Toolbox Organizers Cost?

[d.mcfarland]

For basic small boxes try Schaller.

Plastic Drawer Organizers - Made in USA - Schaller Corporation

Shop durable, USA-made plastic drawer organizers and bin assortments. Ideal for tools, crafts, and hardware. Customize your storage with Schaller Corporation.

www.schallercorporation.com

This.

Buy a bunch, save on shipping, and have plenty of options for well less than $100.

 

[Rickster]

Harfor Freight has those parts storage boxes in their case storage bins for cheap in different sizes. They have three different socket trays; Hanson style, the old HF black trays and a 4-rail clip system on a metal base.

 

[dr_clyde]

This is perfect. I have just finished setting up my shop and I couldn't agree more with the CHI's explanation. It may not be everyone's concious process but it certainly was mine. I have an attic full of different organizational accessories which were purchased with the best intentions but they never made the cut. Socket trays in every shape conceivable, plier racks, and screwdriver holders are amongst some of my many purchases while in the pursuit of tool box perfection. While I avoid saying "always" and "never" I really like my current setup and changing anything drastically will likely "never" happen. To this end I have purchased duplicates and triplicates as spares for fear of having one of the Hansen tray spokes break. My system is a blend of conventional and "outside of the box" components. Because I am dyed in the wool GJ disciple, tool density has become of top level importance when evaluating tool box organizers as anyone would agree you can't have too many of anything. Some of my organization includes "expensive" hansen trays while many drawers were filled with accessories from the Dollar Store.

As someone who owns a machine shop, I can truly appreciate the level to which Vidmar has elevated tool and small part storage.

I LOVE Vidmar cabinets and don't know why more people don't go the route you've done. Yeah, they're not on wheels, but so what? Make a frame and put some casters under if you need them. If I didn't already have a nice box that I'm happy with I'd probably go the exact same route.

Very nice setup. I especially like the "top drawer" labeled as such.

 

[flippin]

As someone who owns a machine shop, I can truly appreciate the level to which Vidmar has elevated tool and small part storage.

I LOVE Vidmar cabinets and don't know why more people don't go the route you've done. Yeah, they're not on wheels, but so what? Make a frame and put some casters under if you need them. If I didn't already have a nice box that I'm happy with I'd probably go the exact same route.

Very nice setup. I especially like the "top drawer" labeled as such.

Thank you for the kind thoughts. As described casters would have been easy especially since all of my Vidmar/Lista boxes have been part of my homage to Steevo and his design. I also owe gratitude to Jack Olsen who helped me make the "belt" cuts in a few of my boxes which were 60" tall variants. Integrated receivers for vices, grinders etc make the system almost perfect. Perfection for me can be attributed to less than $1500 invested for 20 linear feet of Lista-Vidmar Gold. Value and reasonable cost tie this back into the OP's original question.

 

[BTL-A4]

I did the same as @ecotec with my pliers and ratchets. I got dish drying racks at the dollar store. I wanted something that wasn't specific to each tool; in other words I wanted to be able to put the tool wherever, and not worry if it had an exact spot.


For some of my measuring tools, I cut slots in a block of wood:


For my screwdrivers, I cut wide slots in scrap wood. Mostly Phillips on one side, bladed on the other, with a little space for the Vessel ones I use all the time:


For my pin punches, chisels and other punches, I made holes in blocks of wood I stacked. The hole punches are in the plastic they came in. The nail sets are in a block of wood. I haven't had a chance to paint them yet. I may glue the 3 blocks holding the punches and chisels together as well. I wanted to try everything out first.

 

[ecotec]

My favorite socket storage method are the lock together strips. I got the first of them when I bought my Matco double bay… and I have been buying every one that I can find since… I don’t care about color. I have 1/4”-3/4”… but not enough to do the whole metric drawer of my main box… so, I will need to find a lot more to do my SAE drawer of my main box, enough for my tool cart, my second stack, future stacks… I need a lot more…

This is my metric drawer in my main box. Someday I hope to have a big enough drawer to have my metric and SAE in one drawer and have all or most of them on the lock together strips.

 

[ecotec]

The row from front to back, with the zip tie on it, is mostly 1/4”10mm.

The row from right to left, with the zip ties on it, is 1/4” 10mm spares.

There are 49 10mm spares total in that drawer on top of a 10mm in each set including 1/2” sets…

50 spare 10mm sounded crazy though…

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

One observation from lots of use and reflection over the year, I find the Ernst twist-lock rails aren’t that great for 1/4 sets. They work ok for deeps. The shallow sets though get really hard to actually twist to unlock or lock, especially brands that have smaller shallow sockets to begin with. My Proto sets are a bit taller so it’s annoying but I can get a grip around them but my regular non-Z Series Ko-kens are impossible to turn. I much prefer my Westling trays for 1/4 stuff. Or I find I like buying the 1/4 sets that come in portable boxes, like my Felo, Wera and Heyco sets. I’m still a big fan of Ernst, but the small stuff isn’t where it shines.

 

[superspec]

That is the plan. The catch is I need your tools to do it unless I have the same set.

Each design is specific to the parts as measured. Tool Manufacturers have been known to make changes. Like Craftsman; an EE series 9/16 3/8 Drive Deep Socket is about 1/32 bigger in diameter than a V series. Found out the hard way when I made an V Series Socket Tray and made the exact same thing for an EE series...the 9/16 wouldn't go in the holes.

The problem with one size fits all is then one size fits none. Don't get me wrong they work but it is not perfect. I tend to aim at perfection and miss rather than aim at imperfection hit. I am wired for "Continuous Improvement". It is what I do. Take a design or idea and refine it and refine it again.

The experience of Modeling the Tools has allowed me to learn more and more about the Software's capability and what I can do with it. In the last month I have spent every spare minute I have honing this process...practice for the next chapter in the book of life.

Where was this stuff when I was a kid...this beat Legos and Erector Sets hands down!!!

Today's print while I was at work...another Tray for my Craftsman Hex Socket Key short and long, SAE and Metric. Have the SAE Trays done a need to work on the Metric stuff. Thanks to Parametric design capability within the software making the Metric Trays will take about 20% the time as the SAE. Simply change the dimensions of the Hex Keys and the entire model updates by itself.



I have 3 sets of SAE and Metric so the printer will be running overnight making one more set.

I have a new set that it like to get a tray for so I can grab it and walk to a job