trailer organization and tool storage
awschmidt
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
This got started in another thread. I was looking for any ideas about how to better/more efficiently attach large tools in my trailer and shelf the smaller ones. I’ll attach two pictures of my trailer to get you started.
Replies
To start get ladder racks and put those ladders outside!
T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
I'd love to put the ladders back outside; However, they're inside due to the theft of their companions. I charge to much to get work in the hood, but things still disappear. If you have an idea for putting them on the inside of the roof i'm all ears (or eyes).
Damn theives again. Something ought to be done.Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
What did you have securing the ladders? Your trailer looks like it would be pretty tall just to get up there. I would think the height and a few good cables (maybe u locks) would be a sufficient deterrent.
Jon Blakemore
The ladders were locked with a master lock and cable. ladders were on top of truck at the time(immediatly prior to trailer purchase). Lock was cut, looked like big bolt cutter pinch. I have thought about locking ladders on the side of trailer; However, I don't want to slow down the set up/take down process or play gymnastics to access my tools by locking them on top. I also park the trailer in the front part of my shop which has a 10' door (trailer is 9'+).
Kevin
Here's an idea. I'm getting ready to move to a new shop that I'll share with a couple of other people. I figure if I put my hand power tools in Tyvec envelopes and seal them, it will keep the cords from tangling during the move. Plus, once unpacked and put on the shelf, folks will be less likely to borrow them without asking first if they have to open a seal. I can put the instructions in the airbill pouch. More to identify the contents than anything else.
This would also be good for other assorted related groupings of stuff, like putty knives and trowels, shims, tile nippers and scoring tools, sandpaper and sanding blocks.
If you got some of that plastic coated wire shelving, you could use binder clips to secure your tyvek envelope with the tools inside. You could do it vertically or horizontally. Binder clips rule.
Disclaimer: I'm not endorsing the use of free FedEx envelopes. The one in the picture is only for sake of the idea. I am going to take that drill out of there and use that to mail something. Certainly I mean for you to go to the office supply store and buy unmarked envelopes.
maybe these "how NOT to" pics could be of help!
This is what happens when you are finishing a floor job, starting a tile job and are in the middle of a trim job.....all in the same week.......and ya decide to push the final clean up on the floor job late into a Fri afternoon/evening....so ya don't have to do nuttin' on Saturday!
Jeff
.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
bad thing about that side pic......I really don't have shelf there!
That's just a scrap piece of ply that the table saw is on...that was a cutting station on the trim job!
...now that I get a closer look......maybe a permanent shelf there wouldn't be such a bad idea!
OK....this forces me to...again....clean out the van for a good pic.........as it was organized after those pics.....over a month ago.....and now looks even worse!
Had another of those job switch Fri's yesterday! Jeff.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
WOW. Those poor tools. At least ther're in cases. By the way, when I made my last portable table saw purchase I was forced due to time to buy the disappointing makshameda brand, I noticed the dewalt saw in the van and wondered if you thought it was the current benchmark. sorry about the run on writing, have to get the hyper toddler to bed :>)
van's cleaned as of today.......tools mostly on shelves.....big ones on the floor where they belong........and I just decided I have to build or buy some sorta shelving system for inside the side doors.....to the left...that'll butt up to the existing factory shelving along that wall.....because now that most of the tools have a home......
I have too many boxes and buckets of nails/screws/fasteners/little stuff....that fall all over the place. Problem is..the van came with the factory bins/shelves....which would be fine for an electrician or plumber.....but not for a carpenter.....my stuff's too big to fix right.
About the DeWalt table saw.......I've had it almost as long as they've been out.......waited till Tool Crib had one recond..and probably was one of the first to buy one recond...so it's been with me a while.
I love it! And so does everyone else that's worked with me. I've had the chance to work around most of the competitors...and to me....it's all about the fence....and no one has yet to come close to the rack and pinion......turn the wheel.....fence adjustment. Need a 64th shaved off...no problem....need to make a miter bevel from the other side...no prop..just pop the fence off and click it on the far side of the blade. Have had no problem cutting thru anything I've encountered...have heard other manufacturers are more powerful......but how much more ya need? Get a sharp new blade if yer saw's bogging down....or learn to feed it the right speed.
I do remodeling......and sub high end fancy faloottin' trim........and every now a customer askes for something in betwen like a deck........and so far...the DeWalt has handeled and built it all. The DeWalt can also hold a 6in dado blade...at the time I first bought.....not many other portables did. Hope this helps, Jeff.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
Hi Jeff, could you give me the model number of your dewalt table saw. That sounds worth looking into. ThanksHalf of good living is staying out of bad situations.
Jeff, your rave about the dewalt has convinced me. If anybody wants to buy a makschmeda 10 portable let me know. The mak has plenty of power, will take a dado, but the fence is dissspicable. Oh yea, the dangded thing only goes out to a 18" or so rip! Thanks for the feedback on the saw.
