Small Shop Organizing : Surviving and Being Efficient in a Tiny Space

[@Blondihacks]

A few folks mentioned getting things out of drawers, like the quick change tool holders. While I agree there are efficiency gains there, I prefer to keep things in drawers for easier cleaning. Things that are out on racks quickly collect chips and become dirty, which for me makes it more difficult to work. Things that are difficult to clean will never get cleaned. Also, someone noticed that everything (including the walls and shelves) is white. I paint everything white because it’s like installing 10 extra lights in a space. You’d be amazed what it does for visibility in your shop!

[@dragade101]

The Adam Savage look isnt for everyone. I'm highly torn between having a (few) drill index(ices), on display vs neatly stored + out of sight; until I need to use the item. Your system probably best reflects how you want to approach projects where Adam’s is about waste not a second to get something going. Like you want physical and visual freedom to spread out with a project; then cleaning up to a neutral clean work area. The return state being as or more important for future projects (contrasting several people who just add to their work bench so they may have 75cm x 120cm bench but work within a 20cm x 30cm footprint because of the stack of ‘crap’ around them. That said and if naturally you are spending the bulk of your time with one or two machines, there is a reason to have your top 10 tools as instagrabs. And definitely not some drawers on the other side of your garage if you can avoid that.

[@brucematthews6417]

I'm with you! For years I had stuff on racks "out where I could reach them easily". The stuff got chips or wood dust (combination shop) on everything and it was hell to clean. My new digs have everything put away in drawers or upper kitchen style cabinets other than the barest amount of stuff. It's so much easier to keep things clean. And it's not like pulling open a drawer slows the process down by any noticable amount. I tend to pull out what I need for a job and afterwards put it away. The small "staging area" is then left clear of all but the chips or shavings. And that's easily swept away.

[@leerogers6423]

Light bulbs ? That reminds me . Q.....How many Texans does it take to change a lightbulb? While your thinking about that I have to say that your neat and tidy shop puts me to shame. My big problem is hanging on to junk that might just come in handy one day so a ruthless clearout is in progress. Thanks . A.... I don't know but sure as hell there'll be one around soon to mansplain it to us.

[@pacificcoastpiper3949]

Have you ever thought of putting together a shop blooper reel? I’m sure there’s tonnes of fun flubs

[@QqJcrsStbt]

Observation from a damp pennisula of rain swept land. The rate of corrosion is pretty well proportionate to the vertical free space above the plan area of the metal. Think condensation as rainfall. Hang wood saws vertically--good. Keep shelves as close to each other as possible. Use drawers and cupboards for the valuable or less used items. Going away on holiday, drape polythene over cast iron beds and tables. Get four playing card sized pieces of steel, wire wool them bright. Place one on the floor, one on the bench, one on a high shelf and one in a small drawer. Leave for a month whilst the autumn weather systems pass by. Compare, YMMV.

[@robert_g_fbg]

To access the items that came in late to class and so didn’t fit within their category - place an index card in the drawer where they would belong. On that card you write the item’s name (so you know you already own it), and it’s actual location where you got it to rest. As old programmers we’d recognize the indirect pointer being deployed when your struct ran out of fields.

[@thingmaker3]

@@Tensquaremetreworkshop My left arm is a SATA cable and my right arm is optical fiber?

[@yorinov2001]

my whole shop is random access

[@robert_g_fbg]

@@yorinov2001 My lumber is on the stack, and my cutoffs are allocated to the heap.

[@markp5726]

If you buy a tool with an extraordinarily long name and use an index card, part of the name ends up on the adjacent object in the drawer. Buffer overflow. :D

[@pmdoit]

Thanks for this great tip, this will come in very handy for this old man with no memory left.

[@djordjeblaga7815]

8:50 I did this at work. I repair consumer electronics (We also do retail and service) and consequently have two drawer stacks under my workbench. Most TVs come with a very thick and sturdy kind of cardboard in front of the screen to protect it, and as we sell quite a few TVs we have a few of those laying around. They make excellent drawer organizers, not at all flimsy. I'm always suprised how sturdy cardboard with hotglue can be :D

[@dismalfist]

I love the shop tours! Been wanting this vid a while. Things I've found useful (seeing as nobody's asked) are: - Magnetic tool rails on the wall. - Custom fit welding cart for my little storage space. - Writing "Not Booze" on my brake cleaner spray bottle. - Store spray cans horizontally on sub divided shelves, writing what they are on the caps. - Putting more cat into my videos.

