Plier storage ideas?

[Grigg]

How do you store and organize the pliers in your tool box?
Got any pictures?

last night I started moving from tool bags and cardboard boxes into a snap-on roll around box.
Without a system my pliers assortment/collection all laid out flat will take up more space than I want to give them..

I have some wrench and screwdriver racks, but haven't found anything for pliers yet.

What do you do?

Thanks,
Grigg

 

[Kenwc]

I did a search on "plier storage" and found about 15 threads. This was one of them. Perhaps this will help while others respond.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9103&highlight=Plier+storage

 

[sawatch]

I go with the concept that one drawer full of pliers layed flat is enough pliers, but I have 2 drawers with pliers in them...

 

[Grigg]

Great, thanks for the link.
In that thread

I made holders out of flat steel. The pliers take up less room this way.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/djjack_photo/pliers.jpg

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u201/djjack_photo/holder.jpg

Looks like a great idea, and I think I have some aluminum heat-sink extrusions that when cut into strips might make a perfect plier rack, I'll check this evening.

What are some (more) choices for commercial made pliers racks that stand them on edge like this?
http://www.pliersrack.com/

Grigg

 

[3 at 8]

Hands down, the best thing that ever happened to my toolbox was rubber coated metal wire dish drying rack cut to however you like. You stand the pliers on their sides in the gap were the plates would normaly sit. Gained a rediculous amount of space. Discount stores have them off and on for $4-$5.

 

[Sterff]

I also think the pliers rack is the best choice.
http://www.pliersrack.com/about.html

 

[Bolster]

I wonder why the Pliers Rack gets rated 3 of 5 stars? Seems a fair number of people don't like it?

http://www.etoolcart.com/thepliersrackplyx-1.aspx

 

[Gary S]

I go with the concept that one drawer full of pliers layed flat is enough pliers, but I have 2 drawers with pliers in them...

I use the same concept. If I dedicate one drawer to pliers and I can't fit them in it cleanly, I have too many pliers.
So, mine all fit in one drawer where I can easily find them when I need them, and no complicated organizing is needed.

 

[Boost Creep]

i made my own tonight

 

[Krokodil]

Good idea. Is that a dishwasher rack?

 

[mrholeshot]

I just deadicate one drawer in each box to pliers. I like them laid flat. The ones that don't get used or too many of one kind get moved into another toolbox. I made a rack to stand them up once and hated it. The thing I dislike about it was I couldn't grab both handles at once. Thats a major thing with me when I have the other hand where I can't let go. The payoff for space wasnt worth the inconveinance.

 

[Walterchang]

I made a rack out some wood and dowel rods. Painted it black, works great and cheap, also it fits my box perfectly.

 

[Monte]

plastic trays from Gedore

still have to find something for these too...

 

[mkdive]

 

[Boost Creep]

Good idea. Is that a dishwasher rack?

its the shelving stuff that goes in closets cut to length and a couple quick bends on the brake

 

[mrholeshot]

Monte, Nice selection of Pliers

MK Dive, Very nice layout

 

[A29]

here is my before and after. adjust as needed

 

[Cliff McNeill]

here is my before and after. adjust as needed

I like it!!! Simple and quick

 

[Steve_P]

its the shelving stuff that goes in closets cut to length and a couple quick bends on the brake

That's the first time I've seen closet maid stuff used for organizing tools! Very creative

 

[srmofo]

I also use the pliers rack. My original intent was to buy it so I could just copy the angles and bend up some wire shelving but I never got around to it. It really does save a ton of room

 

[oldwino]

good ideas guys...this will work for most of my pliers, but 24" cresent wrenches, etc will still have to go horzontal in the box...always some great ideas here

 

[Fedwrench]

I wonder why the Pliers Rack gets rated 3 of 5 stars? Seems a fair number of people don't like it?

A few reasons pop into my mind: 1. it's expensive for what it is. 2. you need to use it in at least a 2.5 inch deep drawer. 3. You could buy a cd rack at walmart for $5 and make two plier racks.
It is a great idea though.

 

[jymmiejamz]

My problem with the Pliers Rack is that only about 2/3's of my pliers fit in it. The slots are pretty slim, so a lot of pliers don't fit in them. My other issue is that the pliers tend to fall sideways.

 

[HandyManny]

I do nothing special. Simply select one of the drawers in the tool chest and lay them inside there. Over time the drawer has gotten a bit crowded so some piers lay on top of one another, but that's okay.

