I’ve been hard at work trying to clean and organize my garage workshop space. Most of this process involves identifying and moving tools or materials that are not making the most efficient use of space.
Working on optimizing my workshop space has been on ongoing challenge, but I’m making progress.
Advertisement
I started in June, installing new New Age Pro wall shelves. That was a good start, but until recently I haven’t made many big changes since then.
Next, I’ve got to get my wood boards, plywood, and butcher block-type benchtop materials under control, and the same with lawn and garden tools. But, that’ll come next. I’ve got a corner devoted to this for now.
Shifting to Modular Storage (Again)
For personal tools, I’m aiming for a modular approach. Quite simply put, there are too many non-essential tools in spaces that can be filled with more frequently-used tools and equipment. I’ve got to pick and choose, and prioritize.
For example, do my air nailers still deserve a spot on the in the cabinet? Or can they be put up and further out of the way until I need them?
For samples, I’m aiming for a faster approach and better discipline about it. Smaller samples aren’t the problem – it’s things like tool carts, lawn & garden tools, and larger power tools that take up a lot of space.
I’ve been donating to the local high school, and my next go-to donation source will be the local department of public works.
Advertisement
I recently turned down a selection of cordless lawn & garden tool samples for review, not because I wasn’t interested, but because I don’t want a pallet sitting on my floor for 3 months until I can test them, and for who knows how long afterwards until I can find a donation destination.
I’ll run reader giveaways again if or when possible, but this tends to require a lot of time and effort.
As an aside, the problem with OPE tools is that if I don’t say yes right away, samples might not be available when testing is time-appropriate. This means that if I don’t say yes to say a snowblower in August or a mower in November, there’s a good chance I won’t get the opportunity again.
I’ve been developing new tool and sample management practices, with space efficiency in mind. I would say that I hope you’ll see benefits from this as well, but I know you will.
Why This is Important
Cleaning and organizing my garage workshop has been a constant process where I’ve been playing catch-up for a long time now. As soon as I clear up a couple of square feet, an unannounced shipment of samples arrives and I lose my wiggle room.
While this situation might be unique to me, I’ve seen others fall into similar traps, where work efficiency is diminished due to less thoughtful space utilization.
I see this with my kids and their toys. One cabinet holding a thoughtfully varied selection of toys and books will hold their attention much better than 3 cabinets and a tote bin overflowing with toys. Less can be more.
It has been more than 12 years since I started ToolGuyd, and I should be getting in a lot more workshop time than I am. I checked off a tool from my woodworking machinery list (8″ jointer), and that helped kick-start the cleanup process, but really it was a long-time coming.
ToolGuyd efforts have overrun my time, and also my workshop when it comes to time and space utilization.
Someone suggested that I could always rent out an industrial space. This has been popular with YouTubers and some others who have massive dedicated workspaces. Frankly, I don’t like that idea. I fear that doing so would make me too beholden to advertisers and sponsors. Higher costs require greater revenue, and I could potentially lose the freedom to work with partners of my choosing.
But also, I could likely fill any space. Who’s to say I wouldn’t have the same problem no matter what? I maintain a list of tools I’d like to buy that would facilitate some of my long-term dream projects. But right now, more space and more tools is not the answer.
Above-Wall Cabinet Space?
I have about 26″ of space between my wall cabinets and the ceiling (shown above), and am not quite sure what to put here.
Maybe a lumber rack can go here – something like the Bora Portamate wood rack ($40 for 4 tiers via Amazon). I have a lot of smaller wood boards that could potentially fit this ~5-foot space.
Rubbermaid’s Fasttrack system of adjustable shelves might also work. Rubbermaid says that each 48″ x 16″ deep shelf can hold 350 lbs, and the wire shelving should offer more storage flexibility than lumber bars would. There’s also the Ikea Algot system, which has a metal shelf option, but I don’t believe they come close to Rubbermaid’s load rating.