[@kennoldfield5890]

I keep my spice/herb drawer sorted alphabetically. "How do you fine the time?" Between the tarragon and turmeric. Great organization and love the labelling. I use 6 sterilite bins that I have labelled WIP 1-6 (work in progress). This way I can put all bits related to one project away quickly, switch to another project and everything I need is there. This helps with my ADHD style of doing projects. One of these bins is my steam engines from found parts which you have inspired me to dig out again.

[@eDoc2020]

Bins labelled 1-6? ADHD style? Try again. I'd probably need at least 1-60.

[@eDoc2020]

As for alphabetical sorting, how do you deal with things that go by different names? Not exactly a spice but scallions vs green onions. Or for tools you could have Vise-Grip or Mole wrench or locking pliers.

[@pmdoit]

I just watched this video again, I believe it is the third time. I'm moving into a much smaller space ( 9 x 12 ) and will need to use many of these ideas. I also love the comments from many of your other viewers. Aside from being very witty, they have many useful ideas also. 👍 Another great and useful video.

[@firebird8600]

I have drawers on my toolbox labeled things like "too complicated to explain", "not labeled because you can't read it anyway", "I forgot" and "tappy things" ... I mean... Yay, it's Blondihacks time!!

[@theprojectproject01]

Don't forget the "Bits of String Too Short To Save" box!

[@eatenkate]

I keep all my bias tape in a box labeled "Confirmation Biases" so i feel you :D

[@MrCrankyface]

As someone who finds it impossible to organize things, this video was immensely helpful. And I cannot overstate how impressive it is what you manage to make with such a limited space!

I have spent 60 adult years organizing my garage and work bench, have never gotten more than 80% of the way there.

[@pamelagoffinet5626]

Glad my shop-hound husband sent me the link to your video. As an organizer I can see a lot of similarities to working through a kitchen organizing project. Working in an organized space is much more relaxing and productive. Great video!

[@JonathanBydendyk]

Workshop design is all about efficiency, being able to work with limited frustration is key. Think you've nailed it.

[@HSkraekelig]

Quinn, I like your shop. I like your videos. I loved it when you used Grok twice without even pausing to explain it.

[@theleva7]

This level of organization really pays off. In a university lab we keep a list of contents of every drawer physically attached to it at all times plus a copy of the list with directions to find said drawer in a folder pinned to the door. It really helps when a student is assigned to us to work on their project.

[@ctrchg]

Thanks! Very informative. Am building out my “shop” with 1/2 of garage. Your videos, such as this one on organization, are helping me plan in an organized way.

[@enriquegarciacota3914]

Thank you for showing what you did well and also your "failures". Too many people would only show the "good" parts, setting unrealistic expectations for everyone else.

[@chevyfahrer]

just doing that organisation-magic in my shop. First few days mess gets bigger but then the effect of finding stuff quicker kicks in,so much fun from then on.

[@oldhick9047]

Being 64 years old and having been hobbyist of some sort since I was a fetus, I find this video quite interesting. I have been organized in this manner since my early twenties (I have no clue what sparked it). It's nice to hear someone explain it so well, thank you !

[@oldhick9047]

First off, I don't want to get all gushy and stuff, ok . You have a pleasant voice and and a smooth delivery. You have a way of explaining process/procedure, not dry and dull yet very instructive and strait forward. The equipment you use is what most "serious" (I hate that word) hobbyist might have in their home shop. As an aside, I really enjoy the way you say "Blondiehacks" in the intro. (Not PC, sorry)

[@jwhite3389]

As someone who is moving soon into a much smaller space I find info like this very valuable. Thank you.

[@toroidwinder2089]

""Organizing is a process, not an event"".. That is the best characterization I have heard. Beautiful. As I use my workshop, I am constantly learning how to organize my toys. I suspect I will never be done, but some of my work areas are getting there. For my small parts drawers, I 3-D printed many bins...hundreds of custom parts sorting drawers. john

[@MrKyltpzyxm]

I've been watching your stuff for a little while now. I do not do any machining. I just enjoy watching the process of stuff being made, and you have an exemplary method of explaining and describing everything that's going on. This video may be the first one that I can immediately put into practice. Thanks for making this knowledge first order accessible. :-)

[@fernandog806]

All I can say is that I thought that my home shop was somewhat organized but this video is making me rethink how much I am unorganized. Thank you for the eye opener I have some work to do. Great video and really helpful. Thank you

[@sharkrivermachine]

I love your sense of humor, thanks for sharing.

