Help me organize THIS drawer…

[impactims]

Its not horrible, but I would like something better.

There are…

Standard extensions
Wobble extensions
Locking extensions
Universal joint extensions
Spark plug socket extensions
1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive

How would you organize this? If this were your drawer, how would you do it?

 

[tom in nh]

Wow, that's a lot of wasted space.
I would lunp everything in 3 slender boxes.
1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 - one slender box for each diameter size.
Attach the short extensions to the longer ones while you are at it.
Doing this WILL open up serious space for socket rail sets, etc.
Good luck.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Wow, that's a lot of wasted space.
I would lunp everything in 3 slender boxes.
1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 - one slender box for each diameter size.
Attach the short extensions to the longer ones while you are at it.
Doing this WILL open up serious space for socket rail sets, etc.
Good luck.

I'd call it 6 boxes, wobble and standard in the 3 drive sizes. Really long sizes stuff behind everything else. Once a year when you need them you can spend the extra 5 seconds.

I also put longer extensions, specialty length really, in between rows of sockets. Uses basically zero space as it was previously dead area.

 

[impactims]

I don't need the drawer for anything other than extensions and I do like the idea of being able to see each extension with the drawer open. Thats what led me to this particular layout.

Although I will consider the box idea.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I don't need the drawer for anything other than extensions and I do like the idea of being able to see each extension with the drawer open. Thats what led me to this particular layout.

Although I will consider the box idea.

One thing that helped me is duplicates - remove them and store them elsewhere. You don't need 3 different extensions of the same length. I'm sure all of us have plenty of 3", 6", or 12" clogging things up. Pick the ones you use and organize for those limited items. Extra "options" which are otherwise identical take up space and are visually distracting.

 

[scooby074]

Too much wasted vertical space for me. Most of mine live stuck randomly to a magnetic rail in a shallow toolbox drawer to maximize density

 

[ecotec]

One thing that helped me is duplicates - remove them and store them elsewhere. You don't need 3 different extensions of the same length. I'm sure all of us have plenty of 3", 6", or 12" clogging things up. Pick the ones you use and organize for those limited items. Extra "options" which are otherwise identical take up space and are visually distracting.

My extension drawer would make you cry.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I keep my extensions with the appropriate sockets. 1/4 extensions with 1/4 sockets, 3/8 with 3/8, 1/2 with 1/2, 3/4 with 3/4. And multiply that by 2 for SEA and Metric. Ya, like you, I have way more extensions than I need.lol

 

[2ndGearRubber]

My extension drawer would make you cry.

I have a whole drawer, ~12x28, full of misfit extensions. Old and partial sets, weird lengths, etc. I cut the cart down to the "essentials" which just means no duplicates for me. It's not a loss to remove the duplicates, you'll work faster and find things faster. Extra options, even the cognition between two identical 12" straight chrome extensions, cost time. There's ~50 extensions on my cart at work, but they're all unique in some way.

Your other option is just deeper boxes/bins to store them in, that's a 3" drawer? Separate by drive, then wobble or regular. The bins can be deep enough with that depth drawer the extras collect on the bottom out of the way. You'll find the same 12" extension over and over rather than digging to the bottom.

 

[charger 73]

Mine are in one of the narrow drawers of my top box.
granted I don't have the variety of the op.

 

[Skellyii]

My extension drawer would make you cry.

 

[KnurledNut]

@impactims
You have a great selection of extensions!
What is your longest? 24"?

 

[larry_g]

Do you have to open 3 drawers to put together a socket tool to use? One for sockets, one for the handle and one for the socket? By my way of thinking I only want to open one drawer to get the socket tool together. So I have a drawer for 1/4, one for 3/8, one drawer each of the bigger sizes. In said drawer I have the tools that cover a large percentage of the projects I work on. The doubles and tools for the rare occasions are relegated to the overflow drawers. More like 2ndgear is talking about. The excess is not in the main use drawer, only the most used favorites.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ecotec]

I cleaned my extension drawer a couple minutes ago. It is all marked USA, except for one Canadian extension and the WWII Plomb extensions.

The black extensions with the price and storage numbers are bare metal Snap-on and Plomb military surplus in Cosmoline that I haven’t gotten around to cleaning yet. Those go for a dollar at a local store. I may have bought up all the Snap-on ones, though. I clean them off and give them as gifts to friends and apprentices.

I have had a few purges of this drawer over the years.

A few did not make it back in today. A couple SK universals that are not marked USA (I assume that they are, though), and the W serial number Powr-Kraft that are also not marked USA (I know that they are). All of these will be moved to my cart and other boxes.

 

[ecotec]

This is today’s purge. Wright rebranded Powr-Kraft extensions and two SK universals not stamped USA. These were moved to my cart.