I’m of course open to any ideas or recommendations!
Lighting Progress
My garage lighting installation process has gone well. You can read more about that here:
- Overthinking Garage Workshop Lighting – Installation in-Progress
- Garage Workshop Lighting Plug-in Cord Wiring Update
I have 6 lights up, 5 with right angle plugs, and 2 more to go. I was worried I bought too many lights, but I’m convinced I made the right choice. 8 fixtures, each with 2x 48″ LED bulbs seems like a good fit.
Things would go a lot quicker if I had to do it again, and I’ve been kicking myself for waiting this long to settle on a solution. The two bright lights I was using worked, but my new LED fixtures work a lot better.
Upcoming Projects
I’m looking to build a new assembly/general purpose work table. I’m thinking drawers, and maybe a shelf or cabinets for small tool boxes. I am also leaning towards a worktop with MFT-like grid of dog holes, similar to Ben V’s design:
DIY MFT Workbench Part 1: Design Goals and Frame Construction
I have a Festool MFT table that I love using, but it doesn’t store neatly. It can be accessible or neatly stored between uses, but there’s no middle ground. I don’t leave it open and out because there’s no easy way to build storage space beneath it, and because it’s not rigid enough as a general purpose work table. This has led me to use it more as a portable cutting table for track saw use.
So despite actually owning a folding MFT table, I need something more stationary and with wheels.
I’m also considering getting a table saw, and so this mobile table might serve as an outfeed table.
After the mobile workbench, I’ll turn my attention towards designing a lumber cart. Lumber storage is a challenge for many woodworkers and DIYers who have smaller workshops. I’ve seen a couple of good ideas, but many tend to require a lot of space.
Part of the new workbench will include cordless power tool battery and charger storage.
I will also need to figure out a miter saw station – maybe – and my router table needs some built-in storage.
I have a couple of rolling light stands, which I don’t need for general lighting anymore, but they could be handy. I tend to use one of them for PPE storage so that I can always find my safety goggles, face mask, and hearing protection. It will be interesting to see if I can design something similar into the new workbench.
I realize this all sounds like a lot, but putting it “to paper” helps to keep me committed. I hope to show you more on the progress once I start working on the organizational projects.
Adam
I really need to get a shop space. I miss building things.
Another option for the surplus tools might be to check with your local public library. Ours here has a tool lending library, and is generally happy to accept donations. Maybe if they don’t have one, they’ll think about starting one.
Stuart
I got a LOT done when living in an apartment. First in a dorm room, then another dorm room, then a 2-bedroom with one half office space, then another 2-bedroom apartment.
Suddenly having more space a few years ago, I lost a sense of the responsible use of that space. Or rather, I ignored the need for policies and practices and ended up overrun, always trying to catch up and fix the situation rather than establishing clear rules I should adhere to. So now, I’m faced with doing a hard reset, and it’ll take a lot more effort and time.
You can do a lot with few tools if you choose carefully.
I stored my pipe clamps under the bed.
I talked with tool libraries and makerspaces before, and they’re quick to say “yes” but ask questions about how and when, and nobody knows what to do. The nearest tool library was a considerable distance away, and the same was true for the makerspace, which also had odd hours.
Every now and then I’ll ship large boxes of tools. I don’t mind the expense, but it takes a lot of space and time.
Habitat for humanity takes the same tools that are easy to find secondary reviewers for, and I’ll donate to them on occasion as well.
Aaron SD
Wondering if you’re considering a peg board. I got the wall control system and like it a lot. It was a little pricey but looks really good hanging above my workbench.
Good luck!
Stuart
I bought 2 pairs of wall control panels a few years ago. Right now I don’t have a good place to put it.
The problem now is that there’s always stuff between me and the wall. Every wall.
Jared
Wall control systems look nice, but in my opinion they’re only a good use of space when you have more than you need. When storing lots of tools in a small space, you are better off using the deepest storage option possible without making it hard to access the contents.
