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Strouty

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Unfortunately I got carried away with the organizing, so no TXT pictures. Tomorrow will most likely be a no go as well, as I have a bunch of errands and a couple appointments to deal with. Wednesday looks to be the next round of organizing, I am trying to wrap things up this week so I can have an operational shop the week after. Big ambitions for a half useless mess of a person, but I have to keep moving forward. I will update pictures later, trying to go home, so no time now.
 
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Strouty

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Originally I was told by the doctor and all the staff that I was looking at 6 to 8 weeks for recovery. Last visit was at 8 weeks and the doctor says that he normally sees 3 to 6 months, needless to say I was not really happy about the change. I would probably have put the surgery off had I thought it was 3 to 6 months for recovery.
 

LS6 Tommy

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WOW. Strouty, I didn't even realize you were looking at surgey... Sorry I wasn't more attentive. Hope things go well & you have a quick & complete recovery!

Tommy
 
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Strouty

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I forgot to post a picture of the shelving unit in the office, it is now loaded up and has made a huge difference in the office.



I went through all drawers in the blue cabinets, I think there are 7 drawers that are now empty, I still have some more to sort, but I labeled all the drawers so now I know what is in there. You can see all the bins I emptied, I filled a bucket with hardware that I decided not to sort, probably save it for the next auction since scrap price is so bad right now.








I still have a few more containers to go through, and then I have an entire section on the shelves that need to be sorted, most of the containers are all ready sorted, so it should be more about putting it where it belongs.



 
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Strouty

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WOW. Strouty, I didn't even realize you were looking at surgey... Sorry I wasn't more attentive. Hope things go well & you have a quick & complete recovery!

Tommy

Tommy, I actually had it done about 10 weeks ago, now I am still in recovery, it was very minor compared to some of the other surgeries I have been through. It had to be done, none of the physical therapy was working. :sad:
 
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Strouty

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That sounds about right, I will have to measure it another day. It is not as rugged as the other ones, it also does not have full extension drawers slides, so you have an inch or so at the back that is harder to access. I am not sure if I am keeping it as most of my stuff needs taller drawers. It has a lot of gaskets in it as well as small parts, but a lot of the drawers are empty because I can't fit the quantity of stuff I need in it.
 

mdbeck1

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That sounds about right, I will have to measure it another day. It is not as rugged as the other ones, it also does not have full extension drawers slides, so you have an inch or so at the back that is harder to access. I am not sure if I am keeping it as most of my stuff needs taller drawers. It has a lot of gaskets in it as well as small parts, but a lot of the drawers are empty because I can't fit the quantity of stuff I need in it.

You might need to think "outside the box". For years I used an old chest of drawers to store hardware in. I used cut off oil cans to separate the hardware by diameter. I finally had a chance to upgrade to the big green hardware cabinet I have now. ...and I wish I had two of them.

...but if you insist that you don't like that Lista we need to make a deal. ...along with the 8020. :evil:
 
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Strouty

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The problem isn't really that I can't divide things up properly, but it just doesn't have tall enough drawers, they are only 1" tall and that is pretty tight for anything but the smallest items. Even then, they need to be spread out a lot. I bought some bins and have some factory dividers, but I prefer the deeper drawers.

I am going to have to make a display for the TXT out of my 8020.
 

mdbeck1

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The problem isn't really that I can't divide things up properly, but it just doesn't have tall enough drawers, they are only 1" tall and that is pretty tight for anything but the smallest items. Even then, they need to be spread out a lot. I bought some bins and have some factory dividers, but I prefer the deeper drawers.

I am going to have to make a display for the TXT out of my 8020.

hmmm.... what to put in 1" tall drawers... ...electrical connectors, cable ferrules, drill bits, end mills, lathe tooling, ....

I have a deeper drawer for my electrical connectors and always seem to have boxes stacked. ...and of course whatever I need is on the bottom. Maybe I should make some organizers for those....
 
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Strouty

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I all ready have some of that stuff in there, but I am still not a real fan of the drawers. In order to buy all the plastic bins to fill it I would have to spend another $600. I can buy enough drawers for my storage wall that fit the bins I all ready own. I know I can sell it easily, in fact I think I have two people that would buy it tomorrow and they will come pick it up. Sometimes I get used to the storage that I have and keep using it, even though it doesn't work for me. I am trying to only use storage that works the way I think, if that makes any sense?
 
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Strouty

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Even though I did not go to the shop today, I got rid of a pallet of old printers, some more lead, and some more aluminum. Then I took toner and ink cartridges over to staples, I guess I buy enough with them that I can take 20 cartridges back each month and they will send me a coupon for $2 each. I wish I had realized this a while ago as I would have saved more cartridges. I still have like ten more, but those have to wait until June to be returned. I think I may start a dedicated box, then if I stumble on some old printers I can keep the power cords and the ink cartridges.

