How does your Socket top drawer look ?

[Badger 13]

Not the best picture, but here is my top drawer,

 

[outcast99]

Bad picture and not complete yet...

 

[brownbagg]

i keep mine in a five gallon bucket

 

[fordgasm]

Ernst socket boss rails in a US General 56”

 

[Robert Haas]

Simple lay out of 6 and 12 point stuff, ratchets, extensions and wobblers. Keep all specialty, (Torx, Allen, etc) in other drawers. SAE on the right, metric on the left.

Simple and adequate. A modest but as far as my needs complete set up.

 

[Robert Haas]

I do the "Got it, got it, need it" with this picture

 

[ovilla]

This is my Snappy drawer. All 1/4 and 3/8 drive. I have all the shallow, mid, and deep sockets in the magnetic trays so I can take them out to a car/project, as needed. I have a ton of 1/2” stuff as well but I keep it all in my bottom drawer since it’s so heavy.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Box socket drawer, cart top socket drawer, cart 1/4 drawer, and box wrench drawer for fun.

 

[johninct]

i keep mine in a five gallon bucket

I actually knew a body shop guy that would work at different body shops as work allowed. He carried his tools in a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have old style boxes , the tops are the socket trays, they are the only half *** organized areas.

 

[bbrins]

My main socket drawer contains my chrome sockets(1/4, 3/8, 1/2), hex sockets, torx sockets, tap sockets, swivel sockets, extensions, my most used ratchets, and a few other random bits and pieces.


Impact sockets are in three smaller drawers...

 

[Waterh20]

Most everything I wrench on currently (bikes , dirt bikes, vehicles) are metric, hex/allen, or e-torx so I've organized my top box that way. It's a home box and at 54" there's a good amount of room. With one quick look I know if anything is missing or not put back.

I didn't want to overload the drawer just because there was room but there's still plenty of space if i need to add more things. Ended up going with Ernst rails and a Kaizen foam mix for this drawer.

I went through a lot of socket organizers and really like this setup

• Everything is labeled and has its own home
• I can mix 1/4,3/8,1/2 sockets on any rail
• Rails or trays are removable
• Compact and there are no skips
• If someone is helping they can easily grab or put stuff away.

Contents include

• 1/2" deep Impacts (10-24, 36,32,swivels)
• 3/8 impact swivels
• 1/2" shallow impacts
• 1/2" chrome 10-24
• Two rows of 3/8 8-22mm
• 2.5mm - 10mm hex
• 1/2 1/4 3/8 adapters and universals
• E-torx and torx bits
• 1/4" mid height 4-15mm
• 1/4" swivels
• 3/8 deep sockets
• Spark plug sockets
• Locking extensions (1/4 & 3/8)
• Extensions (1/4, 1/2, 3/8)
• Ratchets (1/4, 3/8, 1/2)

 

[regguy1]

 

[dmaxfireman]

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Sanddancer]

I'd call it small, but well packed

 

[BK13]

View media item 100283
After having tool boxes foamed form my whole career there was no way I could go back to a pile of tools in a drawer. And it makes it easy when you need your sig other to "get the next size up" for ya

Slightly OT, but what are those locking extensions? How do you like them?

 

[Robert Haas]

Nice, well thought out setup. Looks like you actually work with it!

Every day. Funny when folks like the guy above tell the world they don't have the time to organize, (Or line up his stuff) as he said. I just shake my head. I literally reach in and grab the actual socket I need and never once have I not been able to see if one was missing in about 5 seconds. The guy above and the rest of the folks that just have their stuff laying hap hazardously are the same folks that send out their customers cars with a loose socket laying on the top of the motor or other more perilous spot.

 

[BigBoreFan]

Here's my modest setup.

 

[GrundleJuice]

Some real nice stuff in here, glad I clicked on this thread. A well organized toolbox is just swell, ain't it?

I think mine will be amongst good company here.

This was from when I was trying to stuff a couple sets of metric into this drawer... Didn't work out and metric got it's own small side drawer since I didn't need it 95% of the time.

https://i.imgur.com/vt2VYiV.jpg

 

[fordgasm]

 

[logical]

I'd call it small, but well packed

Ah, the elusive but correct socket orientation.

Sent from my garage.

 

[GrundleJuice]

Ah, the elusive but correct socket orientation.

Sent from my garage.

Debatable. opcorn:

 

[radio2000]

Debatable. opcorn:

Agreed
How do you know If they’re 6 or 12pt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dkroth]

Agreed
How do you know If they’re 6 or 12pt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Plus you can eyeball the size without having to read the numbers, which might not be in the right spot.






.

 

[iamrfixit]

Made some upgrades. Added Tool Grid to organize my drive tools, gonna keep the sockets on the Westling trays though. Also used tool grid in the wrench drawer, that made a huge difference to organize all the wrench sets.

