101stairborne

I have the Park Tool #105 work tray on my work stand but am not satisfied with it. Would some of you mind posting pictures of your work stand set ups. For that matter perhaps your work area. Maybe you don't keep a lot of tools on your work stand. Like to see/hear how you operate. Thanks in advance.

AnkleWork

You first.

101stairborne

I will try to get that done today. My set up is in my garage. I repair bikes for those in need - people who depend on them for transportation, and for children whose parents can't afford to buy their children bikes. I am retired, and over the last couple of years i have repaired or stripped well over 500 bikes. Most of those bikes were used and had come from big box stores. I should and could provide an essay on here as to why you should avoid bikes from big box stores.
i have recently agreed to help a local not for profit set up a repair shop to refurbish bikes for those in need. any tips on work stands and equipping the shop would be appreciated. i am planning on buying the Park Tool work stands as i think they will be more durable. Willing to listen to you who have more experience than me.
I am wanting to see/get ideas from folks who have done this for years as to how they have their work areas organized. i don't punch a time clock but would like to be reasonably efficient.

I have learned much from these forums over the last several years and i am grateful to all of you. There are many reasonable and knowledgeable people who post here and who i have come to respect.

Hopefully this will explain a little about who i am and what i am doing.

As for the name i use here 101stairborne I served with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

kevindsingleton 

I don't have pictures of my setup (Park PCS-10), but I use a couple of magnetic "bowls" to hold Allen keys and other small tools, and just stick them to the steel parts of the stand where it's convenient. Bigger tools are removed and replaced from the tool bag that's on the floor or tailgate. I like the magnetic bowls because they don't rely on gravity, or a flat, level surface, to retain tools or parts, and can save the day when removing a fork or crank set with loose ball bearings.

And, thanks for your service, 101st!

rm -rf

I use a stool to hold parts and tools. It's a little too small, but it's convenient. A small table would be better. A tray with sides, bolted to the table, would work better. And I like the magnetized bowls idea.

I'll mention the local bike co-op, Mobo Bicycle Co-op.
They have full sets of tools, lots of spare parts salvaged from old bikes, and volunteers to help riders fix their own bikes.

billnuke1 

i save magnets whenever I find them. If I go to an estate sale, I always buy any old metal bakeware. I combine the bakeware with the magnets. I also have a bunch of the smaller part bowls. You can take things apart over the trays without worrying about parts going very far. You can take a number of components apart in an organized manner, all in one place.

rumrunn6

Post your Workshops 02-27-09

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...workshops.html

drlogik 

I made a top-rack for my Park PCS-10 out of a bamboo tray I got at the kitchen store. Added a towel rack, magnets, box, wrench slots, etc and it works pretty well. A shot of my home shop/garage.

DrIsotope

I have my PCS-12 mounted to a wood block that's clamped into a Record 52 1/2ED wood vise. Fortunate or otherwise, the bikes live in the woodshop/workshop-- which is why they're surrounded by dust collectors and lumber-- so they're always covered in sawdust, but I at least have ample space and good lighting to work on them.

I made the little toolbox for the top of the stand out of scraps, it just holds the tools I use most commonly. I have a drawer with the truing stand and a full Shimano PRO toolbox just behind where I stood to take the picture. Probably not visible in the shadows just behind the bike is the drawer full of stems, bolts, spacers, you name it. I try to keep that drawer kinda sorted, but I just end up dumping whatever I'm not using in there.





And so long as we're showing stuff off, here's my utility workstation:



...and the shop tools area:

drlogik 

DrIso,

Sweet shop! Although I prefer to be able to walk around my bike stand that's a mighty convenient set-up you have. I may copy some of that in my new shop (just bought a new house so get to start over). I have a lot of woodworking equipment also. Dang dust is always a problem. Same for you I see. Is that a shop-wide vacuum system you installed?


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alfonsejr

Hey 101st, my grandpa was 101st in WW2; quite a history. Thanks for serving!

