Organize Your Workshop On A Budget

May 21, 2022

Have you ever lost a tape measure and tore apart your entire workshop to find it and it be in your tool-belt?

What about those dang pencils that always go missing right after you use them?

Please tell me I’m not the only one on this struggle bus.

Well, if you understand, you’ve come to the right place! Come along as we walk you through some simple steps to organize your workshop so that everything has a "home".

Here are the best organizational tips we found so you can spend more time creating and less time searching for tools in your workshop! As a furniture artist, I am constantly surrounded by tools and products, so I needed more organization DIYs. I created this blog post to help you organize your workshop on a budget! I personally hate spending $5-30 on a plastic organizer. This blog will give you great organizing solutions using items you already have laying around the house!

File Folders

Whether you put all your sandpaper in one file folder or sort them by grit, this is a convenient way to not lose pieces of sandpaper, decorative paper, stencils, stickers, or design plans! Pieces of paper or flimsy materials can easily slip behind tools and under your tool bench so keep it safe, organized and ready for when you need it most!

Link to example:

https://www.facebook.com/Rockler/posts/a-plastic-hanging-file-container-in-the-12-x-12-x-10-size-and-some-hanging-file-/10157977453437378/?_rdr

Shelving

Shelving is great for stacking things and maximizing your wall space. Grab a piece of scrap wood & angled brackets. Drill the screws/brackets into the studs to ensure durability. If you do not have studs, you can use drywall anchors & screws - but be careful & pay attention to the weight that they can hold and what material they are made for. We suggest placing lighter things on the top shelves and leaving the heavier items near the floor.

Peg Board

A peg board is such a great way to hang just about anything without taking up a ton of space. There are different styles of hooks, shelves, brackets, baskets, etc that you can place on a peg board and play around with to find the perfect fit for your needs.

Ryobi also has a tool hanging kit that is similar to a peg board that is specifically for tools.

Link to Ryobi Peg Board:

https://nation.ryobitools.com/nation/projects/pegboard-tool-organizer_17165

Mason Jars/Tupperware

Have any extra nails or screws laying around?

Put them in a mason jar, a tupperware container, an empty coffee can, or, if you don't have those, old cups or mugs will work too!

This way they will not get lost and are easy to find.

If you want to take an extra step you could also label the jars/tupperware and screw the lids into a piece of wood and secure the wood to a shelf to create hanging storage.

Example: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/278167714455686125/

L-Shaped Brackets

These brackets are great for storing extra lumber and keeping scrap wood off of the floor. L-Shaped Brackets or Angled Brackets don’t take up much space and hug the wall tightly. Alternatively, you could make your own brackets out of scrap wood and attach them into the studs with screws. You can also break down an old palette to create wood scrap storage.

Example: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/307652218276567925/

Example: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/156851999504783552/

Cabinets/Dressers

Having a cabinet or dresser is a great storage option that keeps your space looking clean and tidy. You can store smaller items in the drawers by using old tupperware containers to divide your items into categories. Consider labeling the outside of each drawer for easy access while you are working. Have you seen the Miter Saw Stands that people have been creating out of dressers?! It is a project that brings on the best of both worlds…Organization & Function of course!