Pictures Please? How do you store your hardware?

[bikermutt07]

So, I'm reworking my leather room as most of you know. I still have a ways to go, but I'm hitting a road block on all this random hardware I have acquired over the last 4 years.

I have about 65 bucks on a home Depot gift card that I could use. 

Do you guys use wall mount units with tubs, tool box style organizers, or what?

Everything is going to need it's own place for it to all fit. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

There of these could put a dent in what I have and I could wall mount them.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-28-Drawer-Small-Parts-Organizer-222169/205053254

 

[battlemunky]

I have the cheap Harbor Freight organizer boxes. Not ideal but serves the purpose since this is hobby level. If I was doing it for a living I'd find a much better wan than those.

That Home Depot link looks 1000 times better than my HF boxes.

[TheCyberwolfe]

I'm currently working off of what used to be my computer desk, but my original plan was to be portable. I never buy more than about a dozen of anything and have it all in a mix of small parts boxes and Altoids tins.

That Husky organizer is darn slick. I may have to get one.

[bikermutt07]

Well I have made a few purchases that came with stuff. And some big clearance days at tandy? And there was that incredible deal on line 24 brass snaps that @IHL had. A few of the lots I have purchased came with a lot of hardware. Wired thing is, I don't even use much hardware. It just keeps accumulating.

[Bigfoote]

7 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Well I have made a few purchases that came with stuff. And some big clearance days at tandy? And there was that incredible deal on line 24 brass snaps that @IHL had. A few of the lots I have purchased came with a lot of hardware. Wired thing is, I don't even use much hardware. It just keeps accumulating.

Bikermutt, you have the true leatherworker spirit! When you need one, you buy ten because you may make more, but usually don't. Seems we all have that problem. The organizer you are looking at is great. I keep mine in small Tetley tea cans, they are great and my wife keeps me in tins, lol. I use some painters tape on the outside so I can write what the contents are. Can't beat free!

[battlemunky]

I just remembered this; we had a place we were renting a few years back and the workshop under the stairs was rigged up by the old guy who left the house to his kids that then swiftly sold it. He had all sorts of things mounted like this (see attached). I was thinking of making some shelves on my bench that would accommodate something similar but haven't gotten around to it. The jars could be had very cheap or free if I let my wife know to hold onto them. Just tossing out another idea. Could maybe even mount them on the underside of your bench out of the reach of knees, etc.

[bikermutt07]

That's a good idea, @battlemunky.

And, thanks, @Bigfoote

[Sheilajeanne]

When I was a kid, it was quite common to store nuts, bolts, washers and other assorted hardware that way. There was a metal device hanging from the ceiling of the workshop, with 4 sides to it, and each side had, if I recall correctly, 4 sets of lids secured to it. 

Only problem was the jars that screwed into the lids were glass, not plastic.

My dad gave my brother and me pretty much free rein in his workshop. And there was more than one time that the glass jar didn't get properly screwed back into the lid, with predictable results! 

One of his caveats for using his workshop was that you clean up after yourself. I would  usually ask Mom for help with the cleanup when one of those jars came crashing down! And she'd help, because it was easier than dispensing band-aids to a bleeding kid...

Edit: this is what the storage system looked like!  https://beachpackagingdesign.com/boxvox/mostly-red-revolving-jar-racks

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by Sheilajeanne

[Mark842]

Messy as always. This is one of my stock rooms. The hardware shelves and cardboard boxes where purchased from U-line probably 15-20 years ago.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Twenty four feet of pegboard, because I had it. Excess or less frequently used hardware stored on the top shelves.  It isn't visible in the picture, but there are boxes full of hardware on a bottom shelf for about half of the length of the pegboard.  I filled the pegboard before I ran out of hardware.  Each vertical column contains a style of buckle (or snap, or ring, etc) with the smallest sizes on top, largest toward bottom. . . except the rigging hardware.  I'm not sure why, but I put the largest on top there.  Buckles that I commonly use more than one finish get two columns.  I like being able to see, at a glance, which items are running low.  I like Mark's bolt rack type of arrangement also.

Edited September 30, 2018 by Big Sioux Saddlery
Clarification

[bikermutt07]

I may have to incorporate a little bit of everything. My leather room is only about 8x9 feet.

The ceiling is an interesting option I hadn't thought of.

I also have a 206rb1 and a cb 3200 in this small room, with plans for a spray booth at the window. I also have a 3x5 steel desk that I may have to get rid of. But, I keep trying to figure out how to keep that giant thing. I just love it.

Edited September 30, 2018 by bikermutt07

[Mattsbagger]

Just remember don’t get to set on one way. My room keeps evolving and changing as it needs to. Things that worked last year don’t work this year as I add things. Since been doing leather only 2 years it has changed multiple times. 

