How to Organize a Small Workshop

2022-08-14 | By bekathwia

License: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

If you only have a small space available to devote to your making endeavors, you've come to the right place. Here's a tour of my 200-square-foot NYC workshop, which occupies the largest bedroom in my Brooklyn apartment. Read on to see how I organize my workshop and for links to my favorite small space solutions. Be sure to watch the video above for the full tour and workshop Q&A!

becky in the workshop

tools on bench

My electronics workbench is also a jewelry workbench. I like the tray that pulls out to catch small bits of things that fall, the higher work surface so my eyes can be closer and see better, and all the storage it provides. I painted the top black and added a bench vice. Tools pictured:

Soldering iron
Helping hands tool
Wire strippers
Flush Cutters
Pliers
Tweezers
Dispensers for acetone and isopropyl alcohol
Solderless breadboard
Solder-type proto boards

Becky at workbench

Above the bench, I keep a magnetic tool holder, wire spool holder, my resistor color code cross stitch, and my flex shaft rotary tool. It's operated with a foot pedal from below. Also under this desk, I've got a mini dust extractor with a HEPA filter, which I use to vacuum the floor and occasionally hook up directly to a tool.

tool chest

I love my rolling tool chest. It holds way more stuff than shelves or a pegboard while making everything easy to reach for a short person, and provides an additional work surface. I keep my 3D printer on top of it and use the space next to it for whatever I'm working on. For a space with floors that aren't necessarily level, it was important to me to get a tool chest with drawers that latch shut and casters with locks, so nothing goes sliding around. The color is a bonus for me-- it matches the rest of the space, and I can draw on it with dry erase makers. I like that everything can have a place in these drawers and be out of sight when not in use.

3d printer filament storage

Speaking of 3D printing, here's how I store my filament these days. I've outgrown the dry box I built a few years ago, and so now I'm using plastic storage bags with silica gel packets. Sometimes I go to the extra trouble of vacuum sealing, but you can also remove most of the air in the bag by pulling it out with a straw.

closet

This closet has built-in shelving and it's also where I store my shipping supplies for sending out products from my store, as well as different types of batteries and chargers.

component drawers

My other cabinets are occupied by component drawers and other small bins for organizing components and other small things. If it weren't for my label maker, I'd never be able to find anything at a glance (my handwriting is hard for even me to read).

computer desk

At the end of the room is my main desk where I use the computer, record voiceovers, and also film overhead of my work table. I use an ergonomic mechanical keyboard and a gaming mouse on a tray that slides under my desktop.

Thanks for reading! Please check out my favorite tools and supplies for building your own dream workshop below.