I am looking forward to the rest of the hardware sort and labeling. I think I may be able to finish up the majority of the hardware tomorrow. Then I need to start tackling the actual shelves, labeling those has been a sticking point as well. See you guys in the morning, I am headed to bed.
 
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mdbeck1

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I all ready have some of that stuff in there, but I am still not a real fan of the drawers. In order to buy all the plastic bins to fill it I would have to spend another $600. I can buy enough drawers for my storage wall that fit the bins I all ready own. I know I can sell it easily, in fact I think I have two people that would buy it tomorrow and they will come pick it up. Sometimes I get used to the storage that I have and keep using it, even though it doesn't work for me. I am trying to only use storage that works the way I think, if that makes any sense?

Makes sense. I just hate to see a good cabinet go away.

...but you've got lots of nice cabinets and you need to store your stuff your way. Good luck.
 

nine4gmc

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$600 worth of F-that! Find sh!t that fits so you don't need dividers or sell it and buy something that will fit your needs. That cabinet is nicer than any of my cabinets though so I'd be finding a use for it myself. You on the other hand have much nicer storage solutions so I can see it not being important to you.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk
 
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Strouty

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Originally the cabinet was supposed to be sacrificed and the drawers were going to be distributed into the storage wall, except I found out later that they don't fit the storage wall because they are too old. So I tried to make the best of it, with bins that fit the drawers, they work, but the cabinet really doesn't work for me as a unit. I should be able to sell it for $500 or more and that will get me some new drawers for the storage wall and gain me a bit more floor space.

Long term, the three blue card cabinets will end up going out into the conex and I will get another section of the lista storage wall for that area. This time I think I will be incorporating a bench into the area or something like that, I just want to have an area to sort things. I think I could use one of the slide out trays with butcher block on it, but I would need to buy the setup that has locking out slides, that way it will stay open when in use and I can slide it back when I am done.

Yesterday I got some miserable cold, so I am all stuffed up and my head feels foggy. I am about to head of to the shop, a bit later than I hoped, but I am headed there. The GF works until 8 tonight, so I can stay late and not miss any of her company. Goal is still to get the rest of the hardware sorted, may take two days, but I want to get it done. Next week is "work" so I need to have a functional shop.
 
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Strouty

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It was a breath of fresh air to walk into the shop this morning and not see an overwhelming mess of hardware scattered about. I also am starting to see several other things that need to be removed from the shop, should make things a lot more shop like! No sense in storing something that is in the way of progress if I can get it out of the way easily. I still have trouble prioritizing what should be done first, but I am feel I am getting better. The biggest hang up I still have is my perfectionism, I know you guys can see it, that green lista cabinet is a great example of it hard at work. Anyways I took some dayquil and feel much better now, so I am going to do a few of my elbow exercises and then stretch, after that it is off to the races for the hardware sorting.
 

dlcwent

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You probably caught that cold from me when you were here. It has taken three weeks to (almost) get over it. Seems to settle on the lungs after the head thing goes away.

Good luck with the sorting.
 
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Strouty

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I definitely won't work too hard, I do not want to overdo it. I think the cold came form my GF, she works with a rec program, so lots of germs from little buggers, I usually get it much worse than her as she gets used to them.

I sorted the last of the drawers and I am now on to the extra containers, I am hoping things will go well, most of it is all ready sorted, but I may have to change the container it is in.
 
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Strouty

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The green Lista cabinet is only 42" tall, but it may be that it does not have fork pockets on the bottom. I think if I raised it up, I may keep it around for a while longer. I hate to bend down that close to the ground. Here are some interior shot of it, as I said the stuff is spread out due to the shallow depth of the drawers. I also like the bins as you can grab and go, so I have not really used the dividers that came with it. There are several empty drawers, not even sure how many.











 
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Strouty

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I have done close to a third of the hardware so far, but it was the easy stuff, things that I all ready had a place to put and stuff that was all ready sorted. I will tackle the harder stuff this afternoon, need to label some more drawers, then get them loaded.











 
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Strouty

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Three more drawers labeled and loaded, just labeled another and I am loading it up now. Looks like I will be done much sooner than anticipated, next step is to clear off the bench so I can get the tires on the TXT.
 
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Strouty

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Wow this thread gave me serious anxiety!

Just think how I feel..... :sad:


Neon, this is nothing, the stuff that my Dad has takes up acres of land and several thousand square feet of buildings. I am not looking forward to dealing with his mess.

UPS just arrived with what I thought was my 21' telescoping pole saw, turns out somehow I ordered the 16' instead, not very happy, because I don't know how it was ordered that way, I had searched the part number and confirmed that, the reviews all show for the 21' version and I think that is what threw me off. Anyways, I don't mind having the 16' and the 21', just didn't want to spend the money right now. The story of my life, trying to do too much, then getting caught in the middle of a self created mess.
 

Kev442

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Watching all this hardware sorting makes me glad I do not do much fabrication. I do get caught without hardware sometimes, but I will now stop bitching about having to stop the project or go on an hour round trip to get it in some situations. I will now mentally tally my grumbling and time wasted against all the effort you have to go through to be fully prepped.

