Tool Organizer

[rnt80]

I love Paul's idea.  I was just cursing myself this weekend because it must have taken me 10 minutes just to get all of my stuff into the house.  Next check I'll be picking up one of those collapseable hand trucks and a systainer 5.  Thanks for the link and thanks to Paul for the idea.

 

[Peterm]

Just to add my thanks to Forrest for the picture and link...

So anyway, this has turned out to be quite an inspirational thread - having been 'happy enough' with the Festool Tool Organiser for the last couple of years I've always intended to adapt it further or make something more specific for me, so I knocked together a simple insert today, and it works nicely - certainy holds a lot more than the Festool!

It's purely a personal preference, but I dislike the 'hanging' tool approach that the Festool adopts, so mine is a simple 'three stacked trays' around a central handle, the logic being that the trays could be mixed and matched depending on the job in hand.

Anyway, I'll try and post a couple of snaps in the morning for those interested.

Thanks again, Pete

 

[Frank Pellow]

Good for you Pete!  I am definately interested in seeing what you came up with.

 

[sw1211]

I love Paul's idea.  I was just cursing myself this weekend because it must have taken me 10 minutes just to get all of my stuff into the house.  Next check I'll be picking up one of those collapseable hand trucks and a systainer 5.  Thanks for the link and thanks to Paul for the idea.

Here's something, non-Festool, that might work for you.  No idea what the inside looks like.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100588362

 

[Daviddubya]

Some tool bags at a bit lower cost than the Veto bags:

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/gear-shops/tools-shop/tool-bags-belts/tool-bags/tool-bags.aspx?navlocation=dept_left

 

[Walt300]

Forrest,

The picture of the custom made insert looks great. This certainly shows te adaptability of the Festool users. I also appreciate the comments on the Veto bag and will certainly take a look at them.

Thanks
Walter

 

[nickao]

Oh my gosh I bought one of those, filled it with tools about 9 months ago and just thought about it right now after reading this post. Its been under one of my work tables with all my other cases  since! I guess if I never thought about it I do not need it.

Anyone want to buy a brand new one, never used?

Nick, what about the tools that you filled it with?  Don't you need those either?   Maybe if you filled it with tools that you actually use, you would find that you like it.

I bought all new tools for it. The idea was for me to be able to grab it and run and not have to gather up all my tools every time I left, actually I have double and triple of many tools. Plus I always would forget something when I went to set up a site bag.

I have a different hard bag for every trade now and some of the bags have the same tools. It is great set up. I like the hard open bags you can see every tool and they do not move around like some of the soft bags.

The festool you have to pull the insert out and I really could not get everything I wanted in there so I set up the hard bags and never thought about the Festool set up again.

I like a hard open bag like the picture, Still mine were 1/2 that cost and have held up fine, I spent 29.95 on them.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

You guys are right, the Veto XL gets heavy loaded up but, who cares?  I can make one trip into a duplex, triplex, whatever and have all I need to fix whatever seems to be the problem.  I love the XL, I knew it would be heavy loaded with 80+ hand tools but, all those tools make it in one trip and they stay organized. 

 

[nickao]

The weight is one reason I made differnt bags for differnt trade work, but yeah the weight is what it is and if it works for you that is the way to go.

Isn't that what the laborers, helpers and apprentice are for anyway , to carry all that stuff 

 

[Peterm]

Yes agreed, the weight is what it is. In my case, the Irwin bag had a chamber at the base that was accessible from both ends of the bag - in theory for holding a cordless drill or something - but when the bag was loaded up, over time this chamber collapsed, making it useless! Obviously the veto doesn't have this feature/issue, so not a problem.

Anyway, this is my quick n' dirty insert, made from scraps of 12 and 9mm ply...

[attachthumb=#]

in situ, all my commonly-needed tools at the top so no need to take it out of the Sys 4

[attachthumb=#]

and broken down into its components. Each tray has a slot cut into the base to stack over the handle, and each holds something 'broadly specific' i.e. it's not an organiser where every tool has its place, but all the electrical/testing tools, fuses, earth sleeve, etc.. are in one tray, all the heavier-duty pry-bars, vice-grips etc.. in another.

That's the theory, anyway - I'll see how it works out in use over the next few days

Cheers, Pete

 

[Eli]

I sort of did the same thing, I made two larger trays with higher end handles, one to stack on the other. I ended up using only one, and putting all the tools in on top of it! only slightly better than a bare systainer!  But it does hold screwdrivers, squares, scrapers, etc. up around the outside. can't really make the insert any bigger, I had to trim a few inches off the handle of my Stiletto hammer to fit it in the sys4 as it was. That and a sort 6 are the perfect complement.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks Pete.  I think that today I will make one much like yours and give it a try.

 

[nickao]

Pete those are better than the stock tray, nice! Like you Pete the standardization of box sizes and easy stackability are the same reasons I purchased it initially too.

 

[Peterm]

Used it in anger on a small job this morning and it was good to have all my regularly-used tools to hand in the top tray.

One thing I'll do differently in the next version (there's always a next version, right..?) is keep the bottom tray as a separate item - it's part of the handle/base combo on this one, and having it separate I think will just make it more flexible to use e.g. you could leave the bottom tray in the Sys 4 and carry the other two to the job using the handle.

Always a work in progress..

Cheers, Pete

 

[darkstar]

stackable

 

[darkstar]

organized

 

[darkstar]

built to last

 

[Frank Pellow]

Darkstar, that looks really neat.  A better sortainer. 

Please tell us just how you combined the Festool parts and home-made parts.  Is that just a systainer 4 that you sawed the front out of?

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  I see that these are your first three posts here, so I would like to welcome you to the Festool Owners Group.

 

[darkstar]

Hello Frank, It is a systainer 4. I multi-mastered the front out, filed it smooth and basically lined the inside with half inch maple ply to give me a carcass to mount the Accuride slides to (low profile type without the draw member). The drawers are half inch sides quarter inch bottoms and a one inch face so I could install the Hafele latches and route in a finger pull. I have been using it for about a year, loaded its a bit heavy but it stacks on the ct22 so I don't wind up carrying it around. Plus its lighter than the Plano "Phantom Pro" plastic four drawer tackle box I was hauling around for a decade. I really dig drawer style organization.  Darkstar

 

[Warrior]

Darkstar,

Sugar sweet tool box!!!