Please post comments and questions in the comments section at the bottom of this article.  I would love to help you out and to hear about what you care about the most.

​In this article, you will learn how to build a shop vac system that...

• Never requires you to touch the filter again
• Improves the   filtration efficiency of your vac system
• Allows you to mount your vac out of the way to reduce noise

Plus...

• How cyclone separators work
• Why a cyclone separator is not enough to create a maintenance free system
• The differences between shop vacs and dust extractors

Shop Hacks articles are designed to empower you to Build Your Space so they are longer than most but, if you prefer to skim...   Use this index  to  go straight to the parts you care about ...

1. Cleaning a shop vac filter exposes you to the dust you want to avoid
2. What if I told you that you never have to  clean  your shop vac filter again?
3. How do I know this system is safe?
4. Why don't manufacturers make all shop vacs this way?
5. ​What's the secret to NEVER having to clean your shop vac filter?
6. Benefits of never having to touch your shop vac
7. How to build your own maintenance free shop vac system
8. Shop Hacks maintenance-free shop vac   system   recommendations
9. Deep Dive - More options and more insights for the curious...

• How do cyclone separators   work?
• Do you still need to use a filter with a cyclone separator?
• Shop vac cyclone separators  options?
• How to make your own cyclone separator.
• Choosing a collection bin
• Choosing a shop vac
• Shop vacs vs. dust extractors - is there a difference?

​​Do I have your attention?  Keep reading and I'll show you how you can do the same thing with just a few components.

You will need 5 components to build a maintenance free vacuum system .  If you don't include all 5 components you will continue to have to clean your shop vac filters.  With all 5 working as a system you will never have to change the bag or clean the cartridge filter.  That opens up some very interesting possibilities that you might not consider otherwise.  Since the vac, bag and filter are all in one unit and will never need to be accessed, you can mount the vac in a remote location such as up in the rafters, in a ventilated cabinet or closet, or even outside in a weather resistant enclosure.  

The most obvious benefits to never having to clean your shop vac filter again are...

• You save time and money
• You don't have to breathe or wear the dust that you bought your filter to protect you from in the first place

However, there are some non-so-obvious benefits to this setup.  With a system that doesn't require you to touch your shop vac, except to replace it, you open up the possibilities of mounting the vac system wherever you want.   Your vac no longer needs to be mounted close to the cyclone separator.  That freedom allows MANY more mounting options for each component. 

For instance, you can mount your shop vac...

• in the attic
• in a ventilated cabinet or utility room
• outside of your workshop
• from the ceiling in an unused area

Simply plumb 2.5" or 3" PVC pipe from the vac to wherever you mount your cyclone separator and waste bin.   If you have a run over 20' then use 3" DWV PVC.  Otherwise, 2.5" will work without affecting the flow rate noticeably.  The waste bin may be mounted on a wall so that it is convenient to  access when it needs to be emptied.    Since the waste bin is independent of the vac, you can use anything from a 5 gallon bucket to a 55 gallon drum.  More about that later.

Caution...
Shop vacs create as much heat as portable heaters so always make sure you mount your vac in a well ventilated  space to allow prevent overheating.

If you build your own creative combination then be sure to share a picture of your setup in the   Shop Hacks Facebook group  so everyone else can see it too!  The Shop Hacks Facebook group is a great place to share and to see other's solutions too.

​​The figure below illustrates the 5 components needed to build a maintenance free system.    ​ If some of this is new to you, don't feel intimidated.    Putting this system   together   is very easy.  You just purchase any of these components that you don't already have and connect your shop vac hose to the cyclone separator, connect a new hose to the inlet of the cyclone separator, install a bag filter, and you are finished!

There are many ways to configure the system but this is what the full system may look like. 

The following overview below describes each component in more detail.  If you would like to see  several options for the various components and learn more about how they work then be sure to read the Deep Dive section later in this article.

1.  A cyclone separator  that is designed for a shop vac system
The cyclone separator  is where most of the magic happens. A cyclone separator that is properly matched to the vacuum it is connected to will remove 95% to 99% of the dust from the air stream. That means the bag and filter only have to remove the fine and very fine dust particles.    However, a cyclone alone is not enough to prevent clogged filters.

