tool storage
Turbo Mini Forums

I picked up a new (to me anyway) top box a little while ago and am looking at how I can sort my tools with a bit more obvious organisation.

In an ideal world, I'd have them all in trays to fit, but alas, between secondhand and job-lot buying, most of my stuff is simply loose within the drawers.

Ideally I want to be able to easily identify the tool and also highlight when something is missing. I've got a few ideas but just wondering how you all manage.

Rob

The only reliable way to do what you describe is to buy all new tools in tool control trays. However this will obviously cost a bomb.

My main box is organised as follows.

Top of top box is full of junk to be honest, needs tidying
1st drawer is all metric spanners and 3/8 socketry
2nd drawer is all imperial spanners and 3/8 socketry
3rd drawer is squeeze handled tools. Pliers, grips, rivetting pliers, crimpers, etc
4th drawer is screwdrivers and hammers
Roll cab, top drawer is measuring and marking out equipment, tapes, rules, calipers, mic's, scribers, marker pens etc
2nd drawer roll cab is pry bars, chisels, files, punches
3rd drawer roll cab is automotive tools, e.g. compr tester, coil spring compressors, hub puller, etc
4th drawer is 1/2 drive socketry, breaker bars, torque wrenches
5th drawer is electrical drawer, multimeters, crimp terminals, fault code readers etc
6th drawer is a bit of a mixture, spanners metric 20mm and above, circlip plier set, large 1/2" hex key set
Bottom drawer is mainly air tools, plus extension cable.

I also have a seperate "travel" box with enough of its own tools in to take to trackdays etc and be able to tackle most things. I do swap some items to-from my main box, but am gradually getting to the level where I have two seperate lots of tackle.

I have mine easily accessible and visible on a board on the wall above my bench in the garage

I seriously doubt it!

Mine are all over various benches, floor, shelves, machines, cars, home, work and loaned out to people.

I solve the problem of not being able to find specific sizes easily by having many of each size of spanner/socket etc so there is usually one within a 6 foot radius of wherever in the garage I happen to be.

On occasion I gather all tools together and put them into the stack of tool boxes I have in no particular order making them more difficult to find, but harder to trip over.

My spanners are all in sharks teeth

kinda similar to tom, top draw, spanners, all in racks so any missing ones are obvious (racking is cable conduit from b&q)
second draw all 3/8ths drive, ratchets and extensions all laid out in order, and all sockets on magnetic rails so again any missing ones are easy to spot, go tthe rails from snap-on but the sockets are blue point lol

next draw is same again bit 1/4" and next one is a deep draw for 1/2"
thats the main section of the top box but the theme applies throught, find some way to have discrete places for each tool that way you can tell at a glance whats missing, and pick up the correct took in a flash when needed. doesnt have to be expensive, for the 1/2" stuff i used the base from a cheapo socket set and cut it up to suit for example.

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

Exact same Layout as me but Pliers and screwdriver draw Are swapped around for me.

Edited by Wile E. Coyote on 13th Jan, 2012.

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Jamie.

Hahaha this is the exactly the same as me.

The only problem is in this situation is that on the rare occasion that I do sort my tools out, I find out that I don't have enough drawer space to put them in. The ones that do fit in the drawers are soo crammed in it takes ages to find the one you need, so they have to come out to find the one I need, and then they never go back in again...and then the cycle starts again.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

In the work shop everything is on a shadow board from spanners to inspection lights and spray guns to welding mask. My barn box is foamed out every tool goes back in exactly the same place every time, makes house keeping easy and I can get much much more in.
2 imperial spanner sets 3/16-3/4
1 large spanner set
4 socket sets
Screwdriver set
8 snap-on plier set
3 inspection torches
Mirrors
Feeler gauges, steel rules
Various hammers
Ratchet ring spanners
Various air tools depending on the contract.

Foam it's the only way to find that half inch spanner without emptying the entire contents on the workshop floor

Edited by Mr Joshua on 13th Jan, 2012.

Own the day

i wanted to do the foam thing, a few of the lads in my work got wee service trollies that were foamed, and its very neat, especially the 2 tone stuff but how easy is it to DIY your own layout?

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

All I did was find some foam from work, drew round the tools and cut a bit of the foam out with a craft knife.

Mine are all in a box and finding the spanner or tool your after is a bit like stirring coal!

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


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My tools end up all over the place. This usually because John and occasionally Mike Race have been round to 'help'

spanners hanging on a nailed board ,or in the halfords cases .flatblades on an ikea tin box ,crossheads in another ,all pliers grips in a sliding ofice paperwork draw cupboard thingy ,sockets the same .

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

we share our workshop with others and while we trust each other, the door has a tendancy to be lying open while Nick is down at the far end of the shed and we are not around; having tools on display would simply be too much for the magpies.

pah, posh twats!

I keep all my sockets on rails, and screwdrivers, pliers etc in associated draws much like most of you have.
But at the moment most of my tools are in a rucksack haha.