How comfortable is your 'shop' ?

SlowBalt said:

Living the dream.
I've only been able to sell 3 to 4 nice custom bikes a year. I could only dream of doing it for a living.
Very jealous.

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I just finished my 4th full year building motorized bicycles full time for a living last month (November) and optimistic about 2014 as 2013 was really very good to me with ~30 builds many of which were high end Shifting builds plus quite a few 'other builder' repairs.

It's not easy to get started with no money or parts inventory but not impossible if you put all the profit back into the business and work your butt off.

But back to this 'shop comfort' topic I started back in early 2010...

I have managed to expand my indoor shop space over the years but even with the shop fire that almost put me out of business it has remained function wise pretty much the same, until now.

By current trends this looks to be a particularly cold winter even here in Phoenix, in fact I have my little heated fan under my desk on this morning, so sales will slow big time but that's OK because it gives us a chance to finally re-organize and improve the shop at the same time I am cleaning out my recently departed Pops house.

The biggest improvement will be replacing the 10 year old originally scrap plywood work bench (in the first topic post) with this solid wood dining room table.



There is a simple eloquence to having a huge thick wood work surface, you can drill holes in it, beat on it, and mount whatever the heck you want to it wherever you want like a vice or grinder by just drilling pilot holes and screwing in big lag bolts.

Though I have been pretty good at it I still need better parts organization which means lots more properly labeled shelves and drawers.

Improved tool management is on my list as well.

Keeping all the specialty tools organized is nothing, it's trying to quickly find the wrench or socket size I need.

There are always the standard tools on the bench or laying in a build area but I can't read what size it is at a glance, I have to put my glasses on and hold it to the light to read it!

I have a solution for that as well and it's mindlessly simple but I'll share that later if it works.

"Treasure the shop for it is there mans imagination is truly set free."
KC Vale

Tool Labeling and Segregating

Theon said:

I'm lucky to live in a low crime area, and my 'shop' is currently my open carport.
I also have a 40ft shipping container to 'hide' stuff in, but there's not much room for customers projects at the moment.

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Nice.

Between all the new tools I had, all my recently departed pops tools, and my best friend/shop helpers tools, I suffer from TOO MANY tools.

I don't know about your eyes but mine just can't read tiny stamped in wrench and socket sizes especially when it's a pile of metric and standard together.

I finally got so sick of spending more time finding the tool than doing the job I need it for I started labeling everything as I used it and segregating my tools.

Other than the 13mm-1/2" that swings both ways, metric and standard have no place together in my shop.

This one little thing has made a dramatic positive change in productivity.



Not only do we not need to put glasses on to find a tool, if it's blue it's metric and we can read it 5' away.

Just a tip for those of you with eyes like mine ;-}

I think I have the overflow of tools handled, lots of the most used motorized bicycle tools labeled and the rest in boxes or drawers, what is chocking me is all the spare parts and 'shop stuff' like paint and grease that needs to be handy, and then all the leftover parts from my builds, especially JS builds, I mean how many boxes of brand new bike 1 piece cranks and crap stock spare plugs, not to mention all the puller tools, tensioners and back wheel rag joint sprocket assemblies does one shop Need?

Only enough to fill the shop I guess ;-}