Been there, done that....

Had a layout and model building workstation in a 10x11 bedroom.  It was crowded, cramped and hard to keep organized. Built a detached garage/workshop with space for model workshop and layout. 

Rollable storage

One thing that I found helps me is having all my small tools, styrene strips/sheets, small parts, etc., easily accessible yet storable out of the way.  I use these:

They are just under 36" high, 15" front to back, and 12" wide.  Depending on layout height, they might roll under.  If not, perhaps you can get an easement for a spot to keep them in another room on the same floor to roll them in from. The drawers are about 2" deep with another 1/2 inch of clearance so HO rolling stock will fit in them as well. Because they are on casters, they are easy to roll over to your work area and then roll away when done.

They can be found in most craft stores as well as online.  Prices are all over the map but I have gotten one of them as low as about $30 on sale.

Good luck.

-Ed

I have the same problem

I know the EXACT feeling.  My room is maybe a tad smaller that yours and all my modeling stuff is in there.  I have to get creative with all my storage.  I have to constantly get on myself for not cleaning up stuff on the floor and put things all over the layout.  Luckily I don't have to work out of that office.  Just model railroading!  Love to see a pic of your room.

2/3rds of a basement

Irregardless of room size it just never seems to be enough room. I have to agree. While my "office" is the state right-of-way (state DOT maintenance employee, plow state roads in the winter, and mow along the road in summer).

My layout sits in a third of a basement which measures at the North end 62 5/8" X 10' (Middle) X 87 3/8" on the south end (Wide measurements) X 30' long. Storage is in the other third of the basement, and I'm quickly running out of room to store stuff, in the 4 built in floor to ceiling cupboards. My immediate work area is in that third and occupies a space of 66"W X 90" deep while rail storage occupies the remaining space not occupied by the utilities and the washer & dryer. Opps, forgot to mention that my computer equipment is also in the layout section of the basement and removes 112" X 25 1/4" of layout space from the south end. The last third of the basement is totally unfinished with absolutely no access. (about another 7' loss of space through about 7" of original basement foundation. So I lose that space. The house is supposed to have been built sometime in the 40's. I'd have to spend a small fortune for a contractor to open up that 7' of space.as it's a structural issue  87 3/8" away from the center of the house. My layout also runs around the walls to a point, at only 47" high (it would obscure my computer monitors by about 3-4"). My first run of bench work starts at the north end of the basement and is 16' L X 2' W, A duck under 5' L X 3 3/8" W (6 RR bridges L), to the next section of bench work 8' L X 2' W, 90 degree turn to the left 87 3/8" L x 2' W. If computer wasn't in the way, I'd be able to make another 90 degree turn from there back North. At the left of the computer desk is the next section of the layout. Another 8' X 2' section another 90 degree turn to the left on a 65" X 2' section, another duck under back onto the last two feet of the first 8' section. I also need to mention the fact that the house has only been partly rewired. All upstairs sockets are only two prong outlets. There are only two three prong outlets in the house, and my computers are plugged into them. As of yesterday I reduced the basement yet again, by adding another 8' L X 2' section of bench work. Which also sits to the left of the computer desk and sits 16 1/2" away from the other one and is bolted on it's north end to the 65"X2' section. So now there's even less space down here.While I have three sections of plywood each cut to 2'W X 8'L I'm out of 2X4's. Nor do I wish to build and upper shelf, as current health issues are a problem.

Charlie 

Don't know or remember

Don't know or remember if you posted about your bench work. A suggestion if you have a garage is to make the layout modular and then take a section to the garage for scenery, wirinig etc then return to the proper location.

Just a thought

Bill Michael

Thanks, Ed

I am using some rolling storage for my rolling stock and may use some for my supplies.

Shannon - I'll have to post a picture.

I'll find a picture or two.

Bill, my benchwork is installed.

I made it sectional so it can be moved if necessary.

Charlie, I guess we'll never have enough space

Size (and space) are all relative.  Never enough!

Yep I know what you mean, but...

Yep I know what you mean, but... sometimes less is more. We may have a small layout but that allows us to focus on getting things done, little by little. Pick a spot and work on it.

I too went down to Wallmart and bought those plastic 3 drawer rolling cabinets. I now have 9 of them. It surprised me how much stuff I have accumulated. I am working on getting cloth to make drapes to hide everything under the layout. I work better when I do not see clutter.

Here is are shots of my spare bedroom before all the mess accumulated. 

--Bill B.

Re: Clutter in a small

Re: Clutter in a small multi-purpose room with a around the walls shelf layout...

I'm your lost brother.  Hate the clutter, clutter, clutter.  In my case, I'm solving the problem by having a 16' x 20' out building built so the layout can be in it and not in this small room (about the same sizes as yours). Once the out building is ready (needs interior finishing), my layout supplies, model airplane supplies, etc, will be moved to it, and this small room layout dismantled and the room reclaimed for office/bookshelf/hobby desk use.  Can't wait.

