Work Shop Storage Space

[Peter Bell]

I have a 18 feet x 18 feet workshop. Unfortunately it has to share its space with some storage that I suppose brings it back to approx 12 feet x 18 feet.

Not a big area, but better than a lot and it is all mine. However, one major problem I have is trying to keep the work area tidy. I suppose the answer might be to put some photos up, but before I did that I would have to clean up, throw out a lot of stuff that I feel I might need next week.

And, if I did clean up then I would not need to put this thread here and all my problems would be solved. I buy pleanty of workshop magazines trying to get storage ideas. Some, if not most you see you can eat off the floor.

My main concern is in all these shops I do not see any consumerables and hand tools. This is a list of some of the things I have trouble finding a place for.

Finishing supplies. Wax, tung oil, spirits, sand paper, etc
Cleaning supplies,
Hand tools, both electrical and unplugged.
Nails, screws, washers, bolts, etc.
Lathe supplies, Gouges,
Table saw
Planer
Jointer
Mobile bench
Work benches
Wood and lumber storage area.

Because I live on acreage, I possibly have more tools besides pure wood working, eg, 2 Chainsaws, brush cutters etc.

Sharpening work station.

As you can see the main problem I have and I suspect others too is where does the varnish, wax and all the small items go. You hardly ever see them in any photos and I ain't going to throw them out when I finish a project just to buy some more in two weeks time.

Is it just me, a self confessed hoarder.

What answers can you help me with.

ps. I have another shed an ex horse stable that is 16 x 20 for all my recycled timber I get from time to time.


Pete

[Jeff Sudmeier]

For me I banished most of the non-woodworking stuff from the garage. I have a 10x10 storage shed that has all of the garden tools.

The garbage cans and snow shovels are still in the garage but that is about all...

Also, put the least used items on shelves near the ceiling, it may be a pain to get them but if you use them once every two months why not? In a small shop you have to take advantage of all the wall space you can up high and put tools down low against the wall.

I work in one stall of a two car garage but my storage is all over the garage..

[Jim Rimmer]

I have taken advantage of just about every niche and open space under a cabinet I can to add shelves and heavy duty slide out drawers (of a sort) to store finishes, wax, paint, etc. I have shelving units with hand power tools stashed in/on them. I have a Sears roll-around toolbox (that never moves) for the handtools, router bits, measurement tools and stuff I use a lot and want to offer a little extra protection. I have clamshell cabinets with pegboard for handtools like hammers, screwdrivers, etc and they also have a few small shelves for boxes of screws. Sandpaper and bagged items hang on the pegboard, too.

Not the best system but it has grown over many years. When I retire and start from scratch in a new shop I may redo it all but what I have now kind of works in one stall of a 3 car garage.

[Rich Johnson]

Same space here. I started by adding shelfs around the 3 sides of the garage just past the garage door rails on both sides and across the back. From the ceiling down 24 inches and at a depth of 30 inches, 48 inches on each case. I used plastic containers that were easly pushed into each 24 inch compartment. This allowed me lots of space to store things...christmass lights, wife's stuff, ect. Then on the back wall under those I put in 12 inch deep cabinets for storing screws, hardware, ect. Then below that I put regular cabnets with drawers. For tools, and most other items.

I actually took inventory of my items and what items i knew i would be buying. Then designed the shelfs around that. You never think of everything but plan plan plan...

Good luck.

[David Hostetler]

Sketchup, learn it, and use it. It allows you to lay out your stuff in 3 dimensions without actually having to physically move stuff...

[Don Jarvie]

+1 on getting rid of all the non woodworking stuff. All I have left is the mower, tiller, weedwacker and blower and their in the way all the time and I have 20x20.

Maybe a good time to figure out how you want the shop to function. All cutting on 1 side and assembly on another so all the tools are in the same area.

Once you have the big picture outlined then take each component and work from there.

Ex - along 1 wall you want a long bench for the miter or RAS setup. Under this bench what do you want under it? Storage for power tools? Wood?

[Greg Portland]

Once you have identified what needs to be stored start thinking about the following:

- Use as much space under your work surfaces as possible. Consider built-in cabinets or (better yet) pull-out / roll-around tool carts.
- Use as much space over your work surfaces as possible. Wall mounted cabinets as well as ceiling storage (hanging platforms to store plastic storage bins, etc.) should be considered. Try to keep enough headroom for a good work environment.
- For all the cabinets, consider door storage as well as cabinet storage. When you open a cabinet door, there is rarely a way to store items in/on the door. Take a look at a good hand tool cabinet... these items often have 3-4" deep doors with a lot of storage in the cabinet and on the door. You can extend this thinking to other storage cabinets.
- Multi-tasking tools save space. Tools that can only perform one function take up space. When buying tools, look at options that can perform multiple functions (jointer/planer instead of separate jointers and planers, etc.).
- Build a large tower storage system for all your medium sized tools (bench top sander, bench top grinder, router table insert, Kreg jig, clamp table, etc.). Have each mounted on a panel of identical size. Have this panel drop into your TS extension table. This way you can swap out tools and they are all stored in one vertical column.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Another vote for dedicating the shop to wood working; especially if you have a few acres - a small shed for garden/yard tools is a good investment. I built a nice sized, simple cabinet for my sliding miter saw years ago. My mistake was not installing sliding drawers or trays; I just went with shelves. That is a retrofit I plan to get to some day. So if you go with Greg's suggestion, which I second, in using space under work surfaces, you won't be sorry if you install pull-out trays.

