Author Topic: "Sorry about the explosion" (Read 39529 times)

Powder Keg · « **on:** November 18, 2009, 10:00:10 PM »

This could be said when a person looks into my shop. I have been "working on stuff" since I moved into my shop about 5 years ago. I never have time to "clean" or "organize" my stuff. I've been bust makin stuff. I'm starting to pay the price. My next major project is going to be organizing my shop.

I'm looking for Ideas. Nifty ways to store lathe chucks, drills, wrenches, Lathe bits, tool holders, dead pigeons, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, squares, Rotary tables, dividing heads, collets, punches, and other misc. machine shop stuff. I'd rather not have it stored away in bins where it can't be seen. I think I'd have the same problem that I have now. I cant find anything till I get a new one

Thanks for any help, Wesley

John Hill · « **Reply #1 on:** November 19, 2009, 03:10:51 PM »

Wesley, my workshop is an absolute disgrace but I have had a few good ideas over the years!

I found the surplus office furniture warehouses are a good place to look. Old map cabinets, the kind with big shallow drawers, are ideal for storing small tools and instruments. Filing cabinets are cheap because there is little use for them but all they need is a plywood box made to fit inside and they are ideal for storing power tools etc. Banks used to have shallow drawer cabinets in which they stored checque books etc, steel and highest quality construction and if you can find one ideal to have under the bench where I use one for spanners, screwdrivers, hammers, hacksaws etc.

I think the secret for workshop drawers and bins is that they must be shallow so that whatever is in there is all on show when you pull the drawer out.

My best purchase ever was a 120 drawer card index cabinet (the library used to have dozens of these and I managed to get one). They are ideal for nails, nuts and bolts, and all manner of useful bits.

bogstandard · « **Reply #2 on:** November 19, 2009, 03:14:24 PM »

Use the walls as much as you can Wes, you can't pile things on top of each other. Well you can, but is is a lot more difficult than piling up horizontally.

John

John Hill · « **Reply #3 on:** November 19, 2009, 03:55:15 PM »

If you want to use the walls you can triple, or more, the area by making things like 'doors' on hinges set out from the wall a couple of inches. Then you can hang tools on the wall plus both sides of the 'door' contraption.

Baldrocker · « **Reply #4 on:** November 19, 2009, 04:49:14 PM »

Murphy's law No 22
"No matter how much storage space you have, you will always have 15% more stuff".

BR

Powder Keg · « **Reply #5 on:** November 20, 2009, 06:15:57 PM »

A little at a time. It has started \o/

\o/

Here was my R-8 Collets before.

Here is the rack I made to fit my Pegboard. ( See, I did get that light switch covered

)

I also made one to hold some Morse shanked drill bits I had lying around\o/

Need one to hold some screwdrivers and some files now.

What do you guys use to hold your quick change tooling?

Later, Wes

bogstandard · « **Reply #6 on:** November 20, 2009, 07:00:39 PM »

http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=1029.0

John

Powder Keg · « **Reply #7 on:** November 20, 2009, 07:21:49 PM »

That will keep me busy this weekend John. Thanks a lot!!! Seems like I have some 1/4" rod around here somewhere?

Wes

Divided he ad · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2009, 07:23:53 PM »

The bench idea I gleaned off of the engine site bout half way down this post might be of some interest Wes?

http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=395.0

Sure gets a lot of use... I have all the trays filled with bits of little projects awaiting my return!!!

It's a lot messier in there now though!!!!

Ralph.

Powder Keg · « **Reply #9 on:** November 22, 2009, 08:14:42 PM »

I like that Idea Ralph!! Thanks for sharing that. I think I even have a spot for some sliding shelves like that. I have a rack designed for my tool holders now. I took Bogs idea and ran with it. I just need to make a few pieces san cut out some pegs. I'll post plenty of pictures.

Later, Wes

Powder Keg · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2009, 07:50:38 PM »

Well, I've been busy measuring, and sawin, and drillin, and nailin. I have some routerin and sandin and some poundin left. I should have pleanty of toolholder storage. I'm looking to have pictures sometime on Friday\o/

Powder Keg · « **Reply #11 on:** November 26, 2009, 09:56:46 AM »

Ok, I'm probably out of the shop today because of the Holiday. We have a bunch going on. I'm looking for ideas on file storage I have a bunch of em laying around. I'm thinking of a rack on the wall behind my big lathe. maybe two a bigger one and a smaller one by each lathe?

Thanks guys!!!

John Hill · « **Reply #12 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:21:23 PM »

Powder Keg, I will resist the temptation about keeping files in a filing cabinet and instead suggest short lengths of plastic pipe chosen for size and length so that the file will drop in with only the handly showing. This allows the files to be fairly casually dropped into their storage without clanging against each other. Make a wooden stopper to fit snugly inside each pipe and use the file to push it down to the appropriate position then fit it there with a screw.

