question
What are your most creative things that you've done to organize your bench? We'd like to hear successful ideas and not so successful ones (kind of like the toilet paper rolls in the pic above).
Also, tell us what we've missed! There are a ton of great products for organizing your bench; what are your favorites?
Prize
5 storage cabinets
https://www.newark.com/duratool/spc11296/cabinet-storage-30-drawer-plastic/dp/34C7539?st=cabinet
Pegboard (take picture of one in garage)
A handy addition to any bench is a pegboard. Mount it in front of you, and install hooks and even shelves into the holes, giving you convenient access to your most used tools.
Cable management
Over the years, engineers and makers typically build large nests of cables. Without proper organization, this can make any kind of troubleshooting a nightmare. Walking barefoot or kneeling on cables is also kind of annoying.
Label Maker
The first step in organizing cables is labeling. It can be a pain to print a label when you just want to plug in and go, but it eliminates the time waste later when you need to trace each cable to figure where it goes.
https://www.newark.com/brady/bmp51-kit-el/label-electrical-starter-kit-thermal/dp/89T4132
https://uk.farnell.com/brady/bmp51/bmp51-label-printer-w-accessories/dp/2295937
Barcode Scanner
Many label makers can print barcodes. If you've got a lot of cables, a barcode scanner makes it one step easier to figure out what they are.
https://www.newark.com/opticon/opr-3201-black/barcode-scanner-black-650nm-usb/dp/25T1270
https://uk.farnell.com/opticon/opr-3201-black/barcode-scanner-black-650nm-usb/dp/1860387
Wire Marker
If you have a bundle or a snake connecting instruments with multiple channels, wire markers are a great way to go.
https://www.newark.com/brady/wm-1-33-pk/wire-marker-cards/dp/26R7795
https://uk.farnell.com/brady/wm-1-33-pk/wire-marker-cards/dp/1772537
Clip-in Cable Marker - same, but plastic clips in color
https://www.newark.com/hellermanntyton/518-06013/cable-marker-1-3-2-8mm/dp/04M4259
https://uk.farnell.com/hellermanntyton/hg1-3cass/cable-marker-1-3-2-8mm/dp/1201800
Heat Shrinkable Wire Marker sleeves
https://www.newark.com/brady/mc-125-342/wire-marker-sleeves-heat-shrink/dp/77T2978
https://uk.farnell.com/brady/mc-125-342/wire-marker-sleeves-heat-shrink/dp/2500846
Cable Tie
Cable ties or zip ties are very handy; an inexpensive way to quickly bundle up unruly cables.
https://www.newark.com/panduit/s12-50-c0/cable-tie-300mm-pa66-black-pk100/dp/30AJ7841
https://uk.farnell.com/panduit/s12-50-c0/cable-tie-300mm-pa66-black-pk100/dp/3652266
Cable tie tension tool
Rather than doing it with your fingers, you can grab a cable tie tension tool. They cut and tighten in one press of the lever.
https://www.newark.com/duratool/d03033/cable-tie-gun-180mm-stainless/dp/83X7341
https://uk.farnell.com/duratool/d03033/cable-tie-gun-stainless-steel/dp/2444458
Twist Lock Cable Tie
Twist lock cable ties bundle your cables with a convenient twist. They're also reusable, though I guess zip ties are also reusable (as long as the new bundle is smaller than the last).
https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mp007507/cable-tie-27-5mm-pa66-natural/dp/95AJ6717
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp007507/cable-tie-27-5mm-pa66-natural/dp/3884573
Spiral Wrap
Spiral wraps make it easy to make a bundle out of a group of cables. This is something I've previously done using duct tape, which, of course, only <I>sounds</I> like a good idea.
https://www.newark.com/panduit/t25n-c/spiral-wrap-nylon-natural-0-25in/dp/78F546
https://uk.farnell.com/panduit/t25n-c/spiral-wrap-nylon-natural-0-25in/dp/1697687
Cable Reel Holder - say that it's available in all sizes
Cable reels are easier to store and manage than coils lying on the floor. If you deal with a huge amount of cables, cable reels would make organization easier.
https://www.newark.com/multicomp/mcih299435/cable-reel-holder-abs-134mm/dp/02AH4450
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/mcih299435/cable-reel-holder-abs-134mm/dp/3052386
Cable Spool Rack
Most engineers and makers have to dig in their drawers to find the right cable spool; put them on a rack!
https://www.newark.com/pro-power/8537-0689/cable-wire-dispenser/dp/16N2312
https://uk.farnell.com/pro-power/8537-0689/cable-wire-dispenser/dp/1153821
Jumper Assortment
Having a box that is divided into sections is so much easier than having all your jumpers in the same shoebox (along with loose resistors and capacitors).
https://www.newark.com/multicomp/mc001811/hard-jumper-wire-22awg-350pc/dp/24AC5054
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/mc001811/hard-jumper-wire-22awg-350pc/dp/2770339
Storage Cabinet
Speaking of resistors and capacitors, every engineer or maker absolutely needs one (or twenty!) cabinet with several small sections. This saves untold hours in reading resistors.
https://www.newark.com/duratool/spc11296/cabinet-storage-30-drawer-plastic/dp/34C7539
https://uk.farnell.com/duratool/spc11296/cabinet-storage-30-drawer-plastic/dp/2527510
ESD Cabinet
For ESD sensitive components, an antistatic cabinet is required.
https://www.newark.com/raaco/118231/esd-cabinet-150mm-x-306mm-x-417mm/dp/64AC4169
https://uk.farnell.com/raaco/118231/esd-cabinet-150mm-x-306mm-x-417mm/dp/2900095
ESD bags
With some of the more sensitive components, it might be worthwhile to have some ESD bags on hand.
https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mp700450/static-shld-bag-metal-in-5-x-8/dp/67AH8634
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp700450/static-shld-bag-metal-in-5-x-8/dp/3441524
Antistatic foam
ICs should be plugged into foam for storage, because leads seem to magically bend themselves, even if they're by themselves in an empty drawer.
https://www.newark.com/duratool/mc23781/static-free-high-density-conductive/dp/14N9046
https://uk.farnell.com/duratool/mc23781/high-density-foam-1-4-x-24-x-36/dp/2527507
Tool Case
A portable tool case is handy for tools that you might need to carry around.
https://www.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mp007333/storage-box-514mm-x-280mm-x-260mm/dp/66AJ7400
https://uk.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp007333/storage-box-514mm-x-280mm-x-260mm/dp/3754409