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Organizing Your Hobby Area

Old 01-02-2009, 09:40 PM
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ka350kaptain
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Default Organizing Your Hobby Area

I would LOVE to get some ideas/pics of how everybody organizes all the STUFF that goes with this (and I presume other) hobby. I just got a little area of one of our storage rooms to myself. My work table will be 72" by 32" with three shelves above, each 16" wide and 72" long. I also have some wall space for more shelving if needed.

Any ideas/tips for storing tools, props, motors, gear, you name it!

Thanks in advance!
Old 01-02-2009, 09:48 PM
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Dreamin Hemi
 
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

I have a 16' workbench that is 40" deep with shelves below spanning the entire length and shelves all over my shop. STILL need more space![>:] I also fly giant scale planes so the fiberglass boat construction and the planes share the same spaces...never enough. My advice is shelves, shelves, shelves......keep everything off the floor and in the air. Once you think you have enough, build a couple more....they fill rather quickly in this hobby!
Old 01-02-2009, 10:29 PM
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

Good question and one I had to face myself.

I invested in a few plastic storage tubs, and then broke it down from there with Glad storage boxes. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and come five or so to a package, and relatively cheap at the grocery store. Made for food storage, but not this time

The plastic tubs are easy to shuffle around one on top the other, and move the stack to get to the right one.

Then the glad boxes are easy to look through the clear tops to see what they hold, and all fit inside the tubs.

Inside each glad box, parts are ziploc bagged to protect themselves from each other, and help keep that easy to look through.

I found small ziploc bags at Hobby Lobby (a large US hobby store that shelves everything imaginable concerning hobbies). These became invaluable for me to store parts. Most boat stuff (props, rudders, smaller bits) all get their own bag, or assembly and cushion well enough where nothing hurts their neighbor inside the plastic boxes.

I havent spent the time yet to print out box labels to set inside the glad boxes under their lids, which would make it somewhat easier.

Everything stays dust free inside them, as compared to open drawers or shelves.

The stoarge tubs are dimensioned to fit inside standard size closets, or slide under beds.

I agree with Hemi - keep everything off the floor as much as possible!

So far it has been a good way for me to organize and keep my engines, radio parts, and drive hardware organized, and can stay in the shop if needed when I start cutting and building my wood hulls.

Because I have only one small room to build boats, and had many boats planned to build, the room had to be shared with engine building, metal cutting, wood cutting, sanding, and painting, and final assembly.

I started out clean with engine collecting and building, then after I had all my engines built, the room is now being changed over to being a wood shop and the sawdust can go wherever it wants to.

After all my hulls are cut and built, the room will be swept and blown out, and become my paint room with compressor.

Then after all my paintwork is done, I have basically a newly painted room to do all my final assembly of the boats [&:]

It seems elementary, but I scratched my head about it for some time and this was the best thing I could come up with that fit into my building plans and space available.
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Old 01-03-2009, 01:23 AM
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Justaddwata
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

I am currently in the process of organizing my hobby.

I have full domain of a 25x35ft basement and it is very much full of boats and boat stuff. I am looking at consolidating and using organizing bins. I have been using large plastic tubs with lids since I moved in and it works well at keeping things sorted and protected from dust etc. They are stackable too.

I am adding another 400ft to my basement but want to get a handle on my space usage now before I just grow and migrate into the new space.

I have used 2"x4"s and sheets of ply to make benches and more wood to build racks for boat storage. In all I have over 200sqft of shelf space that is pretty much full and benches that I really have a hard time using for all the "stuff' that accumulates. I have never been a neat freek but can see where some neatness will pay dividends.

Certainly try to make the most of the space you have. If building a bench then add space overhead for storage and you can add lights underneath to make life easier when working. Add storage under the bench too and be sure to put it on wheels so you can move it around.

I will be adding one or two bin systems like this for small parts, screws etc.- http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sel...s/7/60bin2.jpg

Old 01-03-2009, 09:18 AM
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in-d-boat
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

In my basement shop I have wall and base cabinets with doors, drawers, and lots of shelving inside, and regular countertop on the bases. But, I put my workbench away from the walls, more toward the center of the room. But still within a step from the cabinets, where the tools are. ( actually I have a stool and just turn around to get stuff ) This makes getting to all sides of the boat tons easier. Nothing like trying to turn a boat (or wing) that's 5 feet long on a bench thats 3 feet wide and against the wall. The major tools (drlll press, disc sanders, bandsaw, ect.) are on their own stands, away from the bench, as well. I find that the smaller tools don't collect on the building table as much either.
Old 01-03-2009, 12:43 PM
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Kmot
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

Organize? Impossible....
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Old 01-03-2009, 01:02 PM
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

LOL look at Kmot's...

I think you started out with good intention...

Thats how mine usually looks until I can't find that one special part, then the whole works gets cleaned up, then after I give up and everything is in its place, I remember that one special place I put it...in the other room.[:-]
Old 01-03-2009, 04:13 PM
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ka350kaptain
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

That's how mine looks now Kmot!

I was at the Depot today and they had some small storage cabinets that look like they will work. In addition, storage bins of various sizes.

I also had a friend at the club that uses fishing lure boxes for his props. I think they were for flies. Nice, small compartments that held one prop per. Then labled the tops with a label maker.

The Glad boxes look like a good, easy on the wallet solution too. Especially for the motors.

All good ideas guys. Thanks!
Old 01-03-2009, 11:49 PM
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Ron Olson
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

Tom, yours looks sanitary compared to my workbench! I was thinking of contacting the Governor to see if my basement qualified for disaster relief!
The only thing that I have close to orgainzation is my toolbox that goes to the lake with me as whatever tool I use goes back into that except for stuff like the Dremel but that has been known to go along for the ride also. If I could, I'd just pack everything into a huge trailer as what usually happens is whatever gets left on the bench is what I'm going to need at the pond!
The workbench is more like the R/C version of "Where's Waldo?".
Old 01-04-2009, 01:04 AM
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Kmot
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

My work area is in a constant state of flux. That picture is older, but both earlier and later pics look remarkably similar!
Old 01-04-2009, 02:51 AM
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sheograth
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Default RE: Organizing Your Hobby Area

I have a 20' long by 40" deep space along with some storage, but it's still a struggle. I run gas boats, 1/5 scale gas cars, and some planes - no space for it all.

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