# Shop organization



## DavidR8

Not a project per se but a move toward dealing with various containers of fasteners etc. 
I picked up 90 plastic bins months back and finally got around to shelving many of them. 
Not even close to full. 







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## graham-xrf

Dude! You are maybe the most seriously organized HM-style materials resources setup man in BC!


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## DavidR8

graham-xrf said:


> Dude! You are maybe the most seriously organized HM-style materials resources setup man in BC!



Thanks!
I’m gradually turning chaos into order in my shop. 


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## Mini Cooper S

Now you can make labels for the bins in your spare time.


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## tq60

Place some angle iron under those shelves.

Unless they are good stuff the constant force of gravity will cause them to sag and get ugly

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## DavidR8

tq60 said:


> Place some angle iron under those shelves.
> 
> Unless they are good stuff the constant force of gravity will cause them to sag and get ugly
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk


I'm actually going to put a vertical support in the middle of each shelf. There's space as the bins don't take the full width of the shelves.


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## matthewsx

I lucked into some of these louvered bin holders years ago.





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						Louvered Panels | Shelving | Racks | Akro Bins | 30118
					

Akro-Mils provides storage solutions for healthcare, industrial use, or your home with plastic storage drawers, plastic totes, AkroBins, and much more.




					akro-mils.com
				






			https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I1K09I/ref=emc_b_5_i
		


or the Canadian distributor





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						Product - Ak-West
					






					www.ak-westinc.com
				




Do yourself a favor and just buy one it'll be much better than stacking them or trying to use the cheap pegboard rail version. You could probably make a rail system but this solution works best for me since I can mix different sized bins and give however much space I need to access stuff inside.

John


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## DavidR8

matthewsx said:


> I lucked into some of these louvered bin holders years ago.
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> Louvered Panels | Shelving | Racks | Akro Bins | 30118
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> Akro-Mils provides storage solutions for healthcare, industrial use, or your home with plastic storage drawers, plastic totes, AkroBins, and much more.
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> akro-mils.com
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> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I1K09I/ref=emc_b_5_i
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> or the Canadian distributor
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> Product - Ak-West
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> www.ak-westinc.com
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> Do yourself a favor and just buy one it'll be much better than stacking them or trying to use the cheap pegboard rail version. You could probably make a rail system but this solution works best for me since I can mix different sized bins and give however much space I need to access stuff inside.
> 
> John


Interesting. I'm not sure the Uline bins I have will fit on the holder but I'll check to see if Uline has a similar product.

edit: somewhere along the line I collected a few Akro bins and they appear to have identical mounting dimensions as the bins I have so that panel would probably work.


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## matthewsx

DavidR8 said:


> Interesting. I'm not sure the Uline bins I have will fit on the holder but I'll check to see if Uline has a similar product.
> 
> edit: somewhere along the line I collected a few Akro bins and they appear to have identical mounting dimensions as the bins I have so that panel would probably work.



Mine is populated with bins from Harbor Freight which originally came with some horrible system for holding them. I think most of these bins are standardized on the back and will work with the louvered panels. 

I've moved mine all over the place, from being wall mounted to mounting on the end of a metal shelf, and back onto the wall in my current shop. They really do help in staying organized and finding stuff, I definitely like them better than the bolt bins I was given since I can just look and see whatever is inside. Also it's easy to pull one down to find what you want if it has a mixture of things.

Definitely one of those "shop secrets" I would have never thought about before I got mine which I think are around 18"x30". I wasn't even looking for them, I think I just happened upon them while browsing at the Arizona State University surplus barn. Trust me, that shelf will end up frustrating you way more than $76 worth....

John


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## graham-xrf

Mini Cooper S said:


> Now you can make labels for the bins in your spare time.


It is only right that the labels should be something like spin tool engraved in brass or steel, filled with red or blue DyKem and varnished over. Maybe arc-written in 1/16" on Victoria-chic rusty old sheet metal strips, or go for either art-deco or steampunk look. Arrays of blue plastic containers need that little something! 

[Edit: Aw - OK then, print the little labels, but at least use a font that looks as if it came off an old-style technical drawing]


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## matthewsx

or this:


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## DavidR8

Me thinks I’m going to break out our label maker. 


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## graham-xrf

Yeah! We probably all end up with one of those (Sharpie).
"Break out label maker"? Sounds like it has not had cause to be making labels for some time!

