Having realized the other day that I haven't been out in my small shop much lately, largely because of the cold, I thought I should make the trek out and restore order in my cluttered space.
Although the overall flootprint of my shop is a a decent size (18'x20' two-car garage), a large portion of the perimeter space is devoted to a plethora of storage shelving. Because of my involvement in a variety of outdoor activities (camping, canoeing, re-enacting) I've had to devote an entire portion of wall space to shelving, in order to house all my hobbies' accoutrements.
To make up for this loss of potential shop space, I've had to come up with a few creative storage options to maintain a good amount of free work space. Furthermore, because it is an amateur's shop with no current budget to speak of, I've had to scrounge through a large pile of older stock or reclaimed materials to construct my solutions. To me, it's function over style. If it works, I'm happy with it.
I found myself in need of a means to safely and solidly store a large amount of potential project materials. So, I devised what I'm calling my 'lumber coral'. Using a set of old 4x4's, I built a simple 4'x3' frame with a mix of 2x4's, 2x6's and some random boards. The end result won't win any awards for design or aesthetics, but it works!
Once I added a bottom shelf to my coral, to keep stock of the garage floor, all that was left was to fill it with all projects-to-be that used to lean against any available bit of space.
This next storage solution was built a few months ago, and came about thanks to a constant need to store a least one set of car tires. When I first began to take-over the garage as my workshop, I took down a old set of shelving that was dangerously close to falling apart. The bi-product of that demolition was a set of pre-built shelves that only needed a framing system before being useable again.
After fastening two whole shelves to a set of 2x4 legs, I strung a pair of 2x4 across the bottom section, creating an off-the-ground storage space for tires. Recycle bins are kept at a good height for filling and removing, and the top shelf serves as a storage medium for little used items, or things waiting for the next trip to the town dump.
Lastly on the agenda for the day was a few separate ideas for storing commonly used tools/accessories in an easy-to-reach place.
Just a silly little project, more to keep my hands busy for a time that any urgent need. But, this shelf-mounted roller holds a thick roll of 35" heavy paper that I use to trace out engraving patterns and leather project patterns. The holders keep it free from the shelf surface, and also keeps it from falling off the shelf when I pull out one of the leather hides stored behind it.
Next up, a clamp rack and jig shelf. Nothing ground breaking, I know. For my clamps, I went for pure simplicity. I screwed two 2x4 together, then mounted them to the wall. For my workbench jigs (PT lumber, bottom-center of shot), I attached 2 shelf brackets to wall cleat. Masterwork crafting here!
Lastly, I built a glue/paint station. Complete with paper-towel dispensing, this was just a neat idea to keep things within easy reach.
To the left is a view of the top section of my glue/paint station. I've divided the top compartment into 4 sections to help organize their contents. To left, I have a couple bonding agents. In the center, paint and stain brushes in the back, with marking tools in the front. On the right, scrapers, trowels and utility knives. Simple, easy to make, but makes work the shop a little easier!
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