# Pen shop organization hints



## treeturner1962 (Oct 3, 2009)

Hi everybody,

I have never been the most organized person in the world. So, I guess you could call me "organizationally challenged". I got addicted to pen turning.... started collecting Blanks... ok I probably have 100 of them. I've bought them on sale, some were traded, some are drying for later use, some bought on the spur of the moment. Same with pen kits, bushings, etc.

OK... I am losing control of my environment as things start piling up or get misplaced. 
How do you organize your pen blanks, pen kits, bushings, supplies etc... just looking for a little advice before the wife kills me with all my stuff lying about in the workshop.

Any ideas would help...... thank you.

Of course I am hoping I am NOT THE ONLY one ho is a little disorganized in the shop.

John


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## Phunky_2003 (Oct 3, 2009)

I am also organizationally challenged. I lose things all the time, spend more time looking for something I just had in my hands than I do working. I still have blanks in boxes, packages, envelopes .... on the bandsaw, tablesaw..... next to the drill press....everywhere.

I have something similar to this that I picked up at a flea market for 20 bucks. It has labels. Ive got some of my pen kits and blanks in it. But most of the time they get taken out and moved around. The shop fairy never comes to visit and put things back where they belong tho.


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## KenV (Oct 3, 2009)

Only 100 -- you have hardly got a good start on clutter --


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## dogcatcher (Oct 3, 2009)

I use the pile system, when I am finished using something it goes into a pile of other stuff I have finished using.  It all begins in the unused pile and ends up in the used pile.

Actually I try to use plastic shoe boxes and pencil boxes, the elementary school pencil boxes, labeled with contents.  Unfortunately sometimes the parts, pieces etc. land up in one of the used piles.


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## seawolf (Oct 3, 2009)

A data card file cabinet works great. It’s about 3 feet tall and has 10 drawers. Kits, blanks and spare tools fit nicely.
Mark


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## Jim Smith (Oct 3, 2009)

I made this rack for drill bits and bushings and it has made things so much easier to find that I kick myself for not doing it sooner.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=48180&highlight=Jim+Smith

Jim Smith


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## mredburn (Oct 3, 2009)

There are  lot of us that feel your pain. You can get larger diameter pvc pipe, cut it to 5in lengths,screw it together and hang it from a wall for your blanks. You can go to the post office and pick up small priority boxes for free and put stuff in them and label them, they stack nicely together. Fishing tackle boxes can work well. I have moved on to large rubbermaid tubs for different kinds of wood/blanks and working towards the roll around mail carts. Heck organizing the shop is almost as much fun as making something somedays. MY dad shares my shop so there are two of us not putting things back.  Lots of luck with your your GROWING addiction, pretty soon you will need a bigger shop, more tools, more wood the cycle never stops.     Mike


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## Dalecamino (Oct 3, 2009)

I have the same challenge goin on . So , I got some of these . I can roll the around when I need to . About $18.00 at the Aldi store .


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## Displaced Canadian (Oct 3, 2009)

I use the flat surface method. Find a flat surface and put stuff on it.:biggrin:
When those fill up, including the floor I started to use roll away tool boxes because they have wide shallow drawers.


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## treeturner1962 (Oct 3, 2009)

Excellent idea.... makes me want to go to home depot and try to organize myself


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## treeturner1962 (Oct 3, 2009)

nice idea.... I love the clear boxes. you can see right through them


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## mrcook4570 (Oct 3, 2009)

The best way to organize a shop is to marry an OCD woman and get her hooked on turning.:wink:


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## Gentleben (Oct 3, 2009)

I use a flat clear box with compartments in it to store my bushings.  They are all labeled.  Be sure the lid fits well, so when you knock it off it does not come open and spill your bushings.  It's a pain to resort them.  I also have a cardboard shoe storage box that has 36 compartments that I have most of my blanks in.  The others are in a drawer.  I use large 3 ring binders to put my instruction sheets in after placing them in clear plastic sheets.  I use zip lock bags for pen kits and extra parts and they are stored in a drawer. (I do not like this, but its the best I have come up with.)

Martha


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## JimB (Oct 3, 2009)

I use zip lock bags for kits. I put the bushings in the same bag with the kits. Blanks are just stored in a box (OK, 2 boxes). They are all labeled.


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## jimofsanston (Oct 3, 2009)

That shelf unit is available at HF and is on sale all the time or you can use the 20 percent discount on it.


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## Rangertrek (Oct 3, 2009)

*Yep!*

I finally tried to get some organization for the blanks and kits.
I store blanks on a wall rack I built from 1x8s in the shop. I store bushings, sleeves, etc in centrifuge tubes (plastic tubes). I mark the top of the tube with a number for reference. I store kits in cardboard boxes sim to shoe boxes. I have little dividers with labels. It works for me.

The blank rack has 84 bins. Can hold about 800-900 blanks.
Hope some of these ideas may be helpful.


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## carlor (Oct 3, 2009)

Hi John,

Nice system. Just out of curiosity, what are the numbers you have written on the ends of the blanks? Are they a reference to the wood type? Also, what are the dimensions for your blanks? They all appear to be the same.

Thanks,

Carlo.


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 3, 2009)

For kits, I use a box/rack that I bought at Lowes. It works great and holds 4 or 5 of each kit in each compartment. I seldom keep more than that on hand of any given kit/plating. For bushings, I took a board and installed 16 penny FINISH nails. You can see both the kit storage and bushing storage in this pic.





Now for blanks, I bought this really cool roll around cart wtih drawer/boxes.  Now remember, I sell blanks through my website and this is where I keep all of my inventory so this may or may not be applicable for a pen maker who is storing blanks to be used to make pens.  It works WONDERFULLY for my purpose, though.


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## fernhills (Oct 4, 2009)

I`ll straighten it up tomorrow........


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## traderdon55 (Oct 4, 2009)

fernhills said:


> I`ll straighten it up tomorrow........



Sounds like someone who lives by my motto" never do today what you can put off until tomorrow"


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## Dalecamino (Oct 4, 2009)

treeturner1962 said:


> nice idea.... I love the clear boxes. you can see right through them


 I also use the quart size ziplock bags . They can hold many blanks , and you can write the blank info on them , and who /where they came from . I use the small drawers similar to these that set on a shelf for my kits . I keep the bushings in the drawer with the kits and leave them in the little bags they came in . Although , I may change to Curtis' method , after we move .


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## Frank Nemke sr (Oct 4, 2009)

ORGANIZE?  what does that word mean?   Its in that pile somewhere


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## DurocShark (Oct 4, 2009)

mrcook4570 said:


> The best way to organize a shop is to marry an OCD woman and get her hooked on turning.:wink:



Link? Is there a free shipping coupon online somewhere? :tongue:

I have piles upon piles upon piles. And now that I have even more tools... 

Here's a list:



2 table saws (one classic Rockwell, one less classic Rockwell I'm restoring)
Jointer
10" Bandsaw
12" planer
Disk & Belt sander
10" Drill Press
10" Radial Arm Saw
Router on rolling tall table
TCP lathe
Grinder
Another router attached to my Rout-A-Sketch (anybody wanna buy a Rout-A-Sketch? I never use the thing...)

All that is just my woodworking tools. I also have stored in the same space my VW stuff including upholstery materials and foam, spare parts, mechanic's tools, fluids and supplies, holiday boxes (SWMBO is a fiend for decorating for ANY holiday including St. Patrick's day!), miscellaneous stuff that doesn't get to stay in the house, and so on.

Did I mention my shop is a one car garage? 



I'm actually in the midst of designing a better layout that will allow all of the above to be in there, while I still get to work on my stuff. We'll see.


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