Bulk storage of leftover hardware?

[DGersic]

I have too many 3/4 to 1/2 full boxes of screws, nails, bolts, etc. Looking to better organize and store them.

I have a bunch of the little plastic parts drawers. Too small to hold a box of screws. The HF parts organizer boxes and racks for them are impressive, but the interior boxes won’t hold a full box of (for example) 4” deck screws.

I have seen bolt bins, but not thrilled with the way the open bin collects dirt and spiders.

What else is out there for ideas?

 

[Skellyii]

I have too many 3/4 to 1/2 full boxes of screws, nails, bolts, etc. Looking to better organize and store them.

I have a bunch of the little plastic parts drawers. Too small to hold a box of screws. The HF parts organizer boxes and racks for them are impressive, but the interior boxes won’t hold a full box of (for example) 4” deck screws.

I have seen bolt bins, but not thrilled with the way the open bin collects dirt and spiders.

What else is out there for ideas?

I've used the large HF "sortimo" equivalent, I just take out some of the plastic boxes and put in the boxes the screws come in. I would post a picture, but it's 12:30AM and I'm too lazy to go out to the garage and snap a picture.

 

[drmarkr]

I have too many 3/4 to 1/2 full boxes of screws, nails, bolts, etc. Looking to better organize and store them.

I have a bunch of the little plastic parts drawers. Too small to hold a box of screws. The HF parts organizer boxes and racks for them are impressive, but the interior boxes won’t hold a full box of (for example) 4” deck screws.

I have seen bolt bins, but not thrilled with the way the open bin collects dirt and spiders.

What else is out there for ideas?

Yes, they do collect some dust/debris, but you can blow them out every few months with compressed air? Should hold your boxes....if not there are a number of larger versions of this that certainly will.

 

[kbeefy]

You could easily build a hardware store equivalent selection. And probably will.

I try to sort things by fastener type. Bins or containers with bolts, nuts, washers, and screws. When the collection gets larger I'll break it up by whatever metric seems best. When the piles get bigger than the containers I figure something else out.

 

[kbeefy]

My hardware catching station. Unfortunately way more cluttered now.

 

[whateg01]

I have a bunch of the stackable DeWalt/Craftsman bins. Big bolts go in bins in a drawer. 1/4-3/8 are in the stackable things so I can take them to a project. I also have a husky packout thing with bins that holds deck screws and the like.

 

[cvairwerks]

Akro bins can be had with covers... We had tens of thousands of them in the plant when they replaced all the dented up metal ones, back in the late '80. Still use the same style ones today there. They can be stacked or hung on the panels or racks, even with the covers on.

 

[johnre]

Another vote for Akro-Bins - and yes, they indeed are dust collectors, and I deal with it by simply turning on the overhead dust collector, putting on a mask, and hitting them with a leaf blower.

Clear plastic covers look nice initially, but the plastic gets scratched and foggy pretty quickly in this environment. I want to see what's in them, so they are always open on top.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have been involved in a workshop of some nature for 60 years and the best thing I have ever had for my hardware is a card file cabinet. I gave 9 commercial metal storage drawer sections with 18 drawers each away to workshop friends after I started using them. I usually pay $60-90 for one and they will hold one hell of a load of items in bin cups or the purchased boxes. I have 5 and using them was an enlightenment. The drawers are 4 to 6 inches high with ball bearing slides and are the poor man’s Vidmar storage system.

 

[DGersic]

Akro bins can be had with covers... We had tens of thousands of them in the plant when they replaced all the dented up metal ones, back in the late '80. Still use the same style ones today there. They can be stacked or hung on the panels or racks, even with the covers on.

Akro bins with covers is definitely a possibility. Have to be hung, though. Having them stacked annoys me because I tend to need whatever is on the bottom of the stack. And whatever I end up with, the container needs to go with me from time to time.

 

[wandrur]

I have a bunch of the stackable DeWalt/Craftsman bins. Big bolts go in bins in a drawer. 1/4-3/8 are in the stackable things so I can take them to a project. I also have a husky packout thing with bins that holds deck screws and the like.

I use a Husky version of this for my extras.

