Tool Organization Strategies

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J

jmvar

Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Threads
100
Messages
461
Location
Germantown MD
I have a one car garage that I use to keep tools, mountain bikes, a dirt bike, yard equipment, car parts, camping stuff, and anything else that needs to be worked on/fixed in the the house.

I want to do a complete makeover and get myself organized to maximize space and be efficient when working on my aging 80 and other 2 wheeled vehicles.

The way I usually work is I put a bunch of tools on a tray that I pull out of my tool box and take the tray out to my cold driveway to work on the car. Then I bring back the greasy tools and put them on my bench where they stay for about 2 weeks until I finally clean them up and put them away.

Do you guys have any tips on organizing the tools in my box and on my peg board? What tools should go where for best efficiency? Right now I feel like I have a bunch of stuff I rarely use on the peg board just to try and get it off a horizontal surface, the tools in the tool box (ratchets, sockets, screw drivers, pliers) are the ones that get used most often.

I don't have any pics of my setup but my tool boxes look exactly like this one:

shc-937717_xl.jpg


Then I have 2 cheap work benches side by side with a peg board behind them that has the mess on the wall. I will try to get some pics up.

Any help is appreciated.
 
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I bought a hand carry tool bag like this one:
L238_clc_tool_bag.jpg

I bought a second basically complete set of tools to go in it from harbor freight intending to use it as a car/mobile tool set. As it turns out it is what I use for almost 100% of my hand tool use. I don't know how I ever got along with out it. It's a lot more efficient use of space than my big tool box. And I leave the middle open and put in the special tools I need for specific task.

If I were setting up again, I'd just get the bag and probably put all my good tools in it since it's all I really ever use.

Walmart sells a pretty decent one for about $20. Don't get one of the soft foldy ones. The rigid version is much nicer to use.

As far as tool organization. Every tool in my big tool box has a specific home. Nothing is ever thrown in a drawer. Every wrench has a home in a wrench set holder. Every socket has a home in a magnetic holder. Nothing rolling around. Every tool goes back clean. I've found that labeling my drawers helps a lot in making sure it stays organized simply because it makes me make sure everything goes where it should.

For walls, a combination of shelves/cabinets and hooks works well. (I like second hand cabinets as the stuff inside doesn't get dusty.)

Home Depot sells hooks that hang on a 2x4. It's easy to mount a few 2x4's on your wall spaced out with a block of plywood and use the cheap 2x4 hangers as a lower cost version of a rack system. :
a7fbabe9-0d5f-4b88-a61d-96547609be86_300.jpg
 
Any roll around tool box you get make sure it has ball bearing drawers. Spend the money to get nice stuff. Check craigslist for used stuff also.
 
I have 2 rollers and they are packed. I went with sliders as I am not using them multiple times daily and volume was more important.
I also utilize a craftmans storage cabinet, a card file file cabinet, a map cabinet, both 5' tall.
I have a bag like Jetboy to bring what I need for a task and a 5 gal pail for bigger tools.
Putting your dirty tools on the kitchen counter works for getting them cleaned up quickly though you might not get any loving that night.
I don't use pegboards, that is old school and not useful. Plus my bench is mid room.
The only thing I wish I would finally do is fill my socket and wrench organizers as I waste way too much time looking for the right size among my 150+ sockets
 
Jetboy said:
I bought a hand carry tool bag like this one:
L238_clc_tool_bag.jpg

I bought a second basically complete set of tools to go in it from harbor freight intending to use it as a car/mobile tool set. As it turns out it is what I use for almost 100% of my hand tool use. I don't know how I ever got along with out it. It's a lot more efficient use of space than my big tool box. And I leave the middle open and put in the special tools I need for specific task.
Click to expand...

How do you handle sockets in you bag?

I have the same issue as se2000 where I have my sockets in something like this:

1895_1_pack.jpg


The problem is that the socket size is always in the wrong spot and I have to turn the thing 3 ways to figure out how to the the 13mm vs the 12 or 14mm socket.

Is there another solution that keeps my sockets mobile so I can take them out to the driveway and be easy to quickly pick out the size I need?

Thanks for all the input.
 
If my stuff was in the garage, I would get some big tires and make an "offroad" cabinet. Then you can roll out your box to the vehicle.
You can get some wire labels that have numbers on them and put them on the sockets so you can read them. Or buy a label maker FTW to label them as well as the drawers.
 
I have sockets in two types of holders.
These:
40200c__73340.1344971730.1280.1280.jpg

and these:
14-94100110.jpg



I prefer the second style. The sockets stay in MUCH better. The first style is OK for a tool box that's stationary, but doesn't work well for a mobile one. The sockets fall out all the time. The second style practically never has a problem with sockets falling out.

I write the socket size with a sharpie on the top of the plastic, then I know what size is in which hole and I never have to guess.
 
tag3 said:
Any roll around tool box you get make sure it has ball bearing drawers. Spend the money to get nice stuff. Check craigslist for used stuff also.
Click to expand...

