How is your shop setup?

[burkhome]

Chuck
What a great system. My problem is my cabinets are already built.
As a matter of fact I think you mentioned in one of the other threads that I needed to use the door more. So I started to do that.

Unfortunately I can't use all of your ideas because in many cases the cabinets have obstacles to things hanging on the door. If I ever decide to rebuild my existing cabinets I would use many of your examples in a minute.

I did modified my one cabinet to allow me to hang my screwdrives on the door. I had to cut the width of the shelves down to get the room. I had thought of building a frame around the doors to make them thicker but then I would run into problems with the cabinet sticking out over the bench below them.

My biggest problem right now is my pliers. I must have 50 that I'm trying to organize. I have small, medium and large cross cutters, small medium and large needle nose, flat nose, lineman, etc. plus an assortment of speciality like gas, ring, crimping and etc. Along with slip joint, nippers and bolt cutter. I also have a whole set of mini pliers. Right now they are piled in a drawer half with the other half of the drawer holding files.

I have even thought of making a tray to fit the drawer. So I could place files and such on the bottom and then on the tray lay out my pliers but I think everytime I went for a files the pliers would all slide to the back and I would end up with my pile again. I can't store them out on the wall since I have so many spiders and after a while with dust it gets so you don't want to reach for a seldom used plier for fear of what might reach for you.
Ed

When I downsized to a small shop I had a very similar problem. I had run hardware stores for 30 years so the inclination to collect tools was always there. I solved the problem by classifying my tools by purpose. I primarily do woodworking in my shop. All the tools that I use frequently in my shop are on the wall someplace in my shop. (after spending 12 hours a day living in a retail store most of my life, pegboard will never ever find its way into my shop) Less used tools (still woodworking tools) are put into drawers. Next I bought an assortment of tool boxes. One is set up with electrical tools only. One is set up with plumbing tools only. One is set up with general screwdriver, plier socket set type tools. One is set up with specialty tools such as tachometers, meters for installing satellite dishes, spark testers, window repair, screen repair etc. 3 others were set up with the rest of the tools and given to my three kids, none of the really knowing which end of a wrench to hold. (But they are out of my way) Basically, I have what I use and not a lot more. I now buy a tool when I need it for a project and only then.

[mickyd]

You can get the equivalent of a full 4'x8' sheet (32 ft sq) of wall mounted pegboard with this setup which only takes up about 8 sq ft. Mount it on the wall and you can make it 2' x 4'.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=69853&postcount=440

[wgander]

I inherited my father in laws shop and tools from as far back as the '30s. They have only sentimental value so I cleaned and sorted them and store them in clear plastic containers with covers (Steri Lite, in Wal-Mart). I labelled them and keep them on shelf space that is awkward to get to and not my first choice for tools I use.
When I do need one of those old tools, I can quickly find it.
I haven't figured out how to store the countless files, planes and hammers: they're just stacked on each other on a shelf hidden behind the open door to the shop.

[moose]

Ed, don't ignore the use of those neat rare earth magnets in certain situations. Even the smallest are unbelieveable powerful with the one inch size seemingly enough to hang a whole shopsmith. Well, not quite. The downside is of course cost because a handfull can set you back a bit. All depends on how you want to use them

[terrydowning]

For items like hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, special purpose tools etc. I use multiple toolboxes.

I have a general toolbox that stays in the shop. Two smaller more portable toolboxes, 1 for small home repair that I can easily carry around the house for most honey do items, another with more specialized tools, screen repair, snap ring pliers, and other special purpose tools. I have a plumbing toolbox for plumbing tools, I have a car tool box for special car tools, I have a tool bag in my truck, with general purpose tools. A carpenters box with handsaws, planes, chisels, etc. I try to keep the specialized tools separated out by function so I can easily find what I'm looking for and easily transport them. I often end up moving tools, either helping friends, my Mother in law, or my mom. Having the tools separated helps me get the tools I need where I need them more efficiently. I do have a small pegboard for shop tools (THAT STAY IN THE SHOP!)

[robinson46176]

I believe that the most important thing to keep in mind is flexibility. One of my great-great-grandfathers was said to be an excellent woodworker. My son now owns most of the tools that he owned (just collectibles) but they will pretty much all fit in a common trunk. My tools on the other hand would pretty well fill a full sized semi-trailer (all tools, not just woodworking). Not everyone is as much of a tool freak as I am but almost all of us keep adding new stuff constantly. I see over and over where guys build something to exactly fit the tools they have on that day with absolutely no provisions to add something else. All it takes is a one hour trip to some tool seller to make it obsolete.
Be flexible.

[burkhome]

I ran down to snap a few photos of my shop. Keep in mind...I didn't clean it up. You are seeing my shop as it looks most of the time. It gets worse after a big project and better after a cleaning binge. The hutch type cabinet was my first project in this shop. It was built using nothing but scraps. There is more glue in the cabinet than wood. The cabinet under the radial arm was thrown together quickly with some stuff I had laying around and the drawers from the kitchen I tore out 10 years ago. When I moved here, the basement was an unuse cellar with water, bugs and mold. With a lot of work it is now usable.

[burkhome]

The remaining photos of my shop. I guess my point is make the tools that you use the most often the most accessible... then graduate down from there. Duplicate tools can be comforting in case of breakage but in my experience, tripping over them is much more disconcerting. In the past I had the large dream shop where you can get all your tools up but in a small shop,tradeoffs must be made.

[heathicus]

This is how my shop is set up currently:



Actually, that was before I added my tool boxes, air compressor, wood I didn't want out in the weather, my power hand tools (router, sanders, drills, circular saw, etc). Everything crammed into an 8'x10' metal building.

[mickyd]

This is how my shop is set up currently:

Actually, that was before I added my tool boxes, air compressor, wood I didn't want out in the weather, my power hand tools (router, sanders, drills, circular saw, etc). Everything crammed into an 8'x10' metal building.

You currently have some very under utilized space under your Mark V. Shame, shame!!! Other than that, looks great.