Most of these cyclone separators will connect to a standard 2" ID shop vac hose.  Some come with an extra hose to connect to the inlet of the cyclone (the hose you use to clean up messes) and some do not so check the details to see if you will need to buy the extra hose or not.

2.  A collection bin
95+% of the dust and debris that enters the cyclone will fall into the collection bin below it.  You can use anything from a 5 gallon bucket to a 55 gallon drum for this.  It has to be able to withstand the vacuum pressure of the  vac and  it must be sealed air tight.   It needs to be sealed air tight and it has to withstand the vacuum pressure a blocked vac hose can produce (up to  500 lbs per square foot). 

If you are careful to not block the hose to your shop vac then just about any 5 gallon bucket will work.  Just mount the cyclone separator to the sealed bucket lid per the instructions, or just put it on the bucket in the case of the Dustopper, and you are ready to go.  If you have a powerful shop vac it can cause the bucket to buckle if the hose gets blocked off more than a second or two.  To prevent this you can cut out a 3/4" thick by 1" deep plywood ring using a jigsaw or a bandsaw and then press it inside of a 5 gallon bucket to prevent it from collapsing under the vacuum pressure of a strong shop vac.

3.  A filter bag
The shop vac filter bag is the key component that most people aren't aware exists or don't think to use.    Normally it would be quite expensive to use bag filters on a shop vac because the bags would fill up very quickly.  However, if you use a cyclone separator upstream of the bag, the bag only gets 1% to 5% of the debris which means it will last the full life of the vacuum without requiring replacement and it prevents your cartridge filter from clogging.

The filter bag captures small particles that would eventually fill the cartridge filter downstream.    With a bag in place the cartridge filter only has to capture the very fine particles that pass through the bag.   That extends the life of the cartridge filter  for the life of the shop vac.  I suggest using a relatively cheap filter bag since you will be depending on the cartridge filter to capture the finest particles downstream.  A cheaper filter bag  is less likely to clog over time since it it passes the finest particles.

4.  A quality cartridge filter
Cheap filter bags don't capture the finest and most dangerous dust and that is fine because we want to depend on a quality cartridge filter to do that job.  Many shop vacs come with quality cartridge filters but some do not.  Make sure your vac has a quality filter so that it doesn't pass harmful fine dust into your workspace.  The most dangerous dust is  too small to see with the naked eye so you have to rely on the performance of your filter.

5.  A vacuum that flows between 100 and 200 CFM.   
Choose a vacuum fits your budget and preferences and  that has at least 100 CFM  of airflow.    I recommend not using anything with less than 150 cfm for general shop cleanup.  If the manufacturer doesn't say how many CFMs the vac flows just look at the amp rating for the motor.  Anything over 12 Amps should work fine.

Disclosure
I am not sponsored by any company so you can be sure that all of the recommendations in this article are unbiased.  I base my recommendations on systems that I use myself and that I've tested and proven to work.  The links in this article are affiliate links.   If you buy products with these links you will pay the same price that you would pay without using the links and Shop Hacks will receive a small commission.  I hope you benefit from  these articles and I thank you for supporting more content like this by using these links for any product that you are interested in purchasing.  Thank you!

 If you want a tried and tested system without  reading the rest of this article then you can click images below for the products I personally use and recommend.  I have tested these products and  I can assure you that my setup is very effective.  This is not the cheapest  nor the most expensive system you can buy but it will move more air than most  $700 vacuum systems and I've verified that it does a great job of removing harmful dust from the air.  I have used this system for more than 700 hours (a lifetime of operation for many users) and it still works like new with the original cyclone, vac, bag and filter.  The bag is still less than 1/4 full.
​
​The components I use and recommend:

