How organized is your tool box drawers?

[bnichols04]

i need some ideas on how to organize my tool box drawers. i have everything just all over the place in there. it is getting kinda annoying trying to get to everything. lets see how you did.....thanks

 

[NJHandyGuy]

check out the show us your toolbox thread you"ll get more ideas than you know what to do with

 

[Steevo]

Mine are highly organized.
I am a stickler for everything in its place, and in order:

Okay, so maybe not everything is neat and organized, but my sockets are:

Hmmm, ok not so much.

Never mind.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Mssr. bnichols;

You have outfitted my toolbox way beyond my expectations. (And BTW--I still need more but you got the PM).

LOL.

Yes. Organize tha shiz-nit. I do. But I have many tool boxes.
And here's 2 of a gajillion dwrs. .

 

[1967lemans]

I use tool control foam

 

[AdamLym]

Here's mine

 

[ckadams00]

Mine are highly organized.
I am a stickler for everything in its place, and in order:

Okay, so maybe not everything is neat and organized, but my sockets are:

Hmmm, ok not so much.

Never mind.

Wish I could organize like that.

 

[gonefirefighting]

I should have never opened this thread, my OCD is going to kill me all night, lol

 

[copterdoctor]

here's a few pics of my travel box. My rollaround is shadowed the same way. (company policy)

 

[copterdoctor]

page 3 of my box thread shows a pic or two of my new box as it was getting shadowed. it's all done now.. will post a few pics when i get back home in a week or so..
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101267

 

[bnichols04]

i like the foam idea but that is a little OCD for me! lol maybe a bigger tool box is in order??

 

[StumpXJ]

I have slight OCD when it comes to tool boxes, not as bad as some, but it helps me to know where stuff is (or isnt...) Drives me nuts not being able to find something I know I have.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have pics in the tool box thread. Mine is simply organized according to what they are.. . .3/8 drive drawer, 1/4 dr drawer, 1/2 dr drawer, phillips screwdrivers, straight screwdrivers, hammers, punches/drifts/chisels in another . . . so on and so on

 

[jeffmoss26]

Controlled chaos is my theme lol

 

[Eagle Point]

This is a sample of a few drawers. If I try to organize everything to much then I can't find what I am looking for.

 

[copterdoctor]

i like the foam idea but that is a little OCD for me! lol maybe a bigger tool box is in order??

ya I hear ya. but I got used to it. and like I said, it's a company policy where I work... it was either do it, or find another job.. (and apparently a few found this out the hard way)

with that said, when I shadowed my big rollaround it seemed to not hold as many tools. ie, no more racks for pliars, no spare hardware bins, etc.

but, my travel box seems to have doubled the useable space now that it's shadowed. the tools used to slam around and it would be a pain the **** to get the drawers open. the foam holds everything in place now.

 

[lh4x4]

Mine are more like Steveo's. Any given drawer contains generally related type tools in one pile. But as some are full another roller chest has a drawer for those. If that drawer is full then another chest with a designated drawer.

Does one need 200 screw drivers? Sure! How else are you going to find just the right one. But then I have drawers with the bits for the drill drivers.

Some one stop me!

 

[bnichols04]

yea when i use stuff out of one drawer a lot or just in a hurry and slam the drawer all my **** slides to the back. drives me crazy!! the big plastic cases kinda take up a lot of room. thinking about just throwing away the cases and just have the tool in there.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Reasonably:

A representative sample.

Jim

 

[2fat2fly]

My work toolbox:

 

[charged355]

I'm liking the tool foam! I might do that to my tools in my work van. I hate how they slide around all the time.

 

[DFW-LSX]

Man looking around that foam pricing is high as a giraffe's ***

 

[JimVonBaden]

Sheet metal worker? Aircraft?

Jim

 

[tronvex]

^ I agree, that is a lot of clecos

 

[copterdoctor]

^ I agree, that is a lot of clecos

I know.. I'm jealous... not kidding...

 

[abstamaria]

Certified OC, I'm afraid.

We all work in different ways and have different habits. For me, it’s a great pleasure to have tools easily accessible and organized. I work on cars with different tool standards – metric, English, and Whitworth – so tool organization is almost a necessity for me. Labeling too.

Good luck!

Andy

 

[HaroRider]

I hate mid project when my tools are all dirty and all over the place. Do you guys put tools back in your boxes during a project, or at the end of your project?

