# How is your workshop organized?



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Halloween is over, the props are (mostly) put away and I'm starting to organize the massive chaos from almost a full year of prop building. One of the things I noticed throughout the year is that I am mostly disorganized. My workspace doesn't make sense (like a poorly designed kitchen for example), and I am terrible at catagorizing various materials. Since most of us gather hoards of interesting materials (scrap wood, styrofoam, motors, metal, clamps, fasteners, paints, adhesives), I am always baffled at how to catagorize them and store them in a logical way for easy retrieval. 

Then there's the Tools.....Welders, power tools, hand tools, and more. Haunting is unique in that most of us have such a wide variety of tools, parts and pieces for almost every disclipline. I'm much better at organizing most of that stuff but the bigger things like a table saw, drill press, band saw etc seem to give me a headache. I hate having to move 10 things to get to the thing I want to use. 

My main workspace is my carport which is rather large (45' x 12') and I still park my vehicle in one end. I also have a 10 X 10 shed that I keep my drill press and band saw in. I've decided to start from scratch and try to create a workspace that makes a little more sense. 

I would love to hear from those of you that have workspaces that "make sense". Since my goal is to restructure and organize this year before I start building again, I'm hoping to get some ideas fom those of you that have a fairly organized shop (I can hear it now, "What... are you Kidding???). I know that most of us work in areas we'd call "organized chaos". 

I'd love to see floor plans or pictures so I and others can get some ideas. I'd also love to know how many of you catagorize those billion items that we just can't bare to throw away because "Someday" that will help make a new prop.


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## haunted canuck (Feb 8, 2009)

I think to organize your materials have a place that all your materials are stored ,styrofoam can be left outside under tarp so can wood that sort of thing the materials like this tend to take up space ,free some of that space if possible, tools what are the most common tools you use during your prop making those should be easily put onto a main work bench. those usefull someday props.. I make allot of tombstones so I have a Rubbermaid tub full of things to go onto tombstones thats my tombstone category. then another rubbermaid for corpsing type things skulls ,bones, body parts the list goes on for my stuff. I think I have a well organised shop and shed my garage is a 24 by 24 and i have a seperate shed for all my halloween tubs 10 by 10, within my garage i house all my tombstones in the rafters, a 12 foot fountain cross literally strapped to the rafters ,4x 4 x 6 foot maseleum in one corner on top of that my styrofoam hearse. I got my father in lay who was a welder to make me some shelving units to go along the front of the garage as well, this houses some other non Halloween related camping type things, but this rack holds the "to do" props that I would like to accomplish the shed holds mostly all the completed props or costumes, or props that are set out for next year all in rubbermaid containers catoragized into contents of the last years set up. I help run a halloween festival two weeks before halloween so i have to be organised otherwise it just does not work. allot comes with where your power supplies are as well your bulky tools wich should be in a location so you only may have to move the storage tubs to get at them


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Surely you jest.


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

Sorry...I can't help you. You've seen my garage, and family room, shed, play room/craft room, etc. I'm hoping to do the same thing tho as I start packing up the house. Just keeping the stuff I know I'll use, get it completely organized and then force myself to keep it that way bu putting everything back where it belongs when I'm done with it. I wish you luck!!!


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## Eeeekim (Aug 14, 2009)

It's not. Half my time is spent trying to find stuff I just put down.


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## deathstaste (Apr 20, 2007)

*plan*

I suggest this workshop planerhttp://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx the next thing is to sit down and make a list of categories you think you need you have already started in this thread paint adhesives etc. This is to get you started you can ad more categories as you find them but make your initial list and decide how and where you want to store them. I suggest 18 gal totes and shelves to hold them for most items. For all those little items that have no certain destiny nor do they fit into any of your other categories you have miscellaneous.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I'm not *that* organized, but I hate wasting time looking for stuff. I have found the $1 dishpans from the dollar store to be a godsend. I can put all my spray paints in it, slide the whole bin in & out of the cabinet or shelf. Another for paint brushes & rollers, etc. Put like with like and LABELTHEM (I like to use paper labels I can peel off later if I change my mind on what goes in the small bins): either like items go together or like function (i.e. all sanders together, all screwdrivers together, all scrap wood together on a shelf or a big bin). Or you can organize by like useage: I got sick of retrieveing all the tools and clips & crap I need to put up my display, so I have a "kit" of stuff I always need & I carry the kit as I set stuff up: floral wire, screwdriver, wire cutters, black duct tape,scissors, binder clips, stapler & staples & staple remover, band aids, bottle of water, granola bar, portable house phone so I can call inside to ask for more duct tape. Organization doesn't mean you are anal-retentive, it just means you realize you waste a lot of time just LOOKING for stuff. I don't keep a lot of building materials, as I know I can always find more in a pinch. I only keep rare scores, like working reindeer motors, perfectly aged wood, etc. As someone who has very little extra money, I will confess to you that hiring a organizer has been life changing. I found one (via word of mouth on Facebook) who is just starting up her business and only charges $10 an hour, which is crazy-cheap. It's SO WELL WORTH the money..I can't tell ya enough how awesome it is to have the constant background noise of worry-cuz-all-my-crap-is-a mess being taken care of, bit by bit. There are also GREAT organizing websites & books..mostly written for home organization, but many of the principles carry over to workshops. However, I know clutter and disorganization in a workshop can actually be comforting to some. My grandfather was like that...his workbench & shop was like a pack rats's dream. It was his 1960's version of a Man Hut.


