Tool storage - what do you use?
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I have a lot of tools ranging from nice heavy stuff like the TS/75 track saw, Masonry dril, ... to delicate machinist instrumentation like Mtu mics and such, and the electronics lab instrumentation I use as an engineer like scopes and meters, and just about everything in between, hand tools and so forth. For years I was losing time just finding stuff and reorganizing it. After looking for acceptable tool cabinets according to my OCD-type specs and finding none, and after having gone through that cycle of bins and shelves, and just about giving into paying Snap-On to build a custom-designed cabinet, I settled on adapting a heavy-duty steel shelf unit from uline. 60-in W * 24-inch D * 72-inch H. I am bolting non-flexible heavy gauge stainless steel siding on the sides and back inside the L-shaped four uprights for closed shelvs, and setting boxes in and along the shelves to act as drawers on side mount heavy double sides. Sounds clunky, but I can alter drawer levels and heights when I want which is likely almost never, I can set up precise sizes and levels for categories of tools and instruments and lots of room to boot, the thing is strong strong strong, and I can customize its drawer sizes. The whole thing is strong, solid and configurable. Still haven't fully settled about the drawer fronts and the locking but so be it for now. On the bottom will be either shelves for the heavy power tools in their nice cases 16.5-inch height, or two drawers if I can swing it. I prefer my shop stuff in levels according to their uses, and the tool cabinets and chests out there seem to have a mishmash of drawer sizes and banks all mixed together. So far working out fine, although I haven't yet settled on an ideal straight wall drawer/box style, but lots out there from which to choose or build. I might reduce the height of the four uprights which I think are 14-gauge from 72 inch to about 52 or 54 inch. I can always reaffix lengths if I want to reclaim height.
I use shelves. Those metal and particleboard ones. 4 feet wide, 6 feet high, 2 feet deep. 4 or 5 shelves. Assemble them yourself. I have lots of them around the shop and they hold metal tool boxes, plastic tool boxes, plastic Systainer boxes, and sometimes bare tools without any case.
Craftsman tool chests. 4-5-6 drawers of varying height. All the small stuff like drill bit cases and wrenches and all the other loose small stuff go in these rolling tool chests. Big jumbled up piles of stuff also go into the taller bottom drawers. Everything stays clean enough.
I also have drawers built into a rolling chest that has my planer on top. And drawers in my router table. And drawers in the table saw extension to the right of the blade. Underneath the top table. And a few handheld tool boxes.
And some stuff gets piled on top of the workbench table. Almost always put away after the project. Someday I hope to get around to making a set of drawers, cabinet, to go below the workbench in between the legs.
Craftsman tool chests. 4-5-6 drawers of varying height. All the small stuff like drill bit cases and wrenches and all the other loose small stuff go in these rolling tool chests. Big jumbled up piles of stuff also go into the taller bottom drawers. Everything stays clean enough.
I also have drawers built into a rolling chest that has my planer on top. And drawers in my router table. And drawers in the table saw extension to the right of the blade. Underneath the top table. And a few handheld tool boxes.
And some stuff gets piled on top of the workbench table. Almost always put away after the project. Someday I hope to get around to making a set of drawers, cabinet, to go below the workbench in between the legs.
I use a variety of things:
- small bags and rolls for frequently used tools which are carried to projects
- Craftsman 4-drawer mechanics chest for tools for automotive work
- a traditional woodworking chest for older, less-frequently-used woodworking tools
- a Husky Rolling Connect 22" stack for the woodworking tools I most often use, and sharpening setups
- a Systainer MFT filled w/ clamps I picked up when I was thinking about getting a Tanos MW 1000 Mobile Workstation
- overflow and larger tools goes on pegboards
This is an excellent blogpost which informs such decisions and helped me to stop stressing out over it:
https://bridgerberdel.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/thoughts-on-tool-organization-and-storage/
- small bags and rolls for frequently used tools which are carried to projects
- Craftsman 4-drawer mechanics chest for tools for automotive work
- a traditional woodworking chest for older, less-frequently-used woodworking tools
- a Husky Rolling Connect 22" stack for the woodworking tools I most often use, and sharpening setups
- a Systainer MFT filled w/ clamps I picked up when I was thinking about getting a Tanos MW 1000 Mobile Workstation
- overflow and larger tools goes on pegboards
This is an excellent blogpost which informs such decisions and helped me to stop stressing out over it:
https://bridgerberdel.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/thoughts-on-tool-organization-and-storage/
Crazyraceguy
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I have a combination of a big mechanic style metal cabinet and top box, along with a row of self-built Sysport cabinets. I also have a bank of drawers under the mitersaw station for bigger things that don't have Systainers and a few small shelves on a small french cleat wall.
Everything has a place and nothing sits out at the end of the day except for a bench brush and a deadblow mallet.
It's mostly about clean-up because it's mostly enclosed. There is the idea that things are in a two stage retrieval situation, which some don't like, but it's not a 100% of the time thing. I get things out as I need them and leave them out as long as I might need them or there get to be just too many. At that point or near the end of the day, things start getting put away again.
But, this is a pretty exceptional case, because I am working in a big commercial cabinet shop, where I could run into nearly anything. I don't choose what I make like a hobbyist woodworker. Organization saves time. That's not necessarily a thing to a hobbyist, but it might be if their time is limited.
Everything has a place and nothing sits out at the end of the day except for a bench brush and a deadblow mallet.
It's mostly about clean-up because it's mostly enclosed. There is the idea that things are in a two stage retrieval situation, which some don't like, but it's not a 100% of the time thing. I get things out as I need them and leave them out as long as I might need them or there get to be just too many. At that point or near the end of the day, things start getting put away again.
But, this is a pretty exceptional case, because I am working in a big commercial cabinet shop, where I could run into nearly anything. I don't choose what I make like a hobbyist woodworker. Organization saves time. That's not necessarily a thing to a hobbyist, but it might be if their time is limited.
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