I am in the middle of an engine removal/replacement, and everything is so unorganized. I feel like putting everything back in my box, but it seems silly since I will only be taking it out again to put the motor back in.

What do you guys do in regards to that?

 

[softailgarage]

I hate mid project when my tools are all dirty and all over the place. Do you guys put tools back in your boxes during a project, or at the end of your project?

I am in the middle of an engine removal/replacement, and everything is so unorganized. I feel like putting everything back in my box, but it seems silly since I will only be taking it out again to put the motor back in.

What do you guys do in regards to that?

Pisses me off to no end. I'll put it off or get sidetracked, but eventually I'll get so frustrated, stop everything, clean up , organize...and then rip into it again, pulling **** out again

 

[abstamaria]

According to the Japanese Five S system, which I understand they developed to meet the requirements of just-in-time manufacturing, you should clean up and put away at the end of each day. I often don’t, if it’s just a few tools on the workbench I know I’ll need the next day, but it’s probably good practice.

Here are some videos (t the end of the video, the guy promises to clean up the mess behind him):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Q-x...eature=related

And another …

 

[Scuderia-F1]

@ abstamaria

I see that you have some really nice tools there Andy!
Well organized too, please feel free to share some drawerpics in the toolbox thread.

Regards,

Anders

 

[venturesomerite]

Mine are not at all. I have 6 tool boxes, everyone is only organized so far as drawers have certain piles of tools in it, say 1/2" drive sockets, or screwdrivers, or ratchets and extensions, but that's it. I can't stand to have my stuff super clean and neat. That bothers me in what I assume is much the same way as some people who have to have a place and spot for everything, and it can't go anywhere else.

I know where everything is in the boxes, assuming that it makes it back to the box once and while.

Admitingly though, I need some better organization for my sockets and wrenches, it get real old "digging" through the pile some times. But that's about as far as I see it going.

 

[2fat2fly]

Sheet metal worker? Aircraft?

Jim

^ I agree, that is a lot of clecos

I know.. I'm jealous... not kidding...

Aircraft structures mechanic

 

[Kevin54]

I hate mid project when my tools are all dirty and all over the place. Do you guys put tools back in your boxes during a project, or at the end of your project?

I am in the middle of an engine removal/replacement, and everything is so unorganized. I feel like putting everything back in my box, but it seems silly since I will only be taking it out again to put the motor back in.

What do you guys do in regards to that?

I have a few magnetic trays when working on different things. Some are the common magnetics trays that are round, then i have the square magnetic trays I bought from Grizzly Tools that come in four different sizes. I use those to keep the tools in and withinn reach of where I'm working. All the nits and bolts go into one smaller tray and wrenches go into the larger trays so I don't have to hunt all over. At the end of the day they get put away.

 

[bnichols04]

wow you guies are really organized! where would i get some foam to make those organizers? how well do they clean up?

 

[NUTTSGT]

wow you guies are really organized! where would i get some foam to make those organizers? how well do they clean up?

I've seen some people use floor matting as tool shadowing material.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

NOt to ask TOO stupid a question but do you trace the tool shape in pen or somethig then razor blade it?....or do you go the whole router deal with it?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Re: Certified OC, I'm afraid.

Andy, I really like those red and black wrench trays. Did the wrenches (sp?) come in them or if not, what brand are they?

 

[Stick Figure]

one of my "home" boxes can be seen here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2208776&postcount=8

Couple examples

My work box I need to shoot new pics of

but there's an old shot

 

[great adventure]

Mssr. bnichols;

You have outfitted my toolbox way beyond my expectations. (And BTW--I still need more but you got the PM).

LOL.

Yes. Organize tha shiz-nit. I do. But I have many tool boxes.
And here's 2 of a gajillion dwrs. .

I like the way you organized the tools but one question

if my friends used my tools... they they dont return it at the same place???
or thy put it in wrong palce???? or put it on the bench????

 

[abstamaria]

Re: Certified OC, I'm afraid.

Andy, I really like those red and black wrench trays. Did the wrenches (sp?) come in them or if not, what brand are they?

The trays came with the wrenches, Dan. They are Snap-On. The black trays are for metric wrenches.

Anders, thanks. Those are tools accumulated over decades. I'll visit the tool section, always very interesting.

Best,

Andy