[@rogerhaag9069]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for explaining in detail your shop organizational reasoning! At every step, I found myself saying....THAT IS EXACTLY MY THINKING PROCESS....a process that I have “apologized for”.....or kiddingly justifying my blatantly obvious “over the top organization” as “being my obsessive compulsive personality” ......when I observe wide-eyed visitors to my shop! With very limited space in my downsized retirement home compared to my full sized home shop space....I also used floor to ceiling...every square inch storage systems. Your video gave me the courage to “come out of my closet and really feel good about my talent for organization....EXACTLY AS YOU DESCRIBED YOUR THINKING PROCESS!” I STILL AM THE HOARDER....as my wife will describe me to visitors......but NOW I am proud of my square inch use of space! My organizational tasks include my two workshops, my converted closet work desk for scratch building model railroad rolling stock and structures using metals, wood, plastics, small screws, nuts & bolts, paints, many small tools, electrical, and scenery materials. Numerous accumulated building materials are classified in various storage containers under the model railroad layout....for ease in locating when needed at a moments notice. IT FELT GOOD TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM HELPS YOU REMEMBER WHERE TO LOOK FOR A TOOL!!! Now I am much more forgiving of “my forgetfulness” when I can’t find something...or even forget that I have something stored in such a manner that I “will NOT forget where I stored an item rarely used” WATCHING YOU.....I WAS WATCHING MY MIRROR IMAGE....AND I THANK YOU...FOR GIVING ME A MUCH NEEDED BOOST OF CONFIDENCE....THAT I / WE HAVE A TALENT....THAT MANY PEOPLE WRONGLY CRITICIZE AS ONLY A QUIRKY OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVENESS. I have also enjoyed learning the shop techniques described in your excellently produced videos.

[@nicholashacking381]

Believe me: there's more to it than just space. I bought my house about 25 years ago, from a builder, he had to sell because he had tax to pay. The workshop/4 car garage was obviously intened to be converted to a bungalow. Except that I wanted it for a workshop. It's about 30' x 30' and I have some storeage up in the rafters. I have a couple of lathes, a Bridgeport, four grinding wheels, all of the welding kit that one could possibly need, a jig borer, a band saw, and at least 4 work surfaces. Still I never have anywhere to work: my stuff overflows the shelves and the rafters and clogs up all of the work-benches. Things like boxes of semiconductors that I salvaged 40 years ago when they were valuable and might still be useful ... one day. I watch people like you, and Steve Jordan, doing amazing things in small workshops and think "Yes: when I build my new workshop, I'll be able to emulate my heros" The truth is, I'll never have your patience- so I'll never achieve your standard of work. And I'll never throw out those boxes of old things because I'm just too attached to them.

[@scottwillis5434]

I know; every piece has a small dream attached to it: "I could make something with this!" I'm working to balance that against the more important to me dream of a clean-enough, organized-enough workspace that I can get things done in.

[@WayneWerner]

One of the things that I'm working through now is too actually do some of the projects I've been putting off. Which is most 🤣🤣

[@Hatzvpaka]

I just finished organising my tiny shop today two hours before this video. Metric fist shake!

[@zackraymond4603]

These videos make me so happy. I haven't even watched yet. Thank you for the work you put in.

[@killerguppy2988]

Another great, practical video, with some good tips for the small shop! Time to add the project "Reorganize entire shop" to my list...

[@wi11y1960]

Saturdays are always better with a Blondihacks vid. Thankyou for your videos.

[@Jestey6]

Quite enlightening 😉. I agree with all the comments posted regarding not remembering where stuff is, and believe me, as you get older, you amass more things and spend more time looking for things, instead of doing things. It was at this point I decided to try reverse thinking. To explain, I went round my workshop in a clockwise direction numbering all the shelves, drawers and boxes. Then I got an A4 pad and a pencil, and went round recording everything on/in each shelf, draw, box etc. In reality this was not as time consuming as I had anticipated. I then transferred the information into a program capable of producing an alphabetical list of the items and their location. I printed this out and put the pages in a ring file. Now when I can’t find something I look in the alphabetical list and this tells me where I’ve hidden it. Adding or making changes only requires pencil alterations to the page/pages, and when required I update the program and print a new page Believe me, the time saved will be far greater, than that spent producing the record, in addition the frustration/exacerbation level will be greatly reduced, and far less time will be spent looking in one’s drawers 🤗. Cheers Noel

[@bobblack3870]

That sounds like the way Amazon organizes their warehouses. Things are put into available spaces, then the inventory system makes note of where it can be found.