1. The Dust Sheriff DIY Standalone Cyclone Separator     ($9.95 for plans)
2. A Home Depot or Lowes 5-gallon bucket or   5-Gallon Bucket with Sealed Lid   ($8 amazon)
3. Ridgid VF3502 High Efficiency, Dry Pickup Dust Bags for 12 - 16 Gallon Ridgid Wet / Dry Vacuums   ($18.97 Amazon, 2 Pack)
4. Ridgid VF6000 Genuine Replacement 5-Layer Allergen, Fine Dust, and Dirt Wet/Dry Vac Filter for Ridgid 5-20 Gallon Vacuums    ($29.95 Amazon)
5. The Ridgid WD1450 14-Gallon 6-Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum   ($188 Amazon)​​

If you prefer to research more options to make a more informed decision based on your personal preferences vs. mine, I will go over each product in detail the Deep Dive section.  The Shop Hacks recommended system consists of the five components previously mentioned.

If you want to   understand how each component works as well as more of the  options available then you are in the right place.  In this section we will discuss each component in more detail and I'll list  several popular options  for each.

Using a cyclone separator is essential to never having to clean your filter again.  ​At 99% efficiency  you will have to vacuum 1400 gallons of dust before you  fill a  14 gallon shop vac bag.  Trust me, the vac will die long before you  reach that mark.

​Cyclone separators come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes.  They range from as small as your finger to larger than a house.  They are always used to separate heavier than air  materials from an air stream.  

To understand how a cyclone separator works, picture a marble entering at high speed into the cyclone inlet shown in the figure below.  As you can imagine, the marble will stay pressed against the outer wall of the cyclone and gravity will pull it down the wall until it falls into the receptacle below.  As it moves down the cone it naturally starts spinning faster which increases the g-forces which pulls it even harder against the wall.  Now picture that marble traveling with a flow of air into the cyclone inlet.  The air will also swirl around the cyclone but it  is pushed out through the cyclone outlet as new air is pushed into the cyclone inlet.  So, the marbles, which are heavy, follow the wall down into the receptacle below and the air flows out the cyclone outlet.

This configuration separates particles from the air stream remarkably well.  I've designed and tested many cyclone separators over the last few years.  The Dust Deputy cone type cyclone is similar to the one shown above.  In my tests the Dust Deputy removed around 95% of fine corn starch powder, 98% of most sawdust particles and 100% of all chips.     I developed several  variations of a Thien Baffle design, similar to the Dustopper, and the best of those designs performed  within the experiment margin of error compared to the Dust Deputy.    Based on my experiment results from similar systems I would expect the Dustopper to capture slightly less than the Dust Deputy for very fine dust but it should perform equally well for larger particles.  In any case, unless you are vacuuming drywall dust or some other super fine dust, either of these two systems should suffice.

ALWAYS use a high quality filter downstream of any cyclone separator.  The figure below illustrates how cyclones work well to remove   particles over  10 microns but they pass  most of the particles  under 2.5 microns which are the particles that travel the deepest into your lungs and into your bloodstream.

Shown below are 5 common models of cyclone separators designed for use with shop vacs (flow rates between 100 and 200 CFM of air).  You can click on any of the photos to be take to  a page with more details about each cyclone.  They are all basically the same conical cyclone design except for the Home Depot Dustopper.    The Dustopper is a Thien Baffle design which is slightly less efficient and is about 8" shorter than the others which makes it much better for any type of mobile or height restricted application where the cyclone and dust bin are not attached to a stable structure.  With the conical cyclone separators,   you pull on the hose which is attached 12" above the  dust receptacle which  will easily tip many designs over.  The  hose for the Dustopper mounts about 2" above the dust receptacle making it more stable.

All of these products will have similar performance characteristics except the Dustopper will be less efficient at separating fine dust.  If you are planning on collecting drywall dust or a lot of sanding dust then it may not be the best option.

The most important  things about your collection bin...
1.  It needs to be strong enough to withstand the maximum pressure created when your vac hose is blocked.  
2.  It must be air tight or the cyclone will pass more dust than it would otherwise.

Most full size shop vacs can produce a vacuum pressure of around 3.5 psi which is about 500 lbs per square foot.  That means that if you have a 12"x12" top on your collection bin, it will have to be able to support a 500 lb weight evenly distributed across the top without collapsing.  The forces produced are huge and they are proportional to the area that they act on.  That means that the walls of a large collection bin will experiences forces much higher than those of a small collection bin.