I live near an air force base and bought my tool box from one of the surplus sales. It came locked with all the tools still in it! I had to drill the lock, so it doesn't lock anymore, but that wasn't too difficult. Unfortunately it was mostly filled with ear protection, and a bunch of extension cords and lights. Never know what you might find in there. If you wanted to sneak confidential information out of a military base - it wouldn't take much...
 
I will second to not go cheap on the box, no matter what style or type you end up with. I've seen some great deals on used boxes on craigslist.

As for what to put on the pegboard, what I would do is take everything off, toss them all in a cardboard box or plastic tub. Do a few projects. If you take a tool out of the box, hang it on the pegboard. After a few projects, if a tool is still in the box and never got used, put it away in the rollaway, you don't need it up on the wall.

I do the same thing with the "gadget" drawer in our kitchen occasionally. I dump them out into a big box. Anything left in the box after a month or so gets either tossed into the trash, donated to Goodwill, or put in deep storage and out of the way.

I used to have those racks where the sockets snap onto the square spring pins. Eventually they started to get all bent and sockets would fall off. Plus, I got so many sockets that i couldn't fit them all laying down in one drawer. Then I was in Lowes a could of years ago and they had these on sale really cheap:

099198869810lg.jpg


I have 3 of these sitting on my bench now, easy access, all loaded up with sockets. Much better.
 
All right, empty the garage. Study the layout of where you would like things to be, find a place for every thing, bikes things and such. Hang things out of head reach or easy to pull down without reaching and stressing to pull down, if you have to stress to pull down you will never use. The most used things need to be in easy reach, no matter what they are. Less used stuff can be in out of reach places. This way you can see what you need to sell and get rid of.
 
Great input, now I just need to execute.

Thanks everyone.
 
Jetboy said:
I have sockets in two types of holders.
These:
40200c__73340.1344971730.1280.1280.jpg

and these:
14-94100110.jpg



I prefer the second style. The sockets stay in MUCH better. The first style is OK for a tool box that's stationary, but doesn't work well for a mobile one. The sockets fall out all the time. The second style practically never has a problem with sockets falling out.

I write the socket size with a sharpie on the top of the plastic, then I know what size is in which hole and I never have to guess.
Click to expand...

Anyone have a link to the second style?? I can't seem to find these in my searches
 
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Time-Savers-MTS725-Magnetic/dp/B002XMS7T4/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1390316758&sr=8-16&keywords=socket+magnetic+holder

If you search for "magnetic socket holder" that should bring up a few options. They are $15 plus $8 shipping, which is kinda expensive for a socket holder when you consider it's just a magnet and a molded piece of plastic glued on top. You might find them somewhere else cheaper.

You could probably make your own pretty easily with a block of wood or plastic, a magnet, a drill press, and some different bit sizes. Making one wouldn't be very efficient, but get a couple friends together and make 10 or 20 at a time and it wouldn't be too bad. I'm sure you could use a 1/4 piece of mild steel flat bar for the bottom, then drop one strong magnet into one of the holes and it would probably provide enough magnetism for the whole set.
 
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I strongly second the Mechanics Time Savers socket racks. They are on my roll-around cart at all times. If I take the large metal handbox in the field, the appropriate MTS racks are magnetically stuck on the lid of the toolbox.
 
Hey Jim and everyone

Looking to see if there is an aftermarket lock box/ tool carrier for the '75 FJ40? I'm picturing a rectangular box, much like in the back of a pickup, with a flip up lockable hatch. I roll pretty much year 'round with only the bikini top and can't seem to organize simple tools, jack, small compressor, and a few squirt cans. I'm talking the volume of, say, 2 milk crates budgie-corded behind the two seats- which is exactly the sloppy system I'm using now.

I'm sure there's a thread for this somewhere in the forum but having no luck finding it. Ideas?

Carlos
 
I'm sure there are aluminum boxes or surplus military boxes that could do the job.
I really like the rubbermaid action packers. They are strong enough to sit on, shed rain, relatively cheap & light. There are padlock hasps in the locking handles if needed. The box can be strapped down in the back of the truck. If a permanent mount is needed, just drill through box & floor and bolt down w/ stainless bolts, nylocks and fender washers.

Action packers

1172-large.jpg


1191-large.jpg
 
FJ40Jim said:
I'm sure there are aluminum boxes or surplus military boxes that could do the job.
I really like the rubbermaid action packers. They are strong enough to sit on, shed rain, relatively cheap & light. There are padlock hasps in the locking handles if needed. The box can be strapped down in the back of the truck. If a permanent mount is needed, just drill through box & floor and bolt down w/ stainless bolts, nylocks and fender washers.

Action packers
Click to expand...

I like these and have a couple of them full of camping gear; however, the padlock hasp can't really take much of a lock. They're too small for a regular sized pad lock or cable. Anything that will fit in there will be pretty insignificant. I wish they would improve on this, because they are some of the better ones.
 
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