Comments on: Finishline AlligatorBoard In Checkerboard

By: Manny

Manny — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:13:24 +0000

I don’t know about this over priced stuff but regular pegboard in the shop rules. screw all the pegboard nay sayers. I just haven’t heard a valid reason not to have it. I like all types of tool storage. I just think pegboard is the best for a shop.

By: aaron

aaron — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:42:21 +0000

hahah another pegboard discussion. FWIW, i would love to have pegboard but i have yet to figure out a good way to mount it in my shop. doh.

By: Dexm

Dexm — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:57:46 +0000

Jim — one of the most interesting observations I’ve read on the tool blogs/forums: that the tool inserts/plastic trays are akin to pegboards. Especially significant when you think about how often the poor old pegboard gets denigrated…:)

By: MarkPH

MarkPH — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:21:14 +0000

Same as Jim here, rjerryc. I have a really small space and I find that peg boards are the way to go for us hobbyists. Most common tools must be placed for quick and easy access. Because of easy access, it makes it more likely that I will do the work rather than shove it off for another day.

I also do the same with softwares I write. If a user can benefit from even 1 less key stroke, it’s a big improvement. Because if a user has to click on several button everyday, that adds up. After awhile it’ll become a pain and annoying.

I also own several computers, but the only one I used for programming is the one I always leave on. That’s because I don’t have to turn on another computer, wait till windows starts, and roll my chair over to the next table. It’s the same as using peg boards, the tools are already there available to use. I dont have to go to the tool box digging for it, use it, and return to the box.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:43:12 +0000

Dear rjerryc,

I am a hobbyist, but I have a large functional shop (~2300 sq ft). So, I assume you have all your tools in cabinets. My steps and actions are deliberate and never wasted. As I go for a tool on a pegboard, I know it is there before any movement (visual registration), and retrieval (and pull-away) is fast and one-handed. Map your actions with a cabinet/drawers. On your journey you must pick the correct drawer ( easy with common items, less so with less frequently used tools), you open the drawer with one hand, then select the tool with the other, then you have to close the drawer. If the tool is not present (or misplaced), you only know after you arrived at the cabinet and opened the drawer. Then you must start your search. Security aside, pegboard is much more operationally efficient that storing tools in a cabinet. Pegboard (and cut-outs) offers management-by-eye (you can visually see what is missing). I do not cut-out simply because I get new tools and am constantly revisiting my placement (Although it is interesting that some non-pegboard fans buy ’sets’ and the associated inserts for inside their cabinet drawers…how is this different then tracing your tools other that the fact that you are letting someone else determine what is the ‘important’ set of tools you should own). I place my most frequently used tools on pegboard (~150 linear feet) and my remaining tools in cabinets. ….Just my 2 cents….JIM

By: rjerryc

rjerryc — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:17:54 +0000

Uh, what? Is there still someone out there hanging all their tools on pegboard? Well, okay, if you must have them out on display. I guess we are all proud of our tool acquisitions but please, please tell me that you really don’t draw the pictures of each tool on the pegboard! That is way too 1950’s military shop looking.

By: Brad Justinen

Brad Justinen — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:15:20 +0000

thanks for sayin it Jim

I will save my breath

By: russ

russ — Wed, 06 May 2009 01:09:08 +0000

I agree with George paint and tape or just paint it one color that fits your needs best. I wonder how many seconds that fire extinguisher lasts, 5 or 10s maybe?

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:38:00 +0000

I think it is both unattractive and decreased the functionality. You can hardly see the black clamps against the black background. For aesthetic reasons, the tools in the picture are arranged to take visual advantage of the squares. From a practical sense, you would want the flexibility to arrange your tools in the most efficient manner from both density and visual registration, which may not be the most visually appealing. JIM

By: George K.

George K. — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:52:36 +0000

“Why bother spending $170 when I can get a 4×8 sheet of perf hardboard for $17?”
And with about $10 worth of tape and paint, one could make their own checkerboard design (or any other design)…

By: Pepster

Pepster — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:25:15 +0000

I understand this looks nicer than pegboard, but it’s about 10 times the cost! I just have to ask - WHY!?!

Why bother spending $170 when I can get a 4×8 sheet of perf hardboard for $17?