[Jack1970]

There's some good ideas in here! That parts organizer looks pretty good to me, bikermutt07.

[battlemunky]

Yeah, @Mattsbagger may have hit the nail on the head. Keep things modular, which that organizer does, because my shop too has changed a lot. Fluid.

Be like water. -Bruce Lee

[JerseyFirefighter]

Ive posted this before.. but this one is awesome. Dual sided on casters. This setup has 192 bins total. It cost about $350-400 at globalindustrial.com. Shipping was atrocious but luckily one of their warehouses was about 45 mins from me. They let me pick it up. They offer different size bins and the mounting system leads me to believe you can mix and match bins on the cart. As soon as we find a new space I will be getting at least one more. 

 

Edit: Heres the link https://www.globalindustrial.com/g/storage/bins-totes-containers/pick-racks-wall-panels/mobile-double-sided-pick-racks?trackType=null

Edited September 30, 2018 by JerseyFirefighter

[bikermutt07]

@JerseyFirefighter that thing is huge. I'm sure you will get a lot of good use out of that monster. It's way too big for my tiny shop room though.

I think I am going to get three of those bins and put them on a French cleat system. 

I also have an idea for a narrow side cutting bench. Stay tuned for that one in the future. 

Now, I just have to give up my giant steel teacher's desk. I hate to lose it. It was one of my best ever 20 dollar purchases.

[Scoutmom103]

Can you put casters on the steal desk to move it around the workroom, or raise it up for cutting out things on?

[bikermutt07]

8 hours ago, Scoutmom103 said:

Can you put casters on the steal desk to move it around the workroom, or raise it up for cutting out things on?

It's just taking up to big of a foot print. I installed a cabinet bank and plan to use that as myain work station.

 

 

[Scoutmom103]

It looks like a nice desk, but I see how close it is to one of your machines.    We love desks at out house.  I use a wooden one my husband had refinished as a changing table holder and cloths storage for both my daughter and son.  I now use the desk in my craft room for domestic sewing and crafting.   

Both my son's room and my daughters room have desks in them as well now.  

[billybopp]

I don't see a teacher's desk.  I see a big ol' solid work-surface with five storage drawers.  Maybe get a big ol' piece of HDPE that's a little longer than the top and there you have a good solid cutting surface for your leather - it's sometimes easier to use a slightly shorter table to cut on so that you are above your work.  A nice wooden sliding till in the file drawers would help make better use of the space there - I suspect there are already file hanging rails that the till could ride on.  

As for storage, I use these and organize items in a grid with size going horizontally and color vertically.  So, for example I have a row of Line 24 snaps with the setting dies in the first column then silver, gold, black, brass, antique brass, etc - and the same for rivets and such with the last few rows for miscellaneous small items.   I also use one of these for larger items like rings, buckles, etc.    The drawers have a divider in them, so I sort snap / rivet parts within the drawer too. Fortunately, I found these containers on sale and paid about half the price you see listed in the links. Currently they sit on the floor since I don't have a work room, but when I do have one they will be wall mountable which will keep them isolated from work surfaces to help keep from bouncing them around when pounding / tooling.  I'll probably do the same for tools and hang them on the wall as well.

What you do, though, has to suit you and the way that you work.  Since we each work differently, we'll all have different solutions.  

Just food for thought

- Bill

[bikermutt07]

Well I have two machines now. Where the desk is I am planning a long narrow bench with storage underneath. To the right of the desk I will make wall to wall shelving infront of that door. The wall to the left side of the desk is where my cabinet bank work area is as well as another door into the room. The wall behind the desk will get French cleats with clamps above the narrow bench to assist in long side cutting. It will probably make a good strap tooling area as well, if I ever decide to get into that.

[jimi]

40 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Well I have two machines now

 Start making room for more machines bikermutt....

[bikermutt07]

There is no more room to be had. And once I learn how to use them I should be good to go on whatever I want to make.

[koreric75]

1 hour ago, bikermutt07 said:

There is no more room to be had. And once I learn how to use them I should be good to go on whatever I want to make.

you know you're always welcome to store things here...lol, not that i'm in any better shape on the storage front.  It's hard having a wife & husband that both have similar space requirements for hobbies...The adler has been fondly adopted into the "sewing room" and the wife enjoys using it, she actually just started using the cowboy helping me out with some binding...she's been a seamstress since she was old enough to sit on her mother's lap and get a needle jabbed through her finger so her expertise really helps on some things.

Here she is making quick work of the binding...video still processing so may take a while to be viewable.

 

[bikermutt07]

@koreric75 I was wondering if you wanted to take on more of those straps/belts? I still haven't found a place for that tub full yet.