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## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

Nor very well, always looking for something


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## Scarecrow (Dec 11, 2008)

Here are a few tips I have found to be useful. the large 18 gallon totes are great they stack well and can hold a lot just mark the outside well so you know whats in them. Don't put them on shelves just stack them on top of each other. you will only need to move a few to get to the one you want. the shelving for totes takes up too much space for me. clear shoe boxes for the smaller stuff. one thing though buy more totes and shoe boxes than you think you will need. I bought a few then went back to get more they had changed them a little and they didn't stack well with the older ones. the best trick for lots of stuff in a small work ares is WHEELS. I put as much as possible on wheels, workbenches, stacks of bins, large storage cabinets, large stationary tools. With all this on wheels you can move them around easily. I have things stacked 3 to 4 deep along the back of my shop but can easily get to anything just by wheeling what ever is in front of what i need out of the way.
in my shop i usually have 3 projects going at once 1 or 2 Halloween projects and usually one for my work, I am a freelance carpenter, and it can look like a tornado hit it but since everything has a spot it only takes about 30 minutes to make it look spotless. so the time you take to organize now will definitely be saved later. good luck have fun.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Scarecrow hit the nail on the head: organizing in itself is a task, but once you do it, it is SO MUCH easier to keep stuff neat. 

Just start by putting things in the general place where they should be geographically. Then you can sort each of those piles into categories & bins. You will be amazed at all the extra crap you have you can ditch and all the stuff you had no clue you even had! It's like getting little presents; "OHhhh..I didn't know I had one of THOSE!" 

So, are you starting yet?

Edit: why is the drill press & saw out in a shed? Shouldn't all the power tools be in one area, so you don't have to walk back & forth between the garage & the shed when doing a project? Maybe you can put something else in there instead?? Like all the lawn care stuff or something??


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## HomeyDaClown (Oct 3, 2009)

Oh man, If I ever get organized just shoot me!

I have years and years of materials, electronics, test equipment, computer gear, hand tools, power tools, a CNC machine ....most in boxes all over the place or on one of two 2ft x 16ft workbenches. It's an adventure to find things and that's the fun part. One day I will build another single garage for a shop. 

A clean workbench is a sign of a crazy mind (or someone that does nothing at all).


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Thanks for all the great replies. Just to be clear, this thread isn't just for my benifit, it's for all of us. We all organize in different ways. We create systems, and gadgets to hopefully keep us from loosing time looking for that "thing" you might need to move forward on a particular project. I'm hoping we can continue to share Ideas and concepts that will help us all be a little more effecient. NOT because any of us is anal (we all are anyway in one way or another), but because we all hate wasting time when we're finally motivated to push forward on a challenging prop (Where's my Hot glue gun???).

If anyone has created a unique "Haunters tool crib" I'd love to see one. I'm contemplating building a table on wheels with many shelves and wheels for my most commonly used tools. Personally I'd love to see what others may have come up with.

I'm currently still in the process of cleaning out the tons of race car parts, Machine parts, and clutter that I finally realize must be discarded or recycled. I' m creating a huge amount of free floor space and shelving space by doing this, so I'm very encouraged to get out from under all of this unnessary clutter (20 years worth).



> debbie5
> 
> Edit: why is the drill press & saw out in a shed? Shouldn't all the power tools be in one area, so you don't have to walk back & forth between the garage & the shed when doing a project? Maybe you can put something else in there instead?? Like all the lawn care stuff or something??


