Best Place To Find Toolbox Organization Items?

[Matt M PA]

Hey guys! I got a new toolbox today and have searched here a good bit. I am hoping to find a good place to look for wrench, screwdriver, socket, etc organizational pieces...maybe drawer dividers too.

My current box is a late 1980s Craftsman...the standard width version with a top, middle and bottom box. I"m moving into a 41" Kobalt that doesn't fit the metal dividers, wrench racks, etc. that I already have.

I'd be glad for thoughts on a good place to look to get some selection.

(I've been wanting to upgrade to a wider box, but didn;t want the effort of rearranging the garage, etc. I also didn;t want a red box..as nice as the HF ones are. When I saw this blue roller and chest at Lowes...seemed to fit the bill. I saw it at the store and when I got home I couldn't find it on-line. In case it's a close-out, etc...I got it today.)

 

[shadyluke]

I was looking for some wench racks before and found a pretty good selection on Amazon with the best prices.

Where in SE PA are you? I'm just outside of Oxford in Lincoln University (very SE PA)

 

[LB-1911]

Ernst
http://www.ernstmfg.com/Tool-Organizers.aspx

Previous Ernst product threads
https://www.google.com/webhp?source...nst+garage+journal+site:www.garagejournal.com

 

[Bluedodge]

Menards and Amazon

 

[dave89iroc]

www.tooltopia.com has good prices on socket and wrench organizers, depending on the type you want

 

[Matt M PA]

Thanks for the great tips!

I'm not far from Newtown, Langhore..that area.

Also...here's the new box...

 

[Organized_Garage]

hrpracing.com has a good selection of aluminum trays, bins and tool storage racks plus a big assortment of other storage items for garages.

 

[Mustang1167]

I like Ernest for wrenches and Gearwrench socket rails. I think both can be bought at tooltopia. I use a closet organizer shelf rack cut in half for my pliers.

 

[e015475]

I have some toolbox organizers from these folks - I really like them\

http://www.foamfittools.com/

 

[MFolks]

http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=71906&cat=1,43326

 

[Ragtop13]

I use these:

http://www.schallercorporation.com/plastic-boxes/

 

[sberry]

Make the stuff first, prototype out of scrap to find the different layouts that work before spending.

 

[LXCam]

I have some toolbox organizers from these folks - I really like them\

http://www.foamfittools.com/

Holy bend me over generic tool kit assortment organizer user batman. If I saw that right you're looking at 5bills more or less to organize a $150 CF tool kit. GTF outta here. Lmao.

 

[pitterpat]

Make the stuff first, prototype out of scrap to find the different layouts that work before spending.

Good idea.

 

[thickhead]

I use these:

http://www.schallercorporation.com/plastic-boxes/

Nice. Thanks for the link.

 

[Dookie2122]

I've been looking at that box at Lowe's for a bit, let me know how you like it. Organizers, go with Ernst, best prices are from Summit Racing and ML Tools, Amazon's prices are too high on their products. Nice area there, I'm at Brian's Harley-Davidson in Langhorne all the time, good folks in that area. Good Luck.

 

[sberry]

I do understand the finished look and location/garage and style got a lot to do with it and also how fussy a guy is. I know some great mechanics not meticulous about tools and some slops over the rest of their **** but **** about it.
I have bought stuff and its all well while it sits in the box and I don't care for the rails and snappin it all in place, way too tedious and I live on select duplication.
Even fussy masters come here and say this is easier than their own box, had a master work for me a while back say this is as easy as he ever seen.
The stuff I toss together at the last minute because I needed it worked as good or better than the stuff I plan out and buy with big plans.
This too catch serves the hoist and tractor bay, needs just a fuzz of refinement on metric wrenches yet but considering our duty cycle its not a deal breker.

 

[sberry]

Whats as important is that we have what we need but also strip out everything we don't. I have another cab for the rest of the sets but don't need several 11/32 sockets of all types in the stuff I ram thru every day. I mark 10mm and 13's and it helps.
I have 2 other drawers for stuff tossed in, one for "other" sockets I might need and one that is everything not a simple combo wrench or more rare sizes but 96% of it is right out in the open cant miss.
I survive on combo wrenches and most socket work is air power and I like the wrebch on a nail system as good as any I have ever seen. I need to label the sizes. They "roam" in my shop, if a nail is full the one on the next bench must be empty and it makes grab and return super fast, don't have to "worry" about getting them in a super specific spot, only to the nearest hanger not full.
They find their way on golf carts too.

 

[archirelic]

sberry: your organization is not my style, but I must say that it does look damn efficient!

 

[sberry]

Right, it was made exclusively for efficiency and I had intended to improve the cosmetics a bit but it works too well to fug wit it. I was going to prove it out and buy some carts etc there wasn't any financial to gain and I could paint a little yet.

 

[sberry]

I like your new box. I don't need to shove a roller full of pry bars and I like the lotta drawers in the bottom. I want a new one like that or the HF44 and would put a back on the top like a semi hutch and still keep my cart style with trays and common tools on top.
If I had it all in the drawers would be simply open and close to get a wrench all day, I got a couple users most days and so much easier when a guy don't got to try to figure out what drawer its in. As they say ,,, your mileage may vary.

 

[nosnerd]

Sonic tools

 

[Matt M PA]

Thanks again guys! I looked at all those sites and took some good ideas. I spent a good bit of the weekend making room for the bigger box and getting organized. Still not quite done.

I had some bins, baskets, etc but I wound up buying a few mesh trays that are about 15x8 (maybe 6) at the Container Store..I used these for extra sockets, ratchets, u joints, etc in each drive size. I also bought some of the HF plastic socket rails. At $4 a set of 3...they're great. Not quite as rigid as some others I saw...but priced right and work well. I also got a few of the 6 compartment organizers from HF. I managed to get some wrench rails at Lowes that were a big help. Finally, I got a pliers rack that holds pliers.

Thus far, I like the box very much. Everyone that has seen it loves the color and I'm glad I got it. For me, the drawer layout is better that the HF 41" box, too.

Back on topic....I can post some pics if folks want to see my "organization"....
So now I have two bottom, one middle, and two top boxes to sort. They're the older grey Craftsman boxes. I've been using one as a junk collector in our attached garage, but I think I may make up just one box of tools for the house and use one of the boxes. May have an extra...we'll see...

 

[Matt M PA]

Hard to get a pic of much with the drawers open....but my OCD is slowly being satisfied...

 

[slimpickins]

View media item 62337Looks good to me! I've been starting the same process and after trying a few different things I've sort of settled on the Ernst twist lock racks for sockets available on Amazon. They have 1, 2 and 3 rail sets. I settled on the 3 rail sets and picked up two of each in two colours - red for SAE and blue for metric. Then I also picked up a couple extra sets of the twist lock clips for the 1/4 and 3/8 rails because the rails are half empty even when you have a full set of sockets on them. Its still a work in progress. I don't have any pics at the moment but I'll see if i can get around to shooting a couple in the next day or so.
For wrenches, just using standard racks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHJHA8W/?tag=atomicindus08-20