Fastener Storage - Systems Compared

[LeeG]

Someone brought this up, and since it is a rainy day and I can't get much done out in the garage, I thought I'd put my thoughts and experiences down for some initial context.

Major Types:

• Cabinets with full width drawers
• Cabinets with multiple narrow drawers
• Open face bins
• Stand alone containers
• Portable storage containers with multiple internal bins

Cabinets with full width drawers​

These would be fairly shallow drawer boxes. Lista and Vidmar are the top of the line, but any toolbox with drawers less than 3" deep could qualify. The space inside these drawers can be organized with a variety of sizes of bins. Shaller Corporation sells high quality plastic bins in a variety of sizes and depths. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can print your own boxes, or fabricate them out of wood, metal, or left over containers of any sort.

Advantages:

• Versatile
• Reconfigurable
• High capacity
• You can take a bin of parts to where you are working

Disadvantages:

• High initial cost
• Takes up a lot of floor space
• Not portable

Personal Note
I use this as a part of my fastener storage system. I use the shallow drawers of a US General 26" wide box for the fastener size I use most often and have the most variations of - 1/4"-20.
2" deep drawer with Shaller bins.

3" deep drawer with Shaller and 3D printed bins

Cabinets with multiple narrow drawers​

The items in this category can be metal Durham drawer cabinets, plastic Akro-Mills storage cabinets, or wood antique card catalogs, and the like. The drawers in these cabinets usually have provision for dividers to allow sub dividing a single drawer into smaller compartments. These are typically much less expensive than a full size toolbox, and typically do not require the extra cost of storage bins. The smaller of these are often used for small, lightweight parts, while the larger, all metal units can are quite durable and can handle much larger fasteners.

Advantages:

• Moderate to low initial cost
• Can usually be wall mounted, or at least bench top mounted
• Single drawers can be removed and taken to where you are working

Disadvantages:

• Not typically as deep as a full size chest
• Drawer widths are much smaller
• Drawer dividers are not as good as separate bin

Personal Note
I used these extensively when I first set up my shop. I started with the plastic 2"x8" bins, and later moved to a Durham 30 drawer cabinet that I used for many years for my 1/4-20 fasteners and wood screws. I only sold it because I needed the bench space for other tools.

Open Face Bins​

These are typically wall mounted. Either fixed size metal or removable plastic bins. The fixed size bins work well for larger fasteners - 1/4" and up and are quite common in farm and heavy equipment repair shops. The removable plastic bins are less durable, but can be swapped out with various sizes or colors.

Advantages:

• Quick access to a variety of fasteners
• Durable (metal bins)
• Able to take a bin to your work area (plastic bins)

Disadvantages

• Take up wall space
• Metal bins are not very versatile
• Open, so dust and grit tend to accumulate inside

Personal Note
I have had both types of these in my garage in the past. I don't use enough large fasteners for the metal one to be efficient, and it ended up becoming as bad set of shelves that always were full of dust. The plastic bins worked much better for me, with me using one of the sets from Harbor Freight for several years. I eventually replaced it when I needed the wall space for larger items.

Stand alone containers​

This was the standard for many years. Some people leave items in their original boxes. Some use zip lock plastic bags. My dad used baby food jars. There are many commercial alternatives. Just have a line of them on your bench or on a shelf (which makes it a subset of the top group).

Advantages

• Low entry cost (perhaps free)
• Expandable

Disadvantages

• Not really much different from no organization method.

Portable storage containers with multiple internal bins​

This is a big group, and is the subject of many posts here on GJ. This can really be a sweet spot for most hobbyists. You can have expandability, low initial cost and flexibility. Plus, you are not tied to a single platform, so you can mix and match as your need and budget changes. Following is a list of some that I have experience with and a quick comment on each. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can make your own bin sizes, reducing the downsides of some offerings.

• Milwaukee Packout
  • Expensive and overbuilt for in-shop use. Limited sizes on internal bins.
• Rigid Pro Gear System
  • Less expensive than Milwaukee and slightly less durable. Limited sizes on internal bays, still over build for in-shop use
• Sortimo - L-Boxx, I-Boxx, and T-Boxx
  • Very high quality, configurable, durable. Preferred by Adam Savage. Very expensive.
• Harbor Freight storage bins
  • Available in large (8 bit) and medium (20 bin) sizes. Good for the money, but limited options on bin sizes
• Hart/Keter cantilevel parts organizer
  • Limited size bins, fairly durable.
• Plano style boxes
  • Great for smaller parts. Limited sizes available. Generally very cost effective.
• Allit Storage Bins
  • Made in Germany, sold by Lee Valley tools. Low cost, large variety of bin sizes. Bins sold seperately. Three box sizes.
• Durham Steel Compartment box
  • Very durable, but limited bin sizes and configurations
• Festool Systainer Organizer
  • Portable but not water proof. Various bin sizes available. Expensive.