[@machmat33]

indexing is an excellent method, we used to sell materials on ebay and had over twenty thousand lots on shelves, each shelf and space had a designation and it was all put into an access database. Organization is so very important, and such a time waste to be hunting for things. In a dead storage are of the shop, mostly drive components and materials there are about thirty storage containers. Being lazy I just photographed each one, each are numbered, and have the photos in a directory on my phone, a quick scan through thirty images is a lot faster than pulling down and opening thirty containers. Everyone with a shop has to have a strategy and there are many solutions. Find one that works and use it and don't be afraid too afraid of editing...

[@tomburson5733]

I think if you love your work, you can make the most out of your space. The greatest feeling is buying your own place and building on it. I know you can do it!

[@hphincke39]

Crazy eyes or not, we keep coming back for more. Thanks for the tour and the insights into efficiency in your small shop.

[@ironhorse1888]

I too have limited area. This video will help me organize. The frequency of use factor is a good thought. Thank you.

[@danielchapa2112]

I am always impressed with your logical and articulate presentations, great episode. 👍🏼

[@brucematthews6417]

This is an EXCELLENT video for any small shop designer. Doesn't matter if it's for machining or woodworking or model building or any other activity. If it's something that has lots of various bits and things then it's solid gold. A very hearty WELL DONE! It took me a good 40 years to learn the full extent of what you have given the world in a 20 minute video. In particular the heirarchy idea for drawers or shelf spaces. That's solid gold right there. And a nicely well paced video it is too. There's nothing that anyone should skip over. Kudos on getting the message across really well with only enough back story to make the points. But that's something I like with all your videos anyway. I'm on a model airplane forum and there's frequently threads on how to organize small shops. I'm going to post a link to this video there. It should be "must viewing" for anyone setting up or improving a small shop space.

[@thudly999]

Thanks!

[@davidwilliams1383]

Love the content here.. That time spent labeling and organizing is SO underrated. I get asked about it regularly at work and in NY personal life. My thought is, if I can't find it or tell you where something is in less than a minute, I need to fix my system. Funny part to me was that I was about 5 hours into organizing my shop and storage areas when I saw this video. Thank you

[@robjohnson1138]

SO many wonderful ideas. For my small parts (fasteners, etc) I get the cheap plastic containers that have adjustable spacers included so you can design the storage the way you want. These containers are about 12”x10” about 1.5” thick, and are transparent. I sorted all my screws/nuts/bolts/washers. When I have several of something, they have their own space in the container. When I get down to “well, I only have 1 of these freem-thruster widgets, and only 3 of these reverse-threaded syncopated spindle widgets” then those last few items go into a “miscellaneous” compartment. So all my 8-32 screws of all lengths, heads, materials are in one container, all sorted and labeled, and the few one-offs are chucked in a corner of that container. I have about 20 of these containers, and I built a rack for them that stands about 6 feet tall with slots for each container. The containers are labeled on the edges, so I can see what is where. I can then pull out the container of all of the same type of screws and take it over to the workbench to see what I need.

[@dougrowell7817]

I do likewise. Quinn sorts on a few criteria to avoid 60 bins with one item each. I find that using the 12x10 containers, you can file them like books in a bookcase. Very efficient.

[@CTXSLPR]

Oh Quinn... The nanometers ties in perfectly with where I just did a layout at work in mainly SAE and my boss told me to switch to metric and buy the crew that would do the work new tape measures if needed. The crew didn’t like the idea and told me they wanted it in Angstroms just to be cheeky. Told them that was too simple and I was going to do it in light seconds next time...

[@robbystokoe5161]

I happen to have a tape measure that's marked out in picoseconds. It could be useful for optics work.

[@haroldhenderson2824]

My favorite tape measure has inches on one side and centimeters on the other. It is a bit short, but is helpful when I don't want to mess with conversions. I use two different scales. One is fractional inch and decimal inch. The other is metric. They travel with me in the car (so I always have the correct one with me).

