Workspace organisation - your approach?

[kissack101]

Hey,

I'm not sure if this has been discussed here, but I was wondering what stories people could share on how they organise their workspace/workflow? I'm building a couple of pedals for a friend and I find myself constantly sifting through hundreds of identical sealable plastic bags that Banzai ships all their resisters, caps etc in, trying to find the one I need. I'm in the position where my home doesn't have space for me to have a 'dedicated' area for building and modding pedals - instead I have to pack and unpack every time I start a project (much to the displeasure of my significant other who sees her dining table disappear).

Is anyone else in the same situation? Any tricks/tips/useful devices/approachs/ANYTHING that can help me out?

Many thanks,

Adam.

[robertreynisson]

I had the same problem so I got a double sided storage case, you know the ones with lot's of slots, put in all my resistors and caps and marked them. Very convenient. But now I have some more space so hang all those banzai bags in my wall....

[smallbearelec]

I have noticed that the compartmented boxes and organizers shown in this section:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories.bok?category=Consummables%2C+Supplies+And+Storage

are especially popular with overseas customers. We use them as the basis for numerous standard assortments, and will also "stuiff" to order. A few of these Akro-Mils/Taiwanese boxes and cabinets on your bench:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=647

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=951

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=989

will get your space organized and give you some bulk discounts on your parts. As we say here, this is like "getting eggs in your beer." Pls let us know your wishes.

Regards
SD

[ppatchmods]

i want to find something to hold all my tools that i can attach to the side of my bench to hang down. i've thought about a canvas tool pouch but thought it would wear very fast. any suggestions?

[JKowalski]

i want to find something to hold all my tools that i can attach to the side of my bench to hang down. i've thought about a canvas tool pouch but thought it would wear very fast. any suggestions?

I think that's your best bet. Not many things you can "hang" tools from, the only other thing I can think of at the moment is one of those walls with holes in it that you stick hangers on (can't think of the name at the moment, but the kind you see in garages or woodshops)

Or a wire rack (though it wouldn't be as organized) attached to the underside of the desk?



There is no better way to organize your workspace then to have a desk specifically set aside for your projects. And there is no substitute for multi-drawer organizers. Here's my desk:



The left organizer has resistors, the middle one capacitors, and the last big one semiconductors (on top) and large items on bottom (pots, switches, jacks, knobs etc.) Basically how I start a project is I pull out all the drawers I think I will need and put them at the far back part of the desk, and work in front of the row of parts. That way I can easily grab everything I need and put parts back when I don't need them without getting up or searching around. Nothing gets left out on the desk awaiting cleanup later, and I can just pop the drawers back when I am finished. It stays clean and it's minimal hassle.

My tools are in the wooden box in the right side of the desk, I just pull the box out when I am working and put it at my feet.

All my test equipment is above me and totally out of the way when not in use but easily accessible when I do need it.



Before this desk I was in a similar predicament as you, and let me tell you it is SO worth it to get something nice up. If you have a spare room or spare corner in a room to set aside, and you plan on doing many more projects in the future, it will be a good investment of space to get a desk and some drawers!

[deadastronaut]

that is nice.........im working on my living room table...its a right pain putting stuff back and gettin out again...

i got a set of drawers like those..looks like i'll have to get 2 more now...sensible.

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh i need a bigger gaff!.............

ps love the little amp on ya desktop...nice...can we have a close up?

[JKowalski]

ps love the little amp on ya desktop...nice...can we have a close up?

Just a 386 amp for utilitarian purposes 

Gonna put a new rectangular higher wattage speaker in it sometime and replace the 386 with something a little better.

[Brymus]

i want to find something to hold all my tools that i can attach to the side of my bench to hang down. i've thought about a canvas tool pouch but thought it would wear very fast. any suggestions?

I think that's your best bet. Not many things you can "hang" tools from, the only other thing I can think of at the moment is one of those walls with holes in it that you stick hangers on (can't think of the name at the moment, but the kind you see in garages or woodshops)

Or a wire rack (though it wouldn't be as organized) attached to the underside of the desk?