Double-layering is ok so long as items in the second row are those you do not need to access often and you develop a system to prevent you from forgetting what you have. If you can’t put everything along the edges, it becomes exponentially harder to organize in a way that doesn’t compromise the utility of the space for projects.
It’s also a good idea to force yourself not to use all the available space if possible. I don’t necessarily mean you have to leave a section of wall blank – but if your current stuff takes up all the shelf or cupboard space now, then there’s nowhere for new stuff to go without reorganizing.
Tyler
For the reasons you outlined (like double-layering) I keep looking at solutions like Levrack. As a hobbyist, I can’t justify the cost so I’m trying to come up with a DIY solution. I already have some pallet racking so it could be doable.
Family Handyman also did a design where there are individual sections that uses bypass door hardware and you pull the sections out instead of moving them side to side.
TonyT
I’ve thought about doing something similar to paperback books, but the problem isn’t so urgent since I’ve been using Kindle more.
Jared
That’s cool. I haven’t seen Levrack before, but it makes sense. Pricey, but I expect it has to be built very strong to support the weight.
I’ve seen the Family Handyman version before but it looks like a lot of work. Neat idea though.
I remember seeing a Family Handyman plan for a pegboard organizer where several pegboard sheets were mounted on their vertical edge and could be opened like the pages of a book. That was a neat idea too.
Frank D
Easy enough to do a similar diy build, provided you have the floor space. I actually have done a similar thing with vertical shelf racks on wheels, but rarely push them around, one long side flat against the wall, 24- 36” gap, second one, 24-36” gap, …
Just walk in, access to stuff from either side.
I have needed extra density, and thought about making them move left to right as that levrack, but would need to replace the 360 degree casters with just fixed linear ones … but it is not something that exists for my shelf system, so would need to rig up some 2×4 with casters under them.
MoogleMan3
Keep it up! I can’t wait to see the final form. I’m redoing my own shop this spring.
Dave P
To grow, sometimes one must temporarily go backwards financially. It’s just part of it. You need more space to do your chosen work successfully. If YOU won’t, someone else will.
You’re at a turning point and the decisions made now will effect your long-term success.
Being in business for yourself isn’t easy. But is IS easy to get stagnant.
Time to grow, or accept the fact that readers will leave when your blogs become more about hanging a few measly lights or making more room in your garage than about new tools.
Are you going to be up for this challenge or are you going to let readers leave to find someone else who’s up to it?
Jammer
Meh, I’ll keep reading any useful insight from Stewart despite his more than adequate garage shop. It’s not the space that matters. It’s the content.
Jared
Isn’t it kind of nice that Stuart is working on a similar scale to most of his readers? That way the organization process he uses, the tools he reviews and the challenges he faces will be things relevant to us.
fred
I know the feeling of succumbing to clutter. When we up-sized our living space decades ago – I thought that 2400 square feet of basement shop and a 3 car garage with an attic over the house and garage – would be plenty of space for everything I could possibly use. That was undoubtedly correct – but applying some corollary of Parkinson’s Law – the tools seemed to expand to fill the space available to put them.
Years ago I toyed with building a separate shop building (maybe 10,000 sq. ft.) at the back of my property – but came to the realization that I might clutter that up too. So I decided that I didn’t need every jigsaw, drill, pliers etc. that I every bought – and needed to curb my hoarding tendencies and downsize – not up-size .
Wayne R.
Here in Denver we just got a huge snow dump. Even with normal weather, vehicles in the garage is too good to turn that space into a shop. Maybe someday we can each have a dedicated shop space just outside the back door.
Aaron
Have you conidered donating to habitat for humanity?
Stuart
I have donated to them before. They tend to take common construction tools but it can be a hassle and there are lots of things they cannot use.
