Replies

1. 
   dovetail97128 | Apr 30, 2008 01:59am | #1

   ""...all of the extra tools""

   You have those you need to get rid of.

   Let me be the first to send you my address.

   ;-)

   They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
2. 
   RW | Apr 30, 2008 02:05am | #2

   Humor aside, he's on to something. Don't keep what you don't need. You can get a buck out of it and you won't use it, go for it. That will clear a little.

   The organisation part, I'd say its easy but maybe easier said. What kind of organisational arrangement makes sense to you? You could even go look at a woodworking catalog and see how they group things.

   Well theres measuring marking and layout tools. Theres the piles of nails and fasteners. Theres all the really long narrow things like paint poles and levels that dont fit well anywhere else. Or theres the buckets of "everyday" necessities.

   Anything that can go up just clears floor space and makes it easier to find. Metal racking is great. You can go to JLC and look at the carpentry forum at all the different trucks, vans, and trailers and how those all got arranged. Thats why they're posted there, just for what you're asking. Might as well get some use out of everyone elses thought processes.

   Real trucks dont have sparkplugs

3. 
   cindge | Apr 30, 2008 02:31am | #3

   I have a LOT of stuff in my garage, and I need it all!  Car stuff, tools, woodworking, building, the list is endless.  I built several of shelving units using the Simpson Strong Tie shelving kits, and designed them to be the height and multiples of width of those plastic bins.  Different shelves, different size bins.  Then, like items go in the bins.  Different color bins for different types of stuff.  Clear bins, too.  Label outside with sharpie on ducttape (or whatever).

   The bins help hold little things together, and keep stuff clean and dry.  Also, wasps, bugs and mice stay out of the bins.  It all looks organized, and if you put the bins back in the same place everytime, you learn where stuff is without searching.

   Oft used tools go in 2 roll arounds.  Lighting is crucial.  Poor lighting will make the best organized shop a drag to work in.  Beer fridge keeps motivation up.

   Hope this helps.

4. 
   andyfew322 | Apr 30, 2008 04:40am | #4

   get rubber maid totes, and make shelves for storage out of that 3" PVC. in the totes goes the romex, PVC fittings, junction boxes, smaller boxes w/ other stuff, tools sorted my speciality

    

   there's no need to reinvent the wrench

1. 
   Sasquatch | May 01, 2008 12:54am | #15

   I use see-through totes, the big ones.  I have electrical stuff in one, vacuum cleaner clamps, hoses, fittings, etc. in another, plumbing stuff in another, router stuff in another, and so on.  I can just look at them and know whether what I am looking for is in there.

5. 
   JMadson | Apr 30, 2008 05:04am | #5

   Sort your tools by area of work, i.e. electrical, plumbing, woodworking, tile, etc. Depending on what you're working on, you can just grab what you need and go.

   Throw out or sell your scraps and leftovers.

    

6. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Apr 30, 2008 05:25am | #6

   i've been working for the last 6 weekends cleaning and organizing,i've thrown away some,but need to throw more.every sat. am i walk out there and don't know where to start,but i've almost got it whipped,one more corner and i'm done!

   in a 20x20 shop i prefer lots of 11" deep shelves with no doors. lets me see everything that way.

   i have 2 floor to ceiling shelves built on each side of o/h door,those hold a lot of tools and something i like about it is when the doors open no one from the street see's those tools.then a 2x12 all the way over the garage door make a good shelf for long stuff and stuff you don't need often.

   then i built a plywood rack that sits along one side that i can put plywood in and get it out of the way.it doesn't slide in,you just have a latch that keeps it all from falling out. then on top of the plywood rack is 3 shelves that i stack oak lumber on and it holds alot.

   after that just hanging and getting it off the floor makes alot of difference.oh and be sure to park a trash can in the middle while you clean,see if you can fill it. last week my trash man dug for 15 mins in front of my house pulling out some old hand tools and stuff i had thrown,i think it made his day..larry

   if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

1. 
   JulianTracy | Apr 30, 2008 05:33am | #7

   One idea I've done in the past is to build a A-frame sheetgoods rack that has storage for 1x type long stock in the middle of the "A".Then hinge it to the wall at one end and put one-way casters on the front so that the entire rack can swing out from the wall to access the sheet goods storage on the inside. Then, on the wall where the rack is hinged closed, use the stud cavities for 3-5' stock, bars, etc.Also cool to do some hanging "U's" from the ceiling for lumber/pvc, etc. as well.Might be helpful to buy yourself a labler too - just having everything labled helps me to find stuff cause I can't remember last Tues it seems...JT

2. 
   FCOH | Apr 30, 2008 05:35am | #9

   Thanks to all who replied.

   Consensus seems to be lots of shelves and bins/boxes labeled and stored on the shelves. 

   So thats the direction I'll take.

   I cant believe how many little items I've found that I'd bought for jobs and never used.  You think The Depot will take returns 6 months ofter purchase without receipt? 

1. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Apr 30, 2008 06:31am | #10

   if you have items from hd or lowes ,absolutly load them up and take them back. if you don't have reciept thats fine they will give you a merchadise card,thats always  fine with me,i'll spend it in the tool asile... larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

1. 
   rasconc | May 01, 2008 04:16am | #18

   Now days at Lowes if you pay by credit card you do not need receipt.  If you pay by cash they ask you for phone #, that will work the same way.  Otherwise they will give the old merchandise card.  Big retailer is watching you(;-)

   I took back a basket full of stuff the other day to include an accordian door that a customer gave me that he had bought from Lowes.  No problems. 

2. 
   Huck | Apr 30, 2008 03:41pm | #13

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   View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product” – Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com

1. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Apr 30, 2008 11:27pm | #14

   is that real or photo shoped?  lol you even have the end of the extension cord stuck out and ready to go.

   that's not right ,you got way to much organizational skills for me.

   if i knew how to post a pic i would go shoot one of my van,you would probably go into a seizure or something.:]   larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

1. 
   andyfew322 | May 01, 2008 02:01am | #16

   I got it off google images 

   there's no need to reinvent the wrench

7. 
   andyfew322 | Apr 30, 2008 05:35am | #8

   this was kinda what I was thinking

   View Image

   See even a woman can do it  ;)

    

   there's no need to reinvent the wrench

   
   

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   Edited 4/29/2008 10:36 pm ET by andyfew322

8. 
   USAnigel | Apr 30, 2008 06:36am | #11

   I have one wall with "book type" shelves filled with file boxes from office max. Cheap and sturdy. They hold all the bits left over from jobs. Easy to mark for whats in them too.

1. 
   Ted W. | Apr 30, 2008 09:33am | #12

   I use plywood toolboxes to keep all my tools sorted. Taping and plastering tools, masonry and concrete tools, plumbing tools, electrical, carpentry, demolition... even my general purpose tools are in a wooden toolbox. Every box is built to the best dimentions for that particular tool set - i.e. the demolition toolbox is 34" long for the prybar, and 10" wide because most of the tools in it are long and narrow. The taping tools box is especially tall because the taping knives. The general purpose toolbox is shallow and wide to make it easy to find tools on the bottom, and has a separator for the smallest tools (pencils, tiny screwdrivers, nail sets, electric tester..)

   I also use a lot of plastic recycling bins, and yes, I recycle them. All the extra pvc parts, brass drain assembly parts, shut-offs, etc.. are in a couple of bins (one's not big enough), shop-vac parts are in a bin, steel wool and wire brushes are in a bin... and I keep a few empty bins on hand to stock the parts I'm going to need for any particular job. By the time I finish the job those bins come back with whatever is left over from that job, to get filed into their bins till they're needed for another project.

   I built some heavy duty plywood shelving to store all these wooden toolboxes and plastic bins, along with all my portable power tools.  There is a space between the shelving units where I keep brooms, paint poles, shovels, hoes and other tall tools. Except my 4' and 6' levels, I put a couple of nails in the front edge of the shelvs to hang them horizontally.

   I generally don't save lumber. It takes up too much space and is usually bowed and twisted by the time I need it again. The exception being plywood. I have one space on the wall where I lean sheet goods in no particular order.  Home owners are usually happy to keep the extra lumber. If not, another contractor might want it. I also don't save trim. Buy what I need when I need it and try not to buy too much is my philosophy.

   Paints and primers, solvents, joint compound, bags of mortar, floor leveler, etc.. I store on yet another heavy duty plywood shelving. Basically, lots of shelving, lots of bins, someplace for tall items, someplace for sheet goods, and I almost forgot... some place for my wheelbarrow, dolly, mortar trough, ladders...

   Did you plan on parking your car in there too?--------------------------------------------------------

   Cheap Tools at MyToolbox.netSee some of my work at AWorkOfWood.com

9. 
   toolman65 | May 01, 2008 03:19am | #17

   get rid of as much inventory as you can. return it,sell it,use it up or give it away. organize the remaining inventory into groups (e.g. plumbing) and place into standardized containers such as rubbermaid totes. clearly label the containers then place them on quality shelves, either built or bought, to open up floor space.

   determine what tools you use most often and place them closest to the door. if you plan on making serious sawdust in the future, now would be the best time to rough in duct work for the dust collection system as well as any additional electrical plugs. improve the lighting if needed and if you have some light colored paint on hand, give the place a once over.

   bright, well organized shops are alot more fun to work in than dark, cluttered (read : dangerous) dumping grounds.

10. 
    fingers | May 01, 2008 04:29am | #19

    I agree with others. Organize by task or trade . . . plunbing, carpentry finish vs framing, drywall etc.

    I actually don't throw much out. What I don't want or need anymore, I just put out by the street with a "FREE" sign on it. It's usually gone by afternoon.