It is very important that the  collection bin does not leak any air.  Any air that leaks into the collection bin will  flow from the bin and up through the center of the cyclone and out the top of the cyclone.  That air will carry  dust that is circulating in the collection bin which will greatly reduce the efficiency of the cyclone separator.

-Most  shop vacs flow within the 100 to 200 CFM range.  Manufactures often do not say how many CFMs their vacs flow, but if you look at the amp rating for the motor you can estimate flow rate using the following formula: 

Flow rate =  Max Motor Amps x  16   (for a rough estimate)
I.E. a  motor rated for 11 amps will flow about  11x16 = 176 CFM. 
A motor rated for  6 amps will about to    6x16 = 96 CFM.

This calculation  will not be accurate for every  shop vac but it will get you close if the manufacturer of your shop vac doesn't list the flow rate in their marketing materials.  Most vacs have the motor amps listed somewhere on the vacuum itself.

Typical full size shop vacs pull around 11 amps which equates to between 150 to 200 CFM depending on the overall efficiency of the vac system.  A small shop vac may pull closer to  6 amps which equates closer to 100 CFM.

​Many shop vacs come with quality filters.  However, some come with very cheap filters that catch visible dust but pass almost all of the most harmful very fine dust.  Very fine dust can travel the full extents of your lungs and reach your bloodstream where it can cause inflammation which is the trigger for many types of diseases over time.  I've only tested the Ridgid brand shop vac filters and I can recommend their top two tier filters because I didn't see any increase in particles 0.5 microns and larger in my workshop while vacuuming fine dust with either of those filters installed.  To protect your long-term  health, only use filters that are rated to capture sub micron particles  with  high efficiency.    If you use the advice offered in this article you can spend more money on your filter because it will now last the entire life of your vacuum.

There are endless debates about the value of expensive "dust extractors" compared to the common shop vacuum.  There  are reviews that extol the wonderful magic powers of dust extractors  and  they  lead you to believe that anything less is taking a chance on your health.  Fein and the Festool are two    of the most common dust extractors on the market.

If you take a shop vac, a dust extractor or even a common house vacuum apart you will find that they all use very similar components.  They all have the following major components...

1. A brushed motor with a closed impeller to pump air.  Typically around 1200 Watts with a free flow rate of around 150 to   200 CFM and produce between 3 to 4 psi of vacuum when the hose is blocked.
2. One or more filters
3. A bin to collect the dust and debris

Extra features that dust extractors have that most shop vacs do not have:

1. Noise suppression
2. Speed control
3. A more efficient form factor
4. Most "extractors" use quality bearings and brushes for their motors.  Some shop vacs do and some do not.
5. Auto start power receptacles

Most shop vacs and extractors these days offer quality filters and very good seals to ensure that dust does not bypass the filter.  So, is it worth it to spend 2x to 5x as much to get a dust extractor?  The answer to that question is, "it totally depends on what you value".

What a dust extractor will not do better than a quality shop vac:

