Tool Storage & New Member Saying Hi

Joined
Jan 1, 2017
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3
Hi All, new member here, saying hi, and diving straight in with a question.

I am an amateur/hobbyist and do an equal amount of pottering about in my modest workshop as I do home improvements inside my house and occasionally helping friends/family for a token gesture of appreciation.

When I'm in my workshop I want to be organised and have everything laid out in drawers, but then when I need to work in the house or at another person's house it becomes a real chore to pluck the tools I need from their permanent places of residence and fill a tool bag, etc.

So, with that in mind, I've been thinking about transferring all my most regularly used hand tools into say 5 individual Sys 4 Sortainer 3's and cutting kaizen foam to fit the drawers to hold the tools. That way I'd have 15 drawers that could sit on a Sys Cart for neat organised storage in the workshop and at the same time break it down, throw in the car and reassemble once I get to my chosen location. I'm keen on the idea because unlike normal Systainers, the drawers/tools could all be accessed without having to juggle the boxes around.

Anyone done this before? Will the drawers of the Sortainer 3 handle a good few KG of tools each?

Many thanks,

Morgan.
 
Hi Morgan,

    Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

    Yes, the drawers will handle a good few KG each.  Sounds like a good plan. You may want to consider some of the old type sortainers if you want a variety of drawer depths. The new ones are great but there are a good number of items that will fit in the old large drawer but will not fit in the new ones.

    Seth
 
Welcome to the FOG :)

You might want to choose just the fragile tools to put into Kaizen foam, as it takes up a lot of space. Most hand type tools have no problem stacking on top of each other and endure rough handling. The finish may wear off and scratches happen, but when transporting needed tools, the less tool boxes the better.

Would also recommend a Sys-Roll.
 
Welcome Morgan.

I'm not a fan of the Systainer drawers for tool storage.  The issue I have faced is a little movement and the drawers get stuck and you have a hassle getting them open.  I have about six of them in various sizes and use them for parts and supplies in my home workshop but don't transport them much.    As for Kaizan foam, I've used it in a couple of situations but find that it's big space hog and you sacrifice what is already a limited amount of space in the drawers for organization.  I don't think you'd be able to get that many tools in a sortainer 3 drawer with Kaizan foam without having a stack that is 8' tall!

I personally like the Sys Storage unit for small hand tools. http://www.festoolusa.com/power-too...stems/systainers/sys-storage-systainer-499901  That and the Sys toolbox in varying sizes might be an option for you giving you open tops, the option of veritical storage  and stack ability as well.

Easy access and the cantilevered design lets you easily find things and stay organized.  And they are stackable so storage and movement is easy.

You might consider a combination of those with the Sortainers.

Glad to have you on the forum.  Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 
Hi there,

I have one Sys4 Sort 3 with the three larger drawers. With it loaded up with hand tools it is very heavy. I find I can get most of the essentials in the systainer. The numbers you are mentioning is a lot of tools to carry, and will be very heavy.

On the worksite I have the Sort 3 locked on top of the CT26. I find it works well there. Then whichever tool you are using the most, lock to the top of the Sort 3.

Hope this helps.
 
neilc said:
Welcome Morgan.

I'm not a fan of the Systainer drawers for tool storage.  The issue I have faced is a little movement and the drawers get stuck and you have a hassle getting them open.  I have about six of them in various sizes and use them for parts and supplies in my home workshop but don't transport them much.    As for Kaizan foam, I've used it in a couple of situations but find that it's big space hog and you sacrifice what is already a limited amount of space in the drawers for organization.  I don't think you'd be able to get that many tools in a sortainer 3 drawer with Kaizan foam without having a stack that is 8' tall!

I personally like the Sys Storage unit for small hand tools. http://www.festoolusa.com/power-too...stems/systainers/sys-storage-systainer-499901  That and the Sys toolbox in varying sizes might be an option for you giving you open tops, the option of veritical storage  and stack ability as well.

Easy access and the cantilevered design lets you easily find things and stay organized.  And they are stackable so storage and movement is easy.

You might consider a combination of those with the Sortainers.

Glad to have you on the forum.  Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Welcome Morgan.
I agree with neilc.  I have several Sortainers, a couple of the open sys tool boxes and a sys storage with the cantilever top sections. I seldom use the sortainers when I go to do any site work, as I have found it does not pay to fill those tiny drawers too full with many small items.  They are great for screws and small items and one or two hand tools in the large drawers work well. But i can put more into a couple of #1 & #2 Systainers, a couple of Sys tool boxes and the cantilevered systorage box or two.  The visibilty of the opening boxes allows me to quickly find tools that are not in their usual storage places in my shop.  I can take a quick visual check to see if any tools have been left before loading up to return home.
Tinker
 
It depends on your situation, you can always store them on the walls of your work shop depending on the tools
 
QUOTE >>>When I'm in my workshop I want to be organised and have everything laid out in drawers, but then when I need to work in the house or at another person's house it becomes a real chore to pluck the tools I need from their permanent places of residence and fill a tool bag, etc.
 
The new 3 drawer Sortainer is excellent for hand tool storage and has proven to hold up quite well. I have this on the bottom of a stack that's on a Sys cart. I move it in and out of my truck and jobsites daily and the new design has solved the issue of things getting stuck . Actually wish they made a 2 bigger drawer version for my impact driver and drill.....

 
Luzzy said:
The new 3 drawer Sortainer is excellent for hand tool storage and has proven to hold up quite well. I have this on the bottom of a stack that's on a Sys cart. I move it in and out of my truck and jobsites daily and the new design has solved the issue of things getting stuck . Actually wish they made a 2 bigger drawer version for my impact driver and drill.....

Those look much better than the old style. Any drawers can get stuck if a tool or part gets wedged against the under side of a drawer above. But the deeper drawers are much less susceptable.
Tinker
 
Peter_C said:
Welcome to the FOG :)

You might want to choose just the fragile tools to put into Kaizen foam, as it takes up a lot of space. Most hand type tools have no problem stacking on top of each other and endure rough handling. The finish may wear off and scratches happen, but when transporting needed tools, the less tool boxes the better.

Would also recommend a Sys-Roll.

Pretty much the way I think.

Yeah having tools individually cradled in foam looks cool in an assassins case kind of way but I look in those boxes and think of all the wasted space. Things like chisels can rattle against each other with no harm at all as long as you have the plastic edge cover on them, when you lose that (cos you will on site) I make another out of Polymorph.

And yeah, I have one of the old Sys Cart things and while its great on a totally flat surface its a pain when you have to take it up a couple of steps, or across a bumpy site.

The Sys Roll I have just got should be much better but I've not had chance to try it out yet.
 
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