Not my idea but I thought it looked rather neat when I saw it used.

jwsvandr · « **Reply #13 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:43:56 PM »

My standard incentive to clean up is when I know I put a the part I'm working on down somewhere but cant find it due to all the flotsam and debris on every surface

Powder Keg · « **Reply #14 on:** November 28, 2009, 10:59:50 AM »

I've been out in the shop. I managed to get a couple tool holder racks made. Those pins seemed to take forever. I rounded one end and champhered the other end and emeried the rust off of them. The wood is recycled flooring. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint them or not? If I do, I'll wait till they are all done.

I bought one of those throatless shears from HF a year or two ago. I've used it a bit, but not much. The main reason is There's no where to mount it in my shop. When I was building the steady rest for my metal spinning adventures, I thought it would be handy to mount it the same way. The lathe is nice and heavy. It makes a good base for the shear. Now I can cut out circles for my metal spinning\o/

chuck foster · « **Reply #15 on:** November 28, 2009, 11:21:38 AM »

what a slick idea for mounting the shear

chuck

Powder Keg · « **Reply #16 on:** November 28, 2009, 11:24:47 AM »

Thanks Chuck. I think other items could maybe be mounted this way? A vise comes to mind first. It would be a solid base for it.

Wes

Darren · « **Reply #17 on:** November 28, 2009, 11:44:33 AM »

Is that a magnet levitating the dti ?

Nice going there, tough looking lathe too .... and almost enough swarf to start weighing it in .....

Bernd · « **Reply #18 on:** November 28, 2009, 03:47:06 PM »

Mmmmmmm, just wondering what kind of stress that will put on the ways of the lathe. Will it twist the bed ways out or not? Just wondering out loud.

Bernd

AdeV · « **Reply #19 on:** November 28, 2009, 04:06:30 PM »

Interesting use of a lathe... not a bad idea either. Bernd's post made me think "hmm"; I'd add a leg underneath the shear, so when you pull down on the handle all of the forces are transmitted through the leg to the floor, the lathe is only there as a steady then.

Powder Keg · « **Reply #20 on:** December 04, 2009, 10:41:12 PM »

Every night last week I put in 2 or three hours into my shop cleaning. What a mess!!! I managed to get a lot put away. One problem when you clean is all the stuff in the area you were cleaning needs to go somewhere. It's still pretty messy. I have mainly been focusing on my work bench. I have some things planned that will save a lot of space.

This summer I bought a old "post drill" and a bench grinder. Both are set up to be run with leather belts. So, I needed to finish up a couple things before I could install them. The wall behind my bench wasn't finished. It had insulation, but no boards on it. Today I got up and moved my bench away from the wall. I went and got the stuff I needed and a buddy came over and helped put OSB on that wall\0/ It took most of the day. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to paint it white. Then I'll be able to slide the bench back against the wall.

My wife helped me a bunch today. She cut out all the pieces for some fancy storage bins I've been wanting to build. I had a bunch of reclaimed wood that we used. They will roll under my bench and hold all my scrap and some other stuff. I'll get some pictures when we get everything into place. They might be handy for others here to use.

jim · « **Reply #21 on:** December 05, 2009, 12:17:30 AM »

i had a big tidy and sort not long ago, even painted the floor last week

one thing i've done is measure just about every bit of metal i've got and write it in a "stock" list. it took a long time (far too long!) i was shocked at what i'd got!
i'd bought some 1/2" dia mild steel bar the other week, found about 3 foot on me tidy up.

i'd got bits of this and that here and there (one of the perks in being an engineer

is the bar ends don't always make it to the skip

).

now its all organised and EVERY time i use a bit of metal it only takes a few seconds to update/check what i've got.

i've still got a box of "unrecorded" odds and ends instead of a shed full

Powder Keg · « **Reply #22 on:** December 05, 2009, 11:07:46 AM »

Here's a couple pictures. I'm off to paint

Here's my drill press and grinder.

More later.....

Powder Keg · « **Reply #23 on:** December 05, 2009, 07:05:35 PM »

I got the bench back up against the wall today after the paint dried. I then finished my storage bins. There are 5 of them to hold my scrap metal. They have big wood rollers so they roll pretty good.

Nice and neat and out of the way.

Well I'm off to clean some more

Darren · « **Reply #24 on:** December 06, 2009, 12:06:15 AM »

Thank you for showing those bins. Yesterday I bough some little wheels for exactly the same idea. But these would fix under the boxes and loose valuable space.

I like your idea of side mounted wheels much better ..... what did you make them out of?

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Author Topic: "Sorry about the explosion" (Read 39529 times)

bogstandard

Baldrocker

bogstandard