Re: Multi-drawer rolling storage as pictured above...

Excellent!  THANKS for sharing your solution with us. Those are JUST THE TICKET for the new out building!

Andre

Modeling the Kansas City & Gulf's KC West Bottoms Industrial District in HO Scale

Under layout.

 got a very small and narrow space at the end of a garage. Until I got enough under layout storage it was very hard to find anything. On the opposite side of my desk I have an old chest of drawers and two roll around metal tool chests that are very handy for paint and tool storage. Found them at Walmart for $97 each. I also use the plastic roll around units to the right of the desk (not shown). Even my paint booth is under the layout just to the left of the desk. Outside the layout space is a large wall shelf I put in to hold all the bulk stuff.

 Now that it is a little more organized I really find it a pleasurable place to work even though it is quite tight. So tight, In fact, that I pretty much just roll my chair between the storage, paint booth and desk........OK, I'm a little lazy!   

I also share the problem

My entire domain fits into about the same square footage as yours, but it is cut up into smaller sections. Plus, it's in an attic, so the low ceiling cuts down the usable space. The layout area shown in the plan below has a slope that limits the layout height to 32 inches.

I have my office in there, plus a music workstation. It works because every inch of wall has pegboard or shelves. One thing I have found to be vital is discipline about where things get set down. One of my major points of frustration is when I can't get at the computer keyboard because there is a power drill sitting there.

The divider (left wall in this picture) is actually a blessing, because it definitely separates the workbench from the audio gear- no creep of tools and paint tubes. It also provides pegboard space on both sides. There is a window in the divider where I balance my oscilloscope and a fan. These can be turned to serve either area.

There is a distinct division at the other end too (see below.) The fiddle yard for the layout is on a shelf above a table that usually has a PC laptop. Tools do wind up on that table, but only when I'm debugging an Arduino project with the MacBook.

Another point of frustration is the preposterous amount of storage this hobby requires. In theory, there is a place for everything, but every trip to The Train Shop brings in new stuff, so I'm constantly changing things and looking for new storage tricks:

•  I'm collecting paper towel tubes to keep strip and tube stock in. I don't really like the pyramid O' tubes method (short pieces get lost, and a towel tube is really too big), but that's all I can think of at the moment.
• The pegboard pretty much reaches up as high as I can, but I am seriously considering one of those pot racks you see in fancy kitchens. It may work for some of my bigger tools.
• I'm not a fan of any of the rolling drawer sets I've seen (the drawers are too big and the things are flimsy) but I'm keeping my eyes open in case something better turns up.
• I'll be watching this thread closely for ideas.

pqe

For short stuff cut the tubes

For short stuff cut the tubes in shorter sections. Mailing tubes are heavier and sometimes you can get used ones for free.

Do you have an Ikea near

Do you have an Ikea near you? 

They sell a wonderful, modular shelf system called "Ivar". Its solid, unfinished pine. 

And unlike the rest of their stuff, it won't fall apart on you. 

I actually used it as benchwork on my layouts. 

Not really the same

Rich-

I realize my contribution above was more of a "me too" than anything useful to you. I have attacked my space problem by climbing the walls, you have no walls available. I've been thinking about what I'd do if the only space available was low shelves and a workbench that must move. This is what I've come up with so far:

When I was in the flute repair business, I kept tools I used a lot in desktop racks like this one:

I've reconstructed the scene with my modeling tools, which aren't all that different from my flute tools. The can has a piece of florist foam in the bottom to protect knife blades. I had several of these boards-- another held screwdrivers, and a third was routed for my alcohol lamp, blowpipe and shellac. (Flute repair is still medieval in many respects.) These could be hidden in a deep drawer when I needed the workbench for other things. I still use cans, but the pliers are on the pegboard now.

In my day job as an electronics tech, I kept my "all the time" tools in a spinning rack I bought at an Ace hardware in the 70's. They used to be common, but I can't find one now to save my life. It has slots and holes to fit various pliers and screwdrivers, a divided tray in the bottom, and a handle to carry it around. I added cable clamps to the outside to hold tiny screwdrivers and allen wrenches. I left it for my replacement when I retired.

I assume you have a Craftsman style rolling cabinet for big tools and seldom used little ones. I've found that the rubber drawer liners are essential-- without them all of the small tools hide in the back. I divided up one drawer with kitchen drawer bins to keep loose bits and the like.

It's obvious from my previous post I'm a fan of drawer sets for small parts and hardware. These work great for me, but they are very uncomfortable when too low. Below desk height you want  a set of shallow drawers that are divided into small sections. I've tried compartmentalized boxes, but find lids annoying. If I were in your shoes, I'd build something out of these:

base:         top:  

The base provides a rolling foundation and space to store some large items, and a drawer unit goes on top for little stuff. In fact I'd use two drawer units, back to back with some arrangement to make them spin. If you keep a lot of flat plastic and wood around, look for a base with a legal sized file drawer. Then you can organize your stock just like you do your old tax forms.

