Here is a view of one of the long walls in my garage, after about 5 minutes of moving "stuff". At the floor level is a small supply of American Cherry and Walnut "shorts" by Wall Lumber. Above that is two shelves filled with small storage bins.
A number of years ago I had a friend that worked at a Research Triangle Park company (in NC) that was dropping their electronic card repair division. I asked for 3 dozen or so of the small bins shown here. I should have asked for a 100. The price was right - free. By the time I realized their value they were all gone.
Their special property is that they are clear plastic. Now there are a number of wood supply site that have bins similar to these but they come in colors. In many of my bins I store an assortment of related small parts. It is great to be able to look into the bin to see if something in there. The solid color bins look nice but are not as practical as these.
I have a few others on the opposite side wall but this is my main supply.
I always believe in a reuse approach. To the right of the shelves with bin storage is an old TV cabinet a friend gave me.
With the old TV cabinet I did the following:
- Removed the pocket doors but saved the hardware for a future project. [Pocket door hardware is anywhere from $40 to $100 depending on the size and manufacturer.]
- Removed the sliding base that allowed the TV to come forward some.
- Reworked the interior to create a lower space appropriate for larger sheet glass on the right. The size range here is 16" wide and 24" high.
- Used the sliding base hardware to make a small glass crate able to slide in and out. This crate is appropriate for glass 12" wide and up to 16" high.
- Created a smaller area for storage of some stock bevels.
- The top of the cabinet is just an extension of the upper shelf area.
The cabinet doesn't look much like the old TV cabinet but it sure stores lots of supplies.
Now the first photo doesn't show this area as it is usually seen. The final photo shows the normal view. The top row of bins can be seen but most of the rest is behind a number of layers of "stuff".
In front of the lumber on the floor and the lower shelf which was shown in the first photo I store the following items:
- Wardrobe boxes in from of the lumber.
- A wide range of sheet wood.
- A variety of build boards I use for different size stained glass pieces.
- The cutting boards I use with the Festool plunge saw.
- A step ladder.
Well keep thinking about how you can maximize you own work space.