 

[Jgaz]

I use the smaller drawers in this picture to hold my hardware 1/4” thru 1/2”.
Many times boxes of nuts and washers will fit In these spaces.


Larger hardware and boxes of fasteners are stored in their boxes or in bags in the red metal drawers in the left hand cabinet in this picture.

 

[Bert_]

Screws I use often are in paint cans. Easy to grab and take with you. Some stuff I cut the bottom off square-ish plastic containers/jugs. All of it goes in a drawer in a file cabinet

 

[Kaizen]

I use the dewalt type cases mentioned above. I made a rolling open cabinet with full extension shelves that pull out so I can pull out the shelf, unlock the case, open the top and get what i need.
I have them broken out into bolts, washers, hilti stuff, plumbing fittings, electrical stuff, anchors, screws, nails, etc.
It really pays off to organize your stuff in some kind of accesiblee manner to save trips to the store and todays high prices.

 

[DGersic]

I have been involved in a workshop of some nature for 60 years and the best thing I have ever had for my hardware is a card file cabinet.

A quick check doesn’t show anything available locally, but those do look like a nice solution. I’ll have to start looking for some, see what I can find. There’s no rush, the pile won’t go anywhere without me.

 

[whateg01]

...I made a rolling open cabinet with full extension shelves that pull out so I can pull out the shelf, unlock the case, open the top and get what i need.

I started and need to get back on doing that but mine is designed to kinda match the toolboxes that the hardware cabinet will sit next to.

 

[TurnipTruck]

I collected piles and piles of similar-sized small boxes from work over the decades to somewhat attempt to organize my hoarding tendencies. I then finally built racks to hold them all so I could actually find something.

I built a toolroom between the woodshop and the weld shop. The left side has become parts and fluids storage with blow molded tool boxes and coats&boots on the right.


Half of the inside pallet rack:

 

[WildBill]

I really like this size Dewalt storage container and the shorter one, but I have mostly this size. The big bins are large enough for almost any type of hardware and the smaller ones will fit one or more of most boxes of screws etc. And you can just grab the bin you need to take wherever you are working. I lucked out and got a bunch for $10 each a couple years ago, they seem to go on sale for about $15 a couple times a year now. I have not made any type of smart storage rack for them yet, its on the list.

https://www.amazon.com/DeWalt-DWST14825-10-Compartment-Organizer-Metal/dp/B00AUVX394?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[firebirdparts]

The main thing is to find something or make something and do it. Having a little bit of it sorted really is nice. How much of it you have will dictate the size you want, somewhat. I would love to have an old library card catalog, but I don't. I feel lucky - I have a service writer's desk that is branded, from an old gas station. It has a single drawer that was compartmentalized and it's just perfect.

 

[eviltwin]

I use the dewalt type cases mentioned above. I made a rolling open cabinet with full extension shelves that pull out so I can pull out the shelf, unlock the case, open the top and get what i need.
I have them broken out into bolts, washers, hilti stuff, plumbing fittings, electrical stuff, anchors, screws, nails, etc.
It really pays off to organize your stuff in some kind of accesiblee manner to save trips to the store and todays high prices.

Any pics of your setup?

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I find hardware storage to be dynamic in that quantities of each bolt / nut / screw can’t shrink / grown and I’m constantly finding I need more sizes than what I currently had in hand. So a few years ago I bought two 16 drawer lists cabinets and filled them with Schaller bins. This way I can quickly change configuration around to adjust to my changing needs and I can bring the bins to the work.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

Several years ago I moved all of my partially full boxes of nails to a milk crate in the "not frequently used" area of the basement. I have a stack of milk crates full of odds and ends on a HF dolly.

Yesterday I performed a "GJ heretical task" and donated the contents of most of the milk crates to a Thrift Store. I got the floor space back and will buy a box of 4P finish nails if I ever need them again. The majority of my fasteners are now air or battery fired.

My OCD side would love to have a full on nut/bolt/washer storage setup but my homeowner/hobbyist needs don't justify the expense/space.

Cheers

Jim

 

[allinon72]

This is one of the more challenging garage problems. You either end up with a disorganized mess, a mish-mash of different organizers, or lock yourself into an expensive organization system. Then there’s the issue of space constraints as whatever method you choose grows.