[@theprojectproject01]

It's a shame no one sells a framing square calibrated in Smoots.

[@robertbownes6718]

I have an extraordinarily useful tape measure I use all the time @ work. It is in inches and RU - Rack Units.

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

Should have gone with Plancks length of unit (ℓP)

[@bobvines00]

Quinn, you've got lots of very good tips in this video. I can use most of them in my disaster of a shop. Thanks for posting this video!

[@componenx]

The hardest part about organizing is knowing when to stop. The more granular you get, the harder it is to find spaces for new items, especially if they are a little bit larger than existing ones. Years ago I had 6 reamers I had purchased as needed and they had a nice space to live in, then I went to an estate sale where I bought about 120 of them for a song. A few auctions later I probably have 400, from extremely tiny to 2.5" diameter, chucking, hand, adjustable, tapered, morse, etc. Most will never get used, but are there just in case. The storage went from a nice fitted box to multiple locations from close at hand to "got to take a walk" storage. Labelling is KEY!

[@markp5726]

Cardboard dividers are a great idea! Easy to source and shape, and won't damage the items stored within. I am surprised (and impressed) that you've managed to keep them free of oil. Doubt I'd do as well, and it'd become a fire hazard. For holding screwdriver bits and hand tools (side cutters, needle nose pliers, etc) in a drawer, I opted to 3d print pieces. I went modular so that I could replace a part that broke or didn't work without having to print the entire thing again. I printed an "angle iron" piece with two dovetails running the length of one side, and matching negative dovetails in the bottoms of the tool holder modules. The "angle iron" sits in the drawer, screwed into the side. On top of that I have a 1/4" honeycomb block to hold long screw bits vertically, followed by 3 modules for pliers etc. The first two pliers modules are the same dimensions, while the last has larger holes to accommodate things with a wider head, e.g. a wire stripper. The holes have an oval cross-section, and are angled back and to the side. The angle to the side is so the modules can sit closer to the side of the drawer while still leaving clearance for the handles. The former angle is to reduce height, so the handles of the longer tools do not hit as I open/close the drawer. (hope that's explained well enough, in the event that someone attempts to reproduce...)

[@Rickmakes]

I just got that same thread checker (from your bolts drawer) a few months ago. It is a game changer. It takes the power away from the hardware stores and gives it to the people.

[@joecolanjr.8149]

Waiting for your videos on Saturday morning reminds me of Christmas morning as a kid...just can't wait for it to get here!! Love your channel!! Really hope to be a patron real soon!! Thank you for everything you do!! Happy machining!!

[@jrkorman]

Quinn holds and points to coffee cup; Me - Look at my cup and notice that it is empty; get more coffee! Nice tour of the shop, first that I recall seeing. Looking forward to more work on the steam engine!

[@almostanengineer]

Jim Korman I don’t think it would be a blondihacks video without some precision finger pointing.

[@forresta65]

ahhhh the old bucket trick. how delightfully fiendish of you, Gwen of Small Spaces.

[@TheWhittleGreenVanUK]

looking at your fixing draws makes me thankful that I work in metric, as it is so simple to set things out by M3, M4, M5, M6, M8, M10 ect and then breaking down to size from there :)

[@Mucidamascusblades]

Once again, useful tips and tricks. I understand your problem completely as I forge, fabricate, weld, grind, turn in a 300 square feet space. Every time I need new tools my first thought is: where can I put it in a way that it's efficient to use? I recently bought a metal storage cabinet to put my lathe on: best purchase ever. Took the wheels off and bolted it to the wall to increase stability. That allowed me to get rid of a huge wire shelving unit that was occupying more space than it should have. Tool Hierarchy is a must. Thank you again.

[@Mucidamascusblades]

And, I am already being haunted in my sleep by the problem that will arise when I will buy a milling machine and a surface grinder...

[@avoirdupois1]

A great overview of organization principles, valuable in the shop, but also the kitchen and the study!