[Kent A Bathurst]

As you are sorting through your items and devising storage solutions - something to keep in mind that is helpful.

The items you use constantly should be immediatley accessible from your primary workstation. The less frequently an item is used, the farther away it is stored. There may be items that get only occasional use, but are used heavily when you do use them. There are items that are rarely used, period. These guys go far away - both horizontal and vertical distance. If it isn't used very often, you can easily afford to have it in an inconvenient place - even top level of storage shelves, with other stuff stacked on top of it.

This can mean breaking up "sets" of items. I have 3 handsaws I use often, and they are RIGHT THERE. I have others (wood, hacksaw, keyhole, etc) that are rarely used - those are at the other end of the shop. My bench has 2 drawers of wood screws (box qty) , but there is also a number of these that just don't come into play very often. Those are in a cheapo hardware holder (cabinet with dozens of those little plastic drawers), in the furnace room off the shop at the other end - along with a mish-mash of "stuff". I dug through that pile just yesterday to get out the double boiler + electric hot plate - first time in over a year I've used it.

[glenn bradley]

Much good info so far. I too banished all non-woodworking stuff from the shop main area. I have to 24" x 16' long panels running in the rafters that hold boxes (and some loose) of electrical, plumbing, camping gear and the like; pure storage with the occasional accessing of items.

I have several times thought I had run out of room only to discover that there was one more end panel that I could hang stuff on, one more cubby that I could build drawers into, etc.

I store my lumber horizontally in the last two feet before the rafters on two walls. I use a cleat system that allows easy reorganization depending on what I am working on. Drawers, drawers, drawers . . . oh, and cabinets for finishing supplies. The breaking up of sets is excellent advice. Primarily I decided what I use the most and keep it close. Less used items go in drawers or cabinets. Items used less than that go outside the shop area for semi-annual access. Things I use every few months do not need to be where I can see them ;-)

All yard tools, other what-zits and the like are stored elsewhere. I have heard (although I am not sure I believe it) that some folks even park CARS in their shops. Good Lord, what's next.

[Peter Bell]

Thanks guys.

Some good information there. I have not had time to study each reply thoroughly but it looks like you have read my thread exactly as I wanted it to be received and your replies indicate that you have an understanding of where I am at.

Thanks to everybody for your thoughts, I will have more time tonight to study the information and then I will draw up a plan of action.

Peter

[Kent A Bathurst]

One other thought...personal preference (not starting an argument).

My primary tool wall is covered with 1/2" ply and a slap or two of varnish. I fashion tool holder thingys out of scraps of whatever hardwood is laying around, and mount them to the ply wall with screws. The point here is: I can jam-pack that wall to a degree that peg board or a cleat system can't match. I can reorganize it when my preferences have changed, or when I just take a notion (like last month). Often this is because I have added some new tool, and need to rejigger things to pry open a spot. Yes, the ply wall looks like it went hunting with Dick Cheney, but it is so full of tools + fixtures that you don't see many of those holes.

Also, this makes it easier for me to set up the tools for a "grab-and-go" position - I like to be able to reach for a tool, and have it in the correct position in the correct hand to use without changing hands or position. This is actually just an addiciton left over from my years in manufacturing process improvment asignments. Like the coffee in the kitchen - coffee maker is under the cabinet with the mugs, right beside the fridge - open the fridge door and the milk is in the door right at coffee mug height. That is the only success I have had in the kitchen - thoughts on the rest of that operation were clearly unwelcome. Also - never, never, never venture into "more efficient layout" in wife's closet or purse. I mean never.

[Josh Bowman]

One other thought...personal preference (not starting an argument).

My primary tool wall is covered with 1/2" ply and a slap or two of varnish. I fashion tool holder thingys out of scraps of whatever hardwood is laying around, and mount them to the ply wall with screws. The point here is: I can jam-pack that wall to a degree that peg board or a cleat system can't .

Can you post pictures of your wall?
Thanks Josh

[Kent A Bathurst]

Can you post pictures of your wall?
Thanks Josh

Be happy to, but I need a few days - my camera just got on a plane for its annual 3-day trip to the Philadelphia International Flower Show.

I am quite confident that I will also be able to post 2 or 3 chips full of flower photos at the same time, if you're interested

I'll get back to you Fri-Sat, Josh. Feel free to send me a dope-slap via PM if it looks like I forgot you.

Kent

[Tom Clark FL]

Your problem applies to everyone. As my shop grew, so did the storage needs. One 8' workbench solved most of the problem. Tools, paints, supplies, all fit. Next all the 'machinery stands' were thrown out and replaced with stands that serve double duty. Then some drawer units were built. You won't believe how much they hold. Problems solved and shop space doubled!