Thread: Bench and storage in a small shed

Best of luck to you AL - my garden shed is FULL and my wwshed is overflowing into the carport. Actually, the overflow takes up one full car space.

soth

Put the shovels, picks etc in the garage?

My solution would be to work out how much bench space you need (I take it you don't have any large machines), fit that in and then find a way to organise all your tools around it.

There's an interesting thread over here where there's a lot of ideas about different ways to organise your tools. It's not impossible - I've slotted 3 pedestal machines and a long bench into a 2.5x4m space, so if you stay away from machines that need in/out-feed room you'd be surprised what you can fit in.

If you've got a 3x3m shed, that's potentially 24sqm of wall space to hang things from - minus pesky things like doors, of course. Use it all.

LOL !!
That doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me soth.
I've still got a heap of tools and eq. to bring over from mum-in-laws garage. I'll have to cull a lot of them unfortunately.

AL

G'day AL1,

Move what you can't fit in the shoebox up into the lounge or kitchen and tell her that's the way it's gotta be until she let's you build/erect a bigger place of habitation.

G'day Juffy,
Yeah, you're right with having some things in the garage. That will have to happen whether my lovely wife wants them or not. One issue is being a not very strong walled shed, will I have to make an internal frame to hang the heavier tools on ?

AL

Hey Waldo,
I'd still like to have my meals cooked for me and have a bed to sleep in LOL !!

AL

I'd go for a mobile "partition" on which I could hang both sides instead of the need to make structural changes. This could be stored against the wall when not needed.

soth

Mate !!!

Now there's an idea !! I'll look into that one.
The one tool that take up space for me is my drop saw. It's a drop and slide type. I will need it because it's so handy even for my small jobs.

thanks soth

AL

Originally Posted by AL1

One issue is being a not very strong walled shed, will I have to make an internal frame to hang the heavier tools on ?

I take it it's a colourbond-style shed, then? Depends how many tools you've got, I guess - I have a mental image of throwing up an internal frame out of cheap structural pine which follows the corners of the shed, then you can build whatever you want onto that, or just hang things directly off it. Fasten the walls to the frame and she's not going anywhere.

Masoth's idea is worth a shot as well, but you'd need to think about what you're hanging where to keep it stable - mounting a 10kg sledge hammer at the top of the partition might be a bad idea.

Good luck with this one Al, its a big ask!
I'd build a seperate closet/locker affair on the outside of your shed and put all the gardening gear in it, for easy access you understand, and dedicate the 9square metres to workbench and tool storage. Rolling carts under benches for various machines is a good idea in a tight spot. I saw a reasonable setup in Australian Handyman Sept 2007 (just picked it up at the local library) with plans for plywood carts and matching bench.
Any chance of having a good flat apron of concrete outside the door, to roll machines onto for better access inside, or use?

Cheers,

Thanks Juffy & Andy,

Juffy, you're right, it would be for the smaller items, the big wrenches etc to go on the wall.
Andy, putting a smaller shed/closet/Lean to for items like wheelbarrow etc up against the shed would do the job.
The dropsaw is my biggest item and not used that often...well maybe in a couple of months it will be.

AL

gardening tools should live in the garden, so the garden fairies stay happy

Al1,

I have the same problem: a shed approx 2.5x3m which has to hold everything. And it does, within reason. The first thing I realised is that the floor needs to be kept clear otherwise your usable space is quickly diminished and the environment becomes dangerous. I have a bench, some cupboards and a Triton w/bench (the latter goes behind the door). The cupboards contain all the tools, paint and small gardening stuff. Timber lengths are stored on the cupboards (which are floor-mounted). Second realisation: garden implements such as fork, shovel, rake etc have to be hung on a rack on the wall - you'll be surprised what space this yields. I hang the B&D Workmate up there as well. Third: miscellaneous seldom-used objects (eg. my bike!) should be put in the ceiling. Fourth: if you have a ladder, install some hanging hooks in the rafters and hang it from them so it's both out-of the way and easily accessable. The woodpile is going to have to be relegated to a separate discretely located lean-to as it is just not workable inside the shed.

I still haven't worked-out how to integrate a thicknesser, planer and table saw into that layout though!

Hey Bob,
That's why I don't let my daughters or wife work in the garden anymore. Their fairy garden was where I'd always find em' ... all nice and rusty lol ! No fairy garden in the new house ha ha !!

AL