How Did you organize your tool chest/tool cart?

[Primered_69]

I got a pretty good size tool cart and was looking for organization ideals.

Thanks,

[TennesseeZ]

Organize. Heh, I can spend more time looking for a tool than using it.

[big blue 72]

stuff i'm using at the top. stuff i havent been using on the bottom.

[MacAttack]

Ended up with two roll-aways. Typical sockets in one drawer, wrenches in another, and so on. Also have two small drawer type boxes for the top of the roll-aways and two hand-carry tool boxes. Oh, and a bag with wrench pouches, and I'm getting ready to do the NASA peg-board routine in my new garage.

So, to answer your question - NONE. I just go buy another tool.

Mac.

[usmcchevy]

This is how I've started to organize my tool box. Takes lots of time though.

[RuralRoute C-30]

Like USMcChevy, each drawer is specific. In my case, in the pic,(and this was after a project with tools to be put away), the smaller top box is specific to common tools to a John Deere tractor, plus spare parts, bolts and unique items it uses.

The Main top box has the hand tools, screwdrivers in the top drawer, sockets and ratchets on top, standard wrenches in one drawer, metric in another, etc., the bottom box to the left is more home repair tools, some electrical, etc., and the other bottom box takes the larger stuff like air tools, drills, more mechanic tools, etc.

Yet I "know" all types of my hammers are in the 3rd drawer from the top in the lower box on the right!

Didn't use to be this organized. Just got tired of all the time knowing I had the tool "somewhere" but couldn't find it when I needed it.

Granted this system is only 4 years old so it took me nearly 50 years to finally learn how to "organize" and another 3 months finding all the tools I had to fill these boxes up. Just the design/build of the shop itself has been an ongoing project after as many years and always is being rethought!

I do know it does help for me to have the bench at the boxes to set the tools back in one place after a project. Often times they sit there until the next day depending on time and how I feel.

Yet my advice is similar to others, gather all the tools and start the process that each tool has a specific place however is comfortable for you. After awhile the habit gets easier and it also tells me now if I have forgotten to put a tool back where it belongs when I see the empty space. More than once someone has "borrowed" a tool and that empty space it should be in has reminded me to get it back.

Found a specific oil change wrench the other day because 2 years ago I put it away with the other one!

Good Luck!
Mark

[Thealien]

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

Organize. Heh, I can spend more time looking for a tool than using it.

Ain't that the truth!!

[JoetheMobster]

Originally Posted by TennesseeZ

Organize. Heh, I can spend more time looking for a tool than using it.

Amen to that brother!

[BarryB]

Mine is similar to how Al describes his, I have drawer for metric wrenches a drawer for standard wrenches. So on and so on. But I have one long wide drawer I keep all my sockets in.

[magooster]

I've got a set of these on the top of my toolbox to hold my sockets.



from there down it's pretty disorganized because my box is to small for my tools!

[68C15]

I'll have to take some pics of my cart and post them up. after checking with all the tool guys and getting disgusted with the prices i made my own cart. 3' wide, 2' deep, and about 3' tall. then I added a side shelf and a full extension drawer. I keep the common stuff withing an arm's reach all day long and it saves a LOT of time. I even made a couple racks for the side to hold 16 of my most used air tools. my total investment was about $75 not including the wheels I robbed from one of my old Craftsman boxes.
next up is to make a small cart for electrical and diagnostic equipment.

[Leinie]

My dads stuff was always organized like this- Me says, " Dad- where is the 9/16" wrench ? "

Dad says " it's on the floor- right where I left it -put it back when your done "


At least I throw all my stuff on the bench now. Perhaps my son or daughter will actually find a tool box and maybe my grandkids will organize it. Evolution!

[dan76]

Originally Posted by 68C15

I'll have to take some pics of my cart and post them up. after checking with all the tool guys and getting disgusted with the prices i made my own cart. 3' wide, 2' deep, and about 3' tall. then I added a side shelf and a full extension drawer. I keep the common stuff withing an arm's reach all day long and it saves a LOT of time. I even made a couple racks for the side to hold 16 of my most used air tools. my total investment was about $75 not including the wheels I robbed from one of my old Craftsman boxes.
next up is to make a small cart for electrical and diagnostic equipment.

A lot of folks most likely would like to see your cart.