Any decent socket organizer pretty much "lines the sockets up" for you. Organization isn't just to look pretty. You can quickly find the right size but more important it helps to easily see when a tool is missing. Several of these sets are up to 500 bucks each off the truck, spending a few dollars on a good organizer system only makes sense.

Tool grid is great, easily customized. ANY size set you own, you can make it fit perfectly. Buy the holders in bundles, that makes it considerably cheaper. The Westling trays are machined aluminum, rock solid and work awesome. I cut short pieces of fuel hose to place on the empty pins. That way I know an empty pin isn't a missing socket.

 

[Unruh]

I got this toolbox awhile ago and I feel I finally have the drawers organized enough to share (you guys all set the bar pretty high). I used yoga mats for a lot of it.

Here is my socket drawer. My OCD really kicked in here and forced me to buy some sockets to fill the holes. I'm sure some of you understand where I'm coming from. I'm using the Craftsman socket organizers. I know they aren't very well liked on here, but I like the way they look and they work for me. Most of the sockets are USA Craftsman, but I've been trading out them for Snap-on and SK.

 

[rrangus]

Need to straighten it up a little. The deep 1/2" impacts will not stand up, the drawer needs to be at least 1/4" deeper.

 

[bill pedersen]

I decided on the Ernst socket bosses for the sockets and then used Kaizen foam for the ratchets and extensions.

 

[vettracer85]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to upload your top drawer pics

 

[ecotec]

I got some 3 row socket trays today.

 

[king nero]

Not mine, but a picture I saved from this site few years ago:

 

[ecotec]

I need a deeper box. A lot of my sockets do not fit in that drawer.

 

[sberry]

I don't feel like giving them all a ride back and forth every time. Moving 100s of pounds to get a socket weighs ounces.

 

[ecotec]

I don't feel like giving them all a ride back and forth every time. Moving 100s of pounds to get a socket weighs ounces.

On top of my main socket drawer, I have other “to go” sets.

I have Mechanic’s Time savers, plastic boxes (Grey Pneumatic...), metal boxes (MAC, SK...).

I have a good amount of SK sets that are still in the cellophane. About half of them someone poked through the cellophane, and took out one socket (usually 9/16”).

On top of this, I keep some job specific sockets with the tools for that specific job. For example I keep a 1/4” drive 15mm with my oil change tools.

 

[Tallpilot]

Cart and top drawer. Big box is mostly SAE. It's getting harder to organize because I really need a bigger box. That will happen next year if I don't get furloughed.

 

[vettracer85]

Made some upgrades. Added Tool Grid to organize my drive tools, gonna keep the sockets on the Westling trays though. Also used tool grid in the wrench drawer, that made a huge difference to organize all the wrench sets.

Any decent socket organizer pretty much "lines the sockets up" for you. Organization isn't just to look pretty. You can quickly find the right size but more important it helps to easily see when a tool is missing. Several of these sets are up to 500 bucks each off the truck, spending a few dollars on a good organizer system only makes sense.

Tool grid is great, easily customized. ANY size set you own, you can make it fit perfectly. Buy the holders in bundles, that makes it considerably cheaper. The Westling trays are machined aluminum, rock solid and work awesome. I cut short pieces of fuel hose to place on the empty pins. That way I know an empty pin isn't a missing socket.

If I had to do it all over again, I would buy the Tool Grid first because my snapon rails are overpriced. What I usually do is put the tool box behind me but when I need to go under the car I like to grab the rail of sockets. Most the time I do not need to grab the rail of sockets since I am standing up and I only turn around to get the socket that I need. When I worked in the O.R., it was the number 1 rule to always have your work station behind you. #2 rule was to return your instrument back. This takes the guess work out and you move fast. Which helps you listen to music and talk lol. Off the topic but that is why I do not have tool boxes more than 68". My work station in the hospital was a little bigger than that and I was able to move around the O.R. without a problem. In the shop I have a lot more room so I might be safe to add a locker. If the locker makes it hard to move around then I will just leave that one on the wall.

 

[danny4327]

The allen/hex, torx, e-torx, triple squares are all in their respective cases in another drawer

 

[dubdoc]

There be some nice stuff on here. Mine just seems so......inadequate now.

 

[vettracer85]

There be some nice stuff on here. Mine just seems so......inadequate now.

I started borrowing tools and after I used them I would buy a rail. I only pay 120 a month from the tool truck and I can get up to 3,000 without interest. I hated borrowing the shops tools because it is a free for all when you put it down; between you and the other workers. Just a waste of time.

 

[Sanddancer]

Debatable. opcorn:

These particular holders only work the one way. The pins that the sockets sit over have dome-like bases reinforcing them and the square drive hole doesn't fit over them.

And the very small sockets (look at the small 1/4" drive) instead of pins (which would be too fragile) they have a ring at the base the socket sits in, and these are sized to fit the open nose of the socket that is stepped down from the drive end.

Something to bare in mind if anyone is looking for new rails and wants to be able to easily tell 6 from 12 point in a mixed set.