I figure that my next purges will be the last few pin-detent extensions and then light chrome loss.

 

[regguy1]

here is my toolbox organization video:

 

[impactims]

@impactims
You have a great selection of extensions!
What is your longest? 24"?

In standard extensions…

3/8 = 24”
1/4 = 24”
1/2 = 15”

Hmmm, time to get a 24” in 1/2!!!

You are to blame for this purchase by the way for making me think about this. But….I did need one the other day. I ended up stacking extensions, something I don’t like doing as it gets a little wonky doing it that way.

In wobble, locking and universal, the line up is much more limited.

 

[impactims]

My extension drawer would make you cry.

Let’s see it!

Oops! You already did. Nice collection! I’m trying to find accessories that give each extension a dedicated “spot” so to speak. With magnets, they roll around some. Bins or boxes pile them up, which I’m trying to avoid.

 

[ecotec]

Let’s see it!

Oops! You already did. Nice collection! I’m trying to find accessories that give each extension a dedicated “spot” so to speak. With magnets, they roll around some. Bins or boxes pile them up, which I’m trying to avoid.

Mine never move. Maybe the solution is to get more.

 

[impactims]

I think I’ll try to add some more plier racks and see what I come up with. I like how they they give dedicated slots for each extension.

 

[KnurledNut]

In standard extensions…

3/8 = 24”
1/4 = 24”
1/2 = 15”

Hmmm, time to get a 24” in 1/2!!!

You are to blame for this purchase by the way for making me think about this. But….I did need one the other day. I ended up stacking extensions, something I don’t like doing as it gets a little wonky doing it that way.

In wobble, locking and universal, the line up is much more limited.

My bad! I'll just leave my 30" 3/8 Cornwell out of this discussion then.

 

[impactims]

I have a whole drawer, ~12x28, full of misfit extensions. Old and partial sets, weird lengths, etc. I cut the cart down to the "essentials" which just means no duplicates for me. It's not a loss to remove the duplicates, you'll work faster and find things faster. Extra options, even the cognition between two identical 12" straight chrome extensions, cost time. There's ~50 extensions on my cart at work, but they're all unique in some way.

Your other option is just deeper boxes/bins to store them in, that's a 3" drawer? Separate by drive, then wobble or regular. The bins can be deep enough with that depth drawer the extras collect on the bottom out of the way. You'll find the same 12" extension over and over rather than digging to the bottom.

The drawer is about 3 inches deep. The most shallow drawer I have. The plier racks fit the drawer perfectly. I’ll really want to play with them more and see if I can get a good outcome. I’ll go to bins if that can’t work.

 

[mikey03]

In standard extensions…

3/8 = 24”
1/4 = 24”
1/2 = 15”

Hmmm, time to get a 24” in 1/2!!!

Better pick up 15” extensions in 3/8 and 1/4 too while your at it

 

[mikey03]

You guys might not like this but I use Ernst three slot organizers like this and I put 1/4 in one and 3/8 in the middle and 1/2 on other side and it’s 10” long so for any longer extensions you just have them separate

it’s honestly not as clean as if they were lined up but it’s easy enough to see chrome versus impact by color and wobble versus straight by the ends and length by looking at it. I don’t have so many extensions that there stacked too deep so for a small collection it works

 

[AJHD]

I thought that I had too many extensions. I have them spread across two drawers.

I also have a few really long extensions in my wrench drawer.

I have some more not in the box. I'm about out of room in this box already.

 

[impactims]

Mine never move. Maybe the solution is to get more.

I keep looking at that picture.

They all fit tight like a jigsaw puzzle. You must have spent a lot of time on that!

Now I want to see your other drawers!

 

[impactims]

here is my toolbox organization video:

Seems like much of what you have is just laying there (wrenches, pliers etc.). As opposed to using organizers.

Have you tried organizers only to find that they don’t work for you?

 

[ecotec]

I keep looking at that picture.

They all fit tight like a jigsaw puzzle. You must have spent a lot of time on that!

Now I want to see your other drawers!

Metric drawer and punches and drifts…

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Selection of trays.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I thought that I had too many extensions. I have them spread across two drawers.

I also have a few really long extensions in my wrench drawer.

I have some more not in the box. I'm about out of room in this box already.

If you call that full, you would hate my boxes..lol

 

[JradM]

Rivet a socket rail to the side of the drawer and attach the extensions to it. You can add a second layer without impeding access if you're careful about what goes on top of what.

I just use a regular ole metal rail like this:



Since they're easy to rivet, take up the absolute minimum amount of space (extensions can be touching side-to-side) and you can mix and match sizes on one rail.