[@steved8038]

Thank you Quinn , yes I am British and did laugh at the thought of taking a look in your drawers! Another good humoured and informative video Thank you and long may you continue

[@robertcusack1447]

Thanks for showing your workshop storage. Mine is a similar size and you have given me some great ideas. Your written note about storing your taps upright in holes is a good idea and would allow the various threads to have their own tray and be stored above each other, something I will do. I have arranged my dies on their side from smallest measurement to largest, separating each group of threads. Again they can have their own tray and stacked above each other. My other problem is having too much "might be handy one day" stuff which you didn't get to😉

[@jimrichey5919]

this is entertaining for sure.. nice to see how small spaces organized... i have a large shop and couldnt get my lathe toolholders or boring bars in your storage box, even if i tryed . nice to see what it would be like to have an organized space

[@davidtreadwell9142]

Someone who labels drawers like I do! “Screwy things” “Cutty things” “Holdy things”.

[@rennkafer13]

My favorite part of the whole video is the labeling.

[@thomashverring9484]

Me too :)

[@HansFormerlyTraffer]

I have all of my machines on rolling carts. You would be AMAZED at how versatile that makes things.

[@DrafterDanStudios]

I grok what you are saying about organization begin a process. Sometimes you have to 'live with' a setup before you decide on the best tetris-ing system

[@pedalcarguy]

This was definitely a wakeup call for me, since I just moved into a new workshop and have the opportunity to really get organized. A very necessary can of worms I hate to open!

[@lesstoneuk]

During my apprentice days, each machine had its own tool board, fixed to the wall behind it. For example, the lathe had the 3 jaw chuck key, the 4 jaw chuck key, spanners, Allen keys, Jacobs chuck key and tool post square socket all mounted. Behind each one was a silhouette denoting if the item was missing. Just a thought to free up draw space and utilise empty wall space.

[@robertbownes6718]

No matter how much space you have, keeping it organized is key to getting the most use out of it. Your notes about putting the most used things closest to the front of the drawer is important, though sometimes at odds with keeping things grouped together. For example, I just came into some taps of sizes I suspect I’m never going to use (3”-8tpi NPT, M45, and M8-0.50) but they are going to get stored with the rest of the taps. Ok maybe the 3” tap is going to go into the mail to someone who might use it, but you get my point.

[@robinafoubister]

Thank you for this. I'm going to be setting up a very tiny area in my apartment for ring making and these pointers have given me some great ideas!

[@todayintheshopbanksy5904]

I'm currently organising my shop, this was very useful. Lots there I hadn't thought about.

[@TCB031]

Wow Quinn, in an earlier video you removed your shirt to show us the periodic table of elements. Now you give us a look in your drawers. Is it any wonder this channel is so popular! :-) Seriously though, you've given us all some great ideas on organization and the effort that it takes to maintain it. Wonderful video!

[@shoofle]

i loved this! I'm just a humble weekend woodworker (with aspirations of someday doing machining) and i've been struggling with how to keep my stuff organized when i don't yet have enough Things to build an entire organization schema around. this gave me some great ideas! I think I know what i'm going to do with my woefully empty screws and fasteners drawer now :)

[@skasow17]

Thank you for this video! I have tried (and failed) to develop and maintain a system like this. Hearing about your motivations, successes, and failures is super useful.

[@larry527az3]

You're timing for this video is perfect, I'm in the middle of organizing my shop and the vector thing is spot on. I quickly learned that some items need to be grouped together vs by size or length. It's really tough to decide sometimes and my guesses have been wrong a few times... Anyway, this has to be one of the most time consuming processes to go through but as you said it will pay back in spades. Thanks for the great video Quinn!

[@captiveimage]

I'm having to lie down. All that space would make giddy. My spare room is my office, where I work (computer stuff), store all my photography gear, and all my electronics gear along with all my tools, cables, components...... Etc etc etc. If I'm dedicated to a serious tidy-up (hide stuff!) I can see the floor! Woooo! Loving your draws though 😂

[@AMRosa10]

You can tell you have a background in Endurance Racing, where you are thinking about how saving a second here or three seconds there will all add up to your result 6, 12, 24 hours later. It is always interesting to see how different aspects of people's lives influence other, seemingly unrelated disciplines.

[@pandunga]

Beautiful things always happen in small places. Love it !

[@alxelectronics9615]

"maximize vertical space" and "custom furniture" can solve so many organizational problems. My favorite things ever are the little drawer cabinets. You can hang them in the space *between* your work bench and overhead storage, adding an entire extra level of efficiency. My itty-bitty workshop has an entire wall of the things.

[@tosselton291]

I put the pin spanner in with the pliers and you could shorten your tap board so it fits across the full width on angle iron runners giving you better access to one half or the other.

