Whether you have lots of space or have a very limited amount, the way in which you store items in your woodworking shop is critical.
Do it the wrong way and you compromise not only how well you can work in your woodshop, but it can also limit the number of tools and the types of tools that you have room for. At its worst, poor storage decisions can also be dangerous if you do not store certain items correctly and safely.
In this article, we are going to give a few ideas, tips, and tricks in relation to storage options in your woodworking shop. The majority of these are very simple, most are quick and some even border on the ingenious. However, what they all have in common is they give you the means to make the maximum use of the space you have available in your woodshop.
We’ll present our top five storage ideas in no particular order to allow you to go through them and choose the ones you want to use.
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Safety First
Before we go through the storage tips, we must emphasize that whatever solutions you use for storing tools and accessories in your woodworking shop, you must ensure that they are safe.
Some storage ideas utilize items that are not specifically made for woodwork storage, but they can be used. Whether it’s these, some other bespoke solution or even if you purchase proper storage units, just make sure they are all safe and secure.
If you have any concerns about safety in your woodworking shop then you will find lots of extremely useful information on this subject in ‘The Ultimate Small Shop Guide.’ The advice inside this excellent resource will help you to make your workshop as safe as it can be, and it even provides you with a checklist which you can tick of as go.
Our Top Five Woodworking Storage Ideas
A Hand Drill Station
For each hand drill or hand power tool that you have, you will need a large vinyl-clad hook with a wood screw type thread on one end. They are extremely cheap, and you should be able to buy them at most DIY stores. Screw the hooks into the side of a wooden bench or workstation and then hang the hand drills from each one. The drills can then be easily removed when you need to use them.
We must point out that this only works if the rechargeable battery is attached to the power tool so you will need to ensure that you either have fully charged spare batteries available or that you always attach a fully charged battery before hanging up each drill.
Muffin Tins for Miscellaneous Bits and Pieces
You know all those loose screws, nails and wall plugs scattered around? An ingenious way of keeping them in some kind of neat order is by attaching heavy-gauge muffin tins underneath your shelves. This is done by drilling a 1/4 inch hole through both the shelf and the tin and then securing the tin using a flat-headed machine screw, washer, and a nut.
Each muffin bin can be used to separate out screws and nails of different sizes and types. Once you have selected the items you need, the tin can then swivel back underneath the shelf.
Storage Pipes for Small Tools
This is a great way to keep small tools and other items neatly stored and makes them easily accessible too. The first thing you will need is a length of PVC plumbing pipe of either 1 1/2, 2 or 3 inches, or if you can, have all three sizes. By having them different sizes, you can use them for different-sized tools.
Cut the pipe lengths at a 45° angle and then secure them to a piece of plywood or pinboard. To secure you will need to drill a 1/4 inch hole and then use a 1 5/8 inch drywall screw. Once you have all your pipes lined up you can use them to store anything from pencils and paintbrushes to drill bits and screwdrivers.
Sealed and Secured
This is a very clever method of storing caulking tubes which still have the likes of adhesive or silicone inside but rather than throwing them away you will be able to use them again. You will need a pinboard, a hook for each caulk tube and some duct tape.
When you have finished using the tube, fold a piece of duct tape around the tube opening, remembering to make the length of duct tape at least 2 inches longer than the nozzle. Pierce a hole through this extra length and then hang the tube on the pegboard. It’s as simple (and ingenious) as that!
Ceiling Drawers
When space is at a premium you will want to use every square inch possible and this is a great way to do so if your woodworking shop is going to be in a basement or room where there are ceiling joists. This method is ideal for items that you do not use often but still need somewhere to store them.
You can either use old drawers that are no longer in use or build new ones but either way the drawer needs to be about 3/8 inch narrower than the gap between joists. To hold the drawer in place you can use small wooden cleats which you turn 90° to release the drawer. 3 1/2 inch by 3/8 inch bolts can be used to create the pivot for the drawer on the other end.
We mentioned space being at a premium for many people and if you are one of those that would love to create a woodworking shop but are concerned that the space you have available might not be enough then we have a solution that will help. It is called ‘The Ultimate Small Shop Guide‘ and it deals specifically with creating woodworking shops in very small spaces.
It provides layout options, detailed floor plans, tools suggestions and it has even more storage tricks for small workshops than we have been able to give you here.