Right! There are a lot of new members in the space, and there are a lot of tools that get picked up, used, and put back somewhere… else. It’s confusing and discourages people from using all the great stuff we have available.

To fix this I put a sticker on every major shelf naming the shelf. The format is XX-LN. XX is an area code: EL for the electronics bench, ME for mechanical bench, CNC for the new CNC bench, CR for the crafting bench and PA for the parts wall. L is a letter for the shelf, starting with A at the bottom. N is a number for the place on the shelf from left to right, starting at 0. So, for example, cable ties & zip ties are EL-B9. Now everyone knows where to find a thing and where to put it back without having to be taught.

For this system to continue working, I ask of you three horribly dangerous and possibly fatal things:

  • If you put something in a box and stuff it on a shelf, please give it a code.
  • If you spot something without a code, please add it.
  • If you see a box that is turned the wrong way so you can’t see the label, add a label on the other end and solve the problem forever.

Muchos gracias! (That’s italian for merci beaucoup.)