Workbench organization…

I hate a cluttered workbench. And, yet, that’s what I’ve suffered through for the past couple weeks. Tools laying around, a portable mechanic’s tool case precariously perched on the edge of the workbench, not enough room to work… But not after today.

In my brief time at B&L in Solana Beach, I really appreciated the organization that the work area afforded the mechanics. It’s the little things that make us happy behind the stand. One of the little things is a tool board that is angled back just slightly so that tools always lay flat against it. With perfectly vertical tool boards, the tools just dangle in space…well, sometimes.

I spent most of today arranging tools on my tool board, trying to position them in clusters of areas of the bike where they get used. I’m pretty happy with the orientation. I did all this with the tool board back laying flat so placing the tools was easy and I didn’t have to go through a lot (heck, any) trial and error. Then, with a Sharpie, I marked where I would screw a drywall screw in to the board – making sure I didn’t go all the way through the masonite and into my workbench top.

To get the angle, I secured a 1×2 to the work bench top that when the masonite was leaned up agains the back of the workbench, would provide a stand-off that gave me that slight angle to the tool board. A few more drywall screws through the masonite into the 1×2 and along the top of the board and it was in place. A final more secure screwing of the screws that would hold the tools and it was done.

Oh dang! Now I got to remember what all those screws hold since I took off all the tools prior to securing the tool board to the work bench. Good thing I took a photo! Mama didn’t raise no idjits.

Thanks to the guys at B&L (again) for the sweet idea of an angled back tool board.