There are others. These are the ones I have direct experience with.

Personal Note
I use the Allit bins for all fasteners smaller than 1/4" and M6 and smaller. I have about 50 of them and have used them for years. For larger fasteners, I use the mostly the 22" Keter cantilever boxes that used to be available at Home Depot under the Husky name or the Ridid 22" Organizer. I have a set of Festool Systainers that I use for on-the-go work (I do some volunteer work) and Plano style boxes for lighweight items (think resistors and electronics stuff). I used to use the Harbor Freight bins, but switched to the Allit for the additional flexibility - this was prior to 3D printers being a thing.

Sorry for the long read, and thanks
Lee

 

[RMERR]

Good analysis, as the issue does seem to come up often, this should help people.

 

[jmarkwolf]

I find the whole issue is a losing battle.

I have multiple parts drawers (see below) under two benches, packed with nuts, bolts and washers (each drawer sub-dividable as needed), and I almost always have to make a trip to the hardware store to get something I don't have. Be it flat washer sizes/pitches, or bolt lengths I don't have, or head type I don't have, etc, etc.

When you consider all the diameters and thread pitches of all bolt/screw types (hex head, allen head, phillips head, flat head, pan head, truss head), all the bolt/screw lengths, all the washer types (flats, locks, nylocks) for all the diameters and thread pitches. Not to mention the machine screws vs wood screws vs sheet metal screws (all the diameters/pitches and lengths). Not to mention the same criteria for metric. It would take a significant portion of the hardware storage cabinetry of the well equipped hardware store to contain it all.

Makes me wonder why I don't give up the storage idea entirely and utilize the space for something else.

But the alternative, making a run to the hardware store for each hardware need gets ungainly also because you always buy a few more than you need, and then you have extras left over that accumulate all over your bench at an alarming rate, which you eventually find yourself wanting to organize and store, etc.

Drives me to drink.

 

[fourjeepin]

Confession, I am a hardware hoarder. I started with a drawer of random, unorganized hardware rolling around. This then turned into an organized drawer after I discovered some square jelly jars. This approach lasted several years but I really wanted the Durham style metal boxes. Problem is I didn’t want to spend what those cost new. I then learned that a Home Depot very close to my house was closing and knew that nothing is moved from the old store to the new one.

It took 3 visits but I found the guy in charge of liquidating the old store. He told me he gets $50 for the hardware bins. This is per “vertical section”. The bottom section of the bins is more open and typically has large hardware or boxed hardware. The upper section is more drawer like with lots of dividers for bagged hardware.

I was beyond thrilled with this price and despite only wanting one upper section, committed to 16 vertical sections at $800 Total. He then dropped a sweet kicker and told me all the contents of the bins are included at that price. Despite many weeks of clearance sales, all of my bins were completely packed.

A couple of days later that had separated the bins (they are bolted together laterally) and palletized them. 4 verticals per pallet, 4 pallets total. I really only wanted one bin and only graded nuts and bolts for my CJ so I was beyond overwhelmed. I decided that I needed to expand my desired collection and greatly consolidate what I had purchased. So I started ripping open the little bags of hardware and there were so many of those little bags of hardware that my fingers were raw after several days of this.

I ended up giving away many, many boxes of bolts, nuts and screws. I sold to friends the bins that I didn’t want to keep. And kept 4 of the upper sections. I stacked them 2 high and mounted them on casters, then capped with solid surface countertops. I have a lifetime supply of some things (set screws, plastic nuts/bolts, c clips, etc) And had to spend a few dollars filling in some gaps in the SAE graded hardware (the original goal) but after 15 years, I have used the bulk of the lag screws. Construction screws are also regularly replenished.

Deals like this are not ordinary and some folks don’t want to store this much at home, but I find it very time efficient and cost effective to have the bulk of what I need on hand. Large projects
will require additional purchases, but for most small repairs and projects, it is most likely in stock..

 

[bb29510]

baby food jars