The vertical support idea is good. The shelves do get support from pins of screws from the back, so it is just the front portion that starts to droop. We store steel stuff in these. The weight mounts up to surprising levels.


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## Mini Cooper S

Bins like your have slots in the front to insert labels, I just print them out on my computer, cut them out and insert them. Cheap (Like me) and easy to change.


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## Bi11Hudson

Got to jump in here just for fun. I have a few bins like that, sorta, kinda . . . And a few 1/2 watt resistor cabinets, and a few small parts cabinets, and a few homemade containers, and a few 3 lb coffee cans, and . . . well, you get the idea. Don't worry too much about empty bins, they will fill to overflowing soon enough. 

Way back years ago,(1975) when I first moved in here, I stashed anything I found anywhere I could. Boxes abounded leaving a "walkway' through every room. So after 20 years or so, I bought the house next door (after a fire) to stash my "stuff". Remember George Carlin's skit on a house, just a box with a roof on it to keep your stuff secure? Well, after a few years, the "little" house was overflowing. So I built a barn to replace a garage that a tree fell on. Pretty soon, even that was overflowing. And there's the tractor shed with all the lawnmowers and such that won't fit into the barn.

And the hardest part that I haven't come to terms with yet is that the residence is still full of boxes. Souvineers from my wandering around the world, and books. Very little greasy or nasty stuff, but lots (& lots) of books. Oh, I almost forgot the trailer and the stuff in it. More books and old LPs that I can't replace with CDs cause there's no market for 'em. It ain't hoarding, there's no old news papers or empty soup cans. It's all stuff I may need one day and isn't sold any more. Wife's gonna have a hell of a garage sale one day after I'm gone.

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## tjb

Bi11Hudson said:


> Wife's gonna have a hell of a garage sale one day after I'm gone.


Tell her to post it on HM.


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## DavidR8

I managed to track down a CDN supplier for the louvered panel. I am definitely finding that stacking the bins really limits visibility into the bin and is a hassle when the bin I want is on the bottom.


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## matthewsx

DavidR8 said:


> I managed to track down a CDN supplier for the louvered panel. I am definitely finding that stacking the bins really limits visibility into the bin and is a hassle when the bin I want is on the bottom.



Yes, without a good way to access and organize those bins they're not much better than a bucket. You will like the louvered panel, I promise....

John


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## aliva

On my bolt bin I made labels with the Brother P Touch system. It also allows you to attach a picture to the label. 
now I'm sure everyone knows how to read but adding a picture of the item in the bin whether it be a  bolt, cotter pin, snap ring etc., actually speeds up the process of looking for a particular item. Try it you'd be amazed. I think the brain can process a graphic faster that the written word at least mine can.


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## gr8legs

Something I feel is equally important to organized storage is an inventory listing of what there is and more importantly WHERE it is. I may buy a box of 100 whatzits and only 75 will fit into the bin space - so I put the rest someplace "where I will remember where it is when the bin is empty".

So some time later I use the last of an item in a drawer or bin and buy some more, then (at least an hour after making the purchase) rustling around in a dark place find another box/bag/carton of whatever it was I just purchased. Of course I don't remember stashing the overstock away - or I do remember the stashing but not the location.

Starting with a set of virgin empty bins is the ideal time to also start an inventory - maybe just a simple spread sheet or notepad giving part description and all locations where they ended up. I wish I had done that as my parts and hardware supply has blossomed into an almost untameable menagerie.

With the bin boxes you have you can organize the layout and put similar stuff together instead of a little here, a little there. 

Good luck

Stu


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## DavidR8

aliva said:


> On my bolt bin I made labels with the Brother P Touch system. It also allows you to attach a picture to the label.
> now I'm sure everyone knows how to read but adding a picture of the item in the bin whether it be a  bolt, cotter pin, snap ring etc., actually speeds up the process of looking for a particular item. Try it you'd be amazed. I think the brain can process a graphic faster that the written word at least mine can.


This is really good advice. I'm very visual so that will likely help. 
I'm also inclined to keep associated things together; 3/8 nuts alongside 3/8 bolts as an example.