James C
One shop project on my list is an assembly table. I’m thinking 3 x 5 ft or maybe 4 x 6. Thoughts on a torsion box top vs another method? I want the top to be very flat but not sure if a TB is necessary. One downside of a TB is how much vertical space it takes up that could otherwise be used for drawers (yes, I could use the space in between the ribs but maybe not ideal). Haven’t decided on dog holes vs T track either.
fred
On my trips to Germany, I was always impressed with (but never ended up buying) one of their commercial assembly tables. You might take some design inspiration from them:
https://www.barth-maschinenbau.de/en/work-tables/overview/
https://montagetische.info/front_content.php?client=1&lang=2&idart=2
Koko The Talking Ape
One of my very first projects was a torsion box assembly table (because otherwise I’d have no flat surface to make anything on.) I used precut 2’x’4′ 1/4″ plywood for the skins and 1″x2″ MDF trim for the grid. So the top is only about 2 1/2″ thick. Plenty strong and light, but weirdly bouncy. You don’t want to hammer things on it.
I made mine with dog holes. T-track wouldn’t work with such thin skins.
Folding adjustable legs let me keep it in a closet.
Nathan
local highschool or vocation school shop. our county school system has a vocation school shop – now I don’ t know why they won’t take old electronics to fix (they teach electronics repair – tired off loading a TV, monitor, Blu Ray player – they won’t take them)
but they have taken some of my tool items. I had some redundant pliers – and a whole set of redundant sockets/ratchet, and wrenches to go with. They took the whole lot as a donation. still working on other items.
They also take used cars (they teach auto repair too). anyway. good luck
ON the over the shelf storage my vote is something like the rubbermaid system and put your boards on the wire shelf – or use boxes. I use boxes on mine – things that are rarely used. 15Ga nailer, Jigsaw, for example. Other end has boxes with hose pieces, hose connectors, and other lawn and garden piece extras.
Koko The Talking Ape
I’d guess the reason why they don’t take old electronics is that a lot of them aren’t repairable. Nowadays electronics don’t use discrete components. I believe my wifi router is a single chip, plus power supply, antennas, and input/output ports. If it fails, MAYBE you could replace that single chip, if it’s socket-mounted. More likely it’s soldered down, maybe even potted, and you’d just have to toss it.
fred
Electronics are also amazingly cheap compared to what they once were. Our old Zenith 19 inch modest color TV was something like $600 in the late 1960’s . That might be equivalent to $4600 today.
Of course that Zenith was probably made in Illinois – not Asia
Koko The Talking Ape
That’s true. I imagine part of the reason is that tv’s no longer use discrete components. Everything is on just a few chips.
fred
That Zenith era TV I talked about was also more or less hand made on a quasi assembly line. The modern TV has far fewer individual components and assembly is done with a combination of human intervention and robots.
George
Ryan, over at garagejournal.com, built an awesome mobile 4X8 MFT table, with Festool Systainer storage built in. He’s got a couple videos on it.
But he has the space for it. I’m convinced that “space” is the most valuable workshop tool one can own.
I’ve been trying to come up with a “quick and easy to deploy” sturdy 8 X 4 ft worktable that’s a 4-fold table (basically a 4X8 sheet that folds into a pair of 4X4 sheets and those halves each fold into a pair of 4X2 sheets for very compact storage) that’s workable for occasional garage and driveway use, and it seems I can have either the folding part or the sturdy part but not both simultaneously.
Frank D
A sheet can fold, but hinges will get in the way. Especially folding to quarters.
What if you had two interlocking 4×4 ft modules?
The easiest just buy it solution I can think of is the biggest model centipede and a full size sheet. Then there are the Paulk saw horses and benches.
Mike
You should check out these two videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNHlFLN_JGQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNmVb6a0aHM
For some ideas. I have the ACS and likely am building the 2nd link’s cart/workbench. Debating about adding my DW7490x saw onto the end of it to use it as the outfeed,
Stuart
Thanks! That (MFT cart) is something I considered as well, but I don’t know fitting it will be. It also makes other vise placements impossible.