My Shed is only 2 steps from my carport. It's near enough that that doesn't seem to be a problem. Besides it a little more weatherproof than my carport for motorized tools. On the other hand, I spent the entire day removing junk from my shed. That space could end up as a primary workspace soon. It's larger than I thought at 14 X 14, with a few large workbenches (Now that I can see them LOL). I rented this house for 10 years before I bought it and the previous owner had a lot or crap in there that I'm finally getting rid of. It's looking a lot more promising.

Keep those ideas comming, especially any unique solutions for tool racks and/or mobile work surfaces. Feel free to post pics of your organizational inventions. If anyone else is looking for ideas that could help them be more organized, feel free to speak up. I know that as soon as I start building again I'll see a huge mess again... but knowng that everything has a place will make cleanup a lot easier in between projects.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

As I'm finding in the past few weeks, it's VERY satisfying to see bags & bags filled with CRAP leave the house (or in this case, workshop). Just the pure cubic feet that all the stuff took up is amazing when you SEE it all in garbage bags . 
My main problem when I'm working on a project is that I get so distracted...I will have 3 projects going, and then I start a 4th..and then I drop project #2, but I don't want to totally give up on it & put it AWAY, so it stays out...then I have crap all over. Then Halloween comes & I'm in crazy mode..then I'm too tired to put it all away. Therefore, I still have 4 bins of Halloween crap on my front porch (which was my main work space when I was setting up this year). Still. On the porch. It's December.


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

I'm tired as hell of all the clutter, and will be working on organizing and getting rid of things over the winter. I'm tired of building projects and then not being able to find everything I need to finish it. That's why I have 4 hot glue guns, 2 staple guns, 400 opened packs of glue stix, etc. It's completely overwhelming when the mess is out of control, and I'm looking forward to ending it! Greg, if you'd like to practice your organization skills, feel free to start in my garage


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Organized?
...yeah, right.


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## bentneedle (Sep 6, 2010)

I'm a guy with half a basement in a 150 year old townhouse for a workshop and an unending list of things to make (sets, costumes, props,etc) so I've narrowed mine down to the concept of 'workstations'.
Sewing/fabric arts and costumes take the west side, airbrushing equipment takes the north and paper mache/construction takes the east. Unfortunately this leaves a *narrow* entrance from the south.
I have rubbermaid totes with rough lables forming a wall between "The Cave" and the laundry area.
Overall, I can find it if I need it, but the fun is finsing other stuff along the way.


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

niblique71 said:


> I know that as soon as I start building again I'll see a huge mess again... but knowng that everything has a place will make cleanup a lot easier in between projects.


What you said right there is why a organized garage/workshop is absolutely wonderful! I do believe that I am one of the few individuals on this forum that does have a clean garage to work in. Absolutely everything has it's place and I know exactly where it is at almost all times. It's not just getting it organized, you also have to get in the practice of putting the "stuff" away once you are done using it. That is probably the hardest thing to get in the habit of, but it's a very good habit to get in to.

One thing that really helped get a TON of small clutter things up off the floor for me was simply peg board. Lots of peg board. Every single item that never really had a "home" before is now hanging neatly on the walls in my garage. Small hand tools, extension cords, levels, rolls of wire, duct tape, masking tape, etc. Peg board my not work for everybody's work areas, but it is working great for me. Also, making my own shelves instead of prefab ones, suits me (as a slightly shorter individual) very well.

After all my rambling, my biggest advise is to figure out what is used the most, and make those items readily accessible for you in any project. Slightly used tools/items should be off to the side, yet still easily accessible when needed. If that makes any sense:googly: Good luck to you, and everybody who is trying to organize their work area!!!


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## billman (May 3, 2006)

Make it Stackable! Fick209 is right. Get it up off the floor.

I have learned that if you just pile it up on the floor. It can go only so high (like waist height) before it falls over and grows in width. Bags are the worst. Put it in boxes or tubs with lids. That way you can stack them up. You can go 8ft. up rather than a pile of crap on the floor. Label it all.

Shelving helps tremendously to organize everything. Not regular shelves. They are too small width wise and aren't tall enough. If you have the room, Pallet racks would work the best. These are like you see at Sam's Club or Costco. They are configurable. You can find them fairly cheap at a recycler or on craigslist.









or the wire shelving works too. Plus, if you can have it on wheels is great for the inevitable moving around. I try to put everything on wheels now a days.









I have not done the pallet racks yet cause been too lazy. That's the other thing. Trying to overcome laziness!


