power tool storage for the spacially challenged

[vette-kid]

OK, so almost 7 years ago now I moved into a house with what I thought to be a FANTASTIC garage. Not massive, but at 24x26 it is substantially better than the 18x18's they are passing off as 2 car garages in this area. I put in some cheap plastic tiles, got a good tool box and life was good. I even decorated the walls. I had plenty of space and the garage was the most decorated room in the house.

Since then, Ive gotten married, had a child and taken on a major vehicle restoration project...my garage is a disaster now! As tools, parts and a growing list of things getting kicked out of the house into the garage have taken over, i have a harder time finding storage solutions that work for me...on the cheap.

One of the most challenging has been power tools. I don't have anything big, not tables saws or drill presses or anything like that (although I would love a press and a band saw...seems a fella could fab up a lot with those two items), but simple cordless drills, impacts, sawzall, etc. Right now i have them stuffed into a few of the bigger drawers of my tool box, but they take a ton of space and I have to take half of them out to get the one I want and cuss and swear to get the drawer closed again. So how have others solved this challenge? What do you do with the drills, dremels and such?

 

[Leoruiz]

How about something like this ?

 

[Shiftless]

When I built my workbench, I built shelves under the bench top sized for big plastic storage tubs. Power tools like drills and buffers get tossed in loose. Easy access...just slide the box part way or all the way out like a drawer. Sawsalls, skill saws, angle grinders in their original metal or plastic carry boxes go onto heavy shelves against the wall. I prefer DIY shelving made from two by material supported by vertical 2x4s and screwed or bolted to the wall. Peace of mind. I can store transmissions and cylinder heads on them as well as power tools.

 

[vette-kid]

Shiftless, that a pretty good idea! I have a gladiator bench, so I cant really just add shelves under it, but there is some space for some tubs. I am out of space against the wall for more shelving. One criteria is that bikes have to go in the garage, not the shed. So one wall has two bikes hanging from the cieling with two more directly below them.

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks!
Just measure the height and width of your available space and go to the store and look for maybe 3 containers that will fill that width. The plastic tubs will sit on your floor and slide out easily even when heavily loaded. My set up under a 7 foot DIY bench has 4 tubs on the floor and 4 more on a shelf about 16 inches above the floor. Tools, odds and ends of plumbing, air hose, electrical...everything gets its own box. Extension cords hang on bicycle hooks screwed into wall studs or shelf supports.
Good luck with your organization project. I've been working on mine for 30+ years in my 19x19 garage.

 

[crewchief888]

i keep wood and metal separate from each other.

for the most part anything having to do with wood, DIY,& "around the house" repairs/projects stays in the basement. i keep a few hand tools in the house for the occasional minor fix.

i'm a heavy eq mechanic/welder, my small garage is "dedicated" to that type of work, as are most of my hand, air and electric tools.

every power tool i have i decide if it's something i'll use in the house or in the garage most often, and store them that way....

the house and garage aren't far apart, so getting something i need from one place to another isnt that big of a deal for me.

during warmer weather i do keep a cordless drill in the garage for the occasional time i need it.
otherwise, anything that doesnt have a cord on it stays in the house.

 

[vette-kid]

i keep wood and metal separate from each other.

for the most part anything having to do with wood, DIY,& "around the house" repairs/projects stays in the basement. i keep a few hand tools in the house for the occasional minor fix.

i'm a heavy eq mechanic/welder, my small garage is "dedicated" to that type of work, as are most of my hand, air and electric tools.

every power tool i have i decide if it's something i'll use in the house or in the garage most often, and store them that way....

the house and garage aren't far apart, so getting something i need from one place to another isnt that big of a deal for me.

during warmer weather i do keep a cordless drill in the garage for the occasional time i need it.
otherwise, anything that doesnt have a cord on it stays in the house.

