Yesterday I spent 6 hours cleaning out my shop! Now I am in the organizing mode. Along one 6′ wall, I would like to have shelving for storage.
My initial though was to build a floor-to-ceiling shelf unit with 3′ wide shelves so they don’t sag.
Then it occurred to me that having a set of cabinets 3′ tall with a worksurface on top and more cabinets above, like in a kitchen, would be more practical.
With the goal of more storage space, which option makes more sense?
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
– Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
Replies
Chris ,
All shelves and adjustable at that would give greater storage abilities unless you need more counter top space .
You could have a fixed shelf at about 36" with shelves under and over as well.
dusty
I'd go with the cabinets. It will keep the dust off whatever your storing and keep the shop looking neater. The counter just ends up being a twenty four inch deep shelf. Unless you need some dedicated stations.
Len
"You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time. " J. S. Knox
I agree with Len. Countertops just end up being disorganized storage space for me, can't seem to keep them clear.
All horizontal surfaces in my shop are neat, tidy, clean and well organized.
(If you believe that, I can make you a great deal on an orange bridge a few mile north of me. - lol)
If it were true, I'd make a voodoo doll named "Dave" and throw darts at it. ROFL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I vote for floor to ceiling cabinet.
Are you the gal that Carlos Santana wrote that song about??
(Black Magic Woman) - lol
Nah, but I remember the song well. Ahhhhh, those were the days! I was pretty timid about the whole "altered states" thing, but did enjoy the milder versions.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I am envious of 6 feet free space.
I think counter space is much more valuable real estate than shelf space. You loose a certain amount of hidden storage space but I don't let stuff accumulate on the counters and it's always there if I need it for whatever. You don't have that option with a shelf.
You can use a counter as open shelf space but not the other way around.
Most of my shop has above and below closed cabinets - except for the "charlie bears" on exposed shelves. Dust control and clutter is better for me, and I have more than enough center core room for equipment, tables etc. After watching a lot Waterford hit the deck during a quake, I'm a firm believer in closed cabinets.
I am redoing one area to include a 8' ventilated finish/paint locker. I will loose 36" of counter and top/bottom cabinet space, but it will be safer and more appropriate storage.
I'm redoing all the lower cabinets to be roll out closed door and match heights to table saw and planer levels.
One area above will be a 24" X 48" high "apothecary" to handle all the bulk junk - (Orange Borg trash), i.e. screws ,nuts, knobs, handles, hinges, electrical, staples, dye bottles etc.- junk now enclosed in "Charlie Bears" -clear plastic 1/2 gallon lidded jars left over from years of dog treats. It will handle all this and streamline the shop.
With counter space below.
I also try to keep heavy items below waist high and sharp/pointed thingies, although in wall cases, below eye level.-- the klutz factor.
Boiler
To be specific, it's six feet of clutter that will be temporarily removed to make room for storage.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Ahhhhh, pity.By the by, where are you temporary removing it to? Yet another spare 6 feet? You seem to have a plethora of 6 feets!Are you building the shelves for clutter control? That is also a worthy effort. Unending, but none the less worthy.
Not as good as cabinets.
You can practice your art with cabinets. Shelves? Ugh!Closed cabinets are best for clutter. Makes the casual observer and Significant Others think you are organized, astute and intelligent. They may even take you more seriously. Fair hearts may even remark on your styles!
Whereas open shelves force you to peer over half frames and hunch over...shuffle and mutter.It's a personality thing you see.
You are how you store.
Half frames or astute. Your choice.
Well, I guess the center of my shop will host the mess for the time being. Cabinets or shelves or drawers... decisions, decisions. For me, sawdust is not much of an issue here, as my "workshop" is actually two rooms separated by a sliding glass door. In my machine shop, all the power tools live and produce noise and dust. In my bench room, where this storage unit is to go, I only have to worry about shavings and wood chips produced from handplanes, chisels, and the like.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
The use of two rooms is really quite attractive. I've often thought about having a quiet side. Keep us informed.
Hi Chris
I am also in the process of rebuilding my shop. I consider work surface to be my priority - which means that there needs to be plenty of storage, and that this needs to be easy to access (otherwise it will not be used!). So I am building cabinets set up like a kitchen.
