Shop organization

[uncle harry]

One of my methods where I have a large quantity of small fasteners stored in plastic drawer units or metal drawers is to physically attach an actual item to the label face with hot melt. If I need the last one I can use it after cleaning.

 

[Be_Zero_Be]

I put eight organizers on a two story Lazy Susan.
It gives a very high density storage on a small footprint.
Best of all, I can't stack "stuff" in front of them so they are always accessible.

 

[hman]

Also I'm planning on becoming a "Grey Nomad" Aussie term for older retired people who who travel around the country in a caravan, or motorhome. Heading north where it's warmer for the winter, and south where it's cooler in the summer/ Some people sell their home to finance this adventure and others don't. We are in the latter group as I need to have a home base where my lathe and other tools live while I'm on the road.

Love the lingo! Here in Arizona, we're called "snowbirds." I was snowbirding from Oregon for a couple years, then met my wife here. Married in '12, and happy ever since.

 

[hman]

I put eight organizers on a two story Lazy Susan.
It gives a very high density storage on a small footprint.
Best of all, I can't stack "stuff" in front of them so they are always accessible.

View attachment 324976

The lazy Susan design sure saves on (precious!) wall space. I saw this one - #36 in https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/20-foot-shipping-container-metal-shop.34187/page-2 and copied samthedog's design - post #183 at https://www.hobby-machinist.com/thr...e-in-your-shop-today.67833/page-7#post-576835

 

[Janderso]

Everything is labeled with one of the Brother label makers. So nice when trying to find something though it doesn't prevent me from screwing things up.

Bruce, that's awesome.

 

[Downunder Bob]

Love the lingo! Here in Arizona, we're called "snowbirds." I was snowbirding from Oregon for a couple years, then met my wife here. Married in '12, and happy ever since.

Snowbirds, nice name, just wouldn't make sense here, I'm fairly certain the majority of Aussies have never seen snow. Even in a cold year our snow ski season only lasts a couple of months.

Aussie's are known for having a way with words, frequently grossly overstating or understating the facts. We have a town in the mid north of my home state (South Australia) called Snowtown, it is apparently the coldest place in the state, and it has, reputedly, even snowed there once or twice.

 

[tq60]

Make a spreadsheet with "sorting" columns.

These are general descriptors, then a description and location , and location can have sorting too.

Example, using ","to separate items, header example then item...

Cat,type,qty,description,loc type,location, location sub


Consumable,sandpaper, 5, 6x48 sanding belt for delta, file cabiner,west wall, drawer 2

This allows sorting with the column filters as well as simple word search.

We have about 1200 lines in the sheet and saves boatload of time

Just need old pc in shop




Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[uncle harry]

Make a spreadsheet with "sorting" columns.

These are general descriptors, then a description and location , and location can have sorting too.

Example, using ","to separate items, header example then item...

Cat,type,qty,description,loc type,location, location sub


Consumable,sandpaper, 5, 6x48 sanding belt for delta, file cabiner,west wall, drawer 2

This allows sorting with the column filters as well as simple word search.

We have about 1200 lines in the sheet and saves boatload of time

Just need old pc in shop




Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

My rent-a-grunt (a dear friend) & I are catigorizing about 2 1/2 tons of imperial and metric fasteners with spread sheets so that I can make labels for several sizes of bins. He randomly grabbed boxes and weighed and identified them so as to get an approximate count. He subsequently reclassified the list according to type, system, dimensions, and weights to determine a more organized system for the bins. Next labels will be printed on .040 white styrene cut to fit the bins using a Brady labeler or by hand. I suspect that I'll be either selling a lot of these or gifting to friends since I could never use them all in several incarnations.

 

[BGHansen]

If you want some good ideas, look at "RandyM" posts. Here's one of the threads for his organization.

Bruce

Shop organization....!!!!

I know we've done tool box organization, wrench organization already. This is different... Shop organization. This is a topic I struggle with immensely. Call it too little room or lazyness or "I need that and I need it now!" Everything in my shop has a home, but when I'm in the midst of...

www.hobby-machinist.com

Here's the start of that thread:

Shop organization....!!!!

I know we've done tool box organization, wrench organization already. This is different... Shop organization. This is a topic I struggle with immensely. Call it too little room or lazyness or "I need that and I need it now!" Everything in my shop has a home, but when I'm in the midst of...

www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[gr8legs]

Although I posted above about making an inventory it is strictly a case of 'do as I say, not as I do' since my assorted piles and boxes will probably never get to that stage. These photos are offered as a warning to others who think 'I will get around to inventorying when I get some time'. The time never seems to present itself.

Rear wall storage area for various bits and bobs. The lower drawers have lathe and mill tooling, measuring tools, and 'other miscellany'. Upper shelving has parts mostly sorted into shelf boxes and plastic divider boxes. Fairly well labeled so I can find the general area something lives:


Close up of part of the 'popcorn part' storage:


Some bigger part drawers live under the parts washer:


Small parts drawers above SWMBO's workbench (behind the lathe) I had to reinforce the shelf unit with a bit of angle iron to avoid collapse


Most often used nuts, bolts, screws, sheet metal screws etc live here in a roll-around that came out of an automotive garage. Stuff I use is in the drawers and bins on the top, 'backup is in the bottom:


Some backup stock in the bottom:


I try to remind myself where I stashed similar stuff:


And bins under the drill press table carry some additional backup and stuff that doesn't fit into the available 'close' storage:


So that's how I try to optimize storage but as you see it is a losing proposition, so other stuff has migrated to the lean-to behind the shop keeping the lawn mower company No pictures. As I was posting this the wife asked 'so when do I get my half of the shop'? Hmmm.