Garage Feng Shui?

[Huw Powell]

> I think you hit it right on the money about shelves.  Currently I have 
> 310 ft^2 of shelves in the garage and am in the process of redesigning 
> them so that 1.  they look nicer, and 2. they are better laid out.   
> Some of the stuff is in wierd places because that's where it fits.  
> Pretty much what I'm looking for are ideas that would really make my 
> redesign functional and slick.

Here's what I do: I set everything up as best I can, and over time, note 
what works well and what doesn't.  In the back of my brain while I am 
fighting with what doesn't, I figure out a better way to arrange it. 
Eventually I spend a few hours moving things that were wrong around so 
they are better.  Leave the "right" stuff alone, right?

I think some of this stuff is too personal to be able to generalize very 
much, except...

> I already have plastic shoe boxes full with 
> nuts/bolts/screws organized by size (M6, M8...) as well as head style.  
> I'm thinking of getting one of those neat bin-racks so I can organize by 
> length too  (ok, I'm anal).

Me too, except I use various modular plastic bins.  The 18 x 4 x 4 ones 
are nice because they fit surplus industrial shelving very efficiently.

I also use the smaller Akro bins, hung on a wall plate (it's not anal, 
it simply makes sense!) for a lot of other stuff (nails, SAE hardware, 
some misc categories).

Spending some money on modular shelves, etc., can be very worth while, 
although 1x10 and 1x12 on grey shelf brackets works well too.  As you've 
probably discovered, a variety of types of shelving helps deal with all 
the different kinds of weird stuff we have to store.

> I've got 2 compressors... One twin cyl. 60 gallon and a smaller 
> "portable" 15 gal.  I also have a ~60 gallon distribution system built 
> into the ceiling with compressed air taps hanging down at 4 locations 
> from the ceiling and from 4 in the wall...and a regulated tap on the 
> front of the garage for filling tires in the driveway.

Those would be solutions that can be generalized nicely.  It's nice to 
have that outdoor line backed up by a hose reel so it will reach 
everywhere in the parking lot/driveway.

>> Paint the floor a light color so goo doesn't soak in and it's easier 
>> to find dropped bolts.
> 
> That's the one I missed when I built the garage.  I proably have 55 
> gallons of motor oil soaked into the concrete already.  Should have 
> painted the floor.

Studious application and re-application of speedi-dri will slowly draw 
that goo up out of the floor.  Then paint it.

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/