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Another substrate related question, I would love to hear about or better yet, see photos of how you store substrate at your shop. 4x8's, scraps, whatever. I want to rearrange my basement workshop and set it up to use space more effeciently. I currently just have everything leaning against one wall, and half the time there is stuff buried in there I didn't even know I had! Thanks for any info Tyler
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I use your method Tyler...lean the stuff against the wall.
I DO have a pretty organised system though...MDO against one wall...Sintra against another....Coroplast against another...and scraps against the last wall!!!!!!
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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I usually lean stuff up against a wall, big stuff in back, small stuff in front. Werks reel guud.
-------------------- -------------------- Dave Cox C2 Media Services (Formerly That Sign Guy) dave@c2mediaservices.com -------------------- Full Color Printing Posts: 295 | From: Sacramento CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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We've got two racks- a steel one that has a 4 ft square base, and is on casters, and has welded square 3 ft high 'U' shaped dividers about every 5 inches. This holds whatever sizes you put in each section separate. The other is made of 'chipboard' a rubbishy particle board, on a 4 ft x 2 ft base, with a 4 ft x 3 ft back, with dividers every 5 inches or so, of the same stuff, sort of triangular shape coming forwards. This gives you room to slot bits into each gap a bit like some envelope racks.
I picked up the steel one, and two timber ones from a timber merchant which was going bankrupt about 5 years ago, for about $40 the lot. Prior to that I was going to make one, using some dimensions that were in an old Signcraft magazine, where one side had an 8 x 4 backing board, and each slot had progressively smaller 'walls' into which you slotted appropriately sized offcuts (and there they seem to stay!)
edit to add- this keeps them all off the floor, so that in the case of water spillages etc, the stuff is high & dry. They have carpet on their base too, and footings that let you sneak a pallet trolley under them to move them if needed.
[ July 16, 2004, 03:50 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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I store stuff perpendicular to the wall so the edges are visible, as well as heighth. I framed simple sections using 2'x4's, and have one for anything over 4' tall, another for less than 4', and one above that for anything smaller. They are generally arranged by heighth, with different materials mixed together, since you can tell what you have by the edges, and nothing gets buried behind something else.
I can't take credit for the idea - I saw it in Larry Whan's shop in Banff, and immediately rearranged my "wall pile".
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4115 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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I bought an old plywood shopping cart ( the kind you use at Home Depot) for 30 bucks from a junk dealer, had a dent in it but after i banged it out with hammer it works great. Has wheels to.
-------------------- Jake Lyman Lyman Signs 45 State Road Phillipston, MA 01331 Posts: 635 | From: Phillipston, MA | Registered: Sep 2002
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Here's a rack that we built back last Winter when there was nothing to do. Like others, we simply stacked everything against the wall, and then spent more time moving stuff than actually working on jobs.
It is made up of 2" x 4" pine, plywood, and 3/4" MDO for the shelving. Everything is lagged into the concrete floor and concrete wall. There's a lot of weight, so you don't want any of this stuff coming down on you.
We are still making some minor improvements and finding ways that we would have done it differently, but it works a lot better than the old system.
[ July 16, 2004, 02:53 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Chapman ]
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I used a couple of sheets of 3/4 plywood, and drilled matched holes 6 inches a part and 8 inches deep. with a 1/2 inch bore to accept conduit pipe I had laying around. The sheets of ply were 30 inces by about 72 inches. I mounted one to the ceiling of my shop with a couple 2X4 spacers in between the ceiling the the plywood, and the other I ramsetted to my floor, from there I popped in the several length of conduit, and can now easily store about 60 sheets of plywood or HDU foam. I then built a rack to the side of it to hold all the offcuts. I have 3 size bins in that rack one that will hold sheets that are up 4 X4 or smaller, the next is 3' or smaller and lastly a 2' X 4' bin or smaller. all my full sheet goods stand upright in the storage system as well. It has saved me so much grief, as before I was laaways moving them to get at a size at the bottom of the pile. Arrrggghh! Dale
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Ours is similar to Mr. Chapman's, only the base is a few inches higher than the floor and the leading edge has a pipe mounted on bearings so we can hold the material at an angle and roll it in instead of sliding it. On the back wall we have a series of 1" dowels sticking out 6" about 12" apart. These help support manageable stacks keeping them sectioned. On the outside of this rack is where we have all of our pipe clamps stored also. I find it refreshing to find something common in California and Texas other than money and God's love.
[ July 17, 2004, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6718 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Wrote the whole page then read it in all caps except beginning of sentances, lets start over. I keep plastics in main shop and wood in cutting/painting shop. The wood, a few sheets of MDO in 1/2 and 3/4 just lean against the wall with scraps in front. The plastics are in a tall rackscrewed parrallel to the wall next to the wood shop door. Everything slides out of rack in front of the door and moved into main shop. Holds approx 32 sheets assorted plastic, now have 16 coroplast and 6 komatex in rack. Scraps are in front, kept to a minimum. Also have a bakers rack with pre-cut of 18x24 coroplast and aluminum. holds about 300 coraplast, loads of room on wheels. have about 200 and 50 precut alum down to 12x18. Odd alum on top. seem to work.
[ July 17, 2004, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Michael Latham ]
-------------------- Michael A Latham Tee's Me Shirt & Sign 16462 Jefferson Davis Highway Colonial Heights Va. 804-835-3299 signdogopie@aol.com Posts: 379 | From: Colonial Heights, Virginia | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
This is OT, but a question for Ray Chapman. I noticed in your photo a collection of ladders. How come you're hiding the Little Giant? I thought that ladder was supposed to replace all others (according to their info-mercials anyway).
Still OT, which do you prefer, the LG(or is that a Werner or Gorilla?) or a regular step ladder? I guess they both have their merits. I've stood on the rungs of an LG lookalike, and found them quite uncomfortable as compaired to a step. It's probably better off used as either a straight ladder or as scaffold sides than replacing a step (unless out on the job, not needing multiple ladders taking up bed space). Any comments?
Now back to the regularly scheduled topic.
I have nothing to add on the topic of storing sheets of material except vertical storage seems to be the norm. It's easily the most efficient way to find stuff; especially if the ends are visible.
-------------------- Bill Cosharek Bill Cosharek Signs N.Huntingdon,Pa
bcosharek@juno.com Posts: 703 | From: N.Huntingdon, Pa, USA | Registered: Dec 1999
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Here's some of the storage areas we've developed over the years. It started pretty basic and just keeps evolving. Believe it or not it still gets out of hand back there when we're busy...like now! What we gain in organization, we often lose in disipline. Storage Ideas
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Bill - I really can't tell you why the Little Giant is in the back - that's just the way they were stacked. There is also a 4' step ladder that goes on the same rack, but it was being used in the shop.
The Little Giant can be tough on your feet if you stand in one place for a long time, but that is the reason for the small platform that is also in the picture - it allows you to stand sideways to the ladder and not get sore feet.
I really like it because it is so versatile - from a step ladder for uneven terrain to a long extension ladder. And it is easy to carry. I've had it about ten years and it goes out on almost every job that requires a ladder.
Rick - my rack is raised off the ground also, but doesn't have the rollers. What a neat idea!
The rack is close by the overhead door, so when MDO is delivered it can be taken directly off the truck and into the bin. Very handy. It's amazing how much stuff you can put into a small space. It's not very high-tech, but it gets the job done.
And actually I have to give credit where credit is due: my son, Mike, did most of the work.
[ July 17, 2004, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Chapman ]
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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