• Filtration.  If you use the setup I recommend in this article and you are NOT vacuuming toxic materials then a shop vac will offer enough filtration to prevent detectable increase in the particle counts in your work area (for particles >0.5 microns).  If you are vacuuming toxic materials  then you need to invest in a certified HEPA vacuum.  
• Flow Rate.   Most dust extractors flow around 150 CFM and use 1.5" hoses  which are much more restrictive than the 2" ID hoses used with most shop vacs.    The Ridgid  shop vac I use flows closer to 200 CFM.  You will see reviews comparing which vac sucks up water the fastest or how high it will raise a ball in a tube but, honestly, how often do you use your shop vac  to suck up water or to lift balls in the air?  Those tests are designed to favor  particular vacuums.   The only thing that really matters is how many CFM does your vacuum flow in the configuration that you use it in 80% of the time.   Some dust extractors use motors that produce 20% more pressure when the hose is blocked.  This extra pressure may help when connected to tools with very small dust ports (less than 1" ID) but it creates a lower maximum flow rate when the tool is used with an open hose.  Either way, you won't notice a very significant difference between most dust extractors and most full size shop vacs in terms of pressure or flow rate.
• Noise Level.   This, in my opinion, is the single most beneficial feature of dust extractors vs. shop vacs.  The two dust extractors  listed above operate at a very comfortable noise level with no annoying high pitched whine.  They include a speed control that allows you to turn the speed of the vacuum motor down which lowers the noise level even more.
• Auto-start power plugs.   Dust extractors include  auto-start power plugs that turn  the vacuum on when you start  a tool that is plugged in.  This is handy for tools like sanders because you don't have to turn the vac on and off each time you turn the tool on and off.  Everything is automatic.  For some work flows this could be a very valuable time saver.  You can buy such  plugs for a shop vac  too to make it work the same way.  One caution... most of these vacs draw around 11 amps  from a 110 VAC outlet.  That only leaves a few amps more until you reach the limit of a 15 amp breaker.  You can get by running a sander and the vacuum on the same circuit as long as there are no other significant power draws on that circuit but you may find yourself kicking a breaker otherwise.
• Durability.   I've talked to a lot of people who swear their shop vac died a painful death after just a year of light use and there are others who claim that the vacuum their great great grandfather brought from Germany is still running like new  (joke ;-).   I can tell you that my shop vac has over 700 hours of use and it is still running like new on the original bag and filter.  There are differences in motor bearing and brush quality so it is hard to say which models will provide more life.  I think it is safe to say that the very best vacuum motors should not be expected to operate more than 1000 hours before the brushes wear out or the bearings fail.  To date, no one that I know of uses brushless motors in their vacuums.  When they do you can expect the vacuum to last at least 6000 hours before the motor wears out.  It is bound to be on the drawing board by now.
• Ergonomics.  This is another area where dust extractors have a significant advantage over shop vacs.  They are designed with  a rectangular form  factor that makes them more volume efficient .  You can easily store a dust extractor in a small space .  The Festool system also allows stacking of storage containers on top of the vacuum which is very helpful to some users.  Shop vacs are still manufactured in a cylindrical geometry for some reason.  Maybe manufacturers will wise up one day and stop throwing away over 20% of the capacity they could have if they made  designed their units with a rectangular form factor.

As you can see, there is a reason that the market supports both types of vacuum systems.    The one that works best for you may not work best for me.    Now you know the differences and won't have to believe that extractors have magic powder sprinkled on them to make them and their owners superior to  all others ;-)

I would love to hear from you.  Please don't be shy.  Post  questions or comments  in the comments section below.     Leave a comment to let me know what topics you would like to see covered in future articles.

If you aren't already a part of the Shop Hacks Facebook group then join us  there to share your shop hacks and to get help building your space!

Do you love to spend time in your  shop,   garage, or work space?  We value every second that we get to spend in "our space" even if it is a mess.  It's a place where we can just relax and enjoy time away from everything else with no expectations other than our own.  Would you like to have someone show you a way to organize your tools that is easy to understand and implement?  ​Would you like to get 25 extra hours to work on your projects every year without taking time from anything else? Would you like to enjoy working in your shop even more than you do now? In this article I'll show you how  do just that.  

Next week's article will cover organizing your hardware and materials.

 An Important Note
I think it may have been Adam Savage who said, "drawers and cabinets are where tools go to die".  There's truth in that statement because what is out of sight is often out of mind.     I chose to use an open storage system for my tools.  This saves the time of opening a drawer or door every time I want to use a tool and put it away.  This works in my shop because I have modified my dust collection systems to the point that the air in my shop stays cleaner than the air outside.  That allows open storage without dust building up on everything. 

If you don't have effective dust collection and air filtration in your shop then you may want to consider using cabinets and tool boxes to  keep the dust at bay until you get a chance to get your dust under control.  I'll shared how I did so in my shop in future articles.   The Shop Hacks 10 step system will work regardless of how you plan to store your tools.    The principles and method are the same regardless of how you implement them.  

I worked on organizing my tools and materials one group at a time until all of my active work areas were well organized and every tool in each of those areas had a marked location.

