled with more bins but you get the idea.

This is great, also easy to clean floor underneath. I'm thinking I'll use large pallet bins for the bigger stuff to get it up out of the way.

 

[cshabang]

I HATE shelving because it always collects clutter and dust since Im a fabricator. Im lucky enough to have a barn that I store stuff in yet my shop (because its not done) always seems to collect stuff. My stop to it is to only have what Im working on in that area. My shop is small (24 by 36ish), and I have a small cleanish room (14 by 14) off the back, so All my rollaways, liquids, supplies, etc are in there. In the main shop are the pieces of equipment that arent moveable (chassis table, press brake, lathe, mill etc... Its a constant battle and I hope once its done, I can really get it organized. I put a lot of my stuff on wheels so I can wheel it out of the way. I try to group everything, label it, etc. IE...my body hammers, dollies, small shaping equipment is all in one roll around cabinet. I also have 2 tool carts I use to keep tools Im using when Im working. It keeps me from losing ****, or putting it down on a vehicle. I had my old compressor on a stand, which gave me 3 feet of storage under it. My chassis table is 6 ft, by 12 ft and weighs 10k...so I stuffed it in the corner for now, Since its a solid bench top, I can store stuff under it and Im thinking about closing it off so help keep it cleaner under there.

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: for some of you that just have car waiting to work on maybe it or a few are parts cars maybe putting those pallet racks sideways so you can store stuff up above those sitting cars?

sorry I don't have a picture to post of how I stored my aluminum trailer in my storage unit, but maybe others have some pictures of how they use the empty space above sitting project vehicles or big tools.