When outfitting a work shop, cabinets are prime, right? When discussing the topic among the GRM staff, Publisher Tim Suddard voiced his preference: “I have to have cabinets because of all the dust involved in restoration.”
But then a dissenting opinion from the art department. “In my world, cabinets and drawers–any storage location that you can’t see into–are places …
Both.
As long as it is not on the floor.
My garage is quite dusty, so having things in boxes if they're not in a cabinet is necessary. I like a cabinet for fluids, spray cans, cleaning supplies.
Stuff that goes on shelves is good to have in storage boxes, clear storage boxes are even better. Having parts strewn across shelving is not ideal, and being able to quickly identify what you need is invaluable.. Costco sells these for about $15/3-pack, it's become a regular purchase along with their microfiber towels.
We have lots of shelves and the only cabinet is for the flammables, per our local fire department. We've used some storage bins to put things on the shelves to keep it from getting out of hand but I would much rather have mostly cabinets. Everything on a shelf gets coated in a layer of dust in pretty short order and it can be kind of annoying to have to clean something off before you can use it. If you're not generating a ton of particulate matter, it's probably not as big of a problem but even with the dust collector, the table saw can cover a car-sized object in a fine layer of dust after just a handful of cuts. And if you don't roll the bandsaw away from the shelves, something (usually the router bits) will get covered in sawdust.
I'm largely with JG on this one, although Tim's point rings true as I do my first paint restoration project on the MR2.
The. Dust. Is. Everywhere.
I've started using a leaf blower across the garage after each working session in an effort to fight the tide. That said, it's so rare that I'll do this kind of work that I'm not converting the garage to cabinets anytime soon. If sanding was a regular activity I'd strongly reconsider.
Either setup has a common problem though: accessing/viewing whatever's in the back. Stuff "disappears" back there too so I've started putting smaller stuff in trays so I can pull them out in groups. Works great for the gazillion paints, sprays, waxes, etc.
Like father like son, I guess. I have a few big metal cabinets for things that would normally be on shelves but aren't easily "binnable," with the rest of my storage comprising of shelves and plastic totes. The only things I leave out in the open are things I'm constantly using.
(photos from a few months ago, hence the different state of the 350Z)
I am in the both catagory, depends on use. I do love shelfs with totes for spare parts and tools.
Depends on what I'm storing. I like my spray cans, oils and cleaners on shelves for quick ID. I like my power tools and accessories in labeled cabinets. I'm partial to filing cabinets. They're meant to hold weight, easy to label and readily available used.
Just got rid of the cabinets in my shop.
Way too easy to stuff a mess into a cabinet and ignore it. Visible storage keeps me from being a slob.
ShawnG said:Just got rid of the cabinets in my shop.
Way too easy to stuff a mess into a cabinet and ignore it. Visible storage keeps me from being a slob.
Don't stick your finger anywhere you wouldn't stick your hootus.
Visible storage exposes my sloppiness!
In the future I'll do cabinets
This winter project is to turn a 30' X 10' section of wall into a French cleat system. I've wanted to try this for a while and decided this is the plan.
I'm all for cabinets. Cutting, grinding, welding all creates dust that end up everywhere.
It looks messier than it is (no, really, it's not that bad) but this is what started the conversation: We just hung new cabinets in the garage. Our old ones were falling apart, and I was looking for a turn-key solution. We have shelves, too, but I forgot to photograph them. 
I'll go with cabinets for the same reason as Tim,. You should see the amount of grinding dust that is covering everything in my garage after building my Challenge Corolla chassis, and I'm not done yet.
I have a combination of old cabinets and shelves. I prefer cabinets because they keep the contents clean and look neater. I do have some commercial shelving which contain all one size storage bins.
Actually came here to say be careful with cabinets but especially shelving. They often times have very high weight ratings and usually get overloaded. These shelves are designed to hold all that weight in compression or straight down loading. When side loaded they can rack, twist and dump contents on floor, cars or possibly you.
As a safety precaution add a few wood screws, lag bolts at the top of shelving unit/cabinets into the wall preferably studs. It really doesn't take much to do this. I did it when my grand lids were very small (all teens now) to protect them, as they were fond of trying to see what was in cabinets and on tall shelf's.
I much prefer cabinets, for dust and a cleaner look. But shelves are a bit easier to do for less money, so I have more shelves than cabinets.
Hey Guys! Im a newbie to this forum.
I prefer cabinets. But my shop has both. Dust an issue too. Like Matt B, I use a leaf blower too works great. Shop is 40' x 75'
Shelving gets my vote.
I need the visual tidiness of cupboards. I need doors. Keeps the dust down, and I can keep them orderly.
To counter that.....
I am a "horizontal organizer" when I work - I need square footage so I can fan out everything I need on the floor around me. Hell of a mess.
Dust?
Open the garage door and fire up the leaf blower.
Shelves. Because they start on the floor and go up. With as small a space as I have (10x20), going vertical is important for maximizing square footage.
In addition, cabinet doors usually swing out (though some slide). Swing out adds additional space needs that open shelving does not. Open shelving typically have supports that are smaller, cabinets have less shelf space per footprint, because the necessary parts to have the doors in place. Still, shops should have a cabinet, for flammable storage.
If you guys don't want dusty shelves: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hyllis-shelf-unit-with-cover-clear-s99291745/
These shelves designed for the 27-gallon HDX totes work great.
I'm in the "tools in cabinets, everything else on shelves" camp. I just started with peg board for some tools though. The peg board is more for ease of seeing he size of wrenches hanging rather than lying in flat in a drawer. I have the added frustration of having to clear out products when winter hits. I am trying to figure out how to heat my garage on the cheap. Our first world problem is we never know if we are going to sell our house. We don't want to put money into the garage if we are leaving. This makes me think of posting another thread, thanks for the thought provoking!
buzzboy said:I'm partial to filing cabinets. They're meant to hold weight, easy to label and readily available used.
I want to call out probably the gem of this thread so far. I love old filing cabinets for shop storage. For example, in one of my filing cabinet drawers I have 'sawzall'. The tool is there, all my new and used-but-not-quite-dead-yet blades are scattered in the bottom of the drawer, and I keep a pair of cheap safety glasses in there too so there is never an excuse to grab the tool without eye protection. All the blades and accessories would be constantly falling off a shelf or would need a secondary box to hold them. In the drawer one down is my multi-function vibratory tool and its plethora of attachments. And another cheap pair of safety glasses.
I will note that if you use this method, I recommend the cabinets that are 3 drawers high. That way you can still see into the bottom of the top drawer, and you can put shelves on top of the whole thing if necessary.
But, to the original question: No matter which I choose, anyone who's been to my shop would know I'm blowing hot air...
I have both in my garage. Old steel kitchen cabinets left by the previous owner and some Gladiator cabinets and a wire shelving unit added by me.
The most important thing to me is that anything that is on the floor is on wheels, although I admit I don't move things around very often.
I'm gonna say....cabinets.
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