Thinking Inside the Box: Organizing Your Tools

If your tool bench looks like your sock drawer, it’s time to organize! Just like throwing a pile of socks into a drawer without sorting them, there’s no doubt it’s quicker and easier to put tools down on the work surface of your tool bench or thrown in a bucket or bin or pile rather than where they belong. While you may have saved a minute or two by doing that, the question remains, though, how much time have you wasted in the past year looking for tools? A 3/4” roundover bit can be elusive even in the smallest of workshops. And trying to untangle the cord of your hammer drill from the cords of the circular saw and the palm sander is, well, just plain aggravating.

According to a survey of woodworkers by the European Foundation for Quality of Life, 65% feel they don’t have enough time to pursue their hobby. The solution? Make more time! How? Organize!

The scheme you opt for depends on you needs. To better understand them, it’s often helpful to create a chart of the items you need to store. Begin with major category headings like power tools, saw blades, drill bits, and so on. List the tools you have that fit in each category under the heading. Don’t forget to include materials that you keep on hand for your projects like fasteners, wood, sheets of metal, and so on. Next, consider what kinds of projects you work on most often and the tools used for each. These tools should be stored within easiest reach. Tools used infrequently can be stored in cabinets or on shelving.

“If your tools came with a carrying case or permanent storage box, it’s important to use that box,” recommends Bob Poitras, a senior salesman with Bad Dog Tools. Bad Dog Router Bits, for instance, are packaged in a fully padded aluminum case. Bits slide into their own slots, which are labeled with bit style and dimensions. This case was engineered to minimize the possibility of chipping. The design is such that the bits will not touch one another. Once you have a handle on your storage needs, it’s time to put those tools away! Start with a workshop that’s been cleared of clutter. Fasteners should be boxed, labeled, and stored. Wood should be stacked out of the way, sorted by type, size, etc.. Bits of this and that should be thoroughly examined, sorted or disposed of along with tools that are outdated or broken. Tools that you no longer use but are still in useable condition might be donated to a local non-profit woodworking group or school.

“Use the shelving and cabinets you have first,” says Jemison Faust, a professional organizer in Newport, RI, who specializes in organizing artist’s studios and workshops. “Clients rarely need to go out and buy more storage paraphernalia.” She does encourage using a pegboard over a work counter to keep oft-used items out of the way but in easy reach. “There are lot’s of good systems out there that include hooks and shelves.”

Once your tools are put away, there are other simple changes you can make, too, to add quality to your time in the workshop. “Nobody says you have to answer the phone when it rings,” says Faust. She suggests that, unless it’s an emergency, you let the answering machine pick-up.

Schedule your workshop time. ”I work in my shop from seven to eight every weeknight after dinner,” says Joe Rome, of Concord, NH, who builds decorative lobster and crab pots that, with the addition of a glass top, make whimsical occasional tables. It’s only an hour, but because it is uninterrupted time, Joe finds he gets more accomplished than when he used to spend longer periods that were often interrupted. He also recently organized his workspace with the help of his son. “Things are right where I need them,” he says eying stacks of laths that are organized by size on shelves built over his work surface and a corral of tools that include Bad Dog Rover Bits and a variety of corded tools.

“I know it’s a good system,” he smiles. “All my buddies have organized their workshops, too.”