Tag: organization

Mat Storage on a Garage Wall

Nick Momrik2 Comments

I’ve slowly been continuing with my garage gym clean-up and reorganization. Originally I was going to get rid of the extra stall mats because I’m not going to park on top of them and I have a much thinner mat that rolls up and easily stores in a corner. As I was looking at the back wall I got an idea to store these two pieces of mat against the wall, so I can quickly pull them down for workouts.

img_1727.jpg

The mats are 3/4 inch and very rigid, so they stand pretty well on their own. I wasn’t going to risk them falling back on a vehicle though, so they needed a seat belt.

img_1734.jpg

On each side I drilled in to a stud and screwed in an eye bolt. Then I could hook in a ratchet strap, tighten it, and the mats will never fall over.

img_1733.jpg

I love when an easy solution works.

Air Tool Organization

Nick Momrik2 Comments

I’d been thinking about getting a better cordless brad nailer because the old Craftsman one I have is useless. I discovered Craftsman makes a much better one in the C3 line, but it runs about $130. I kept looking around and found Home Depot selling a Porter-Cable combo kit with:

  • 6 Gallon 150 PSI Air Compressor

  • 16-Gauge Nailer

  • 18-Gauge Nailer

  • 3/8″ Stapler

  • 25′ Hose

It was down to $200 from $279! I bought it the next morning. I also stopped by Harbor Freight for their air tool accessory kit (gotta have a blow gun!) and a second 25′ hose.

I didn’t want the compressor in the shop because it’s very loud when it runs. So I cut a hole through the wall, put in an electrical box, and added a face plate so it doesn’t look too much like a hack job. If I ever move it I can swap out the place for a blank one.

compressor-through-wall

Where it comes through on the other side is under my staircase, which is fairly central in the shop. Figured that would be a good place to store the tools.

air-tool-storage.jpg

I didn’t want to have to go to the other room to turn the compressor on/off. So I removed an old outlet that was on this wall, added a 2-gang electrical box, put in a new outlet, and wired a switch to control the bottom plug (top plug stays hot). Now I can always leave the compressor’s power switch turned on.

Revisiting My Resistor Organization

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

My supply of resistors (and diodes) has grown over the last year. The previous solution worked well, although the screw tops were a pain. I’d been doubling up some containers if the values were close enough, but had run out of cylinders, so starting chucking parts into the box.

img_0580.jpg

img_0582.jpg

It went to Jo-Ann Fabrics again and was planning to buy another set of the cylinders, but they were either out of stock or don’t carry them anymore. So I found some organizers made for thread which don’t have adjustable compartments like a lot of these things. That was important because I don’t want the parts jumping compartments. The size looked good for the length of the resistors too, even if they had to be angled to fit. The cardboard label cards will make it easy to shuffle things around, compared to sticker labels, if I get a new resistor value.

I think it’s a nice improvement and will save time when I go digging for a resistor. I’m sure I can find a use for the cylinder organizer in my workshop, maybe for small screws.

Magnets in the Workshop

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

I realized I have a lot of magnets around the workshop. They can be used for so many things.

 

These trays are invaluable for keeping screws, nuts, bolts, and washers from rolling all over my work area. Harbor Freight has a coupon making them a free item. I use them at my hobby desk too.

img_0487

The rubber base is also magnetic.

img_0502.jpg

Another Harbor Freight freebie are these tool holders. I’m using 4 on my pegboards instead of creating custom tool holders for this stuff.

53695628049__9799dd4f-d2bc-4442-a910-ab35c8f66781.jpg

53695627590__a7216900-a2ee-4539-a9c3-2552aea43ca6.jpg

There is another on my drill press cart for the chuck key, set screw allen wrenches, tape measure, and clamp.

img_0507.jpg

I also put one on each side of a workbench I just finished building. I’ll post about that workbench later this week after a final accessory arrives.

IMG_0494.jpeg

The final freebie from Harbor Freight are these LED lights. I’ve used them many times already.

img_0504.jpg

I picked up this digital angle gauge on AliExpress for about $15, which is half the price I’ve seen anywhere else. With the floor of my shop being so uneven, the table tops of my tools are never level. I use this gauge to set a zero reference on the table top and then make sure my saw blades or drill press bit are square or set to any specific angle I want. Here it is on my miter saw.

I received these rare Earth magnets for Christmas. They come in a variety of sizes so I included my iPhone charge cable for reference. You can place these magnets in the corners of a custom box to hold the top closed or use them in many different ways in projects you might build. So far I’ve only used them to help organize things around the shop.

img_0506.jpg

I stuck one inside the clip of the tape measure on the drill press tool holder shown above so it has a stronger attraction.

img_0509

I also glued one to the back of this small tape measure so I could keep it to my table saw fence.

It’s always handy to have a tape measure within reach around the shop!

img_0510.jpg

My Dad gave me his Dad’s old scroll saw. The lock key was missing so I hacked together my own out of a piece of metal, a piece of rubber, and some electrical tape.

img_0514.jpg

Since it doesn’t snap in the switch like the normal key, I added a magnet to the back and stick it to the saw when it’s not being used. After I get my 3D printer I’ll create a proper key that snaps in the switch and won’t fall out.

img_0515.jpg

I also have a random assortment of other magnets in case I need them.

img_0512.jpg

Do you use magnets for anything creative?