Koko The Talking Ape
Re storage schemes, I’ve thought about standing bookcases on casters, placed tight against each other, narrow side to the wall. To get stuff out, you just pull one shelf out sideways, like pulling a book out a bookshelf. Maybe you mount guides or tracks on the ceiling to keep the shelves from going cattywumpus, and to stop them from rolling out your garage and down the street.
That way you get maximum storage density, while everything remains accessible. I figure those wire industrial shelf units would work fine. The only problem is you need floor-to ceiling clearance in front of the shelves.
So you could leave out one bookcase, and have the shelves roll left and right, so you can get in between the bookcases you want. Some library archives have moving shelves like that. Slightly less dense, but it doesn’t need clear space in front.
Flyer
Great idea.
The wire shelving with wheels works quite well. Maybe add a cover designed for a similarly sized mobile closet to help keep out dust and prying eyes.
Home Depot had this cover for $30.
Whitmor Canvas Supreme Portable Closet Cover (36 in. W x 66 in. H)
OMSID#: 301827328
Store SKU#: 963762
Koko The Talking Ape
That’s a great idea! I could also imagine attaching some plywood to the sides of the shelves top to bottom, maybe with U- or J-bolts.
And it occurred to me that with either the in-out or the left-right scheme, it wouldn’t be too hard to lock them together, so they couldn’t be moved. If you also covered the ends of the shelves with plywood, there’d be no access to the tools. (With the left-right scheme, you’d also need a cover on the one face of the shelf unit left exposed.)
Stuart
This does not work very well, at least for me. I’ve tried it with wire shelving before ultimately arranging them side by side against the wall. Casters available for wire shelving units do not roll well, especially not laterally.
For pulling wire shelving outwards, you need some clearance on each side of the shelving units, for the wheels to change directions and in case there’s slight overhang. Let’s say a 4′ x 18″ unit has an effective footprint of 4′ x 2′. It’ll be slightly less, but these numbers are more convenient. Let’s say you have 4 shelving units. The footprint is 32 square feet, but you need another 32 square feet in front of them. Maybe you can make do with less, only pulling the shelving units out 3/4 of the way, but they still require a lot of space in front.
Laterally, with 4 shelving units squashed together, they might have a footprint of 4′ x 6′. Add on 2′ for side access clearance and you can move them back and forth as needed. But, this doesn’t work as well as commercial file racks or newer garage and workshop-targeted setups meant to be used with pallet racking.
I’ve seen Levrack before, but their sizing isn’t as customizable as I’d like, and the only testimonials and reviews I’ve seen so far were from “ambassadors” who were either paid or testing free products. It seems like it could be convenient, but it also looks optimized for warehouses and industrial spaces that have perfectly smooth and level floors.
Koko The Talking Ape
Ah, I’ve never used casters on wire shelving, but I’ve seen wheels as large as 4″ I think. They wouldn’t roll well?
I was imagining using non-swiveling casters or at least casters that lock in a particular direction, because they only need to roll forward and back, or left and right. So no need for clearance for the wheels to change directions. Or you could just mount them inboard of the shelf unit, so they don’t stick out the edges. You lose some stability, but ceiling tracks or guides could help with that. Or make the shelves wider.
“But, this doesn’t work as well as commercial file racks or newer garage and workshop-targeted setups meant to be used with pallet racking.” I guess I haven’t seen those. Know any examples? I’ll check out Levrack.
I guess you do need a relatively smooth and flat garage floor.
TonyT
Well, maybe cheap pneumatic tires would help for rough garage floors. BTW, the Family Handyman sliding shelves article is here, with an estimated materials cost of $800
https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/garage-storage-space-saving-sliding-shelves/
Koko The Talking Ape
Thanks! That’s a cool idea, hanging the shelves from rails with bypass door hardware. I’d want to make sure about their weight capacity though.