There is no better way to organize your workspace then to have a desk specifically set aside for your projects. And there is no substitute for multi-drawer organizers. Here's my desk:



The left organizer has resistors, the middle one capacitors, and the last big one semiconductors (on top) and large items on bottom (pots, switches, jacks, knobs etc.) Basically how I start a project is I pull out all the drawers I think I will need and put them at the far back part of the desk, and work in front of the row of parts. That way I can easily grab everything I need and put parts back when I don't need them without getting up or searching around. Nothing gets left out on the desk awaiting cleanup later, and I can just pop the drawers back when I am finished. It stays clean and it's minimal hassle.

My tools are in the wooden box in the right side of the desk, I just pull the box out when I am working and put it at my feet.

All my test equipment is above me and totally out of the way when not in use but easily accessible when I do need it.



Before this desk I was in a similar predicament as you, and let me tell you it is SO worth it to get something nice up. If you have a spare room or spare corner in a room to set aside, and you plan on doing many more projects in the future, it will be a good investment of space to get a desk and some drawers!

WOW that is SO nice,love that big wood desk,and all the neat lab gear,very nice work station.

[kissack101]

WOW that is SO nice,love that big wood desk,and all the neat lab gear,very nice work station.

What he said.

A rack of those plastic drawers would be a good start, anyone know where they are available in the UK? I've looked for them in the usual suspects (B&Q etc) in the past but to no avail?...

[markeebee]

Craft shops are a good place to find multi-compartment storage thingies. People use them to store jewellery stuff, beads, art materials. Craft shops are also a good place to flirt with bored housewives who have turned to hobbyist greeting card making to fill some kind of creative longing in their humdrum existence. I should imagine.

Perforated panels and tool hangers - I supply them to industrial companies and labs. Yeah, I know, but it's a living. This sort of thing:

http://www.sovella.com/content/pdf/product_catalogue_07/USA_pages_86_93.pdf?from=2983591722580639

I guess I could find a 'handy desktop size' one for, I dunno, a tenner if you want one?

Our main products are sort of top-of-the-range workbenches and workstations, if anybody's interested.

[Brymus]

Heres my meager area using a table my wife recovered from the bin of a store by her work,and several orginizers.
The big ones under the table are for storing clothes(donated by friend) ,the file cabinet is rescued from a dumpster(again by my wife) and was undented and repurposed.(it was really beat to heck looked like someone had fun kicking the cr@p outa it)
The bookcase was 20$ at WalMart ,the orginizers not on the floor came from Lowes, the small cases were 4$ each the
larger ones about 20$,still most of my small components are in baggies in shoeboxes on the bookcase,along with lots of info culled from the net printed out into binders,half the binders were bought at a local thrift for 50 cents each.
My desk was 30$ at Wal Mart,Its reinforced with free wood from a construction site(yes I got permission to take it)The shelf above the desk uses some of the same free wood.
The old CRTs in my PC station were saved from the trash around the corner from our house,the older PC was donated by my wifes Grandpa and uses parts donated from various places.The laser printer on the bottom shelf of the desk was 50$ new at Office Max.
The stereo on the shelf above was donated by a friend of my wife the CD player in it doesnt work but otherwise it does well.
My breadboard station is made from donated wood and a old VCR case,some of my storage bins are old baby wipes containers,you cant see the small containers in the large bins on the floor but they are plastic baby food containers.
I love free stuff !!!! But I wish I could afford a nice work desk and pro recording station desk.
But still those might serve as ideas on how to get an organized work area for fairly cheap.

[smallbearelec]

Organizing tools:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories.bok?category=Tools+-+Plier+and+Tool+Racks

Especially check out the tool rack kit. I have a lot of this kind of thing, because I'm a distributor for Eurotool...they are big supplier to jewelers and beaders as well as other craftspeople. But I suspect that I'm not the first place people think of for tools and organizing; I'm working on changing that, and will do my best to make time to write a How-To-Buy/What-To-Buy/How-To-Use article this year.

[deadastronaut]

ps love the little amp on ya desktop...nice...can we have a close up?

Just a 386 amp for utilitarian purposes 

Gonna put a new rectangular higher wattage speaker in it sometime and replace the 386 with something a little better.

thats really nice......proper combo shape....