Editor's Note: This one isn't entirely on-topic, but I thought it was pretty appropriate for tech week. Originally posted on The Garage Journal. .............................. ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
phew! wish i could get organized like that... i think i tend to jump from one thing to another so much that it all gets jumbled together but, i just picked up a cool old metal military bench with a whole bunch of little drawers...eventually i plan to seperate things like you, to where a drawer contains the supplies for a certain job the drawers come out easily so i can just pull each one and carry it to where i am working hopefully i can get things straightened out here soon....its hard to accomplish things working in a mess of wire, rivets, tools, and just junk in general..... great post!
Resourcefulness at its best......I have been having a similar problem in my garage and I think you just solved it. Thanks Ryan.
Oh no, another thing to add to my list of things to look for at yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. Great idea for storing and organizing things though. Plus I get to start another collection for storing my colections.
Nice post. I have box that looks similar to the military box, but I use it for all of my manuals and garage type catalogs. Also, I hear you on the space issue. I recently moved from Buffalo, NY to Charlotte, NC and I am missing the basements in New York. Back there you have a garage for the cars and the shop in the basement for woodworking. Now it seems I have to get more creative to keep things neat and out of site in Charlotte.
a few years back i started attending office supply auctions they have scratch and dent lateral files 3-5-6 drawers high pretty cheap 15-20 bucks(originally $500)for the badly scratched.dented ones (mishandled in shipping or storage)with flip up drawers and roll out shelves they hold a hundred lbs or so each drawer..they fit nice side by side and most flaws blend into my shop also a wide narrow drawer card file from a library holds my hardware supply nuts bolt, elect, bulbs etc $10 (originally ($800) I also have 5 old computer tape storage units these 72 inch tall 36 wide units make great parts storage they hold milk crates and have tambor doors paid $5 each (original $???front roll up like a garage door..no doors to swing open into good painted car sides and ya can park real close to em..) but my favorite has been the drawer systems fom old banks they have excellent metal roller drawers designed to hold hundreds of pounds of coins and they have excellent locks and are at perfect work bench hight... picked up 12 of em(20+ feet of drawered work bench) at $35 apiece. ($700 each when new).......leave a leg hole area in few spots and have a place for a roller dentist stool or two..and the battery charger . all these seemed cheaper than a Snapon roller or Sears modular units? needless to say my storage in the shop looks like a very tidy office ...the tan ,biege,putty color helps lighten the shop too. some have reg countertops ,some wood some stainless(go to resturant supply auction's they are cheap) i have found these to be dust, grindergrit,and varmit proof so far,,, if ya rememeber to close em up p.s my shop is 22 by 60
Old metal picnic coolers work great also, very sturdy. Hey, is that an old Macintosh stereo in the backround (way OT, but old stereo's rock, no pun intended)
How do you find time to work on anything You area is waaaaaay to neat, I'll never let my wife see your work area Cool thread
If my acronyms are correct the old army box you have is for Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical equipment.
1 Question on this topic... Do you guys save/ use the hard plastic boxes that tools like socket sets, reciprocating saws, routers, etc come in?
not any more I am now missing some of the saws/ drills factory wrenchs and instructions.warranty cards from that executive decision
Keep an eye out for index card files, maybe this was already mentioned. My two cabinets were bought second-hand for $40 each and they hold all kinds of small bits. The drawers are long and not real deep, set up for 5x8 cards, two rows, side by side. I also do the one box for one job trick. You can pick up inexpensive rolling shelves at big box stores, work great for large, light weight parts. There's most of a Model A on one in my 1.5 car shop right now.
few years back while visiting one of my brothers noticed he had piles of clear plastic boxes that originally held kitty litter. which every few months he'd load up and haul to a recycle center. I grabbed a bunch of them and started putting things like leftover electrical supplies, tile tools etc.... in them. labeled them so even my wife could retrieve them for me. Over time its saved me from running to the hardware to buy something that in the past I knew was available someplace in the house or shed but had no idea where to even start looking. still using them.............
How big is your shop as compared to your old one? My goal is to have MOST everything out of sight and OFF the floor, so i can sweep underneath......
my goal is to have evry thing in sight and all over the floor. and then yell blame my apprentice for everything... or at least thats what he thinks.
In the lean manufacturing world we call this 5-S. Straighten, Sort, Standardize, Shine, and Sustain. The 5th being the most difficult. When everything is labeled, has a place, and you only have what you need when you need it it can make your time in the garage or work environment more productive.....If that is what your after when you are working in the garage.
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