Toolbox organizing.

[dakazman]

 We all have places for our tools. We all know here everything is ...somewhat. So what is your worst toolbox draw. I have two, those pesty Allen wrenches keep showing up in item I buy and have to put together. The other is wrenches. I always need another one.
So how do we keep order? We need to find thing fast. Do we label? What’s your story?
Dakazman

[BDA]

Great topic, D'man! Back in the day when I was racing, a racing buddy and I would look for different tool chest organizer gadgets. Of course the problem is that I am NOT an organized person so the end result is that some things are organized, somethings are a work in progress (for many years), and somethings are not organized at all. I have my sockets on rails pop riveted into the top section of my tool chest. Then I got a couple of Mercedes and had to buy a bunch of Torx sockets and after ten years, I haven't gotten around to setting them up because it will probably require a full reorganization of all my sockets.

Pictures to follow.

[Certified Lotus]

Oh boy. Your asking the wrong guy on this subject.  Now lets understand that I have a full fledged restoration workshop for "working on cars". Not a "show garage" where I park my cars and the wall units are all perfect and nothing is out of place.  I have a couple of friends like that. Not a tool out of place, mainly because they don't get used.

I am.....how should I say this....fairly organized. I have 5 tool boxes in my automotive shop (another 2 in my wood shop).  They are all organized this way.  Each drawer is labeled, all the tools are by type and size.  My messy tool drawer is called "specialty tools" (last picture). I have a good friend who is far neater and more organized than I am.  I look like "pig pen"compared to him.  My two son's have learned the hard way when you use a tool you clean it and return it to its rightful place. At the end of every day. No tools lay out overnight and no one "borrows" tools. You can work in my shop and use the tools, but you can't leave with them.

By the way, it took me 50 years to collect all my tools. I'm dying with them!

Don't ask to see my nut and bolt collection. Its equally as organized.

Truth be known, I would die to have a shop with an epoxy painted floor and all matching tool boxes at shop table height.  And a room for power tools and a paint booth and a lathe.........damn, now I can't afford a car to work on 

[BDA]

Ok. Here are some pictures of my tool showing some organization and some chaos. Like everything else, it's a work in progress.

I just got a nice labeler (Dymo LetraTag - about $17 at Walmart). You can see that I labeled only some of the drawers of my tool chest. As I noted, I have work to do in the socket department. I've looked into all kinds of nice plastic socket holders but I don't think I can get the density I need with them so I'm sticking with my rails. The metric and sae wrenches are in pretty good shape. The pile in the center is made up of those that I want to keep handy but don't fit on either rack.

The plier drawer is a mess, as is the drawer with the drill and bits. I recently cleaned up the electrical drawer and while doing that, made a little kit of test leads. I can build test leads that attach to the leads of a multimeter, they can have any of several connections and they can stretch the length of the car. I found this capability handy when I built the car but never sat down and built a modular setup like this. My latest acquisition is a Harbor Freight storage cabinet. It's really nice with a wood top, storage for a bunch of stuff that used to sit on the floor (like jackstands, etc.), and the cabinet doors have holders for small cans of stuff. The top drawer holds tune up type stuff with some other odds and ends. Since this topic started with D'man's Allen wrench collection, I included mine. It is certainly not as extensive as his, but between the Allen wrench sockets and the Allen keys in the drawer of "little stuff", I can generally take care of what I have. Finally, I have a junque drawer - stuff I don't use often, is big and or ugly, or I just don't have a better place for it.

This isn't everything, but it is pretty representative of my tool setup. I didn't think other stuff was that interesting. I mean, what's interesting about a draw full of files for example?

I'd like to say that the rest of my garage is as orderly as the neatest drawers of my tool chests but sadly, a lot of it is more like the junque drawer!

[BDA]

Interesting collection of tools, Certified! I think that maybe the more different kinds of one size of tool (wrench, socket, etc.), the more sophisticated a wrench you are! I'm re-impressed!

[Certified Lotus]

Thanks BDA. You only saw a couple of drawers......

[BDA]

I know. That only cements my opinion!

[dakazman]

  Okay you two are having to much fun, so I’ll join in with a little more fellowship. The wood tools are stored in the garage as well mainly in the workbenches. A machinist box, an old three draw for some specialty items. The mains hold all most everything else. Some gifts never used... yet. It’s also a time capsule for jobs accomplish that we’re used daily. Some still have blood on them.,,,. Kidding. Others,I can pick up and say , when am I going to use that again.  My fathers woodworking tools and machinery, yes certified a lathe, and many others . Which reminds to to fix the band saw..
  My Grandfathers barrel and smithing equipment got lost in the move down here . Which I’m still pissed about . Picture a 4x4x6 with a blade and two handles. Anvils gone.
 My boxes are still a work in progress also. I guess that’s how I like them.
Dakazman

[BDA]

Nice collection of tools! Between you and Certified, I'm humbled!

[surfguitar58]

Very impressive you guys. I am having a relapse of garage envy.

I have a somewhat different approach. I have a basement workshop with the usual power, woodworking and hand tools, a mini lathe and mini milling machine, and the bare necessities of wrenches and automotive tools (though that category is growing lately.). I have to switch rapidly between home repair projects, boat projects, car project, robotics and surgical instrument prototyping (the last two are my day job.) But what I am proudest of is my to-go first-responder tool box I have perfected over the years that will handle just about any electrical, plumbing, woodworking, fiberglass, bicycle, sailboat rigging, boat diesel, home maintenance and automotive repair.

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[dakazman]

 This cup sums it up.

[dakazman]

 Guess what The wife brought home???
Dakazman

[BDA]

She must really love you! 

[Certified Lotus]

She probably has a project for you. 

[dakazman]

Yes Certified, Lol it came with a table to put together.
I’ll just add to the collection.
Dakazman