If you’re tired of hunting for tools or supplies in a cluttered shop, it’s time to take charge with some DIY storage solutions! Creating a functional, organized workshop doesn’t have to break the bank. With a bit of creativity and planning, you can transform your space into a productivity haven. In this guide, we’ll share storage inspiration to help you craft budget-friendly systems for tool organization and workspace efficiency. Whether you’re a seasoned builder or a weekend tinkerer, these ideas will elevate your Shop DIY game while keeping everything neat and accessible. Let’s get started!
I used quite some tricks and a bit of 3D printing (don´t worry you can get the designed I used without the use of a 3D printer) to make two big moveable cabinets with tons of storage for all my tools, electronics, and materials. I will show you exactly how I build them but first, here is what they look like.
Building the Empty Cabinet
First I build the empty cabinet. You can make yours any size you want. I choose to make mine 2 meters high, 60 centimeters deep, and 30 centimeters wide.
This is exactly big enough so that all of my tools can fit and my small tool cases will fit perfectly inside the cabinet.
I also choose these measurements because of the sizes of MDF sheets available at my local hardware store (600 mm by 1200 mm and 600 mm by 800 mm).
I started by marking the middle of the MDF wood sheet and then fixing it to some 1200 mm by 300 mm plywood with some wood screws. Repeat this with the second side and you should end up with something like this:
Then place the shorter MDF sheets on top of the already installed MDF sheets and fix them to the plywood as well.
Then add some plywood to the bottom of the cabinet and add some coasters. Make sure that you use coasters that can take the weight of all of your tools. I used these coasters from Amazon.
I also used repurposed plywood from an old project, which is why my plywood is partially painted on the bottom.
Lift the whole thing up on its coasters and you have your empty cabinet. This cabinet is quite sturdy and very easy to build. You could even paint the MDF wood directly with acrylic paint if you wanted to.
Each of these cabins has two sides for storage.
Add Some Shelves
Next, you can start adding some shelves.
The easiest way to do this is by gluing some thin pieces of MDF wood to the sides of the cabinet with some wood glue.
Then you can place some MDF boards on them to make a quick, sturdy shelf inside the cabinet.
And just like that, you have a shelf. Repeat this until you filled the entire cabinet with shelves where you need them. The pieces of MDF wood that you glue on the sides should be bigger if you plan on putting heavier stuff on the shelf. This will ensure that the shelf doesn´t collapse.
You should store the heaviest tools at the bottom. You can also do some half shelves for smaller tools or trays and I used my tool cases instead of shelves for the top most row because they happened to fit perfectly in there.
You can also hang up some tools using nails or screws to make everything even more tidier.
Wall Storage
I also put a wall storage system on the side of one of my storage cabins. This is useful for keeping all of the tools handy that I use daily.
I 3D printed the wall storage but you can also make a simple peg board or use an off the shelf wall storage solution like this one on Amazon.
The wall storage solution that I used is called Multiboard. It is a free and open-source wall storage solution that has quite a big community and a lot of custom tool mounting options.
You simply install the wall and then you push in the tool holders.
There are multiple ways to mount something on the wall like threading it in or clipping it on but I found the friction-fit mounting options sufficient for almost all of my tools.
You can visit their official website and read their getting started guide and their wiki if you want to know more about how this wall storage system works.
Storage for Smaller Parts
I am using Gridfinity for storing all of my smaller parts. This system was created by Zack Freedman and is specifically designed to store all of your small tools and parts in a way that you can find and grab them quickly. Or as Zack Freedman put it: “Everything is there for instant grabification”.
If you don’t have a 3D printer, then don´t worry. Gridfinity is incredibly popular and open-source, so you buy 3D-printed bins and grids on Etsy.
Gridfinity are bins that live on a grid and are stackable. There are special bins for every tool of part under the sun but I mostly use the regular bins.
I simply glued the grids directly on the MDF shelves. This way, I can easily pull them out and carry them wherever I need them. Basically turning them into very simple drawers.
You can design and adjust your workshop storage cabinets however you like. I personally added some rods to the top of mine where I store my cables for easy access. You can go wild and even use some french cleats to the back of your storage cabins to more easily store bigger tools or have some moveable half shelves.
