bblair

Nice setup Steve B.

I went to Lowes today and bought the stuff to put up my pegboard. Not as large as yours, but the first step.

veganbikes

I couldn't set up a shop for someone else. I would set it up for myself and that may not work for you. But lay out your tools and figure out where you want them and spend sometime playing around until you get it just right and then take good photos so you know where things belong and then figure out a system to get them back up where you want them either outlines or labels or something else. I have a Park Tool Big Blue Box but honestly I wish I had a long rifle case just for easier access and a totally custom set up. Not that I really ever transport my tools, I don't but I like the option and really just want to get them out of the way sometimes. Obviously if I go the long case I would have to figure all that out before cutting out the foam but with the current set up I can change things around easily but pack it up quickly should I need it or it can give me more space potentially and I can use the wall for just the big tools or for bins for parts and such.

smd4

Most of my inspiration comes from the first shop I worked at. I loved the white Masonite bench tops. Made it incredibly easy to see small parts. The metal edging helped when reinstalling tires. There was peg board, but it was angled back a few degrees. Wooden “cups” at the peg board base held screwdrivers and such. I don’t recall futzing with the pegboard hooks. Not sure how they were held in place.

Bike Gremlin

Drawers are OK, if you like them (not everyone does). If they are too deep, your tools might be clogged up inside (difficult to find a particular tool). If they are too shallow (5 cm or less), or not wide enough, you might have to put larger tools diagonally (taking too much space), or they won't fit.

Foam inserts with tool cutouts can be good, they help keep the tools stored neatly, but they take a lot of space (it's trade-off).

Wall hangers and shelves are good to have.

Big box for "everything" helps you store tools that you use very rarely, while saving space so you can keep the frequently used tools well-organized. Another box for "old parts that you might use" is also helpful. Just keep those in check. I have a habit of going over the contents once a year, and stuff that hasn't been used for over two years gets tossed (especially the old parts - tools, I prefer to give them away).

This is a pretty good article on how to organize your tools.

This is my workshop - it is far from perfect, and it's still being re-organized, but it works, with a lot of tools in a relatively tight space (very narrow):

TakingMyTime

I don't wrench on a lot of bikes. I do have 2 drawers dedicated to bicycle tools. Since 90% of my bicycle repair work revolves around using 5% of my tools I usually try and pull those tools out, place them on the top of the cabinet so that I can have them ready for when I need them. I don't need all my tools staring me in the face especially when I know they're only going to be used once a year.

teejaywhy

I like that you have the bike rack labeled. Just so you don't accidentally mix in some lawn tools or something.

Whatever you do, DO NOT go the the GarageJournal.com forums. And DO NOT search for any "Show us your toolbox/workbench/shop etc" threads. You have been warned!

bblair

My pegboard is....half done. The old Murray bike you see on the workstand is one I am fixing up for my neice, after hanging in her parents' garage for 25 years. Or more. I think the model is "POS."

bblair

Pegboard installed!

Probably not the final configuration, but a start. Hopefully, I will stick with it and return my tools.

smd4

I should hope not.

(sigh).

So much wasted space. How many screwdrivers do you need? Why hang all your hammers on the same pegs? Do you think that's useful? You need two hammers: a claw and a ball peen. Put the rest in a drawer.

Why didn't you get large enough pieces of pegboard to reach the bench top?

This doesn't appear to be much better than what you had before. Please--one tool per hook. They make special hooks/holders for pliers. There's even one for your drill.

And there was so much good advice given here...

bblair

smd4 thank you for the kind words.

The boards came in that size, so that is why they are that size.

They had been installed for all of 5 minutes, so I was just taking inventory of what I had and starting to think about how to organize. I appreciate the advice.

smd4

Sorry they weren't what you wanted to hear. You asked for help. I'm giving it to you.

They come in 4'x8' sheets. You bought the little ones. If going that route, you should have bought a third or fourth board and placed them vertically.

bblair

My vertical space is 30 or 32 inches as I remember. The boards were 48 inches, so I'd have to cut them to size. I don't have any power saws and didn't want to do it by hand.

I think it is good enough, but probably won't win the Shop of the Year trophy.

smd4

That stuff cuts like paper.

As I said...so much good advice was given here. Your space has so much wasted potential.

delbiker1 

A line in a song comes to mind, "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." It seems to me, that when most people are setting up a work shop area, especially if lacking experience, it is an on going project for a bit of time. One has to actually get in and work to see what is right and wrong, make changes as necessary. Sure, you can get a lot of good advice, a lot of it only opinion. It is your work space, it takes a bit of work to make it work, for you.