My idea is also to try and have several cabinets, alocating specific tools to each, rather than trying to pack everything into one large cabinet. Of course I have far more tools than anyone actually needs, so I need more cabinets! (Murphy's Law says that immediately after I have sold off some, they are the tools I need for a review or an article).
Here is the one I have almost completed - just needs glass.
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Regards from Perth
Derek
Is your whole shop so beautiful? Do you have machinery too? (Or do you stick to hand tools)?
Is your whole shop so beautiful? Do you have machinery too? (Or do you stick to hand tools)?
(sound of hysterical laughter).
Hi Phoebe
For the past 12 years, since we built our current house, I have increasingly encroached into the double garage. First it held two cars .. and at the rear I had a workbench with a tablesaw parked (on wheels) against the rear wall. The other walls were filled with my wife's gardening stuff (well, she would claim ownership - she directed while I wielded the pick and spade .. she would tell me that was the natural order of the world), my windsurfing gear (took up an entire wall and half the ceiling ... I was a tad obsessed ..), the family bikes .. and all that.
I would show the world this ...
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... while in reality it looked like this ...
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By the end of last year we were down to one car in the garage - which I was restoring - and the family cars were now living ourside. To my wife's credit and my undying love, she never complained .. except that she wanted a place for her tools (I build her a shed at the back, into which went the bikes and windsurfing gear as well) and she wanted more jewellery (by Cartier or someone .. ). But the natural order of things was changing ... irrevocably.
Then in January we began building an office (for my day job as a shrink) above the garage. Unfortunately that meant that I had to pack away my toys .. tools .. into a container. I kept a number, including the bench, and moved to the backof the house ...
I had visions of working like this ...
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... but in fact my working conditions were this (summer in Perth ..)
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Woodworking al fresco is, however, not that romantic. 100 degree in the shade and mozzies! About a month or so ago I was able to return to the garage/workshop. It is relatively empty still - I have only the bandsaw and my handtools, the latter of which continue to live in the house as rain leaks in. I've been promised a water tight space within 4 - 6 weeks.
The interesting thing is that it focusses me on the tools I most enjoy using. You may gather that I have many handtools, most of which I actually work with some of the time, some of which I work with all of the time. I tried getting rid of "some" but then needed to "borrow" them back when an article was requested for a magazine. So now I file them away like books in a library. Hence the extra cabinets.
I had resisted spending too much time in the past on building cabinets for the workshop. They are very basic and were designed to do a job. I'd rather build tools or furniture. Most were just biscuited and butt joined.
Now I have decided to do it properly (well, sort of - I still cannot bring myself to use furniture grade wood, so it is pine and more pine, and I'll dress it up with jarrah frames and doors.
These cabinets are dovetailed carcasses and rebated for the backing ...
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... with drawers as good as the furniture I build (it is nice to be able to look and and be reminded of one's work) ..
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Finally I may just have a dedicated woodshop.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Wow! A behind-the-scenes tour! It almost makes you seem like a mortal like the rest of us!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Derek,
I see your problem, you've blocked your way to the pool!
Now I'd like to know how many woodworkers have a pool right next to their woodshop!? C'mon man, a ceiling fan and a walkway to the pool and Bob's your uncle.
:-)
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Derek,That silver hybrid next to the bicycle....is that a roll around and where does the blade guard go?RegardsBoiler
Hi Boiler
Are you referring to the Stanley mitresaw on the tablesaw extension or Maestro, the '57 356 coupe? :)
The former indeed lacks a blade guard, while the latter lacks a decent 4th gear (about to be rectified).
Regards from Perth
Derek
Derek,
Oh, I thought Maestro was a new Festus Giant size palm sander, sans the green.
Now I'm impressed, a 4 speed palm sander. Mebbe dual exhaust for the DC?
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,It does kind of look like a palm sander with a viewing port. 4 speeds...must be German.Regards
Thank you for your honesty and mirth. I suppose we are all working our way toward the happy creative inspiring workspace! Your hand tool collection makes me ache with envy. Do you have a shave horse?
Hi Phoebe
No shavehorse I'm afraid. I dearly want one. The spokeshave is one of my favourite tools. One day ...
Do you have any pictures of your workshop?
