I really like the idea of placing safety glasses near the door–make them easy to use.
Photography by Paris Van Gorder
The heart of the shop? The car. The rest of the shop? Built around it.
A well-organized workshop doesn’t just fall out of the sky. In this case, it’s engineered by students who think like the pros.
The first thing you encounter at Embry-Riddle’s motorsports shop? Immediately to the left, a fabric wall organizer–similar to one designed for shoes–filled with multiple pairs of eye protection.
The idea? First thing to grab when you enter, last thing to put away when you leave–plus, you always have spares in one spot. Safety is a priority, but so is where you put it.
Once through the door, each subteam–electrical, powertrain, composites and suspension, to name a few–receives a dedicated workspace or bench. With so many students and hands on deck, assigned spaces are a must.
Above these spaces? Overhead retractable cord reels. When someone’s done with a cord, it takes a simple pull to retract it. Out of sight, out of mind.
Labeled bins, drawers and shelves for each team are another timesaver. If something gets moved or a storage bin gets repurposed? Just peel and relabel.
While general use and spare stock sit on shelves in the machine area of the shop–organized by material and possible use–dedicated stock lives on or underneath each subteam’s workbench. To make extra sure nobody grabs an important piece of stock, members often mark its intended use with a Sharpie–more than once, of course.
For electrical components? The spools of different wire are stored on a simple rack with multiple levels based on ratings, thickness and even colors.
Old parts need to be stored, too. The team tends to take apart the previous cars for spares and to save space in the shop. But they don’t just throw all those old parts in the corner. Instead, the team uses large lateral filing cabinets–one or two drawers per subteam–and storage cabinets. All labeled, of course, so everyone knows what’s where.
Chemicals need to be properly stored, too. Combustible items? Separated into the combustible cabinet with like chemicals.
Corrosive items? Same deal but into a separate corrosive cabinet.
Both of these chemical cabinets are further organized with inventory sheets and are placed near emergency eye- and hand-wash stations.
Open any of the toolboxes in the shop and you’ll find more peak organization. Key tools? Foam inserts, socket trays and even magnetic strips for loose items. The team’s 10mm sockets? Safe as can be. The goal here: Immediately locate any tool and also know if one’s missing.
Now, these students are human. Do things always get put back in the right place? No. Does the lab get messy after long workdays? Yes. That’s why the team does something that many of us may be overdue for–shop cleanup days.
Multiple times a semester, the bay doors are opened, the shelves are pulled, inventory is documented, and the shop gets a good, deep cleaning. And if necessary, things are rearranged for increased efficiency.
Do you have some organization tips? Let’s hear them.
I really like the idea of placing safety glasses near the door–make them easy to use.
I'm embarrassed by the amount of time I spend looking for tools I set down someplace weird and can't find them again.
Use tool
Put tool away
Use tool
Put tool away
Repeat ad naseum
I have to walk back to the box a little more often, but I know my tools should always be in the exact right place.
For small jobs I've started carrying a magnetic tool holder from HF. Stick the few wrenches/scoobadivers that I need on it and keep it next to the work area until the job is done.
In reply to buzzboy :
When it's one person in a shop, that system can work well–I know I do it. But when there are close to 20 people working in one place at the same time, things becomes a bit more tricky. Add in members rotating in and out throughout the year and things can get out of hand.
Labeling is key.
"Fun" labeling also makes for a slightly more whimsical shop, though it can come at the expense of time if someone new is working in the area.
"Hey, I need an Allen key. Where would I find it?" "Red toolbox, top left, drawer labeled 'witch curses.'" "...Witch curses?" "Yeah, it's a hex!"
brandonsmash said:"...Witch curses?" "Yeah, it's a hex!"
I didn't know "money" was spelled "well-organized shop."
I keed. The few projects I've done, I always go WAY DEEP into "scope creep" and "while I'm in there."
brandonsmash said:Labeling is key.
"Fun" labeling also makes for a slightly more whimsical shop, though it can come at the expense of time if someone new is working in the area.
"Hey, I need an Allen key. Where would I find it?" "Red toolbox, top left, drawer labeled 'witch curses.'" "...Witch curses?" "Yeah, it's a hex!"
The only whimsical label I have has a connection to a guy I worked for. His then 3yo called screwdrivers Scubadivers so in homage my box is labeled as such.
In reply to brandonsmash :
I love everything about this...I'm doing this from now on.
In reply to Paris Van Gorder :
Between my home shops and my warehouse I have a bunch of toolboxes. Most all of the drawers are labeled normally but I have a few that are fun. If I think about it I'll take photos of the fun ones: Even though I may be the only one using them 99.95% of the time, sometimes they still make me chuckle.
On one box I had a drawer I intentionally left empty and labeled it "HAUNTED NARGLE SKULLS." People would invariably come over and open that drawer out of curiosity and then ask me about the label, to which I would reply: "Oh berkeley, you didn't let them out, did you?"
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