Junk drawer

[Ivan DeSlayer]

Hey guys I know everyone has one but cleaning up yesterday I counted that I had at least 5 junk drawers. I wanna par this down some. Right now I have a small 3 drawer tool box that the drawers are filled with nuts, bolts and misc fasteners (Jesus clip and push pins). Then I have a tool box drawer with misc. junk and then I seem to have adopted a drawer full of gaskets. Little of junk I have would be what you would consider standard almost all of it is the left over bolts and such from projects I've had.

I'd like to know what you guys do for "Junk" drawers.

 

[Kevin54]

I'd like to know what you guys do for "Junk" drawers.

I don't have too many. I usually toss stuff in the trash. I hate using used, rusted, nuts and bolt, so I try to keep some new of various sizes around. If I don't have it, I just a few minutes from the hardware store anyways.
A lot of junk drawers is just that....JUNK. Stuff you think you'll use later, but don't even remember it was in there, or why it was kept in the first place.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have a 5 gallon bucket full of old nuts and bolts stuck under the workbench. That is about the extent of my junk drawers.

 

[rvr6000]

I also keep a bucket under the workbench for old, bent or rusted metal parts. When it's full I take it down to the scrap metal recylcing place and throw it in their dumpster.

As far as old screws, as long as they are in okay shape and the heads not stripped out I'll throw em in a can of misc screws....comes in handy when just putzing around with something.

Any other misc hardware I try to keep somewhat organized in plastic containers by what it is...hinges, hooks, kotter pins, etc. I probably have more of these things than I will ever need but they are organized pretty well and can usually find what I am looking for pretty quickly.

For bigger things, I built a few wooden tool tote-like things for that kind of stuff....ratchet straps, electrical parts, plumbing parts, etc.

 

[MSRTom]

Neither of those "colas" appear to be red. I'm worried what's in the one in the background...

 

[jhelrey]

I bought some organizers and I just keep my misc there.

 

[shopboy13]

I bought some organizers and I just keep my misc there.

So its organized junk

 

[KinzeMech]

It's the best kind. Much better than regular junk.

 

[bigbubba]

Neither of those "colas" appear to be red. I'm worried what's in the one in the background...

What are you talking about?

 

[Gary S]

My workbench is a ready-made one that comes with a drawer under the bench top. I put in 10' of bench, and the bench comes in 6' and 4' lengths, so I ended up with 2 junk drawers, 10 feet total.

 

[JimVonBaden]

For most of it, though I have a plastic bin of misc larger items that won't fit in this.

Jim

 

[Brad54]

I have a steel industrial cabinet with a door. (it's a motor drive cabinet).
I bought the plastic bins with the little tab on the back of each bin, that hangs on a louvered metal back stop. I mounted them in the cabinet, and have 36 bins with everything from washers to hose clamps in it.

I've got a 48-cubby nut and bolt bin that I have a few odds and ends in--I've painted it, but haven't got doors on it yet, so I'm not using it (without doors, the cubbies get full of dust and grime, and then you get filthy every time you reach in for a fastener)

I just got a little plastic 4-drawer organizer like the hardware store has--the slide-out drawers they keep fasteners in. I threw in all my car trim screws, brake line hardware and clip-in blind nuts for sheetmetal fastening.

I've also got a little lazy susan with baby food jars on top of my bolt bin cabinet. The thing was made for holding baby food jars in the kitchen. After the kiddo didn't need it anymore, it went out into the shop and has very small screws and clips, little washers, O-rings, vacuum port plugs, trans shifter linkage fasteners, etc. etc.

It all takes up a good deal more space than a tool box drawer and 5-gallon buckets, but when I need something, I can get it within a minute or two, at most.

-Brad

 

[Jack Olsen]

I got it down to two by doing like JimVonBaden. The little drawers on top of my main bench let me organize some stuff that was always in there.

But I've got one that (mostly) holds current little stuff that I'm not finished with, and then one that's, well, pretty much just small stuff I don't have another place for.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

I keep my junk in my pants.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

I keep my junk in my pants.

Most of the time.

 

[BigAl62]

My junk drawer is in my old Remline bottom box. I went through it not too long ago and found some weird stuff I forgot about. I have **** loads of air shock air line parts and aftermarket cruise control parts (I used to install a lot of both) and I found 3 Chevy Vega center caps - I've NEVER owned one, yet there they are!

 

[polydan]

I got it down to two by doing like JimVonBaden. The little drawers on top of my main bench let me organize some stuff that was always in there.

But I've got one that (mostly) holds current little stuff that I'm not finished with, and then one that's, well, pretty much just small stuff I don't have another place for.

OK, In a thread about junk drawers....you're not allowed to participate with pics like this...OK goddammit!!!!

 

[darkk]

here's what we're using...

 

[skyking]

4'x3' wooden box 6" deep for all the loose small stuff.Use a small hand rake to dig in it with. I use the heck out of it. Never keep straight slot screws or damaged hardware.Rarely have to buy hardware.

 

[gayler]

My junk drawer is in my old Remline bottom box. I went through it not too long ago and found some weird stuff I forgot about. I have **** loads of air shock air line parts and aftermarket cruise control parts (I used to install a lot of both) and I found 3 Chevy Vega center caps - I've NEVER owned one, yet there they are!

Damn! I thought I was the only one with a Remline bottom box. Got it from a friend back in Vo-Tech School as payment for a loan.

 

[BigAl62]

Damn! I thought I was the only one with a Remline bottom box. Got it from a friend back in Vo-Tech School as payment for a loan.

I bought mine at Kmart back in 1981 (when I started wrenching there). It was the display model and has no nameplate on it, it took research on this website to identify it. (Kmart used to sell Remline and StackOn tool boxes)

 

[Steevo]

I picked this seven-drawer file-card cabinet up a while back at an auction.

I found some cardboard parts bins that fit the drawers perfectly, and I have been sorting through all of my bins, boxes, coffee cans, tuna cans, lunchmeat containers, etc, getting my junk organized into the parts bins in the drawers.

I put the assortment boxes (circlips, o-rings, etc) in the bottom drawer.

This should go a long way towards preventing a “junk drawer” in my shop.

 

[Thorold]

I have multiple sorted coffee cans for the nuts, bolts, screws, washer etc. Whenever the neighbours need something odd they come over, search through them and have a beer.

Hold on - that's my beer they are drinking !!!!

 

[Steevo]

I have multiple sorted coffee cans for the nuts, bolts, screws, washer etc. Whenever the neighbours need something odd they come over, search through them and have a beer.

Hold on - that's my beer they are drinking !!!!

Shoot, if you were my neighbor, I'd have a couple of projects a weekend that I needed a bolt, nut, or screw to complete . . . .

cheers!