Regards from Perth
Derek
I've decided to go with cabinets overhead, a shelf (countertop) as deep as the cabinets, and rolling storage carts below the shelf. The reason being is that after cleaning up the wall, I realized that there is a recepticle about 4' high. And I wouldn't want to cover that up. Thanks for all the input.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Derek,
Beautiful cabinet. It looks like a display case one might find in a store rather than in a typical shop. Keep up the fine work!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I not a huge fan of counter space... Unless it has a use. I recently moved and needed to redo my storage. I built a bank of cabinets for the shop and household storage, and to separate the garage from the parking area. I originally had plans for a small counter space for a permanent sharpening setup... But it didn't work out in the end so I just built cabinets... No regrets at all.
I vote for floor to ceiling. It would force me to put everything back where it belongs when I'am done. I just did some measuring and have 74 sq.ft. of bench/table/counter area, and that's excluding the radial arm, TS and router table. And they get pretty well covered before I have to go on an organizing spree.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Flairwoodworks,
I love crappy issues like this, I think about them to fall asleep at night. My first impression after reading your post is he needs to think about this some more. The truth is I need to think about it less.
When I think of storage I break it down into three types: storage to support a highly repetitive function, storage to support a not so active function and storage that may have little to do with a woodworking function (eg, store basketball, baseball glove, etc.). I break it down this way to try and determine the 'right' answer to your question. As an example, lets study your kitchen setup and make some observations; Next to your sink you probably have counter top to support a dish rack, below the counter is the dishwasher and above is A cabinet to store dishes. Likewise, next to the stove is counter top for food prep with storage above(condiments, etc.), often a utility drawer under the counter and pots in a cabinet below. Obviously, this storage supports the function. The rest of the cabinets are supportive from a storage perspective but not as much.
The second thing to observe about your kitchen setup is the utility of the storage shelves. My experience is that the first shelf above the counter gets about 90% utilized, the next up about 50% and the top shelf about 15%. My point here is that a shelf at waist to eye level is significantly more useful. However, and here is where you need to be careful, having another shelf at eye level or below for the dishes may be overkill while another shelf at the stove cabinet would be great...but would eliminate the counter space(not so good).
Okay, back to the shop. I built a floor to ceiling 2' wide storage unit for finishing supplies that works great. All the essentials are easily discernible and bulk storage in the bottom. I have been thinking about another floor to ceiling about 2' wide with a permanent setup for sharpening located in the middle.
I guess I find it hard to justify 6' wide floor to ceiling storage. I'd like to have them portable and more easily adaptable to my specific needs..but maybe you are talking basketballs and the like for the garage and all my thoughts are just pillow talk...lol.
Great comparison! By the way, I do want a microwave for drying wood, and a stove could work for double-boiling! Ok, maybe not necessary.
Well, this being MY workshop, I like to try (and do so pretty darn successfully) keep non-shop-related stuff out. So I'm really looking to store supplies (finishing paraphernalia, sandpaper, hardware & fasteners, etc) and portable power tools that don't have a home in my machine shop (jigsaw, routers, circular saw, etc). Maybe I don't need 6' of floor-to-ceiling shelving, but I have no doubt that I can fill it!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Think drawers. Drawers (or possibly cabinets with interior slide-outs) are sooo much more usable for most stuff than static shelves.
-Steve
It seems to me that one pertinent issue is cabinet depth. If you are only going to make it one foot deep, then by all means make it floor to ceiling. There little use for a one foot deep 'counter'. But if you have room for two feet of depth, make it like that up to a countertop, them back to one foot deep for overhead storage. Likewise, two foot deep overhead cabinets are cumbersome, and the narrower depth provides for more clearance above the worktop. There is something to be said (did I say it?) for the normal kitchen workspace layout, if space permits. I for one will take all the worktop I can get, definately at the expense of closed tool storage, but not at the expense of infeed/outfeed, walking and planer/shop vac scooting space. So how much depth of floorspace do you want to use?
Brian
Brian,
I think that the base cabinet will be about 24" deep and the upper cabinets about 18". You're absoluetly right about upper cabinets being too deep. Even if they're above your head so you don't smack your forehead on them, a deep high cabinet is difficult to reach into. Along the adjacent wall, I plan to run cabinets from the 6' high mark up to the ceiling to provide storage while not being in my way.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
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