On my front, I've had a couple tire kickers waste my time on the car I want gone, but no offers. I figure I have the rest of this month before I really have to get it sold, so I will hold my asking price for a couple more weeks.
It will be gone, I have already proven the old proverb " **** always expands to fill the available space". No one would ever be able to figure out where that car was parked in the pole building....
 
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Strouty

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That is hilarious, so are you saying the spot where the car was is all ready full?

There is a bunch of hardware that I probably don't need to keep, but since there was room and it was all ready sorted I figured what the heck. The tower hardware is the really important stuff, or at least the stuff that makes me money.

As far as shop hardware, I wonder sometimes if I would have been better to load it all in the dumpster and just figure on going to the hardware store when I need something. I think what kills that is when it is 2 AM and you just need a couple of bolts to finish what you are doing, then it feels good to have the hardware on hand. At least in the future I should be able to find what I am looking for and as I get a better idea of how I want things, I can adjust things accordingly. I am done to the annoying little stuff, just dumped out 5 or 6 more bins of mixed hardware. It is really hard looking at those buckets of "scrap" hardware, so I want to get them out of the shop soon.

Here are all the containers I have emptied and sorted since lunch. It is a shame that the plastic containers are so flimsy, most of the corners are broken, so they are all getting recycled.







 

readhead

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Feels good to get rid of stuff. Since we layed off our employees the first of the year we have been cleaning out seven acres of yard. Yesterday I dumped about 6,000 #'s of galvanized angle we replaced from a tower remodel we did last summer. We just filled the third scrap bin since January. A little over fifty tons so far. I wish scrap prices were better.

Following your progress has greatly helped keep me motivated. My son and I have been trying to spend at least one day a week cleaning up. Now I need to go in and start grading and spreading gravel in the new spots to store more sheds for our shed business.
 

Kev442

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Hilarious is not the word I would use...
Anyway, parked or should I say stored cars can be "cheek to jowl" ( practicing my old fogey speak), whereas a car being worked on needs 3-4 feet around it. Throw in moving my portable workbench and 4 drawer tool cart nearby, sprinkle a hood and bumper removed. Voila! Full up.

Those bins you are tossing pretty much are why I have never been into a lot of hardware. I had those cheap stackable bins many years ago. They actually warped and stopped stacking. Those POS saved me from going the storage route, I am actually happier with a drawer in my old cman chest being a giant mix and match nult and bolt storage.
When I buy, I sit down with the bags and take a bolt, two washers, a lock washer and a nut and put them together. Sure, I don't always need that exact setup, and as I take what I need the rest are in there loose, but it works surprisingly well.
 
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nine4gmc

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You did get a lot done Strouty, you should be proud! I overdid myself yesterday trying to level out and set up our above ground pool. Must have pinched a nerve in my back again because I could hardly walk last night. I did get some sew time in on Dans seats so all was not lost but when I finished this morning around 7am, I noticed the pool upright supports were supposed to go inside the waist band and the pool had 2' of water in it already. it took everything I had to break apart the frame, one section at a time and fix those uprights. Now I can hardly walk, my back and shoulders hurt from shoulder press squatting the frame sections back into place and my hands feel like they were run over. It's done though so I get to relax this summer. yay...

Hope you get over the cold and again, great job on the sorting!
 

rmalkow2

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Strouty, I think you had the right idea about that green Lista cabinet. After seeing the pics you posted and the hardware you keep it really does not fit your working theme. Take the $500 from selling it any turn it into more usable drawers and the type of storage you can use. The end result will be a more usable shop storage system which has been your big goal lately.
 
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Strouty

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Redhead, that is a great plan, I wish my Dad had done stuff like that with me, he always just told me go clean up that (his) mess. Sometimes it is the little things that are the best time spent with family. You are right that it ***** that scrap is so low and I know how hard it can be to toss galvanized stuff because it always looks like new.

Sorry Kev, didn't mean to make light of it, guess I was a bit overenthusiastic. The future plan is to have a drawer or bin that is where the misc hardware goes, except it will be sorted or tossed every so often, no letting it go for 25 years.

Nines, sorry about the back, I know all about that from experience. Thanks for the kudos, but I am not done yet, tonight is going to be a late night. I think I may have stumbled into a bit more than I want to sort right now, so I am reserving a couple of the oldest bins for later. They both have automotive bolts, the ones that you can never buy, so I try and keep them around. I figure I will go through them and sort metric from SAE and then by style, but I don't think I can handle it right now. It was hard enough to load up three more buckets of hardware today, they are not full, but heavy enough that I feel it when picking them up. I am down to the last bit for sure, when I said that before I had not considered the Rotabin's stock, but I dove in.






This is where I am at now, two bins for the specialty automotive hardware, I think I emptied another 20 bins. Two more buckets of scrap and the rest has been put away where I have things labeled.




 
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