My biggest challenge is step 2 - remembering that I actually possess a fastener when I need it. I use the Akro small parts organizers and if it’s something weird that won’t fit in a bin, I simply don’t save it. I have a small section where I keep overflow items that are in their own case or ordinary screws that are purchased in bulk in larger boxes (like drywall screws).

 

[tarmy]

You mean like this?

 

[BurtEggley]

it really all comes down to space and budget. I use these at $8 each. They stack and you don't need every divider.

 

[crewchief888]

i have a mostly unused snap on roller in the basement. i use it for leftover/surplus drawer door hinges and pulls/knobs. bottom 2 or 3 deeper drawers have larger boxes of surplus deck screws ect

 

[OneEyedMan]

I really like Vidmar storage but given the price, I pick up 20+ year old Craftsman rolling tool boxes. $100 will catch most of them and the drawer layout is usually too many deep drawers for my liking as a tool box. Works great for boxes of fasteners and bulky cordless tools though.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have plastic bins full, on shelves behind cabinet doors....I also have bins in a 56" USG cabinet.

 

[carcruse]

I use the clear plastic tubs that potato salad, coleslaw, etc come in at the supermarket. They come in 2 sizes.

 

[DGersic]

I use the clear plastic tubs that potato salad, coleslaw, etc come in at the supermarket. They come in 2 sizes.

What do you then store these in?

 

[jblnut]

Bolt bins for the win. It’s hardware and it doesn’t care if it gets dusty. If you don’t like it put some doors on the bins. A pair of cabinet style doors on each bin would solve most dust issues.


Or you could go fancy and find the same trays and bins that I got with my Gates hyd hose machine. The bins are on drawers and the bins of course lift out.

 

[carcruse]

What do you then store these in?

Some in a double door cabinet similar to this one and some stacked 4 to 5 high on shelves

 

[Steve W.]

About the time I was starting to organize, I was given several metal shelves that a local hospital was throwing out. Found that the Harbor Freight bins fit perfectly, so bought as many as I could, while the sale lasted. I think they were $6.99 each.

 

[whateg01]

Some in a double door cabinet similar to this one and some stacked 4 to 5 high on shelves

Part of my organization efforts has been to eliminate stuff being stacked. I shouldn't have to move stuff to get to other stuff. Not completely successful, but for stuff like hardware I'm making progress. Drawers are helping a lot.

 

[carcruse]

Part of my organization efforts has been to eliminate stuff being stacked. I shouldn't have to move stuff to get to other stuff. Not completely successful, but for stuff like hardware I'm making progress. Drawers are helping a lot.

I just put the stuff I need once in a blue moon toward the bottom or in back. Also have on one a long shelf for more often used hardware.

 

[Kaizen]

Any pics of your setup?

Its so ugly I don't think I took a pic of it. Used old cabinet doors for the pull out surface and 3/4 tube for the support structure. I'll grab one tomorrow for you

 

[Jgaz]

Part of my organization efforts has been to eliminate stuff being stacked. I shouldn't have to move stuff to get to other stuff.

This^^
I had these three HF cases stacked in this space for years. When I finally threw together some slides I find it so much nicer.

One of the joys of being retired is having time to do this. I don’t sit around very well.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have too many 3/4 to 1/2 full boxes of screws, nails, bolts, etc. Looking to better organize and store them.

Being a cheap SOB ...

I just completely wrapped the outside of the cardboard boxes with clear packing tape.

 

[whateg01]

Being a cheap SOB ...

I just completely wrapped the outside of the cardboard boxes with clear packing tape.

That's a great way to preserve boxes that get used a lot. I carry business cards with me to trade shows in a box but it doesn't take long for the box to start falling apart so I have one that wrapped in packing tape long ago that just never dies now.

 

[Kaizen]

Any pics of your setup?

I just slapped this together with what i had around to get these things off the floor. Didn't even finish weld it. This one shown is my pocket hole stuff.. I had a height limitation and ran into a design flaw which made some wasted space but it works. second pic shows the pulled out shelf and last shows how you can have access without needing to move them. One thing i love about these dewalt are the removable trays. I like grabbing a bin of whatever and take it to the work.