I also have lots of bins. They claim to be stackable, but don't believe it. They can be knocked apart very easily, resulting in parts all over the floor (guess how I know). The best way to keep them under control is to put them on shelves or hang them on z-clips. You could easily build a rolling stand with bins front and back. 

pqe

I'm not sure what aspect of

Strip stock storage

As I mentioned in a earlier post, I'm unhappy with the paper towel tubes I have collected to organize strip stock because they are bigger than I need and they seem to be getting weaker every year. Same thing with wrapping paper rolls-- some I bought last holiday season had no center tube at all.

In my search for a better approach, I found out about fluorescent tube protectors from this post on another forum. These are thin polycarbonate tubes that fit fluorescent bulbs, and contain the mess if one should shatter. (A good idea in shops with low ceilings.) They come in a variety of sizes and even colors:

Best part, they are for sale at my local Home Depot for $3.57 per four foot tube. I ran over yesterday and bought a bunch to experiment with, and this is what I came up with:

These tubes are 1 1/4" in diameter, but I also got some 1 3/4" for larger stuff. 8 footers (T12) are available at $5.00 each, which may be the best value if you prefer a wider tube. The tubes are 46 1/2" long, so I got four 11 5/8" sections out of each.  The plastic cut easily and neatly with my Zona saw, at least after I got the idea of drilling a hole in a 2x4 to guide the cut. (You can also trim them with small scissors.) The fellow who made the inspirational post above built a minor work of art, but I just stuck some together with hot glue. That took about 15 minutes. The resulting pyramid is solid and fits neatly into some of my difficult to use gable space. This will be easy to expand. In fact I've already used up 28 sections with my modest assortment of styrene strips, so I'll be back at the store soon. I have brass and wood to deal with.

pqe

Small layout, no problem!?

You guys read the June issue of MRH I assume? I'll post some photos of "under the layout" 

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2015-06-jun/shaun-tomans-up-oregon-division

Thanks, guys!

I should have started my post by stating that I already have my benchwork and track installed so I won't be making any changes to them.  I also am already using up almost all of my under benchwork space with rolling carts that contain my rolling stock along with other goodies.

I appreciate all of your posts and suggestions.  I think that my biggest challenge will be to keep down the clutter!

An alternative for strip stock storage

I've been meaning to write this up for years, and here it is finally. I have never had space that would allow for a matrix of tubes for storing strip stock!

When I started buying Evergreen styrene strips, I kept most things in binders. So, I stapled the packages to pieces of poster board, punched to fit in a binder. Then I stuck the binder on a shelf. The packages stuck out a little at the top, but at least I could always find them. The binder was also a very handy way to transport the whole stockpile to shows where I often used to demonstrate scratchbuilding.

I arranged the packages on the page by the first dimension on the strip, so all the .010"x strips are on a couple of pages. The pages were then sorted by first dimension. Here is one of those pages; as you can see, I discovered later that Plastruct made a .010x.010" strip, and I added this to the page, obscuring the holes for the binder rings.

I have a few pages where I either no longer had the packaging when I made them up, or I never had packaging to begin with. For these, I made my own pages, which, to tell the truth work better than those with the packaging. The trouble with the packaging version is that short pieces of stock are difficult to retrieve from the bottom of the package (I wonder how the tube people do this?). The home-made stock page makes it trivial to get short pieces out.

I don't seem to do those demos anymore, and since I started stockpiling other long thin things in the same way, I've outgrown the original binder. Now I have pages for styrene strip, tube, rod, square tube, quarter round as well as scale lumber and wire, tube, strip and square tube in a handful of different metals. The pages fit nicely into two wine boxes. They sit under my workbench and slide out when I need to find some stock. Sheet-stock also sits in here, arranged at the front of the pile.

One day I may replace these wine boxes with something that doesn't look so temporary and perhaps rolls on wheels. But, to tell the truth, I kind of like them. The Famous Grouse one has been with me through about three or four house moves; it also brings back fond memories of a wedding in Scotland. The Cycles Gladiator one is newer, but it has a racy picture on the label that has caused the wine to be banned in half a dozen US states. Both boxes make me smile when I look at them, and not just because I can find what I want in seconds.

Brilliant!

That is probably the most compact solution to the problem that I have seen. I especially like the labeling, which is a PITA with the stack 'o tubes system. I had been hanging Evergreen products in their bags, but the short piece problem helped drive me to look for other solutions. I'm going to try sticking short pieces in the spaces between the tubes. If that doesn't work, they will go into a bin. (That's a USA bin, not a British bin meaning trash.) Organizing my bins is today's chore.

pqe

Ziploc For Small Pieces

You may have thought of this.  For those shorter pieces, try a ziploc bag to keep them together and easier to pull out of your storage system.  Ziplocs in various sizes are good for all sorts of things!

Working In Small Spaces

I don't believe I have any other suggestions that you haven't already considered, but want to offer encouragement to keep going!