Projects Shop organization-Tool storage

You sir, win! I can only dream about being that organized.

 

You have to be organized when you have alot of stuff and not much room. I just got this a couple months ago. $500 Bucks

 

Can you spell OCD?

 

LOL,,,,,Each time I get it kind of neat an clean,someone pulls the pin again %#@&*^%*&

 

Oh, see, dee! Can you spell cat? Cat! K I T T Y. Pussy! (Curley Howard...)

 

I am already thinking that way. We have this stuff that we use frequently. It's affectionately known around our house as "Green Cheese".



After losing a wiring harness to the field rats on my 2002 F150, I tie it under the hood on all of our cars and it gets strewn about in strategic places. FYI, it fits perfect in the C purlins of a metal building, where the mice like to run. I am dropping this inside the cabinet when the bottom drawer is pulled out.

 

OK, if my take on your organizational skills is correct, the great big hammer drill bit in the drawer with the lock parts is to remove the broken lock cylinders from car doors and dashboards, right?

 

Isn't that what you all use ??? Most of the drawers have stuff with no reyme or reason , look organized on the outside and mixed up as anything on the inside ,hey somewhat like a teenager

 

The business next door to where I used to work set this next to the dumpster. I saved the garbage man the effort of loading it by tossing it into my truck. Works really well for big bulky tools!

 

If it`s cheap, I pick it up. Index filing cabinets are hard to find.

 

When I moved into the house I'm in now, the previous owner had thrown some plywood shelves up on the back wall supported by 1 x 4's nailed to the studs. Not really strong enough to hold anything heavy but it got some stuff off the floor. I spotted these on FB Marketplace the other day for $100. The T uprights are 3/16 thick and 7 feet tall. The shelves are 16" x 36" and are adjustable as are the shelf dividers. Not organized yet but everything that was on the 3 shelves nailed to the wall as well as the stuff off the shelves on the end wall is in these shelves. I'm getting there.

 

Not so much organized as a general area to search. 3 sections of Stanley Vidmar cabinets, 5 sections of surplus Lista shelving and a discarded cabinet from the house.
I also use the exposed roof trusses more than I should.

 

Vidmar cabinets rule.

 

The problem with general file cabinets is that with a deep drawer and a closed front, stuff gets piled on top of other stuff and then you can't find it. Obviously there are different configurations that work well for different stuff, but the standard legal cabinets aren't great for small parts. Big tools, yes.

 

I`ve got 11 File cabinets in the shop sitting under my Pallet rack. And 15 more in the basement.

 

Originally, I had started down the regular file cabinet route. A friend was using them, but then he started complaining about a few issues he was having with them, so I got on FB Marketplace and started looking for a different route. These made more sense and man, I can load them down....

 

They make different quality of regular file cabinets! Mine are old military cabinets and are very strong! Even as strong as they are, I load my heavy stuff in the lower drawers and the lighter stuff up high. Also stacking them next to each other helps stabilize them. Some newer file cabinets are junk!
I not saying the regular file cabinets are as good as yours, but they are cheaper and more available. I actually have never seen your type for sale….but maybe I wasn’t looking in the right direction? Lol






Bones

 

Ask and ye shall receive....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplac...h&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post

and they are in Owasso. $50 each

 

I bought a cabinet like that, it was a “ blue print “ holding cabinet. Had real smooth drawers. I just didn’t have the room for it , so I gave it to my son! I figured it would make an excellent tool box!




Bones

 

Wow! Just 40 miles from me! But now I don’t have any room for them! Just my luck!




Bones

 

The local Habit for Humanity resale store gets heavy duty file cabinets in all the time. They are usually between 20 and 30 bucks each here. I picked up a pickup load out of a social security office in a GSA auction a few years ago. They were five miles from an airport that I worked at on a regular basis and I was driving my truck up there to work anyhow. I like the idea that you can dedicate a file cabinet to a project and stash everything for that project in that cabinet. Or keep power tools sorted out in them.

 

i use file cabinets & lateral files for bigger tools and special stuff. also use map cabinets for tool storage. i was getting them cheap until others figured out what they could be used for. pic is bolt storage

 

Great use for a dead fridge! Leave the light hooked up and you'll be able to find stuff inside when you open the door!

 

The trouble with all this storage is it necessitates the need for more wall space.

 

When I built my shop I only put 1 36"window for that very reason.

 

Truth is that what works best is having many different sizes of cabinets and then finding an orderly way to make them complimentary to each other. I have some of virtually every kind of cabinet thats been mentioned already. I have a bunch of Vidmars. They are great except for one thing..........they are not mouse proof. But I can live with that. Just gotta open them and look for mouse crap when the weather begins to chill....then break out the shop vac.

Another cabinet that I really like are the ones similar to a file cabinet in size ......maybe a little wider. The drawers are about 4-5 inches deep and roller slides. Most are older but they are great for nuts, bolts and smaller things and deep enough to be handy for specialty tools. Generally they can be had for about $50-$75.

The files like @Moriarity mentioned, for holding blueprints, are great for storing gaskets and gasket materials as well as rubber sheets, pattern paper, etc.

(Helpful Hint: The appx .040 thick cardboard thats great for making patterns. I priced a role of some at Lowes. About 36" x 100 ft was $65. On a trip to Cosco I noticed they had 4x4 sheets of it on the pallets separating their toilet paper packages. They throw it away. So I bought a pack and put about 3 of the packing sheets under my basket. Ask them about it at checkout and they said "no problem")

An old medical cart for holding A/C vacuum pump and gages, along with brake bleeding tools. Easily rolls to the vehicle for use.
I use this one to store information that on different things and tools. Books, Magazines, OnLine articles I printed, wiring diagrams and instructions, and stuff for project vehicles that I will use when I need to be able to find what relates to that project. Its got labels now.

Perfect for storing specialty nuts,bolts,studs

Great for storing Paint supplies or some large tools

Wood is good for precision tools as it attracts less moisture. Top part holds angle plates and parallells and vices, etc. All things that you don't want moisture attracted to in the winter.


A little creativity creates a workbench with a vice and some cabinet storage from a section of pallet rack.


Or these type which have about 4-5" deep drawers. Had to remove some dividers inside but these are great buys for your shop. Many are older looking but still really good for shop storage.





OR.......just buy one of these. (Its not mine)

 

Here are a few pics. I loaded two of them last night. I build way too much stuff in here to keep it spotless. Mine is a 40x50x14 and I have an upstairs loft.

 

I can store a lot of stuff upstairs. The upholstery shop is up there and storage on either side . Now, I have to find a sucker to help me move two of these cabinets up those stairs….