Need some suggestions for efficiency.....

[froglips]

Here is my situation......

I have a lot of stuff. Piles of it. Not much space to lay it out and don't have a garage/barn.

So, over the years, I've gotten into a bad habit of stacking stuff.

What I do to work on something, is spend 30+ minutes dragging things out of my shop to the work area.

This holds true for woodworking, welding and auto maintenece.

This is killing me, as I spend more time dragging stuff out/putting away as I do working on the project.

The worst part is it kills the mood to do the work and even discourages me from starting.

So, anyone have any tips or suggestions on ways to improve working methods?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Mike Davis]

I hope you get some good suggestions besides "build a bigger shop" because that's the advice I always get. I have very much the same problem, even with a 16 x 16 dedicated shop building. And I know it should have been 40 x 60 but it had to stop when the money ran out.

 

[jamie]

How much room do you have in the shop?

Do you have room for shelves or cabinets?

I recently put up some shelves that I got from Costco- looks like this:
http://www.whalenstorage.com/products/industrial_rack.html

It might at least make it easier/faster to go through the stacks. They were $150 each. Not cheap, but fast.

What I had really wanted to do was get the parts to build pallet racks, to put at the front of the garage, but I spent all my money on tools...

 

[froglips]

Sorry, I forgot to put my shop constraint.

Its a 12x12 shed. Fully wired, but also on the far corner of my property.

One idea I had was to make some sort of weather tight rolling outdoor tool cart. Mainly for automotive work. My shop is too far from my driveway and inside a fence, hence rolling.

One area I haven't explored is setting things up permanently outside the shop. Like maybe a small welding area thats attached.

Bigger shop would be nice, but not practical. This is less about space, as it is about methods of work and organization.

Rest assured, if I had more space, somehow I'd have more tools......

Jim

 

[jamie]

Sorry, I forgot to put my shop constraint.

Its a 12x12 shed. Fully wired, but also on the far corner of my property.

One idea I had was to make some sort of weather tight rolling outdoor tool cart. Mainly for automotive work. My shop is too far from my driveway and inside a fence, hence rolling.

One area I haven't explored is setting things up permanently outside the shop. Like maybe a small welding area thats attached.

Bigger shop would be nice, but not practical. This is less about space, as it is about methods of work and organization.

Rest assured, if I had more space, somehow I'd have more tools......

Jim

I think that a couple of pictures might help...

 

[Joe Lyddon]

froglips,

How about getting another Shed? The back yard storage type... Sears has them On Sale toward the end of summer / Fall... (you have to build a base... then put together)

Then, unload Secondary stuff from the Primary Shed and put it into the Secondary Shed...

Now, you have better access to the Primary stuff in the Primary shed... and will only have move other stuff when you go into the Secondary shed.

Then, of course, sometimes you have to ask yourself, while looking at stuff you've had for years just because "It's really good stuff... I think I will use it someday... etc. etc." BUT, it still sits and sits, etc. etc. Taking up just plain Storage Space... bite the bullet and Sell or Junk stuff you really will not use no matter how long you will keep it. I had to go through that process... it's not easy, but it sure made having room to walk around alot easier!

 

[Bas]

How about building a mobile self-contained project-optimized tool storage and work area vehicle?

Nothing complicated. A box made of plywood, 2' x 5' x 1'. Four casters. Close up the back of the box with an oversized piece of plywood 5' x 2', so that it sticks out at the top. Now you have a cubby to put tools and parts, a small work area with a backer so stuff can't roll off (assuming you add a lip), and you can even hang tools on that backer. Store outside with a tarp over it. Not too long of course, or things will rust.

A weather tight cart is much harder to make and you end up duplicating lots of tools (OK, that's not so bad). But I think the lack of workspace is the real killer. I always have piles of stuff on my workbench after a few hours (measuring tape, pencil, saw, couple of chisels, some project pieces, clamps etc.). You could of course make several tool chests with a shared portable workbench that fits over it, but it means you cant leave stuff on the bench.

And get a bigger shop. :rolf:

 

[Kdub]

would a lean-to be a feasible solution? perhaps place the suggested shelves there and open up space in doors for workspace. as far as organization when working, i practice the hunt and find method, when i need something i try to remember where i had it last and if it's not there, one advantage of a small shop.
good luck
kurt

 

[ScottM]

Only advise I can offer consists of a couple parts:

- Organize and label everything you can

- When you are done with something put it back where it belongs before reaching for something else

- Work at one project of the time

- Don't save every little scrap "just in case"

 

[Joe Lyddon]

Only advise I can offer consists of a couple parts:

- Organize and label everything you can

- When you are done with something put it back where it belongs before reaching for something else

- Work at one project of the time

- Don't save every little scrap "just in case"

Very good points...

BUT, also very EASY to say... :rotflm:

I always have more than one project in process at a time... (so I can think about the next process(es))

I DO try to put everything back away at end of day (session).

Labeling... On these heavy plastic cases, I like to use a black marker & mark What it IS as well as put ARROWS going UP on those lil flip levers so it's NOT opened upside down! :gar-La;

 

[ScottM]

Very good points...

BUT, also very EASY to say... :rotflm:

You remember what your parents said, "do as I say and not as I do" :eusa_naug

My shop does not follow those rules and it looks it. :wrolleyes:

 

[FredP]

one suggestion would be work stations. you can build one cabinet and use slide in shelves for small stationary tools like grinders miter saws portable planers ect.... mount these on the slide out shelves and store them all in the same cabinet on wheels. the miter saw and planer can be mounted to the same shelf. pull it out and turn it over for the other tool to be used. a lower shelf can accomodate 2 tools as well. tis way when you wheel it out to work you are getting 4 or more tools at the same time, all on the same roll around station.:icon_thum mount a power strip to the roll around and you only have to run one power cord to it.:gar-Bi or you could just keep movin shtuff otta the way like I do.....:rotflm:

 

[CarvedTones]

I posted this in the past...

Here is a tool stand mounted on wheels chock full o' tools:

On top are a lathe back to back with a bechtop router table. I chose those two because I rarely need access to the back of either one and since it is on wheels, it is easy to spin it around.

On the bottom shelf is a benchtop tablesaw that weighs about 1000#, possibly not the best choice for this setup but bear with me. On either side of the tool stand are folding saw horses hanging out of the way flush againt the toolstand. I set them up, slip the tablesaw onto the floor, remove its shelf (it has pieces of wood on the bottom so it doesn't shift easily, but it lifts right out once the saw is off it) and put the shelf on the saw horses. Set the tablesaw up there and as soon as I get the hernia repaired I can cut some boards...