So how do you guys organize your wire?

[Gaz]

I'm curious to know if anyone has come up with an efficient and tidy way to deal with their wire?

The best I've managed so far is simply putting the spools of wire on a dowel above my bench. It hasn't worked so well, and now my shop looks like an exploded wire factory.

[eddie25]

I don't even do that. I keep it all in a box. After I've been working for a while my bench also looks like an explosion of wire, but I usually just clean it up afterwards and start over the next day.

[sharkboy]

This makes me sad. I was just working on a patent for "workbench that looks like wire explosion" and was imagining a life of wealth, suing those who survived infringement.

[surfsup]

I keep mine in two fedex cardboard envelopes. A box is an upgrade for me! I still do all my work on the diningroom table at 1am. As long its cleaned up before the wife and kid wakes up, I get no lip.

[selloutrr]

I build a wire rack unit using dowels and shelf support brackets.
spaced about 4ft apart on 5/8" dowel. going up the wall
works great.

orginized by guage, type and color

[xtian]

orginized by guage, type and color

Yea! Are you a virgo, too?

[M Fowler]

Box of six spools 22ga soild on shelf.

Individual spools of 22ga and 20ga solid and stranded on long peg hooks.

25 foot looped various color wire with other 25 foot spools of various color wire on shelf. (mostly all topcoat wire)

Teflon looped wire on separate long peg hook. (mostly all from Apexjr)

Bag with saved clippings.
Bags of cloth covered wire solid.
Bags of perhaps 28ga wire for effect pedals.

Coil of white spagetti.

Mark

[amplifiednation]

I have two drawers of wire explosions, a couple bags and coffee cans of tranny clippings and cut offs. We got any pictures of this organization? Sellout?

I always clean up after every session to make sure I can start fresh and clean the next day, but to get this in an organized and 'stable' state would be an awesome time saver.

[selloutrr]

orginized by guage, type and color

Yea! Are you a virgo, too?

Gemini but I'm pretty OCD I used to have random parts and wire bins and got tired of wasting time searching for parts I knew I had that after an hour I'd give up and order more so I have tons of parts that will need a cold day in hell before they have a use. but they are all in parts bins based on type, model number, and /or value. It looks neat.. still takes forever to find what I'm looking for. lol The coolest part I took a couple months and entered all the parts and quanties into the computer so as long as I remember to deduct the parts from inventory It'll tell me what I need to reorder before I run out.

I keep a wire scrap box on the floor under the bench for clippings. they come in handy for tinkering and FX pedals.

Sorry for the shitty pic quality it's off my cell phone I think the kid borrowed the batteries from the real camera. Anyway the rack's not pretty but it works. maybe $40 in parts and 30 minutes to install.

[Structo]

I wish I could afford rolls of Teflon but I have to buy 20' or so at a time.

When I built my 100w ODS amp I used up a lot of wire!

I love that silver plated Teflon wire, easy to solder and no melt back.

For now I just keep the wire in zip lock plastic bags.

[dorrisant]

I'm getting ready to build a wire rack for my shop.

I had one that I built into the end of a mobile workbench at a radio shop where I used to work. It had two pieces of 1/2" e.m.t. for two parallel rows of spools. The wires fed through a 2x6 header with holes and plastic grommets for each wire. You could pull out what you need, cut it off, tie a loose knot in it and spin the slack back down until it hit the knot.

We used that rack all the time at our shop. Anyone who used it thought it was perfect... Well maybe it could have rolled back automatically... but that is another story.

I'm gonna have to set a new one up for bench use, but it should work the same...

Tony

ps - I wouldn't have to edit posts nearly as much if it weren't for auto-correct!

[Gaz]

Thanks for sharing everyone!

I have reverted myself to the spools in a box method (a cut down Priority Mail box works great). But that stranded Teflon has a life of its own, so I keep rubber bands on the spools to minimize its explosive tendencies.

I also have various pseudo-organized bags of scraps for experiments, or short wire runs.

Gotta wonder how they do it at all the busy boutique companies....

[dartanion]

I keep it simple by using just one color of wire. One big spool of it lasts me a long time and no worries of having a huge wire nest.

[Gaz]

boooooooooooring

[rsi]

I do it with this.