toolbox organization

i just picked up a new toolbox for home and would like to organize my hand tools. mostly screwdrivers, but not opposed to pliers and wrenches.

for those who have seen my pit, my track toolbox is very organized. i bought a sheet of foam and cut out spots for my screwdrivers to stay in place. i could do that again, but my track toolbox is a 26" and my home one has 54" drawers. so cutting out foam is doable, but probably not idea.

i've seen those magnetic clips advertised online and didnt know if they are good or worth it.

 

Sure..you can go all anal on your tool storage. My preferred method is to leave tools scattered all over the F&*(ING place. That way wherever I am, I have tools. They are never the right tools. But you learn how to change an engine using 3 open end wrenches, a crescent wrench and a single phillips head screwdriver. Its good for learning how to improvise.

For example, as I sit at my desk I have a 12v test light, analog multimeter, stihl chainsaw airfilter, nail clippers, #36 cave line, box knife and 2 wooden clothes pins. I could fix the space shuttle or construct a scale model of a Niimtz class carrier (complete with nuclear power source) with all these tools.

People talking 'bout organizing tools. Aint no one got no time to be putting tools back "where they belong". Damn yankee's.

 

I got tired of trying to keep screwdrivers organized. When I gave up I decided to do this,

Phillips point to the left. Flathead point to the right. Handles are along the sides of the drawer. Then I grab by the length I need. It works good for me.

 

Check out some of the tool chest pics on garage journal. You’ll gets lots of ideas. Some of those guys take organizing to the Nth degree.

 

Some of those guys are more interested in collecting and organizing tools than they are in using them, but ya, there are some awesome ideas for tool/garage organization over there. Not ashamed to admit I've copied many things.

In my basic mechanics box at home I made a angle iron rack with holes drill in it that gets screwed to the inside of my top box from my most frequently used screw drivers. The rest are tossed in a deep mid box drawer. The top tray of the box is all my sockets, then I have a drawer for metric wrenches, one for imperial and one for my ratchets, and extensions, tee handles etc. Then I have about 13 more toolboxes for all my other stuff.....(machinist, fab related specialty tools).

It's the black faced on in this pic.

A bit of a mess, but this was a random pic from a few months back that I sent a coworker to see if he wanted that bottom box in front as I was doing a big tool purge and reorganizing to make some space. You can see the screwdriver rack, and all the shit piled on top of my sockets in the top tray lol. In the 3 small drawers I have metric nut drivers, imp nut drivers, and cutting/marking tools.

 

Many years ago I the missus bought me a JellyBelly jellybeans sampler pack.

After I finished them I just HAD TO come up with a use for the plastic insert in the box that kept all the flavors separated.

Bingo!

The sets are all in their little metal boxes on a shelf, these are all the other random ones.

 

Rich guy, showing off. Look at all those 10mm

 

I like the idea of the foam, but I have way too much shit in my drawers to make it work. I have a few magnetic trays that keep some of my wrenches fairly organized. I bought the magnetic socket holders for the small drive sockets, because those would bounce out of their holders in the trailer and be all over the drawer which would drive me nuts. The magnetic holders work great, but you can't tell looking straight down the difference between 8 and 7 mm so you end up pulling a bunch out. Also, the magnets are so strong you have to pull hard and probably will end up with 2 or 3 sockets, which at least solves the problem of finding the right size.

The screwdrivers I have in some cheap harbor freight organizers, but they don't really work very well. Foam could be good for those.

I have tool bag for the "away" races that I give to my transporter, it's just a bunch of crap thrown in a bag and I can't stand it. I have thought about a smaller, more portable box for the track but I just can't decide what to leave behind. Now that I'm racing more modern bikes, I don't need half of the Jerry Rigging supplies that I used to.

 

Damn 1%ers...

 

I bought the magnetic spray can holder from HF and it has 5 screwdriver slots in it. 3 Phillips and 2 flathead. I've never needed more than that to work on anything.

 

I never knew that Craftsmen screwdrivers were color coordinated until a few months ago. Blue and slotted, red are Phillips.

 

Who stoled your 16s?

 

Never had an issue with screwdrivers, sockets were my problem. Got these organizers and it's better.

 

This reminds me I need to clean my work bench and top shelf of the tool box... its really embarrassing at this point.
It doesn't help that I treat these surfaces like a hoarders safe space for random shit.

 

Close on my new house tomorrow and have two weekends to move garage stuff before movers move rest of the house so I ordered a new box. I can’t wait to move my tools over and organize it.

 

I’m kinda not neat with my tools. But I do keep my Snapon w ratchets and wrenches today. And I told my son if he uses those he best be sure to put them back.

Always wanted a set and finally did it. He loses a wrench and he’s gonna have to mow some lawns to pay for it all summer.

 

Dan I think you have always been a yankee.

 

Same emeffer what took @rd400racer 's.

 

Meh...no 16 mm sockets. Slacker.

 

Mandatory nail clippers and box cutter(old semi dull) on the desk at all times.