Tool Box Organization | GTAMotorcycle.com

Tool Box Organization

Jampy00

Jampy00

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If this has been posted before (I'm sure it has) let me start with a sorry, but not sorry...

Hopefully soon it will be warm enough I can start sorting out my garage, sick of all my wrenches and screwdrivers in cardboard boxes..
For years I just tossed tools into my tool box drawers, but with the new property I can't afford to be looking through stuff to find what I need, I also will need to double or triple my commonly used tools instead of walking 1km to get a wrench.

I'll also have a mix of mechanics tools, general purpose tools and wood working tools.

So let talk toolbox organization, what has worked for you?
Bought any products to help you organize?
Do you prefer to hang your tools on the wall (Peg board)?

Let get the conversation rolling
 
Enormous fan of the drawer organizers that my socket/wrench set came with. After a decade and a half still haven't lost anything from the set

Also have found it's better to have a crappy box with more space than a nicer smaller box. That is probably not true for everyone
 
I mostly hate pegboards. One came in the garage. It's empty.

Years ago I made a board for wrenches to stand them on edge. Takes up less space, keeps them in order and easy to see if one is missing. That works really well. If doing it now, I would use a 3d printer instead of a dremel to make it easy to bang out copies. Similar to pic but less wasted space.
MFG_30492.jpg


Sockets live in trays. Red for imperial. Gray for metric. Separate trays for 6 and 12 point. One ratchet of each size and extensions live in drawer with sockets. Additional ratchets are in a different drawer. Opening two drawers to get one functional tool is no bueno.

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Plier and screwdriver drawers are currently vomit. Screwdriver drawer will get cleaned up somewhat shortly.

An old toolbox holds extras of things. Main toolbox has one of each tool (except for ones commonly needing two like adjustable wrenches). Getting duplicates out frees up space. You also know that if you modify one out of the old toolbox to get a job done, that is entirely ok as it was surplus.

If you want to spend your way out of the situation, sonic provides really nice foam cutouts for their tool sets. Not very space efficient and not cheap though.
 
I don't like peg boards.
Let me rephrase that. I don't like the hooks that are used with the peg boards. I find that each time you want to grab a tool you end up taking the hook with you.
However, they are probably the most cost effective as they have been around for ages and you can find the boards for cheap or free along with the hooks online.

I know I have some spare peg boards in my basement for a future organization project but chances are that I will never use them. (see my other posts about holding onto crap I don't need)

You are probably looking at some tool chests.
There are WAY too many options out there with varying pricing. Anything from cheap to over priced.

You can buy new if you want that new look or you can look for some FB Kijiji deals.

Home Depot, Rona, and all the other stores carry various storage chests/cabinets. They often do clear them out as new models come in or they needs to make floor space. Finding one at a decent price without breaking the bank will take time and you need to watch out for the deals.

If you have time and tools you can also make your own drawers for tool storage but this adds time to the whole project. BUT you can customize it as you wish.
 
All good advise.
My garage came with a large wood pegboard, I'm not a fan but will use it for hammers, hand saws etc.
Going to use some sort of drawer organizer for wrenches and sockets as I need to know what I have duplicates of.
Want to use something like this for screw drivers as they always get jammed up when I just toss them in the drawer.
1709152451346.png

Still looking through Amazon, Aliexpress etc for idea's
 
I have the socket holders that are labelled trays. They mess with my OCD as some of my sets may skip a size, start or end before the holder and worse yet have sizes not on the holders (the last one is mostly an imperial problem with 32nds and 64ths, not a metric problem but I do have a few .5 metrics).

I also have the rails which are nice when you need to take a set with you...
 
Jampy00 said:
All good advise.
My garage came with a large wood pegboard, I'm not a fan but will use it for hammers, hand saws etc.
Going to use some sort of drawer organizer for wrenches and sockets as I need to know what I have duplicates of.
Want to use something like this for screw drivers as they always get jammed up when I just toss them in the drawer.
View attachment 66309

Still looking through Amazon, Aliexpress etc for idea's
Click to expand...
I don't like clips in boxes. Too often the tool doesn't come out easily and makes a mess. For screwdriver organization, a similar solution that looks like a comb is fine. All the shafts lay in the comb, handles alternate above and below.
 
GreyGhost said:
I don't like clips in boxes. Too often the tool doesn't come out easily and makes a mess. For screwdriver organization, a similar solution that looks like a comb is fine. All the shafts lay in the comb, handles alternate above and below.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I was either going to rivet it to the drawer floor (once I've decided I like them) or as I am doing now keep looking for a more suitable solution.
 