​The secret to establishing order was to pair down the tools and materials to those that I touch on a regular basis and to put everything else out of my work areas and into storage.  LESS is MORE in this case. 

The key maintaining this order for almost two years now is that every tool and all materials have marked locations.

Moving from chaos to order is not easy, but it is extremely rewarding.  It is worth the work and it pays dividends for life.  Try to work on one area at a time so you can build small victories that you will need to carry momentum through this process.    This is a big job.  Look at it as a process that takes time and iteration.  To prevent burnout, expect changes  and don't aim for perfection right away.  The following quote by Mark Twain sums this up very well...

​Here is a summary of 10 steps that will allow you to organize your tools and transform your workspace without feeling overwhelmed.    I'll cover each step in more detail in the following sections. 

I encourage you to print out several copies of the checklist below and place one in each work area that you frequently use.  When you are ready to start organizing that work area fill in the start date and start working through the list one step at a time, not skipping any steps.  When you finish one of your work areas, fill in the finish date and post a copy in the Shop Hacks Facebook group with  before and after pictures.  We would all be so encouraged to see hundreds of these posted over the next year!!

​Make sure this area is separated from adjacent areas and  make sure it is a space that you won't need for anything else.  Consider this your tool box over the next 10 work sessions.  It helped me to mark this area off with masking tape to designate the area exclusively for this purpose.  Ideally you will block this area off for at least 10 work sessions so pick an area that you can spare for that long and make sure it is large enough to hold a pile of all of the portable tools that you will use during this time.

The ultimate goal for each active work area is to place ONLY the tools that you use 80% of the time within arms reach and put EVERY other tool that was in that area outside of that area in a storage location.  I use a utility room, shelves and a large toolbox to store the items that don't make the cut.  This buys back days of work time per year.   I can't emphasis enough how much better it is to store as few tools as possible in your active work areas.    This frees up your tool wall as well as your mind.  Less is more.  

​It's okay to store the remaining 20% away from your active work areas.  Walking 15' to retrieve them doesn't cost much time overall because you don't have to do so very often.

An active work area is any place that you spend a significant amount of time performing any activity.  The following are just a few examples...

1. Assembly area
2. Workbench
3. Sanding station
4. Drill press
5. CNC machine
6. Computer station
7. Car lift
8. Miter saw station
9. Painting area
10. Table saw
11. Sewing station
12. Sandblasting station

You can apply the 10-steps to one active work area at a time or just use your shop for 10 sessions to see which tools you physically touch and work from there.  The goal is to objectively determine which tools you use often and which ones are better candidates for storage cabinets, drawers or shelves. 

Don't worry that you may leave something essential out.  The following steps leave plenty of opportunities to add more tools as you work through a variety of projects. Your goal here is to build a pile of tools that represent what you actually use 80% of the time in your shop without being subject to your subconscious tricking you into believing you need more.  Don't put a tool in this pile if you did not actually use it.  Trust me.

This step was difficult for me.  There are so many ways to group tools and I ended up trying several layouts before I was comfortable with what I had.  Don't feel like you have to get this right the first time.  In later steps I'll show you how you can  try many different layouts  without wasting much time.

For instance, over a 1-year period I ended up sorting my tools into the following groups:

1. Cutting and scraping
2. Marking and measuring
3. Wrenches and 3/8" drive Allen drivers
4. Pliers, adjustable wrenches and Allen  wrenches
5. Screw drivers and various bits
6. Drilling and boring
7. Misc. metal working tools
8. 1/4" and 3/8" drive socket sets
9. 1.2" drive socket set
10. Spray paints
11. Painting tools
12. Casting tools and materials
13. Tube caulk and adhesives
14. Wiring tools ad supplies
15. Cordless tool batteries and chargers
16. Most used cordless tools
17. Infrequently used corded tools
18. CNC router station
19. Laser cutter station
20. Knee mill station
21. Computer station

You can see most of these functional groups in the following photo.  Notice how the bulk of them are within arms reach when I'm standing at the center of this workbench.    I have other groups in different areas of my shop including 2 other workbenches and several tool stations.  Everything else is stored in cabinets, drawers, a utility room or shelves.  

