workbench organization

[Anonymous]

Just finished building my workbench, custom shelving and a vented spray booth for painting. Any suggestions for tool/paint/brush/etc. organization? Would like to have convienent organization on the top of the workbench. Are there any plans available for constructing any of this? Any help appreciated.

[Medina1128]

There was an interesting tool caddy article a few months ago in Model Railroader. You could check their archives online and find it...

[IRONROOSTER]

MR and others have done tool caddies, workbenches, etc. over the years. Search the magazine index above on workbench. But really the best one is the one that works for you. I have found that having a some kind of a cup like container for standing up paint brushes and a kitchen silverware drawer organizer do the trick for tools I use a lot. I have a fishing tackle box for those I don't use as much.
Enjoy
Paul

[MisterBeasley]

If you have a concrete floor, invest in a cheap piece of linoleum. Cleanup is a lot easier, and you might even be able to find those Kadee knuckle springs when you drop them. Yeah, fat chance.

Don't forget good lighting, too. Cheaper than a new pair of bi-focals, and often just as effective. Also, mount a permanent power strip in a convenient location so you don't have to drag cords across the room to run a drill or a Dremel.

[orsonroy]

Good lighting is a must, and should be of the same sort of lighting as you have in the layout room. My bench has two can lights over it for general lighting, and two swing arm incandescents, one on either side of my work area.

Lots of good, accessable storage is a must. Since I built my own bench (2x4s and a 3/4" ply top, with a removeable 2x2 masonite work pad), I made sure to build in six drawers. One large one holds the "big tools" (Dremel & press, soldering gun, etc), one holds the bulk of my small tools, one holds all my styrene & scratchbuilding stuff, one's a miscellaneous drawer, and one holds a few kits (other kits are neatly stacked on a shelving unit next to the workbench). My bench is 2' deep, so along the wall, I've got six of those little storage drawer units designed to hold screws. I keep all my small stuff in them (hardware, wheelsets & couplers, detailing parts, etc). My most often used tools (Xactos, files, etc) are stored in a small Plano tackle box insert on the workbench itself (it's also my travel "workshop"; I do 90% of my model building with what's in it, and it's smaller than a shoebox). Adhesives are on top of the storage racks, and paints are stored on shelves under my spray booth, which has it's own small bench.

[ARTHILL]

Work bench organization, there is an oxymoron for you. I'd try it if I had any idea what you were talking about.

[Anonymous]

the bench stays clean 'til you use,that's how it works, seriously try tacking an old towel to the front so when you sit put the towel on your lap . those little parts always fall into your lap. Believe me it works great, also see if you have a thicker piece os window glass,say 8x12, it gives you a level work surface, and apiece of foam works great to stick all sorts of tools into.

[Seamonster]

When our daughter was a teenager living at home, she used a lot of hairspray. She always bought the same brand, and I saved a bunch of the plastic caps and glued them together side by side in groups to make holders. For temporary storage of little parts when building something use the bottoms of egg cartons. I learned this one when building electronic kits back in the 60s and 70s. I bought a lot of little plastic baskets of various sizes to store stuff in. I've found an incredible variety of little plastic baskets, little bins with lids and compartmentalized boxes at the local $1 store.

[cacole]

Uhhh, work benches are supposed to be organized? SInce when? I have never seen one that is. [:D]

[joeh19012]

If you would rather buy than build, there are a number of commercially available storage organizers. You can find suitable items in office supply stores, art supply and craft stores, and some home improvement stores.

Also, there are a number of companies that specialize in selling hobbyist tools, most prominently MicroMark. I've seen a number of different storage caddies from them.

I have a storage unit on my workbench that I use for larger items like markers and pencils that used to hold things like spatulas and other cooking utensils. You might be able to find more organizing items at kitchen supply places.

Enjoy. [:)][8D]

[Anonymous]

I took a piece of 1 x 4, drilled 5 or 6 holes in it (about 1.25"), then took an equal number of 1 liter pepsi bottles and cut them in half horizontally, cleaned off the labels and stuck them with the cap end through the holes in the wood and dropped a different color of wire in each with the end hanging out the bottom and mounted the whole thing on the wall over my bench. I also salvaged an old triple dresser and slid it under the layout with the drawers just about even with the edge of the layout. This is great for storing kits, track, roadbed, etc. It has helped a lot.

[jfrank138]

I bought several 24 inch and several 36 inch mailing tubes from the post office for storing bundles of rail and longer lengths of stripwood, brass rod and music wire.