I'm looking at buying another box since I have two others crammed with tools....too many to properly organize. I tried the NASA style pegboard method but I don't like keeping tools visible from the street when the garage door is open.

[TennesseeZ]

Originally Posted by 68C15

I'll have to take some pics of my cart and post them up. after checking with all the tool guys and getting disgusted with the prices i made my own cart. 3' wide, 2' deep, and about 3' tall. then I added a side shelf and a full extension drawer. I keep the common stuff withing an arm's reach all day long and it saves a LOT of time. I even made a couple racks for the side to hold 16 of my most used air tools. my total investment was about $75 not including the wheels I robbed from one of my old Craftsman boxes.
next up is to make a small cart for electrical and diagnostic equipment.

Yeah post 'em up. I'm sure many would be interested. What in the world do you need 16 air tools for?

I build what I need also, but my toolbox (Craftsman Roll-around with intermadiate and top boxes) is just really dis-organized these days. Need to get busy and do something with it.

[Benelli]

Yep.

Just drawers full of, mostly wrenches or mostly sockets or mostly pliers. I bought a new craftsman socket set and a SAE gearwrench set and them are staying organized until I die. Or lose them.

[oldblue1968chevy]

my shop, its all on the bench of in a drawer. dads shop. well the peg board is organized the rest is scattered in his shop, my shop, my grandpaws shop but his shop is starting to turn into my shop

me-mini barn
grandpaw-basement
dad-big garage he just build

[1971gmcshortbed]

This thing is at work for the moment, it needs to be organized... Plenty of room though, I recently got the side locker it will free up lots of room when I organize all of it.

[Steve@OldSub.com]

Before I built my shop I had a bunch of small tool boxes and had a lot of trouble keeping track of tools. Since building a shop a few years ago I've bought a big roll-away and moved most the tools into it.

While some of the drawers have more than one kind of tool in them, each kind of tool has its own specific place. I don't have a lot metric wrenches or sockets, and they are all in one drawer. I have lots of SAE wrenches and sockets so each of those occupies a drawer.

Tools for working on electrical are all in one drawer. Drill bits and other cutting tools are all in one drawer. Measuring tools are all in one drawer.

Since I often leave things laying where I last used them its far from perfect, but its become rare that I buy another tool because I can't find the one I'm sure I already have. It also means I spend much less time looking for tools since I almost always clean up when I finish a project and otherwise things are pretty much in the roll-away in the correct drawer. I hope...

[vectorit]

My old Kennedy roll away and top box is bursting all over with tools.

Drives me nuts (no pun intended), because I am a very organized guy.

One of these days, I'm hoping a larger roll away will come my way cheap.

[fastwillie 696969]

heres one of mine

[d10s69c10]

DO NOT LET ANYONE ELSE TOUCH YOUR TOOLS.. you can remember where you left something on a pile in a drawer in the back tool chest. its almst impossible to find once your buddy uses it and leaves it on your work bench.


OH yeah my grandpa always said if you got enuff energy to put away clean up and clean out your truck bed at the end of the day you didnt work hard enuff.

[rambler]

I had my tools all organized in a cheaper box.. when I got robber a few years ago, it really helped them sort out the good stuff, they just dumped the trash can, and opened each drawer, used the liner in the drawer to dump the tools in the trash can... grabed the air compressor and tools and out the door they were in minutes...

left the cheap tool box, and trash everywhere, but got the tools..

I stll get mad when I look for a tool I knew I had, and now dont.. even 4 years later.. I still get mad, and I have YET to reorganize everything...

[TennesseeZ]

Originally Posted by rambler

left the cheap tool box

Now that's cold.

[68C15]

pics as promised. I keep about 90% of the tools I need daily at arms reach. it measures 36" wide, 24" deep, and 45" tall. this height works great if I am doing an intake on a Chevy truck as I can sit on the radiator support and turn around and grab whatever I need. the pans are made from 16g steel and the uprights are 1" angle iron. the wheels I robbed from one of my unused Craftsman boxes. before I built this I had a Snap-On 72" long by 30" deep box (well over $8000) and after I go this I managed to go down to the one pictured which dropped me back by $4000 IIRC.
the problem I have now is I am running out of room for stuff that comes in plastic cases. I am thinking of making a form of stilts to raise the top box up about 10" and then store the cases in between.

[68C15]

couple more