this photo isn't in my shop, but in my room. I built the shelf in my shop though- for a nominal $10-$20 US, you can buy pine boards cut at your local hardware store with some dowel pegs. With those, you can assemble any size shelf you want; limited only by the size of the boards. I would not make the height any larger than 6-7 times the width of a board, as a general rule, to prevent tipping. No problem if you bolt it to the wall. When I get my own home, I plan on bolting shelves to the wall 5-6 inches above the floor so that I can vacuum underneath and not damage the carpet.
I flatten and save box tops for gundam boxes, and I'll either throw away the bottom or use it to store something. They come in handy.
Kits on the lower shelf. Most of them are already finished or are missing parts- I need to go down there and clean out kits that are a loss or are complete by throwing out old boxes (and saving the tops!)
Every tool has its place in my shop, and I am very annoyed when someone takes a tool and does not return it to the shop. The electronics and soldering equipment have been moved to a plastic bin I recently acquired for free.
Our shop also serves as a firearm cleaning station. In the back is a rifle on top of the fridge, unloaded and pointed in a safe direction. This is a second fridge my parents decided to keep. If it were my house, I would have this fridge and other vital equipment on solar or wind power via batteries. That's just me. I've seen $100-$200 in good meat wasted because of a power outage that lasted 4 days. Behind the snowman is my sink. I pour all toxic chemicals into a old tide detergent jug and have the chemicals properly disposed of.
Various things in storage. This shelf has been cleared now for kits waiting for assembly, paint or to dry. Under the dewalt box is where my paints are now located. I took two pieces of wood, drilled holes and stuck 5 dowels in between the wood pieces, equally spaced. This helps to organize my paint jars.
Where the Wing Gundam box is, all of that shelf was moved over to the unit to the right, and a computer placed there. I use it to keep my dinosaur running, play old games that won't work on my quad core upstairs, and to log time on kits. Above: I did not have room in my room for some kits, so they are relocated here. The smaller 1/600 Yamato is now up in my room, and was my first airbrushed ship model.
model maker air compressor. I use a Badger 200NH airbrush and I love the results.
There is something important I need to discuss. Directly behind me is the furnace to the house, and when it engages in the winter a couple of pilot flames ignite. When I am painting, I specifically request that we turn off the heat, give the shop 1-2 hours to properly vent, then turn the heat back on. So far we have had no problems. Flammable liquids are kept 10-20 feet away from that furnace in sealed containers.
What's your shop like? Chaos, an organized mess, or neat and tidy? Mine is somewhere in the middle, but is usually messy.![]()