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Tips/Techniques Workshop Organization- things that have made a difference for you

Tips/Techniques
boilerhouse said:
Many great ideas and suggested habits in this thread.

I want to spend this winter reorganizing my shop. It's not bad as is, but I would like it a lot better. The number one and first priority is BETTER LIGHTING. Meaning all the T8's and old T12's go, and hello LED's.

(Surprised considering the forums demographic that this hasn't been mentioned yet.)
Click to expand...
I have a 9.5 x 20.5' space. I've switched 6 of 11 twin tube fixtures to LED (1 replacement and 5 direct wire). I just picked up another box of the direct wire type to finish the job. I'm really happy with the light, electricity saving and lack of dependence on ballasts. They're pretty cheap at Home Depot.
A friend is trying the single LED strips that plug end to end. It's bright but they are struggling with shadows.

BTW; Is there a build in way to split a thread?
 
ColinB said:
I have a 9.5 x 20.5' space. I've switched 6 of 11 twin tube fixtures to LED (1 replacement and 5 direct wire). I just picked up another box of the direct wire type to finish the job. I'm really happy with the light, electricity saving and lack of dependence on ballasts. They're pretty cheap at Home Depot.
A friend is trying the single LED strips that plug end to end. It's bright but they are struggling with shadows.

BTW; Is there a build in way to split a thread?
Click to expand...
Yes I can move posts into a new thread.
What do you want moved?
 
DavidR8 said:
We have a Brother P-Touch H110. Works well.
Click to expand...
I have one too and 1" wide label tape is my goto.
As I have and continue to do work for local farmers and have a reputation of -if it can't be fixed take it to Gerry- I found I was mortified as a farmer is in the middle of harvest standing there wanting to help me get'er done, and I am scrambling around at $70/hr looking for my misplaced tools. Just didn't cut it.
So labeling and replacing tools in the places the belong is important to me. Wheels on 2 of my welders are important. Everything else has to be moved by forklift. I find, dispite my halfassed efforts, the welding and forming area around the welding table is disgusting, and everytime I clean it up it is good for one day and the grindings, slag, cutoffs, drops and worn cut off wheels are all over the deck again.
My hand tools are well labeled and if anyone or my wife is helping me I can say, "Bring me an O ring pick from the small tools drawer"
My machine shop is now becoming a mess because as my tools have grown, my storage has not. A friend in Wyoming left me his lathe and machine tools so now I have duplicates and triplicate issues.
My wife is urging me to buy this 6000 dollar storage drawer system, and last time I choked and never spent the money. I'll deal with it, I promise....

EDIT figured I better put in the link
https://tmgindustrial.ca/products/1...-with-68-pegboard?_pos=3&_sid=389560bf1&_ss=r
 
Last edited:
Ironman said:
My wife is urging me to buy this 6000 dollar storage drawer system, and last time I choked and never spent the money.
Click to expand...

I'd rather have two $3000 machines.

Ironman said:
As I have and continue to do work for local farmers and have a reputation of -if it can't be fixed take it to Gerry
Click to expand...

I am the Gerry in your story too. Just replace Gerry with "The Old Guy"

I don't seem to have your problem though. I know exactly which surface or floor space or box or tool cabinet where each of my tools are all the time. My wife would tell me to pound salt if I asked her to fetch me a tool so it's just easier on everyone if I just go get them myself.

When a local farmer calls me cuz his machine is dead in the field, I don't start a clock at the call. I usually grab my field tool kit and go see him which is often just to scope the situmatation out. Sometimes I'll take my loader tractor with me. Sometimes I'll use his tools. But there is always a mutual understanding that it will cost whatever it costs and that will be an order of magnitude less than a dealer would charge. I find that most farmers are all really handy. They usually just dive in and help me git er done. They all know when they need help and they know what a given situation is gunna be worth. If I tell them it isn't gunna happen there and then, they almost always throw in the towel, call it a day, and head for home - but sometimes they try and figure out another way like borrowing equipment from a neighbour.

The main point I'm making here is that my messy shop doesn't slow me down one iota. A $6k tool cabinet would just undermine my priorities for other things.

By the way, around here, big tool cabinets (sometimes brand new) often show up at farm auctions for 1/20th the cost. Those days may be gone with on-line auctions though.
 