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

And don't forget to make room for the $5 garage sale cube fridge to hold your...uhhh...bottled water. Yeah, that's it.

We didn't want to spend money on pegboard, so hubs just put nails in the garage walls and hung stuff up, tracing around the item to show what goes where. Make sure you store stuff high enough so you can open the car door in the garage & get out of the car....


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

fick209 said:


> One thing that really helped get a TON of small clutter things up off the floor for me was simply peg board. Lots of peg board. Every single item that never really had a "home" before is now hanging neatly on the walls in my garage. Small hand tools, extension cords, levels, rolls of wire, duct tape, masking tape, etc. Peg board my not work for everybody's work areas, but it is working great for me. Also, making my own shelves instead of prefab ones, suits me (as a slightly shorter individual) very well.


Fick, do you have any pictures of your workspace??


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

(ssshhhhhh..I think.....fick....is.......a.................littleperson.....)


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## mic214 (Jun 22, 2010)

deathstaste said:


> I suggest this workshop planerhttp://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx
> 
> {SNIP}


deathstate,

Thanks for the Workshop Planner link......I have been playing with ideas for my "Dream Workshop"......very cool.....!


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## deathstaste (Apr 20, 2007)

*your welcome*

I as well use the 18 gallon storage totes and although they stack well shelving takes little extra space and allows you to get that tote on the bottom which is always seems to be the one needed there is shelving designed specifically for the 18 gal tote and guess what made from a familiar material pvc. I made my own larger than what is sold fairly easily. contact me if interested i have somewhere their instructions which i used to figure out how to make it.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

I never bothered to post in this link because I really don't have a workshop - more like "work areas". I use all three porches at my house, my home office, and our attic. However, last week I went to a liquidation sale of a local hotel and bought something I never would have thought of: a maid's cart - to be my new work table. So far it has turned out to be a great addition for my prop-making.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Greg pegboard everywhere, shelves, storage cubbies, and draws. Get all of you big tools on movable bases. curbie kitchen base cabinets from a remodel are great for storage or to make benches and such. I will try to get some shots of my shop for you later on.


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## Volscalkur (Feb 15, 2010)

I dream of the day when I will have a dedicated workshop... for now I have the table in my apt and a room full of "random supplies boxes" which are the large totes from wal-mart. 
My work area is somewhat organized, I keep most of the important tools that will fit in a toolbox when not in use so they can be carried to where ever I'm working, and make good use of plastic organizers with drawers, but my prop making stuff still makes its way into all corners of the house and has a tendency to show up in very odd places sometimes! lol


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## Terra (Apr 13, 2009)

I love pegboard! I hang every darn thing I can off of pegboard. It becomes an idea wall perfect for staring at it when you have a build problem. Here's a video of my whole workshop:


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Wow Tara I wish I had that much room! I am squeezed into a 1 car garage.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Greg this is all your fault! I went out to take some shots of the shop and realized that I still had props to put away and an early Christmas present showed up on the door step so I had to make room for it. So 7 hours later with the new sander installed and the shop reorganized and cleaned. Here are some shots.

Here is a shot of the new sander



















I still need to take the electric chair apart and put it away.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Tara, GREAT Video, thanks for posting it. I love your shop and custom shelving. Your dust collection setup is awesome and I like your paint booth.

Joe, You've done a great job in your space as well. I noticed the extra storage above the garage doors. Cool new sander. 

Deathstaste, Thanks for posting that workshop planner, I think that will come in handy in the near future.

Pics and videos are what I was hoping for in this post. Just by viewing Joes and Tara's workspaces I have gotten a lot if Ideas. Hopefully others will benifit from this thread as it was my intention to help others as well as myself. 


It seems that peg board is the way to go for a lot of tools especially larger bulkier tools. and other items that are most commonly used. 

My hope is that I can bust up the broken floor in my carport so I can re-pour a nice polished concrete floor. I want to do this so I can hopefully enclose 1/2 of the space 15' X 22' for a warmer work space in the winter months. Like most of you I have such an abundance of raw materials from years of collecting, such as steel tubing, foam, wood PVC etc. I made a rack years ago but it's proving to be bulky and inefficient.

Keep those pics and videos comming.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

What workshop?


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Spooky1 said:


> What workshop?


Ok.... Can you speak to your beautiful and Healing wife and ask her to change the name of this thread to "How is your WORK SPACE organized?" LOL.


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## morbidmike (Sep 11, 2009)

I love being disorganized its my creative artistic side coming out LMAO


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