You can see most of the tool groups that I ended up choosing in the picture below.  This photo also shows the Shop Hacks Ultimate Flip Top Workbench which serves as a workbench, downdraft table and assembly table 95% of the time and flips to transform into a miter saw station with  the ​Chop Stop fenceless  miter stop system 5% of the time.   This flip top workbench has been a great addition that adds convenience and  efficiency to my workflow.  The wings fold down and it has a electro-hydraulic lifting mobile base which makes it super easy to move around with just  push of a button.  Click on the link above to see options for plans, hardware and the Build With Confidence Support group.

The photo below shows my CNC router work area.  I have everything I use 80% of the time within arms reach and the rest is in a drawer under  the base of  the router (drawer added after I took this picture).

I also made holders for the handheld power tools that I use the most as shown below.    Everything on my tool wall is hung on a French cleat.

These are just a few examples.  The key is pairing down to the tools you will actually touch frequently and sorting them into groups based on how you use them so you can keep tools as close to your active work areas as possible.

Step 5: 
Cut multiple pieces of cardboard to serve as mock tool panels. 

This is the easiest step of the process.  Determine  how large you want each tool panel to be and cut pieces of cardboard to those sizes.  I chose to make all of my panels 11"x17" because that allowed multiple tool panels to fit into any of my toolbox drawers.  As it turns out, using this system I was able to mount ALL of them on my tool wall and I very rarely have to get anything from my toolbox anymore.

Step 6: 
1.     Organize your tools on each mock tool panel.  Use them for a while like this then iterate  until you are happy with the layouts.

This step is  also very simple but may take some time.  The idea is to try  out your layouts before you commit a lot of time to building tool panels to mount your tools.

I  kept my tools laying on these cardboard panels like this for a couple of months as I used them.  I put the tools back on their designated panel after I finished using them each day.  If I didn't like where or how a tool was placed I simply rearranged and regrouped them as I went.  This let me test out my layout before spending a lot of time building the tool panels.  I found that I had to add some tools that didn't make the cut during earlier steps and I also removed some tools that were not getting used.  Once I was comfortable that I had my tools paired down to ONLY the ones I use 80% of the time, I moved on to the next step.    I should note, even though I went through all of these steps I still ended up making some changes later on.  However, the changes were minimal and didn't take  nearly as much time as they would if I would have  had I not tested my layouts before building the tool boards.

These are a couple of the tool holders that I made to hold my tools.  These were built using 1/4" Baltic birch  plywood panels and 3/4" cleats to connect to French cleat rails on my tool wall.  

There are several  very nice premade tool organizations systems available if you want to save some time by using a ready-made system.  I'll include some options to consider  below.

This is another very simple but very important step.  I tried several methods.  The easiest one was to simply mark an outline of each tool using a permanent marker.  I intended to come back and make something more refined but this worked so well I never felt compelled to change it.  These tools are held in place with neodymium magnets.  Some of the larger items use mini stop blocks too.

Another unique way to mark tool locations is to take a photograph of the tool board and glue the photos onto each tool location using a spray adhesive.  This works great but it is time consuming.

Neodynium magnets are great to have around anytime you want to build a tool organizer.

I can't overstate how important it is to keep  80% of the tools you use in any active work area within arms reach of where you use them most of the time.  It saves a lot of time but another benefit is that it makes your work more enjoyable.  You may be used to walking back and forth across your shop to get tools to make or fix something but once you get used to  being able to reach almost everything you need without moving you will wonder how you ever worked any other way.

Start with small organization tasks to build momentum. then work your way to the active work areas that you use the most and get those worked out.  Keep going until you've organized all of the areas that you frequently use.    After that you can keep going but you have diminishing returns.  I still have quite a few areas of my shop that need to be organized but just having the areas I use 80% of the time worked out has made all the difference.

Have fun, enjoy the process and eat this elephant one bite at a time. 

Please leave comments below.  I encourage you to ask questions, share your own organizing tips and share what you would like to see in future articles.

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