I have to take a break when the garage door won't close .....................................which was yesterday . Now the back porch is loaded up too ! :rolleyes:
 
Ironman said:
I have one too and 1" wide label tape is my goto.
As I have and continue to do work for local farmers and have a reputation of -if it can't be fixed take it to Gerry- I found I was mortified as a farmer is in the middle of harvest standing there wanting to help me get'er done, and I am scrambling around at $70/hr looking for my misplaced tools. Just didn't cut it.
So labeling and replacing tools in the places the belong is important to me. Wheels on 2 of my welders are important. Everything else has to be moved by forklift. I find, dispite my halfassed efforts, the welding and forming area around the welding table is disgusting, and everytime I clean it up it is good for one day and the grindings, slag, cutoffs, drops and worn cut off wheels are all over the deck again.
My hand tools are well labeled and if anyone or my wife is helping me I can say, "Bring me an O ring pick from the small tools drawer"
My machine shop is now becoming a mess because as my tools have grown, my storage has not. A friend in Wyoming left me his lathe and machine tools so now I have duplicates and triplicate issues.
My wife is urging me to buy this 6000 dollar storage drawer system, and last time I choked and never spent the money. I'll deal with it, I promise....

EDIT figured I better put in the link
https://tmgindustrial.ca/products/1...-with-68-pegboard?_pos=3&_sid=389560bf1&_ss=r
Click to expand...
Link shows $2000 off, start the car.
 
I recently made the $7 investment and organized my punch drawer. Before that I was living like an animal.
 

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What I have learned over the years . It doesn't matter how large or how many tool boxes you accumulate . Tools accumulate faster than boxes and you still end up with 40lbs of **** in a 5lb box . I'm still to this day looking for a solution other than building another garage . ;)
 
Susquatch said:
I'd rather have two $3000 machines.



I am the Gerry in your story too. Just replace Gerry with "The Old Guy"

I don't seem to have your problem though. I know exactly which surface or floor space or box or tool cabinet where each of my tools are all the time. My wife would tell me to pound salt if I asked her to fetch me a tool so it's just easier on everyone if I just go get them myself.
My problem of lost tools was solved with the label machine and my shop is pretty well set up....except the welding area gets a head start on me alot.
The main point I'm making here is that my messy shop doesn't slow me down one iota. A $6k tool cabinet would just undermine my priorities for other things.
By the way, around here, big tool cabinets (sometimes brand new) often show up at farm auctions for 1/20th the cost. Those days may be gone with on-line auctions though.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I thought it would be "the hairy guy":p I had the lost tool issue til I got the label machine and now I can tell anybody where any tool is. I'm pretty pleased with the main shop arrangement to feed the press, ironworker and saw, welder and plasma access. Tools have a place and the place is labeled.
The machine shop is wanting reorganization. I have all the 3000+ dollar tools I want, but they are useless without the edgefinders and cutting tools, and storing them on plastic pails is not good any more.
From the get go I have refused field work, if you can't run that combine in here, get someone else is my creed. I get headers and grain hoppers on combines alot. The bottom auger wears the tank through and when the duct tape fails it comes to me, so I have developed a replacement 11ga curved sections to slip under the auger and weld or screw into place. I repaired a rim for a JD combine 35" duals, and the inside dual went flat and they kept going, then with the huge weight, the outer rim broke at each bolt hole. I cut the whole mess out and put some 5/8 plate on the CNC and cut a bolt pattern and welded it in. Saved them $3500 and we were both pleased.
This cabinet has not come up at auctions although TMC does send their stuff to our auctions. The smaller model with deep drawers went for 3000, but I don't want 8" deep drawers for my mill and lathe tooling. Most of it would be good in 2" deep drawers
 
While I don't want a shop floor I could eat from, I'm not happy w/ where the organizational level is currently at. I'm probably not alone in saying that I'm a combination filer/piler. I need for tools, fasteners, whatever, to be in a particular place when I reach for them, but I have no issues leaving projects on the bench/machine until such time as I can continue to work on them. No daily cleanings here.

That said, I flat out refuse to use labels. Personally that would be an admission of...I dunno...weakness, maybe?

The shop is always in a perennial state of cleanup/organization. I'm always on the lookout for a better idea for cabinets, shelves, what have you in my search for organizational nirvana. I'm currently reworking a wood toolbox design I found online to centralize my tooling & metrology. I think I've almost got the final draft.
 
140mower said:
That's just twisted.....:rolleyes: how are you going to find the 7/16" wrench in there?o_O
Click to expand...

I think @Jayham is planning to open a dentistry shop soon. The horror display is only intended to make sure patients comply with instructions. It surely serves no purpose related to finding anything.
 
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