[@bearsrodshop7067]

Small is good. Our rod shop back in Ohio consisted of a large walk out 30x60 basement (Trim Shop) - 5 bay 30x60 customer fit & detail shop - Fab & Parts storage 40x100x16 side walls, 12 x 25 office. Moved back to TX & now main work area is a 30x30x8. (With 40x60 storage). I started (See video back in Feb '21) a massive origination plan / clean up / discarding. Admiring shops like Joe P., Abom 79, Titan of CNC, Keith R., and yours, I had to make a commitment to reorganize. One thing that helped motivated me was bring home a Lebond 17 lathe that took up prime real-state, (along with 3 project cars in same work space ). Looking back on my previous video's, saw a total mess (@@) ! THANKS Quinn for doing this video, it made me be thankful for our larger work space and keep it organized as you have done in a smaller space. By (if) the time you read this, I will have become a Patron to your channel, and hope one day you well have a larger shop too expand growth. Happy ventures, and lov your attention to details,,,Bear in TX. Cheers.

[@haroldhenderson2824]

Good use of captions and color highlights in the video. You put some time into postprocessing the footage. Something to be proud of!

[@jerrysgaragethemoneypit2028]

Just so you know, I am about as OCD as anyone. I don't label the drawers, I have a system I have used for years, so as an example, SAE wrenched, top left, metric second down left. Long drawer anything used to cut squeeze and adjustable wrenches along with a small hammer and extendable magnets. Bottom drawer all my sockets and associated items. Top right drawer has all my sharp cutting tools such as a box cutters, and is the same size as the two left side. I am lucky to have a 30/40' shop. However it houses a 11k 4 post lift a small paint booth, multiple welders, plasma cutter, and 3 other tool boxes, so space is a premium. I appreciate your utube channel. Thanks

[@RelentlessHomesteading]

You certainly get a great deal of 'machining mojo' in a very meager space. Really liked the drawer organization. Yes on the horizontal surfaces -- ONE never has enough. Even though I have 3 large workbenches, I still put circular flat covers over the garbage cans, and wood sitting lids on 5 gallon buckets and so forth. It is kinda funny that those not having such as wide variety of different categories of elements do not understand. You did a great job of explaining the issues.

[@clydeadair3809]

love the "Grock" any way, the card board boxes for storage and re-organizing is very "old school" to me. I grew up in the appliance industry and my dad was a wonder at finding just the right box for any "new" stuff we had to add to our inventory. Dad was self made man and he just loved using cardboard boxes to organize with.

[@johndilsaver8409]

Buying the same tool twice really resonates. Excellent video, so many good ideas. Thanks!

[@Clough42]

Taxonomy is everything. I use Tom Lipton's system for my 7-drawer Kennedy box, so I have a "pointy things" drawer. It makes me smile every time I need a deburring tool or a scriber or a pencil. :)

[@joeldriver381]

Yeah- I really like this labeling style. Seems it would make things a bit more fun.

[@ch34pskate16]

For items like the taps I use a piece of wood and drill oversized holes ,drilled at a 30degree ,for them to drop into and there’s room for ID’ing

[@scharkalvin]

Looks like my toolbox! The largest draws on the bottom are filled with hand held power tools (drills, sanders, hot glue guns), and large C clamps. Next drawer up has boxed tool sets (ratchets, taps, hole saws) and MORE C clamps!

[@dscott1524]

Regarding taps and dies, I store them in with the corresponding screws. For example, if I need a 1/4-20 tap I simply go to the 1/4-20 screw bin. I am also space limited and it didn't make sense to store them separately. Cheers.

[@springwoodcottage4248]

Super useful & interesting. I sin by not discarding stuff, by buying what I think I will need before I have a use, working till I am so tired that I don’t put things away & compound by carrying on & on, just trying to get stuff done & then every now & then when I can find nothing I have a put away & find all manner of stuff & then I repeat the whole sorry procedure. Maybe one day I will figure out this is not a productive way to be, but meantime I have a panic job that needs to be done yesterday. Thanks for sharing & maybe your logic will be what I need to end my sinful ways.

[@curtlezumi]

For the hardness gauge, it helps to leave a note-card ‘pointer’ in the right drawer that reminds one of the wrong drawer where the tool lives. That way the tool can still be found, and returned, easily

[@brianmoore1164]

Cool video on an often overlooked topic. I tell people all the time that if you want a small shop you better be okay with cleaning things frequently and you better have an eye for organization.