I would love to do that...unfortunately we do not have basements down here and our house is rather challenged with storage as well. Not many closets, no extra rooms, office, etc. I do keep a tool box inside. Those are mostly hand tools that were never used on greasy cars or anything. But no way could I store any more than that in the house...wife would kick me and the tools out on the lawn Funny though, for the few years it was just me; the spare bedroom help spare parts and a reloading bench, the dishwasher was a parts washer and the oven was a paint and powder curing device, kitchen table was for rebuilding small parts, couch was for eating

 

[crewchief888]

I would love to do that...unfortunately we do not have basements down here and our house is rather challenged with storage as well. Not many closets, no extra rooms, office, etc. I do keep a tool box inside. Those are mostly hand tools that were never used on greasy cars or anything. But no way could I store any more than that in the house...wife would kick me and the tools out on the lawn Funny though, for the few years it was just me; the spare bedroom help spare parts and a reloading bench, the dishwasher was a parts washer and the oven was a paint and powder curing device, kitchen table was for rebuilding small parts, couch was for eating

thats what i hated about the places i lived in down there, no place to store anything.
my garage held everything, from decorations to my reloading bench.
at the time i didnt have the quantity of "stuff" i have now.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

The Rubbermaid brand "Rough Neck" totes have proven their worth amongst my storage masses.. They are available in several depths that all use the same size lid, thus are stackable.. They are a bit more expensive, but some of mine have held up for years.. They have earned their "Rough Neck" title when compared to some of the bargain totes I have bought. With some of the bargain totes, the lids are less secure, and the plastic is less durable..

 

[kfainf]

Maybe something like this for smaller power tools like cordless drills and electric sanders.

View media item 48494
View media item 48495

 

[crewchief888]

filing cabinets will hold quite a bit of stuff...

 

[vette-kid]

filing cabinets will hold quite a bit of stuff...

been watching craigslist for those! Problem is still that I'm running out of space to put another cabinet.

 

[coleman10]

Maybe something like this for smaller power tools like cordless drills and electric sanders.



View media item 48494


View media item 48495

That's actually a great space saver idea. Gotta make me one o' them.

 

[crewchief888]

been watching craigslist for those! Problem is still that I'm running out of space to put another cabinet.

pretty much the same problem i have, my garage is low on floor space with all the rest of the "stuff" i have in there.

but heres an idea...

this ( black cabinet in the corner) was an office type base (24" deep floor) cabinet, i hoisted it up all the way to the rafters and screwed it to the studs in 6.7 million places. i keep oil, A/F ect in it.

the red cabinet was salvaged from a service van we gutted the shelving. i keep my electric grinders and grinding/sanding supplies in it.

 

[72Anthony]

I keep frequently used power tools like drills, impact driver, and the spare batteries/charger in one of the drawers in a tool box.

The tools not used as often, such as sawzall, hammer drill, oscillating tool are in their original plastic boxes, stored on shelves or stacked on the top of upper cabinets, up near the ceiling.

Make sure you are taking advantage of all your wall space with shelves or cabinets.

 

[gahrajmahal]

Unlike a lot of folks on here I like to keep my power tools in the plastic box they came in. I then customize them to hold all the consumable stuff they use in the box. So a complete set of drill bits in the cordless drill box. A wrench and Allen key for the chuck. A complete set of screwdriver tips are in there too, so all I have to do is grab the box and I don't have to look for anything.
For tools bought without a case I buy a canvas tool bag and in goes all the consumables, screwdrivers or whatever dedicated hand tool required with the power tool.
I just keep all the cases on a shelf and liable the ends so I can remember what's what.

 

[metalmagpie]

A welding school I used to spend a lot of time at stored its grinders, clamps drills etc in old cheap filing cabinets. A filing cabinet drawer can hold a whole lot of cordless tools.

I have 7 or 8 18V cordless tools. I keep them all in the open top tray of one of my Kennedy top boxes. It just about holds them all.

metalmagpie

 

[Hklein]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[countrytech]

I built this to hold my cordless power tools. It opens up for storage of small items and accessories inside.