Bins or dividers for drawers

[signcrafter]

I've been picking up file cabinets to help organize the shop and want to get some sort of bins and/or dividers so it's not just one drawer with stuff thrown in it. Looking for suggestions or links to bins or dividers to see what might work best. I have a bunch of akro mils plastic trays but they are more for shelves, although they could work in file cabinet drawers if it comes down to it. But seeing if anyone has suggestions for something I may not know about? Not exactly sure what all I'm going to be putting in them and some drawers are shallower, about 6" and some are the standard file cabinet deep drawer that are 12" or so. But want to start putting things like consumables or accessories in some of the drawers and want to have some sort of dividers/bins in them to keep things from mixing all up.

 

[humber2]

Both probably needed, I am also using plastic cutlery drawer inserts too.

Check the bargain bins at thrift shops for Tupperware and other possibilities.

 

[fourjeepin]

I would prefer bins but have dividers. I’m not complaining as the bins were a huge score (all bins and hardware from a Home Depot that was closing) but there are often times I would to dump out everything in a little section.

 

[bigfunwmu]

I've been picking up file cabinets to help organize the shop and want to get some sort of bins or dividers so it's not just one drawer with stuff thrown in it. I have a bunch of akro mils plastic trays but they are more for shelves, although they could work in file cabinet drawers if it comes down to it. But seeing if anyone has suggestions for something I may not know about? Not exactly sure what all I'm going to be putting in them and some drawers are shallower, about 6" and some are the standard file cabinet deep drawer that are 12" or so. But want to start putting things like consumables or accessories in some of the drawers and want to have some sort of dividers/bins in them to keep things from mixing all up.

We use file cabinets for o-rings at work. File folders with enclosed sides in regular file hangers work great for fiddly little stuff like that with 1000+ pieces per size in a single foler for the little ones and 200+ per folder for bigger ones. Rollocs and electric terminals would be there too instead of akro bins if useage volume was high enough.

 

[jmarkwolf]

In a pinch, I've employed hardware store variety aluminum angle attached to the bottom of toolbox drawers with double stick tape to create dividers. Removable when no longer needed.

 

[MR2FC]

 

[signcrafter]

That's a really neat idea. Thanks for sharing.

 

[rust in the eye]

What are you storing? Do you need the depth? If not then something then you could stack but you'll need to shuffle them around to see what's on the bottom.
The old standby of cigar boxes comes to mind.
Once upon a time I had virtually limitless supply of old file cabinets at my disposal but never found them useful for my auto oriented shop.

 

[WaveBlasterer]

I'm a fan of bins over dividers for the ease of drawer re-organization. With dividers it's a task to move and shuffle your things around, especially smaller hardware. The downside is you must keep a huge variety of bins, where dividers are infinitely adjustable.

 

[tak1313]

I haven't done it yet because I'm such a lazy@ss, but I picked up dental molding that I plan to mount along the edges of my drawers and use strips of 1/4 inch ply stretched across (with the ends in the grooves of the molding).

To make smaller "sections," I plan to use the molding on some of the lengths of ply, one or both sides, to use as inserts in between.

BUT

If anyone knows me and "plans" one day, when I'm gone, they'll find these lengths of dental molding in the garage and wonder "what did he get this for?"

 

[larry_g]

Me being a cheap person I use cheap bread pans. The tin disposable ones are good for light things

LG

 

[jessesandy]

I've been picking up file cabinets to help organize the shop and want to get some sort of bins and/or dividers so it's not just one drawer with stuff thrown in it. Looking for suggestions or links to bins or dividers to see what might work best. I have a bunch of akro mils plastic trays but they are more for shelves, although they could work in file cabinet drawers if it comes down to it. But seeing if anyone has suggestions for something I may not know about? Not exactly sure what all I'm going to be putting in them and some drawers are shallower, about 6" and some are the standard file cabinet deep drawer that are 12" or so. But want to start putting things like consumables or accessories in some of the drawers and want to have some sort of dividers/bins in them to keep things from mixing all up.

I've thrown out the original dividers that come with all my file cabinets.
Currently eight around the house.
All free.
From Craigslist or the job.
Love file cabinets

 

[RTM]

If you can get a series of boxes that fit inside, are all the same height having two layers of boxes where one or two aren't there on the top layer, and slide them around to get to the bottom layer works. I did that with some front locking boxes so they didn't fall open when you lifted.

 

[gtcs]

Here’s a couple of my file cabinet drawers. The yellow dividers were sold as dividers for the black and yellow storage bins, they don’t fit perfectly but they work great. The others are coffee cans and I’m just glad I don’t need anymore as I’m not a fan of Maxwell House.

 

[jblnut]

I was also going to suggest coffee cans. PVC pipe with a flat cap on one end is another decent option. Not the least expensive but neither is buying a few dozen big tubs of coffee and dumping it out lol

 

[YesIHaveAHammer]

Bins with configurable dividers in them - best of both.

Plus you can group similar or related items together, while still keeping them separate.


(Stemo 3012)

 

[OccupantRJ]

My wife assists me with drawer bins by saving any rectangular or square plastic container from the kitchen. The Cascade dish washer pod containers work well. If a container is too tall I cut it to proper height on the bandsaw using a block of wood wedged inside to help stabilize it during the cut. I use a proper height block of wood alongside the outside of the container as a guide for marking, or a fence can be used for multiple cuts.

 

[ETJ]

Latest tool box tour youtube video mentioned this company: https://www.schallercorporation.com/

You can design your drawer layout using their Drawer builder and order all the bins from your design. And they don't seem to be badly priced either.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've got some bins from HF and some from Menard's. If they were too tall for the drawer they went it, a pass on the bandsaw corrected that.