Organizing a small basement workshop

21 years ago

Hi all,

I have a small workshop area in my basement that is around 10 x 10. It is in a highly disorganized state right now as is the rest of my basement. The reason is I am getting ready to remodel my house starting first with my kitchen and I need to move a temporary kitchen downstairs while working upstairs. Our basement is in a seriously messy state right now as a lot of cleaning and organizing is being done.

I have never had my work area organized in any decent way and I have been aquiring a number of new tools for my remodel project. I now currently own a power miter saw without a place for so I use it on the floor (not much fun). I have various power tools (including a sander, jigsaw, router, circular saw, drill, etc.) I recently picked up an air compressor with a PC finish nailer and also a brad/staple gun. The air compressor goes up and down the stairs as I need it. My most recent purchase (still sitting in the box, waiting to be assembled) and the one that will cause the most congestion is a Ryobi BT3100 table saw. Not a huge table but big enough to compromise the amount of room I currently have. The BT3100 has a accessory table that might come in handy for the router, though.

I have also just gotten rid of a huge old metal desk that sat opposite the workbench.

Basically I am looking for advice and/or tips as to what to do with the limited space I have including lighting recomendations, storage, additional worktable areas, electrical, etc. I have included a link that shows different views of the area along with an overhead drawing of the area.

Thanks so much

Mark

Here is a link that might be useful: images of basement work area (forgive the mess!)

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Comments (2)

User
21 years ago
Build a stand on casters to house all the hand tools. Build the top the correct size for the miter saw and the height should be the same as the table saw-----for use as outfeed support for the table saw.

You can get a set of wheels for the table saw---Ryobi makes them-----or adapt a Hercu-lift(Rigid) to help make the saw more portable.
tryinbrian
21 years ago
I reiterate what Handymac says about the casters - I put a set on my table saw years ago and that machine is constantly being moved around my 11x11 shop. I also crafted a folding outfeed table on the back that folds down behind the motor when not needed.

Another recommendation I have is to load up the walls with fairly highly placed shelves. This keeps all the contents within view while still allowing you to roll things underneath against the wall.

I am also a big fan of those acrylic "organizer" bins with 20-60 drawers for storing screws, nails and any of the multitude of smaller items you want to keep. Getting the clear (as opposed to opaque) ones allows you to look for an item without even opening a drawer. I have one for screws, two for nails and one for miscellaneous parts. I'd have another but I'm out of places to put it!

You may want to consider doing some electrical work as soon as you have a good idea where you'll be needing light and outlets. I was a little lax in this area myself, jockeying around extension cords for years and it sure was nice when I finally bit the bullet and put in proper wiring (especially if you get much more stationary stuff).

Don't be discouraged by the size of your shop. Although I guess there is more you can do with a big set-up, I think you will enjoy having everything within reach once you are property organized.
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