Lets hear your workspace tidy tips.

[British Red]

. I just need to double up on a few tools.
.

That's the drawback without a doubt, but not as many as you might think - screwdrivers and spanners seem to be the most common. I found many are not used for anything else - e.g. my fencing pliers aren't used for anything but fencing - same with my gas spanners. There is a spare Stanley knife in my leatherwork kit and a spare Mora in my beekeeping toolbox - but it works for me

 

[Ogri the trog]

The best tip I can offer is to do the complete opposite of what I do now!

My workspace runs from the woods adjacent to the house to the field out the front, three sheds, a garage, dedicated fire circle, gardens, hedges and that's only the outdoor range. Indoors, there are piles in every room except the kids bedrooms (but even then there are things that they have begun and not finished).

I often wish I was a little more organised but the devil on my shoulder finds amusement in my alternative storage abilities.

I reckon I suffer from ODC, a bit like OCD, but turned on its head - Obsessive Disorder Compulsion

I might try a few of the suggestions already made, particularly BR's Kits of Tools against Tool Kits

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[grd156]

Hi this is my first real post-apart from my introductory one, I use the containers from the everfessent(sic?) vitamin tablets for keeping my drill bits in, I put a small piece of Zinc oxide tape on the outside of the tube and the lid and mark it accordingly with the size, Makes my life easier for getting the right drill bit

John

 

[dwardo]

Great tips all keep them coming.

 

[SiWhite]

Google Knolling - the basic premis is that when you go to put it on a bench, always put it at 90 degrees to the edge of the bench, and always try to tessolate (sp?) tools so they are neatly laid out. It takes about 10% more effort to do! but makes the work area look much neater and you can pick up a tool without having to look for it or move other tools to get at it.

 

[Zingmo]

This is a timely topic for me as I have spent three days this week clearing enough space in the garage for a new toy. Wifey helped a lot and insisted that I label every box. Nothing fancy, just masking tape and a sharpie.

I have obviously been using a variation on Red's purpose based boxes along the lines of "all the stuff left after we tiled the bathroom - at the old house"!

Z

 

[BeerHunter]

For those who want, but can't justify, the cost of fancy mechanics' drawers...

(and by that, I mean the cabinets with lots of shallow drawers for spanners etc, not a greasemonkey's undercrackers)

...then 2nd hand shallow filing cabinets are a good alternative. Still not cheap (I paid about £25-30 for a 15-drawer one, with the drawers about 30mm deep). But cheaper than new or 2nd-hand "proper" tool drawers I've bought previously.

 

[kungaryfu]

i know someone with a flat roofed workshop and he sticks jamjar lids to the ceiling and then he can see exactly whats in each jamjar by instantly looking up through the bottom of each one, and it saves on all his shelving space. and that way nothing small is ever hidden at the back of a shelf out of sight.



ive just read kongs suggestion and realized he got there first soz

 

[dwardo]

Go to a car boot sale, and buy a cheap 'knackered' (clogged) dyson. 15 quid will buy a complete kit of filters. Replace them,give what you can a good wipe with a damp cloth, and let it all dry and you're good to go.

I did exactly the same and now use it as an extractor for my bandsaw and for cleaning up. If the motor works then anything else is a doddle to fix.
I found I had to clean the first filter too often so just dont use it now. I clean out the other filter regularly and when it gets clogged I take it out side and turn it on minus the filters and it blows out all the dust its self

 

[GGTBod]

Damm, i was letting this thread build thinking it was filling with loads of good advice that i should take onboard, alas no such luck we all sound almost as bad as each other in one way or another, myself i currently can't see my 'spare room' floor or walls due to my cycle mechanic overspill for the collection of 7 bikes and my mycology 'lab' and growing equipment, i can't see my living room under my ongoing wood and leather projects and don't get me started on the bedroom that i can not even get in (i sleep on my camp bed in my living room when i am forced to stay at home) or the kitchen and bathroom where all my toys and kit get washed and leave their mess (high rise flat nowhere else to do it), i spend way too much time living outdoors to care properly about what i left behind as switched on the alarm closed the door and locked up as i escaped the city.

So i guess my tip is before you start a project or continue on a paused one if you are anything half as bad as me is, gather all that you need in the manner of tools and materials and clear a good space and get stuck in.

Loved the quote above who said organisation stifles my creativity hahahahahaha i'll join that club, i am also of the realisation that maybe i did not invent the kerplunk style approach to storage although i am a master of it sadly