Jampy00 said:
Agreed, I was either going to rivet it to the drawer floor (once I've decided I like them) or as I am doing now keep looking for a more suitable solution.
Click to expand...
I currently use rare-earth magnets to hold socket rails to the drawer floor. That way the rail doesn't fall over when you open or close the drawer, but you can still grab the whole rail if you want to take it over to where you are working. I think my next experiment will be to cut pegboard to fit as a liner for the bottom of the drawer. Socket rails could be bolted or riveted to that in a less permanent fashion than directly to the drawer.

The plan with the pegboard is to run long machine screws up vertically through the bottom of the pegboard. A vertical machine screw currently works well to hold a stack of my 3 most-used combination wrenches in place in my top drawer, and the pegboard would make that easier to configure for other tools. You could also press Coroplast strips down onto the machine screws to make cheap infinitely adjustable dividers.
 
I like stuff in tool cabinets , I think I own 6 , they are all full. Peg board works great for stuff like clamps and handsaws and such that don’t go well in drawers . I buy the 5.5mm NOT the 3mm . It’s day and night in capacity and life span .


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crankcall said:
I like stuff in tool cabinets , I think I own 6 , they are all full. Peg board works great for stuff like clamps and handsaws and such that don’t go well in drawers . I buy the 5.5mm NOT the 3mm . It’s day and night in capacity and life span .


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Click to expand...
I have elevated platforms in the garage. Clamps live clamped onto the joists. Keep them organized, visible and out of the way. If I was a carpentry shop, they would be on a rack so they could move to work easily but I'm not and I don't want to give up floor space.
 
Peg boards and french cleats come in handy. I don't put anything with grease on it out in the open though.
 
crankcall said:
I like stuff in tool cabinets , I think I own 6 , they are all full. Peg board works great for stuff like clamps and handsaws and such that don’t go well in drawers . I buy the 5.5mm NOT the 3mm . It’s day and night in capacity and life span .


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Click to expand...
I like cabinets too. My garage looks similar, a mix of hand tools in cabinets and a bunch of tools. Everything is on wheels except my big drill press on wheels -too tippy. This makes reconfiguring easy in a small space.

Tools that came in rotomolded cases stay in their cases, except for sockets which are in drawers.

Each tool type gets its own drawer.

Hammers and big clamps go on the wall in a simple holder made from a 2x3.

Bench tools are bolted to benches.

No pegboard anywhere, ever.

I like the small canvas tool bags ( I have a bunch of them) when I need to leave the garage with tolls
 
I had to let the benches go when I moved into this space , all but one . I do a bit of woodworking so there are dozens of clamps , I had slotwall at the last place but it stayed there , the fittings cost a lot so pegboard went up here .
Dad was a farmer and heavy equipment mechanic, I kept all his tools , I was originally in the auto trade , woodwork was always a hobby and you accumulate all sorts of stuff when your brother runs a tool company. The only thing I hate are those dump bags where half the job is digging for tools . I got one of those pack out style boxes a while ago, but when heading out to a project I can’t lift it into the truck lol


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crankcall said:
I had to let the benches go when I moved into this space , all but one . I do a bit of woodworking so there are dozens of clamps , I had slotwall at the last place but it stayed there , the fittings cost a lot so pegboard went up here .
Dad was a farmer and heavy equipment mechanic, I kept all his tools , I was originally in the auto trade , woodwork was always a hobby and you accumulate all sorts of stuff when your brother runs a tool company. The only thing I hate are those dump bags where half the job is digging for tools . I got one of those pack out style boxes a while ago, but when heading out to a project I can’t lift it into the truck lol


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Click to expand...
That's the one downside to the Packout boxes, they become really heavy once loaded up with tools.

The Veto-Pro Pack tool bags are the same thing. They are next to bullet proof and well made, but are heavy as an empty tool bags alone. Once you add the tools they are a PITA to move around. I have one of their original tool bags and I'm slowly ending that relationship because of the weight.

Doesn't help when you are the type of person what needs the proper tool for the tiniest of jobs. My everyday tool bag has several types of side cutters and wire strippers, crimpers, drivers etc. All while I knowing I could really do the same job with 1 side cutter and a multibit driver.
Heck, I have even gotten away with just my Leatherman that is on me most days. All because I was too lazy to walk back to the car.
 
I like following behind a craftsmen that uses the right tool . Dealing with nuts and bolts that got a ‘close’ fitting wrench or socket , or crimped connections that were ‘fine when I left’ has been my lifetime PITA . I love taking a panel off that has 9 machine screws , 4 #8 woodscrews and a couple drywall screws holding it on. 3 different screw heads on one panel ……


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