 

[BigSteve63]

Made my own as well - tried to follow the pattern of the rack as shown on the plyworx website. Pretty easy to do on the brake; but I now think Boost Creep's design is better and quite a bit easier to make.

 

[Dust]

I got a dish rack at Goodwill for a dollar and cut and bent it to fit. A fun little project during the shop down time.

 

[idubvdub]

Used some coat hangers during dead time at the shop, when I was working there. Business, seemed to get worse by the week for the past year. So I had some time to kill. Haven't finished but I was happy enough w/ the space I saved.

 

[Mike B26]

Blatantly stolen from other posters:

Wire desk organizer found at the dollar store, snipped the little cross pieces off and flipped it over. Good enough!

 

[PT Doc]

Blatantly stolen from other posters:

Wire desk organizer found at the dollar store, snipped the little cross pieces off and flipped it over. Good enough!

That is a great looking solution. Is there some kind of PVC spray that one can respray these wire products so that nothing sharp protrudes?

 

[Krokodil]

Nice! You can get a plastic dip for the wire. Like what they use to make tool handles.

 

[LawnDart79]

Now that I no longer work in the automotive repair business as a career, I am currently cleaning out and reorganizing my toolbox to better suit my needs in my personal garage and better utilize the box's storage space. (big stuff in cases and such coming out of the toolbox and going into cabinets and onto shelves, etc.) While doing so, I was looking for a better solution for pliers storage. I was getting sick of pliers scattered all over hell in the drawer.

While brainstorming (and thanks to this thread), I remembered that I had an old dish rack rotting away in the basement from when I was a bachelor. Eureka!

With a little quick contact between the rack and a cutoff tool, the sides came off and I had an instant pliers rack. I put some of my pliers in the rack and so far I'm quite happy with it. I plan to go to Dollar General sometime this weekend and pick up another dish rack for my remaining pliers.

 

[LawnDart79]

...I also found an old silverware rack in my basement as well. I turned it into a punch holder. It'll sit pretty well on the workbench with all punches easy to see.

 

[Mike B26]

That is a great looking solution. Is there some kind of PVC spray that one can respray these wire products so that nothing sharp protrudes?

I tried to nip each piece as short as possible so the protrusions aren't too bad. If I was more **** I might spend some time with a dremel smoothing them out.

Nice! You can get a plastic dip for the wire. Like what they use to make tool handles.

I had some in an aerosol spray from a long past project but it was solidified. Again, if I was more ****...

 

[Danglerb]

Maybe that plastic dip for handles?

Pliers rack stuff looks very good, but I have an 18x26 box with 16 or 17 by 24 drawers, neither size fits. Cutting a 30 in half, or some off the end of two 18 might work, but nobody I normally buy from sells the product, so all I have checked so far **** on price.

I guess I am looking at dish racks.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

Hate to say these letters, however I bought this at HF and stack em side ways. I have enough pliers
The pictures are before and after the wiss snips went back home

 

[Adam McLaughlin]

My gripe with the pliers rack things is that you have to sacrifice a pretty deep drawer to use it; otherwise you can't get the drawer shut with the pliers on their handle side in the pliers rack. That's why my pliers are still laying down in the drawer...

Adam

 

[mkirkpatrick]

I just picked up CD racks a garage sales for a buck and cut it up to use. does the job and is cheap.

 

[Boost Creep]

My gripe with the pliers rack things is that you have to sacrifice a pretty deep drawer to use it; otherwise you can't get the drawer shut with the pliers on their handle side in the pliers rack. That's why my pliers are still laying down in the drawer...

Adam

mine fits fine in a 2" drawer

 

[OccupantRJ]

That is a great looking solution. Is there some kind of PVC spray that one can respray these wire products so that nothing sharp protrudes?

There is a product in a small bottle similar to Testor's model paint, that is used to touch up nicked dishwasher racks. Mine came with a dishwasher I bought.

 

[dankicksass]

I noticed a few weeks ago that my primary toolbox had four drawers filled with pliers. I remembered this thread and got to looking around for some racks when I was out. I went with super cheap 50¢ baker's racks and a symmetrical W shaped bend due to size concerns in a shallow 26in drawer. This holds my most commonly used pliers now and cleared up two and a half drawers of laid-flat pliers. I considered spraying them with Plasti-Dip, but they're chrome so I figure it'll do fine as is.