[@kapytanhook]

Working on setting up my own shop today, started to consider storage more seriously this time and this video was an absolute eye opener, the system speech convinced me to give it a serious go. Time to order a label printer.

[@kevinmurrell9779]

Well, spent all weekend organising the workshop! And it’s all Quinn’s fault! She guilted me into it!

[@robertbownes6718]

One of the other tricks we use in the Race car trailer is a sheet holder on the side of every bin with the contents. The 'topic' of the tote is in big letters on the end, but everything in it is listed on the inventory sheet. If you use it, it goes on the WB on the wall. Bring the trailer home, part of post race work is resupply everything used. requires discipline to write it down and not just dump the trailer until next time, but it does work well.

[@Self_Evident]

"...tetrising everything in." What a great word, "tetrising"! :)

[@KenWmo]

First - great video as always! An idea for deeper, more organized, stacking - Kisan foam. Most importantly, as you reorganize NEVER move something to a "better" place. You will always remember where it was and never where it is. This game gets even more fun with age!

[@samcoote9653]

I thought for sure that no one would have Stefan beat in terms of small work spaces considering he can barely stand up straight in his basement, but I reckon yours comes very close considering the space taken up by the cars Quinn haha, organisation is everything and both of you have it down pretty well :)

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video. Every maker has to deal with this. Without a doubt the fastener and material storage takes the most time to organize and reorganize. Constant battle that eats up time. Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@TheTacktishion]

Some good Ideas on organizing things. I like your approach....!

[@johnapel2856]

I'm scared. Everything you said makes sense. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!?! Good explanation of the process. I also like the drawer labels, stabby bits, squeezy bits, etc. I look forward to the guys in my shop at work shaking their heads yet again as they look at something goofy I have done at my desk and/or work bench. "Hey, got any linesman pliers?" Yeah, they're in the drawer marked "squeezy bits" on my work bench. Thanks, and Meow to Sprocket.

[@JoshuaFinleyJF]

I grok your message Blondihacks! Thank you for putting this out there. I am not alone! Wahoo.

[@rgsparber1]

For quick and low-cost labels, I use my Dymo LabelWriter450 Turbo. The labels fade in a few years but, as you point out, things change often so I usually change the label before they degrade. If a label does fade and is still useful, I will use my fancy plastic label maker like you have.

[@vwegert]

I've got the same "misc items" problem in my "shop"... I've found it very useful to allow for a "secondary index" in my labeling system. The center label of a drawer (or in my case, plastic storage bin) names the category of item in there, but if I have to stuff the isolation tester in with the breadboards because the "multimeters" bin is full, it gets its own label off to the side. Also, I find that color-coding the labels helps a lot. All tool bins get a blue label, consumables are red, components and parts are yellow, cables and adapters are green, other stuff is white. (My plastic bins tend to migrate around depending on what I need in my projects - very few of them have fixed locations). This way, even when I don't remember the exact wording I used for that bin, I can narrow down the search range without a lot of conscious effort. (This video really should have been sponsored by Dymo...)

[@larryloesch3531]

I’ve started putting in French Cleats on all my shop walls. It’s a lot of labor but once you’re done you can reorganize your wall storage at the drop of a hat. You can pretty much build any fixture you want to hang stuff as needed.

[@ericfrankrussell]

Very nice tour. My tip of the day, with your tool drawers, grabby, squeezy, dopey etc, align anything in there vertically. Try it. You will suddenly find everything easy to see, and easy to get out. Cheers, Rissole

[@Blondihacks]

Good idea! I like that

[@billallen275]

In Inspiration. I'm sorting new packs of SMT components into little drawers (oops) while I watch! Loved the education about sorting vectors.

[@bradthayer6782]

Great video. I find shop organization is a good thing to do every few months when I’m between projects. Basking in the glow of the last one and not quite sure how to start on the next. Or something like that.

[@miken3260]

In Manitowoc Wisconsin there is a marinetime museum. The museum includes a WW2 US submarine . In its engine room is a good sized lathe tucked into a corner. To fit the space and still be usable the lathe is built left handed, the tailstock on the left , headstock on the right.

[@Unrivaledanime]

I expected to see a video from you today but I did not expect a guided tour of your draws. All of us guys and some of the girls want to thank you for this intimate look into your draws.