Five Cheap and Easy Ways to Organize a Home Workshop
Home workshops for maintenance and repairs or for working on larger projects can quickly become expensive. Tools and equipment are not cheap, and keeping everything in order in a small space becomes difficult. For DIYers who have a home workspace, here are a few things you can do to update your store and get rid of the clutter.
Make a towel dispenser
One thing that can be a problem in a workshop is cleaning. However, for small spills, sawdust, and other messes, keeping things clean while you work shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you have a towel dispenser. The dispenser will keep the towel roll out of the way until you need it, but will always be on hand when you need it.
You can make a towel dispenser out of a paint roller if you have a peg board. Hang the roller handle on a peg and put towels on it. If the handle moves, you can add one pin to each side of the handle to keep it from wobble. Another simple shop towel dispenser is a 1-foot length of ¾-inch threaded steel pipe, an end cap, and a flange. Screw the flange into the surface where you want to hold the towels, and then screw the pipe into the flange. Place towels over the pipe and screw the end cap onto the top end of the pipe so it doesn’t slide up.
Use magnets to clean and keep organized
Magnets can help keep screws and other metal parts in order. Using a piece of sheet metal attached to the wall and a couple of magnets, you can make yourself a place to store plans and notes where you can read them, as well as save your workbench from paper clutter. Another convenient use of magnets in the store is cleaning metal chips: after cutting or threading a steel pipe or sawing a bolt, metal chips can hang on surfaces and get under the skin in the form of splinters. Wrap the magnet in a paper towel, pick up any tiny bits of shavings, and then hold it over trash to remove the towel and discard the shavings.
Sand down the sandpaper
Sandpaper can get dirty quickly. While not everyone has room for a dedicated sandpaper shelf in their store, most people have room for an expandable file folder. For grinding discs , a smaller version of the expandable folder can be used. Mark the protrusions with paper grain, then sand with sandpaper. No more rummaging through drawers looking for what you need.
Make a blade recycling
If you are using blades for your utility knife, using a safe disposal bucket is a good way to avoid accidents. You can make your own bucket of used blades from a coffee can or a disposable plastic container with a slot in the lid. Once the container is full, seal the gap with duct tape so no one touches the blades. This will also prevent the trash bags from bursting during emptying.
Link your chargers
If you use tools that require batteries and chargers, you may find it difficult to change batteries when your other hand is busy. Being able to pull out a charged battery without the charger that came with it can be a problem. Using a ratchet strap or tape with screws and washers to hold the charger in place on the shelf will make battery replacement much easier. Some chargers also have screw holes or slots on the underside – if you have them, you can also mount the charger on the wall for one-handed access.