[How-To] Books in the shop

DavidR8

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As I make further progress on my shop I’m now pondering what to do with the various manuals etc that I have. Motorcycle manuals, tool manuals and other reference materials.
Right now that are just in an open cupboard.

Wondering how other folks keep their printed materials organized and clean in their shops.
 
This isn’t really going to help you but I’ll chip in anyway — other than the odd sheet of a parts diagram or threading chart I have no paper in the shop anymore. I like my books, and I like them clean, and I find when I need to read something I’m not working and when I’m working I have no need to be reading something. So, my books are all upstairs where it’s clean and it’s just tools and machines in the shop spaces.

See, told you it would be of no help ;)

-frank
 
Actually that is helpful.
I’m trying to recall when I last looked at any of the materials.
Hmm maybe a complete rethink is needed here.
 
I have a five drawer file cabinet that I keep all of my equipment manuals (everything from my lathe to my lawnmower), automotive/motorcycle manuals and maintenance records, reference materials for everything from machining to ammunition reloading and probably quite a few other things that I've forgotten about. I just recently thinned it out, eliminating a lot of books and material that I haven't looked at for many years and know that it's unlikely that I would ever look at again.
Ted
 
I have some shelving in my shop, so the books go there. Lightweight manuals and individual
random pages that I want to keep go into a plastic box that accepts hanging folders. I have
folders for power tools, hand tools, stuff for the house, etc. Works well and takes up no space,
and best of all, I can actually find them when they're needed.
 
I have some shelving in my shop, so the books go there. Lightweight manuals and individual
random pages that I want to keep go into a plastic box that accepts hanging folders. I have
folders for power tools, hand tools, stuff for the house, etc. Works well and takes up no space,
and best of all, I can actually find them when they're needed.
The majority of the paper I have is small page count tool manuals which need some sort of support. Your idea is a good one.
 
I have a couple of small drawers dedicated to tool manuals. Just stuff them in in the rare case that I need to reference later. they are just the right size for an 8.5 x 11 in. My Machinery Handbook has a place on a shelf for hany reference (but it is not pretty filthy).
 
I keep a few manuals in an old bookcase in my shop office...

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But most of my reference material is in the home library.

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I have an old 2 drawer file cabinet for papers and tool manuals. I keep my Machinery Handbook and a couple of other reference books in a tool cabinet drawer.
 
I have a lot of manuals and other machinery-related materials that I've printed off of the internet (many of them, for my elderly machines, from VintageMachinery.org). Those things I put in page protectors which I put in three ring binders which are labeled for the particular machine. I have seven or eight three ring binders going. Actual machining books are also in the shop, but I try not to touch them when my hands are dirty (most of the time I'm in the shop).
 
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