Workshop Organisation

Hi All,
Our workshop is a nightmare, i recently brought 3 bays of Pallet racking which has helped heaps.
Just seeking some ideas/photos of whay people have done to give them more room and get things up off the floor? It isnt very big but there are only two of us working out of it.
We have a heap of spare parts and junk i know we will never use but ill get my ass kicked for chucking it out.

Cheers,
Nick

nickbowers said:

Hi All,
Our workshop is a nightmare, i recently brought 3 bays of Pallet racking which has helped heaps.
Just seeking some ideas/photos of whay people have done to give them more room and get things up off the floor? It isnt very big but there are only two of us working out of it.
We have a heap of spare parts and junk i know we will never use but ill get my ass kicked for chucking it out.

Cheers,
Nick

Click to expand...

One trick I've used is to "loose" "junk" in very slow steps that way it isn't noticed!:tong A large clean area will draw too much attention but a few inches free space is easy to overlook. I wish we could make better use of our area, problem is we have a large shop with a few other storage bays so bosses see no pressing need to get rid of the junk. I'm wondering how bad this place will look after I'm gone in the spring. I don't think anyone understands how much time and effort I put into fighting the growth of junk and dirt.:Banghead

A shipping container or conex box outside in the yard works great, keeps parts dry and secure and gets some of that work area back.

Make sure everything has it's "place". If an item doesn't have it's own designated storage spot, the problems begin there.
Label racking and toolboxes. Use shadow boards for tools and such. If you are just shuffling an item around it needs to get a home. If it isn't important enough for it's own designated space, chuck it.
That will get you started and it will help prioritize items. Be anal about it and once the benefits are seen by you and your partner, it will become second hat.

My process for un-needed junk (this requires a good memory) is the third time I come across it while cleaning/straightening up it gets the garbage bin.

Thanks guys, seems i need to do a tip run!

We built a mezzanine so I can rat hole all my crap away upstairs and not clog up a bay. We have a 4 bay shop but 1 bay doesn't have a door so it was a perfect spot.

I hate working around a mess. I think there are to kinds of buildings one is a shop the other is a storage unit. I think the best deal is to get a shipping container or a old trailer. I have cleaned up a lot of stuff on the little at a time methed.

Go after easy targets that give you a solid reason for pitching them. Filters and parts for a unit you no longer own. Broken things someone intended to rebuild, but a new one is equal to the cost of rebuild. Or all it needs is one replacement part, but you gave a solid effort and determined the maker was bought out and no one will ever find that missing part. And, (this one may be touchy) but, are you clogging shelf space with manuals that are now all available on-line? Like those guys said every little bit helps, and the "broken windows"theory is true. If an area already has some crap in it no one will mind adding more crap there. But if the spot is organized, a guy may think twice about just stashing something there.
a clean shop is a journey, a grueling uphill journey, wrought with obstacles, not a destination.

Muffler Bearing said:

If an area already has some crap in it no one will mind adding more crap there. But if the spot is organized, a guy may think twice about just stashing something there.
a clean shop is a journey, a grueling uphill journey, wrought with obstacles, not a destination.

Click to expand...

Wish that was true where I work, free and clean area is the first place someone uses to stack crap.

kshansen said:

Wish that was true where I work, free and clean area is the first place someone uses to stack crap.

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Sounds like every construction project in history. One guy cleans up to work and before he gets back with his material, someone else has piled it full of their stuff.

PS, i'm down two beers already today to stay in compliance. LOL