You may want to stop by the Freewheelin' bike shop located at 34th and Central in Indy. It's a charity group with similar goals to what you have. They have several work stations set up, and you can check out the set up in the main shop area. They're good people and I'm sure would give you advice and share stories; you guys might be able to team up on some of your activities. https://www.freewheelinbikes.org/

DrIsotope

I'm less than halfway done with plumbing the hard tubes for the dust collector, sadly. I'm mostly using a Rockler Cyclone (inside the Brute can) paired with a Shop Vac for the table saw and a few other tools, and a big Ridgid vac for the back side of the shop. Regardless, the table saw makes a tremendous mess.

The big Grizzly has a remote and everything, but needs 4" duct, and running even 4' of it takes the better part of a day, as the building is full of 10 years worth of stuff.

101stairborne

Thanks to all who responded. i got a lot of good ideas from your pictures. Appreciated rums link to workshops.

You guys are great.

i am having trouble loading my pictures.

Bike Gremlin

I use a home-made DIY work stand. Material cost about 50 euros.
Copy of the one used in a LBS I used to work at. Strong, durable, heavy and stable - two of us can lift an electric bike on it and it stays stable.
The commercial ones were more expensive and more flimsy.

Vintage_Cyclist

I've got an old PCS-1 with a re-purposed desk letter tray attached to the top with pipe clamps.



Old hard drives are a great source for very strong rare earth magnets.

101stairborne

you are welcome.
I have been to Free Wheeling to buy parts. I have seen their shop. They are very well organized. I like the peg boards they have attached to the back of their work benches. And you are correct they are great to visit with.

wrk101

1, For permanently located work stands, I much prefer one of the Parks Pro stands. I use a PRS-2 (two bike work stand). I actually have two of them. I see you have a PRS-1 (single bike) work stand in your shop right now. Those are quality as well. I've had several of those that I found used over the years.

2. PRS-2 work stands are expensive, BUT... they can be found used if you are patient. I have bought both of mine used.

3. The "problem" with the PRS-2 is that it is not portable. It attaches to a large, heavy, steel base plate. That is part of the reason it is so stable. I've had a heavy tandem on the stand, mounted vertically, Try doing that with one of the lower end stands.

4. As much as I like the Park Tool professional level stands, I am not that fond of their lower level stands. I have found Spin Doctor and many other brands to be equal in performance to the lower end Park stands.

5. Myself, I am not a fan of pegboard for tools. Instead, I use large tool roller chests. Harbor Freight makes a good one (44 inch). The ones I use were all bought used. Now in an environment where multiple people use the tools, a peg board is probably a better choice as where tools belong (to be put away) is pretty obvious. Since the tool chests are only used by me, I know where everything is supposed to go. Another advantage is tool roller chests make good work bench bases. Put two of those HF 44 inch chests side by side, mount a bench on top of them, and you have a good 88 inch work bench.

Just as important to the workshop area is how you are going to organize parts, particularly if you are going to have a variety of used parts (take off from donor bikes, donations, and whatever).

101stairborne

Thanks for taking the time to post wrk101.

i was thinking I would buy the Park Tool PRS-2 with the micro adjust clamps. I believe long term it is money better spent. I have used my lower level Park Tool stand and it would not stand up to years of use for the large number of bikes we would recondition. Totally agree with you.

I really like the idea of using Harbor Freight tool chest, but think i will have to go with building our own benches and using peg board. My peg board experience tells me to use 1/4 inch holes and peg board hooks. Splurging on the work stands so will have to watch how I spend other peoples money. Buy and using those HF tool chest with a bench top is a pleasant thought. Like that idea a lot.

As far as organizing parts we will use file cabinets and lateral file cabinets which the not for profit already has on hand. We will not be doing too many 27 inch wheeled bikes. will give them to other not for profits in the area. The bulk of what we receive will be from big box stores from 12 inch wheels up to 26 inch wheeled bikes.

I have not found a source for purchasing the work stand and other bike supplies we will need. I see what EBay prices are for them. Hoping we can do better through a supply house.

The not for profit we will be working with has insurance, and an office location. I emailed QBP if they opened accounts for not profits and got no reply. So I need a source for us to buy mainly tires, tubes, cable, housing and brakes pads and some tools. We will not be doing any retail. Only bike repair. We have a tax ID number, proof of insurance, a location along with a web site.

Thanks again for taking the time to repond. Greatly appreciated.

wrk101

In my area, the local co-op is the cheapest source for consumables.

On work stands, Craigslist if you are patient, if not Amazon (double check ebay of course).