peg or box

[little cowboy]

I made mine with two layers of laminated 3/4, 2x6s and 2x4s. wanted to keep it all off the floor.

This post was in the bench thread...

Its a nice bench, but it led me to a question I have been wrestling with


Which do you prefer..your tools in a box on on a wall?

If you use a combo...which are better on a wall which do you prefer to have in a box.

 

[shoturtle]

If you have no room for a box, the peg works well. If you have room for a box it is a little less work then setting up a board. But I like the combo of the 2, screwdrivers and hammers would be on the board, with power tools like drills and impact guns.

 

[RVDan]

I'm not a pegboard fan.

Originally all the shop owned tools were on pegboard with outlines so you knew what went where. Seemed like a good idea, you knew the tool was there at a glance, it was easy to grab a tool, but for reasons I can't explain, I really dislike trying to hang the tool back up on the pegboard. I'd rather open and close one of my toolbox drawers ten times than try to stick a nailgun back onto its pegboard hooks.

At some point a service manager got onto some kick about securtity, tool loss and damage, so he had a cabinet built for all the shop tools. Each tool had its own place either on its own shelf or between partitions of a shared shelf. I simply found it far easier to place a tool in its place on a shelf in a cabinet than on a pegboard.

Maybe if the "pegs" were something more solid, something that wasn't always trying to move around, stab me, or catch on my clothes. Maybe if they were not hooks at the ends so a tool came off without catching on it. Maybe if you had enough pegboard that tools had a huge amount of space between them so removing one doesn't harbour a danger of knocking another tool off.

These days my new workplace does have a lot of pegboard, but the only tools that are really stored there are C-clamps and grinding disks. Other than that they're covered with hoses, extension cords, wire, tubing and other misc. shop suplies. I'm much happier with all the tools in tool boxes, and the corded tools and large air tools that take too much tool box real estate are on a shelf under the workbench.

My home garage doesn't have the floorspace for a tool box, my tool box will be in the workshop out back, but a certain amount of everyday items will need to be in the garage. I'm undecided so far, but I think it may be a compromise of steel pegboard in a cabinet. It kills me to think about using pegboard on purpose, but its a good sollution when you don't have space for a toolbox

 

[crazytrain]

I like both also hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers on wall, plyers, sockets, rachets and power tools in box. Hanging wrenches and scewdrivers makes it easy to find the size you are looking for fast. I only have a small work area so any more on the wall just makes it feel to cluttered to me.

 

[Mmfh]

I like everything in the box, but if the pegboard is behind a workbench, its nice to have special tools that you would use at that bench hanging on the pegboard.

Maybe assembly tools for that air cooled head you have on that bench, or ring groove cleaner, ring compressor?

 

[Stick Figure]

for me the downside to peg board is:

DIRTY tools. If you do any amount of wood work, or fabrication, they are going to get dirty.

Stability. If you do get them dirty you better make sure they are up there well before you blow them off with compressed air. Some tools this isn't an issue some stuff just isn't easy to put on a hook.

Space for hooks. This is really a function of where you put the peg board, but if you have a shallow bench, and long hooks it doesn't work well.

Now for a couple down sides to a tool box.

Price. Peg board is super cheap compared to a big tool box.

Larger items. Long things like levels, pry bars, socket extensions, breaker bars, torque wrenches etc can be a pain to keep organized well in a tool box since there is usually only one or two drawers that are long enough for some of these tools. This will of course depend on your box choice, but more long drawers usually means more money.


I generally use boxes for most things, but that is a function of one being a renter, where its not worth spending a lot of time to attach too much to the structure, and two being messy. Again blowing saw dust/ metal shavings off a box is much easier than off of several tools on a big piece of pegboard.

 

[mysta2]

I agree that it's best to have both. I did my garage that way because I am completely unwilling to give up any more floorspace than I absolutely have to. Note that the workbench legs do not go to the floor but rather the wall.

The pegs moving around when you mount/dismount tools can be an issue, but I have found that the little plastic "locks" work quite well to all but eliminate the issue (it can take a bit of fineness to get them to work right some times though) Also as mentioned you have to know when to use a straight hook vs a curved hook. Stuff getting dirty is another big issue (although much better than shelves), and much worse with the bins that I have on the other wall of the garage.

Also note that my tool box is hung under the work bench on the far end.

Eventually I'll get to building my cabinets on the back wall:

One section of which will be drawers from the waist down, because some things just work better in drawers.

But I plan to do the insides of most of those cabinets like this one I did at work:

This way everything's readily accessible and orderly but shielded from grinder dust. I hate large shelves with a passion because they just become messy catchalls.

For me I'd like the ratio to be something like 80% board 20% box.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I like both also hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers on wall, plyers, sockets, rachets and power tools in box. Hanging wrenches and scewdrivers makes it easy to find the size you are looking for fast. I only have a small work area so any more on the wall just makes it feel to cluttered to me.

I agree. I don't think it makes sense to go with one or the other. There are a few hand tools that I reach for so frequently that (for me) if they weren't on the pegboard, I'd just end up leaving them sitting on the bench.

 

[taumac]

Pegboard has its place but takes up alot off wall space. I prefer boxes myself and just a small 4 x 4 piece just above my bench for stuff I use often like a hammer, few screwdrivers, maybe few wrenchs. Looking at that picture, get 2 a nice craftmans bottoms and rool it under that bench and use that wall space for other things but thats from me where im trying to maxamize all available space.

 

[mysta2]

Pegboard has its place but takes up alot off wall space. I prefer boxes myself and just a small 4 x 4 piece just above my bench for stuff I use often like a hammer, few screwdrivers, maybe few wrenchs. Looking at that picture, get 2 a nice craftmans bottoms and rool it under that bench and use that wall space for other things but thats from me where im trying to maxamize all available space.

I'd rather take up wall space than floor space since I cant work on the wall. If there were tool boxes under the whole bench I'd lose 44sqft of floor, that seems like the opposite of maximizing available space. Half the time one of my bikes is under that work bench.

 

[jeffmoss26]

At one time I had everything on pegboard, but my collection expanded a lot over the years. Now everything is in boxes.

 

[BigSteve63]

My pegboard tends to get cluttered, but then, I am a bit of a pack rat.

 

[taumac]

I'd rather take up wall space than floor space since I cant work on the wall. If there were tool boxes under the whole bench I'd lose 44sqft of floor, that seems like the opposite of maximizing available space. Half the time one of my bikes is under that work bench.

to each there own I say. Thats the beauty of ours garages, theyre built to suit out own demands and ideas.

 

[YNOT2K]

There are a few hand tools that I reach for so frequently that (for me) if they weren't on the pegboard, I'd just end up leaving them sitting on the bench.

hey jack, i'm wondering why you think just having those frequently used tools sitting on the bench would be a bad thing? that's where i usually find my frequently used tools - right where i need to use them - sitting on the bench!

 

[bad12jr]

I like to put a wrench set and a few screwdrivers and hammers on peg. Handy when your hands are in a tight spot and you can't move far.

 

[santagary]

I'm a proponent of white pegboard replacing white wall board over the insulation. Much less expensive and a 1000% more useful and handy. I think it looks cool also and doesn't need to be painted, just buy it and screw it to the wall. In my case, I used OSB screwed horizontally for the first 4' and then white pegboard for the next 4'.

 

[Lippyp]

Definitely a box, my garage is far too dirty and damp at the moment to keep tools out. Its more space efficient too and leaves the wall free for other stuff like storage bins and decorative stuff.