Stuart
Most swivel casters don’t move very well in short distances. A certain amount of rolling is required for proper directional alignment. Fixed casters would work better, but it’s a question of finding them. I don’t think I’ve seen fixed threaded stem-mount casters for wire shelving racks or similar fixtures.
Koko The Talking Ape
I’m sure they take standard stem casters; they don’t have to be specifically for wire shelves.
But even if you have to use plate casters, you could just make a rectangular frame of wood about the footprint of a shelf unit, screw on the casters, then stand the shelf units on top and secure them somehow.
Or you could hang the shelf units from overhead rails. That Family Handyman design that Tony T posted uses bypass door hardware, but I’m sure there are other ways to do it. Maybe I-beam or strut trolleys.
Stuart
Wire shelving often has threaded foot connections, and so the casters need to have threaded stems.
Even if you have standard pop-in stem casters, they’re usually full-swivel.
The bypass door hardware method seems like a reasonable idea, and there are heavier duty rollers for increased load capacity.
The thing about the bypass door method slide-out cabinet idea, the same footprint can hold more if you go with traditional cabinets, and if you need small item storage you could build drawers or slide-out vertical organizers. The bypass door method looks appealing if a narrow profile is to be maintained, such as if you want to park a car in a smaller garage.
Doug
I’m interested in hearing more about the jointer you selected and why. Is there a previous post that I missed about that purchase?
Stuart
I mentioned it in comments (https://toolguyd.com/husky-low-profile-jack-workshop-uses/#comment-1385277) , not in any post yet.
Leonard
I put my lumber rack up high. It turned out to be not so great idea. I had to get a step stool to pull the lumber down. When the pieces are long it was dangerous to take them down. It always seemed that the piece I needed was on the bottom too.
I ended up building a long low box along the side of my house to store lumber. I put 1/4 inch hardware cloth on the bottom had it up about 8 inches off the ground. I could lift the lid and pull off the front panels to access the wood.
KG
Your comments on available time and inefficient use of space impeding projects sound a lot like my own.
For a miter station, unless you have particular specialty needs (and very long ones at that), I think Bora’s Miter Cube looks like the best compromise I’ve seen between the (bendy) folding portable stands the various tool brands offer and a rock solid but relatively inflexible custom built miter station. Not having to build it is a bonus for those of us with kids and strapped for shop time.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/BORA-Steel-Portacube-STR-Miter-Saw-Workstation-PM-8000/301298048
Looks very solid but still moveable around the shop or wheel the dust maker right out a garage door to the driveway. Saw mounts to 30″ table for relatively small footprint when not in use but extendable out to 7′ with a pair of 30″ fold up wings. Top can also be flipped for most saws to offer an additional flat work surface.
It’s on my wish list and I’m kicking myself for not pulling the trigger when it was on sale for $250 around the holidays.
Stuart
I tested HTC’s previous design – https://toolguyd.com/htc-portamate-tool-stand-is-great-for-benchtop-tools-folds-flat/ – and hated it so much that I never used it and ultimately donated it to Habitat for Humanity.
It could work for some people, but I didn’t like it.
The Portacube looks to be a big improvement, but it still has a large footprint. I’d sooner might make a cart with fold-out 80/20 wings. At least that way i can create built-in storage.
It seems that one can only choose 2 out of the following 3 properties: great dust collection, useful work support, minimal footprint.
Koko The Talking Ape
That Portacube is super interesting. Do you know why the base cuts in at the bottom, and then has the front feet cantilevered out on steel tubing? It would be stronger or lighter or both if the front supports just dropped straight down and ended in feet.
And do you know if the little rising sub-tables on either side are adjustable? In the one photo of somebody actually using the Portacube, one sub-table looks both lower than and not parallel to the miter saw base.
Scott K
I’m curious if you ever ended up buying the Rubbermaid fasttrack (and your thoughts if you did). I was initially leaning towards the Gladiator version, but Rubbermaid’s accessories are significantly cheaper and seem to be well-reviewed.