Your Take: Workshop, Tool Organization
I was thinking the other day that even if you have a giant workbench, tons of drawers, floor cabinets, wall cabinets, rolling carts, and even a trackwall, you still need to have some kind of organization system for your workshop (links to Craftsman tool storage reviews). Being organized means using the available storage in the most intuitive and efficient manner. It saves you time looking for that specific tool, and makes the most out of your storage space.
As I attempt to keep my small workspace clean, a few over-arching guidelines came into my head. I’ll share those guidelines but I’m curious what everybody else does. Is your shop organized? How do you keep everything in order? Leave a comment with helpful hints you’ve learned about keeping your workshop tidy.
Tool Organization Guidelines
Here are some guidelines that I use to help stay organized
Keep related tools together
Grouping your tools together is a great place to begin. I try to group tools by job. For instance, my multimeter, wire-strippers, wire nuts, and spare outlets are all related to electric projects, so I keep them all in the same drawer. The same is true for painting supplies like brushes, rollers, and painters tape. You don’t have to group tools by application, but you should do it in a meaningful way.
Tool size dictates location
Now that your tools are arranged into groups, you have to choose where they will live. Let the tool (and group) size help you determine the best place for them. Hand tools often fit well in pull out drawers. I have one drawer full of screwdrivers – large, small, Phillips, flat-head, precision, ratcheting, multi-tip, etc. Small power tools can be heavy and irregularly shaped making cabinet shelves a good place for storage. One of my shelves stores a circular saw, jig saw, orbiting sander and grinder.
Special Considerations
I think you should take extra caution for sharp tools like hand saws and blades. Small blades like utility knives, pen knives, and box cutters I store in a shallow drawer. Shallow drawers are best because everything is clearly visible and you’ll never have to dig around. Hand saws, coping saws, hacksaws and the like are easily stored on hooks. Hanging these saws from pegboard or a trackwall keeps them up, out of the way and beyond the reach of small children.
What do you think? What’s your take on tool organization? Any helpful insights?
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4 Responses to Your Take: Workshop, Tool Organization
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October 21st, 2009 1:09 pm
Hubby stores his tools just that way. His stepfather taught him from an early age to keep his tools organized so he could always find them.
October 21st, 2009 1:16 pm
Why do you have a picture of my workshop?
October 21st, 2009 4:37 pm
Are you reading my mind? While helping the husband install recessed lighting in the basement I kept thinking “There’s got to be a better way to organize than just leaving tools in random cardboard boxes!”
October 22nd, 2009 12:26 am
@Scoutsigns: I happen to know that’s a picture of Ethan’s work shop pre-organization… and it’s one of my most favorite pictures on this blog to date