[CBQ_Guy]

I put a six foot tall, wood cabinet with shelves and doors next to the workbench, which is an old lab table with two drawers. Parts drawers, supplies, a carousel tool caddy, kits, weathering supplies, some paint, etc. are all hidden neatly in the cabinet when not in use and unseen with the doors closed. There are only a couple items left out on the bench arranged neatly. On the top of the bench I have a piece of tempered glass which gives me a perfectly flat surface and it's also easy to scrape and keep clean. Under the glass is info I use regularly while building such as a list of NMRA car weighting by car length, for example. I have a fluorescent desk lamp on the bench, as well as one of those circular flIuorescent work lights on the adjustable arm with the magnifying lens. The two drawers store smaller hand tools, clamps, adhesives, etc. I am contemplating putting some pegboard and hooks on the inside of the cabinet doors to hold stuff, too.

I want the work area to look fairly attractive since all this is in a guest room up on the main floor of the house.

If I'm working on a model, I keep it and related parts on an old glass reftrigerator shelf I kept from years ago. When I'm done with a work session, I lift the glass shelf with everything on it and place it on a shelf in the cabinet. I also put the tool carousel back in the cabinet as well, and close the doors.

I've been doing this for around six months now and so far it's been working out well.

[Anonymous]

Couple of things I use with my spray booth:
1. Cheap plastic lazy susan - you can turn things around and paint from all angles without touching it.
2. Chunk of wood with holes for dowels (to put car shells on for painting--the numerous holes allow quick placement of the dowels for different size engine/car shells)--put on the lazy susan.
3. Nearby shelves for all your bottles of paint (I still need to take a piece of 1" x 3" and drill a bottle sized hole in it for placement of the bottle of paint I'm using--will make it harder for me to inadvertantly knock the bottle over and spill the paint.
4. I put some cup eye hooks on the side of my booth so I could quickly & easily hang my airbrush up (helps avoid knocking bottles of paint over).
5. Mount a spring clip for hanging your latex gloves up when you're done using them (know they're cheap, but so am I, besides I'm more prone to use them if they're handy).
6. Make a spot for your Badger paint mixer (handiest little device for those small bottles of model paint).
7. Paper towel rack (I hung mine under the booth).
8. Cup hook to hang that old hair dryer so you can speed the drying.
9. I put Saran Wrap over my fluorescent light strip in the spray booth so it gets painted and not the light.
10. Mount the switch for your spray booth fan and lights very conveniently and so they come on together (I use a power strip)--no sense painting in the booth if you're not going to use the fan!
And no, I'm not as organized as I'd like to be some day (but someday hope to be, but then also hope to finish my layout!).

[ndbprr]

Hardest part for me is what to save and what to junk. I have parts from Varney and Penn Line trains I will never use in the next 100 years but every time I go to get rid of something a little voice say's, "you'll be sorry!".

[West Coast S]

I have one built into a suitcase for when i'm on the road, just the basic raw materials and a kit or two to kill time in the hotel room. Being new to S, i've not had the oppertunity to accumilate many spare parts, but you ought to see my 20 years of accumilation HO parts box! I have to be careful with my case, it was confiscated once by Security Forces after a chemical sniffing dog decided to pay it some attention!

Dave

Dave

[jlcjrbal]

You guys should post some pictures of your workshops Joseph

[ham99]

I have a two-drawer file cabinet to store kits and boxes of supplies in. It just fits under the layout. My airbrush and compressor are stored on a kitchen utility cart that rolls under the layout, also. My workbench is a formica-topped desk with three drawers down one side. I have a swing-arm magnifying lamp mounted on top. A ten-drawer stationary cabinet beside the bench holds couplers and bottles of paint, as well as electrical supplies. I keep a supply of 2"x2" and 4"x6" masonite scraps on hand to cut on and mix acrylic paints on. I keep the plastic measuring cups from my wife's soap bottles for mixing glue/water.

[CBQ_Guy]

Maybe I can get a photo one of these days. I'm not set up for digital photography just yet.

Forgot to mention that there is a 20 inch TV on top of the cabinet, and a VCR inside the cabinet on the top shelf (should get a DVD or combo player now). I ran the cables through a hole I drilled in the back. So I can look at informational or how-to-do-it video while I'm modeling, or watch a train or model rr video while sitting in a small armchair or sacked out on the bed.

As far as painting...I do acrylic brush painting on the workbench, but I have a small compressor and another small bench set up in the basement for airbrushing and solvent based painting. I want to get set up with a spraybooth vented outside eventually down there, too.

[davekelly]

One idea that I learned from my dad is the use of baby food jars. He had a shelf to put things on and then he'd screw the lids to the bottom. The jars could then be just screwed on and off. Check out the different size jars available at the supermarket. They cost less (with food even in it!!) than many storage devises.

[IRONROOSTER]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

One idea that I learned from my dad is the use of baby food jars. He had a shelf to put things on and then he'd screw the lids to the bottom. The jars could then be just screwed on and off. Check out the different size jars available at the supermarket. They cost less (with food even in it!!) than many storage devises.

And the banana pudding ones are pretty tasty.[:D]
Enjoy
Paul