Kevin
Ahhh,
A subject near and dear to my heart. I just took delivery of a 8.5x18 job trailer, and am just beginning to outfit it. First I am painting the insided white, the ceiling is insulated and already white. Next I am running electric. I'm thinking nothing fancy, male outlet box on the outside to connect to generator, or ac, with outlets throughout and lighting. I'm thinking I pull into a job and run power to the trailer, or, run off a tongue mounted genny.
I'm definately having some racks fabbed up. Integral cables for locking is a good idea. So's a rider on my ins. policy.
I'm having trouble planning for max present and future storage, I'll keep you posted.Tom
Mauleboy, and Jeff,
Being a Framing contractor I use just about all of my ladders every day. I have a 8' w x 14' L X 6'6" H Box Truck Fiberglass box. I wanted to put roof racks on but no one would do it, they said you can't put racks on a fiberglass box.
So I turned to (Weather Guard) they have great shelving setups for any kind van, minivan, step vans, box trucks and trailers.
I laid my truck out so that I have shelving on both sides and allowed room on one side for my compressor.
I have about 50" in between and thats where I keep all my ladders, right on the floor, there the first to come out in the morning and the last to go back in at the end of the day.
The great thing about Weather Guard is that you can mix & match, they have all different sizes, they have 14" w 18" w & 24" w shelves. They also have all different lengths, I don't remember those off hand. Also different heights. I have everything I own in there.(That sounds DANGEROUS)
Mauleboy, for you that would be great for you to check into because your trailor is baisically the same set up as my box truck.
Jeff, for you they have van packages, tell them what trade you are and your van make and model # and you can get anything you want for your van. Even if you don't get shelves, they sell all kinds of bins for nails and screws.........
They have special bins that go on your doors if you don't have to much room anywhere else.
Good Luck.
Joe Carola
Here is the one lock that seems to trump all the thieves in the city, so far. It's a bit expensive, but well worth it. I haven't lost any of my ladders since buying one of these. I originally got it for bicycles but then realized my ladders needed it more. The thing is awesome.
http://www.kryptonitelock.com/inetisscripts/abtinetis.exe/PublicArticleDetails@public?artid=2737&atf=products_item&pgrp=20
Edited 9/2/2002 1:21:37 PM ET by Clay
Article "not found".
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I edited the link. Sorry about that. I seem to have copied it twice on accident. It should work now.
Got it, thanks. I have a couple of their cable locks, like them..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I got in first try. $109 bucks.Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
But you have to look at the specs on that thing.
Let me tell you I sleep alot better knowing that thing is holding my stuff down.
Now I just wish I could find something that makes me feel the same about my shop.
ya, small price to pay for piece of mind.
Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
is dat u , clayb?
bought a kryptonite for my daughter's bike when she left for college.. lemme tell ya.. don't lose the key !Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
No I don't think that I am the Clay you are thinking of Mike.
Yes losing that key is a definite no no. Don't know if you noticed on their website but Kryptonite has a key replacement system. In other words, if you register your lock then they can make and send you another key if you lose yours. Might not be a bad idea for your daughters lock.
Yes that is one of my worst fears is to have to go and cut that chain, because I know it's not going to be easy.
My small finish trailer:
Ditch
Do I see boxes of CAULK!!!!!
Tch Tch Tch!!!
When your done with a job it really is finished!
;^)
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
"T",
The quality of my floors is so poor I usually go thru a few boxes filling up the gaps:]
Ditch
I always kid our floor installer that only real carpenters buy thier wood filler in 5 gallon pails!
I also offer him the use of a mop when it is time for him to apply it!
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Smaller pic:
Ditch
Looking for ideas for bar clamp storage. Someway to hang them on the wall of the trailer where they'll stay for more than a few miles, go on and off quickly, and stay out of the way. Right now they live in a piece of 6" pvc pipe, but I've got to take them all out to find the one or two I need.
Ditch
as for the bar clamp idea try this.
create a color code. get some spray paint, of different colors and paint each length of clamps on the bar the same color. Say gree for 2fters. red for 4, yellow for 6 etc. etc. or get more 6 inch pipe and color code the pipe for the size of bar clamp. K.I.S.S for orgainization i say.
I just read an article in the mag. workbench that has all kinds of storage projects.One project took a 2 x 4 and cut 5/16ths slots 2 1/2 inch deep if you cut the back at an angle they should stay in place.The other project cut slots into a miterbox shaped shelf the cuts were at a steep angle this would be easy to mount on a wall and i'd make it as wide as my smallest clamp.
ANDYSZ2
howza bout a 2x on edge...running horizontal.....that they"ll clamp onto?
all nice and in the open........I'd suggest across the back door.......chicks'll dig that!
Jeff and Corey.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......
Ditch, in my trailer I use multiple pieces of short pvc mounted on a shelf unit. I store different sizes in each tube, and the tubes are only 1' long so I can see the tails (as I do not have the room to install one tube for each brand and size). In the attached pic they are mounted to the left side of the shelf on the right (best view I have of them right now).