Can-do Organization

If you have a workshop, or do a lot of crafts work, or just need to organize your hardware and small stuff, you should know about this CAN-DO organizing trick.

Metal cans are yours for the opening and, while perhaps mundane, yours for storage. Of course, it requires you to be an avid consumer of vegetable or fruit juice in the large 46 fluid ounce cans. At left bottom is one 4x8 foot part of one wall of my workshop. Each can one holds a different size of nails, screws, washers, and other small parts. Some have smaller cans nested within them as well. Since the walls of my workshop are unfinished (the studs are uncovered), the thickness of the studs allowed me to easily make a giant wall storage unit. Mine is organized enough by category to allow me to generally reach into the correct can in a flash. Pardon my sawdust.

This could be done on a finished garage or pantry wall by securely screwing the bottom 2x4 shelf assembly into the wall studs using long, strong Lag Bolts. 2x3 wood is NOT recommended UNLESS you also have the added depth of unfinished studs. You will also need 1x or 2x on the sides of the can area if the studs are not exposed. The essentially free-floating "loose dividers/ shelves" are simpler than making a slew of permanent shelves, and they allow me to pull out some cans I'll need and carry them away to my worksite.

The general scheme is shown in the drawing at left.

You could eliminate the bottom shelf facing 2x4 and store the cans upright, with the upper "shelves" simply resting atop the cans below, but I prefer being able to just reach in, and the slanted scheme is much more stable. In the first go-round, I used the slanted scheme with 1/2 gallon cardboard milk containers with the top opened up (unfolded). Those worked as well, though they were less durable.

For crafts supplies, you could do the same using smaller vegetable cans, and lighter (1x3 or 4) bottom shelf members.