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## DavidR8

gr8legs said:


> Something I feel is equally important to organized storage is an inventory listing of what there is and more importantly WHERE it is. I may buy a box of 100 whatzits and only 75 will fit into the bin space - so I put the rest someplace "where I will remember where it is when the bin is empty".
> 
> So some time later I use the last of an item in a drawer or bin and buy some more, then (at least an hour after making the purchase) rustling around in a dark place find another box/bag/carton of whatever it was I just purchased. Of course I don't remember stashing the overstock away - or I do remember the stashing but not the location.
> 
> Starting with a set of virgin empty bins is the ideal time to also start an inventory - maybe just a simple spread sheet or notepad giving part description and all locations where they ended up. I wish I had done that as my parts and hardware supply has blossomed into an almost untameable menagerie.
> 
> With the bin boxes you have you can organize the layout and put similar stuff together instead of a little here, a little there.
> 
> Good luck
> 
> Stu


I'm definitely in the building up stock situation which is a good thing so the inventory idea is well taken. Also trying to deal with a bins of misc fasteners and other flotsam and jetsam left by the previous owner and sorting that mess into some sort of order. I do struggle with what to do with six pieces of X and 3 pieces of Y. 
I am inclined to group like with like when there are small quantities.


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## Boswell

I used to have these on a wall but actually moved away from that to stacking them on shelves. I agree that they are slightly easier to get at the contents when on the wall. However my wall real-estate is more limited than my shelf space.


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## Janderso

David,
I like it.
Has anyone seen the Youtube channel, Finno Ugric Machining? This guy has a hardware store of bins in his shop. I am so jealous.


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## uncle harry

aliva said:


> On my bolt bin I made labels with the Brother P Touch system. It also allows you to attach a picture to the label.
> now I'm sure everyone knows how to read but adding a picture of the item in the bin whether it be a  bolt, cotter pin, snap ring etc., actually speeds up the process of looking for a particular item. Try it you'd be amazed. I think the brain can process a graphic faster that the written word at least mine can.




I set up a grid layout for some Avery labels on Autocad 12 light a few years ago. I downloaded cad files from McMaster-Carr for pictures and used an Autocad font to describe the fastener. It was very time consuming but the results were very rewarding.


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## DavidR8

Janderso said:


> David,
> I like it.
> Has anyone seen the Youtube channel, Finno Ugric Machining? This guy has a hardware store of bins in his shop. I am so jealous.


I thought the same thing the first time I saw his shop. A wall of bins!


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## Downunder Bob

In my limited workshop space I have even more limited storages pace, so I tend not to put in a stock of bolts, nuts, clips, pins etc. When I have a project I buy the parts I need, and often just  a few more, this way I slowly build up a supply of commonly used items, hopefully without, becoming inundated with stuff that I might need one day.

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.


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## BGHansen

+1 on the organization work.  It's a pain in the butt at the time, but has saved me time in the long run.  Went from this:





To this:








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


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## DavidR8

BGHansen said:


> +1 on the organization work.  It's a pain in the butt at the time, but has saved me time in the long run.  Went from this:
> 
> View attachment 324963
> 
> 
> 
> To this:
> 
> View attachment 324964
> 
> 
> View attachment 324965
> 
> 
> 
> 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


Your first photo is the battle I'm slowing winning. Emphasis on slow!


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## rock_breaker

On a farm just south of Fowler, Colorado (east of Pueblo)  is a caster mounted rack  made of 1/4" angle iron with the front tilted back supporting at least 6 rows of 3 pound coffee cans with at least 10 cans in each row, all with the open ends tilted up. One of the better storage ideas I've seen. I liked it so well that I have a 25 can storage area built into a slightly offset wall in my shop.
Have a good day
Ray


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## 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.


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## 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.


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## hman

Downunder Bob said:


> 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.


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## hman

Be_Zero_Be said:


> 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


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## Janderso

BGHansen said:


> 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.


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## Downunder Bob

hman said:


> 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.


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## 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




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## uncle harry

tq60 said:


> 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.


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## 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


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## 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.


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## DavidR8

I had to deal with a plethora of fender and other style of flat washers. 
Came up with this idea. 







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## Bi11Hudson

For large washers, I use a similar restraint. A piece of "all-thread" with a hook bent on the end so I can hang it. For smaller sizes, 1/4" and down. I use a "welder's" wrench holder. Basically a huge safety pin made out of whatever is handy. Coat hanger wire, brazing rod, even tie wire. I do have 1/4" and 6mm in bottles, well labled so I don't grab the wrong one by mistake.

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