Stored in tool box, or on pegboard...which tools should be where?

[LSVLance]

My tool box pictured below...is full. Every drawer side to side front to back has something in it. Now that I've finally decided where the work area in my shop is going to be, I'm thinking about adding some peg board and moving some things out of my box onto the peg board to make access to them a bit easier.

So, which tools should stay in the box and which ones should go on the pegboard?

My first thought is to put my wrenches on the pegboard, as they seem to be the most difficult to find what I'm looking for in the drawer.

One other question regarding hanging wrenches...how do you hang your open end wrenches?

Then maybe the screwdrivers???

BTW, that is an older picture of the screwdriver drawer, it's overflowing now like the wrench drawer.

One other consideration...if the pegboard is put on the wall above my workbench, is it going to be hard to reach what I want hanging on the board? I've got a pretty decent sized bench. Maybe I should choose another wall with nothing in front of it to hang my pegboard???

So, what do you guys hang on the wall, and keep hidden away inside your tool box?

 

[matthew]

IMO the boards have two advantages for wrenches -
1) if you're trying to keep from losing things (ie- lots of people using them, or a lot of projects spread around) missing spots show up easily.
2) if you've got several of the same size wrench, you can keep several wrenches on the same peg, which makes it easier to find multiples than looking in several sets.

To a significant extent, it depends on how you're working. I like having wrenches on a rack or in a roll, so I can grab a complete set and bring to my work area. If you tend to use one wrench at a time, it might be better to have it hung up or in a box.

If it was me, I'd consider a couple of ideas:
1) a divider in a crammed drawer can help. Instead of looking through a lot of screwdrivers, you can at least narrow it down to a divider for Phillips, common, etc.
2) adjustable wrenches are awkward, might make sense to move those to a toolboard first. Look for other stuff that doesn't fit that well as potential to move.
3) if you've got a lot of things that are duplicate, you might hang one set on the board and leave the other in the box. Handy if you do a lot of bench work.
4) there's different ways to classify things. You could organize all sockets together, or by drive size, or by metric / SAE. You could put all metric sockets & wrenches in a drawer. Just regrouping items can get you more room, and make it easier to find things.

 

[LSVLance]

I find my self doing about the same of both, pulling wrenches out to use one at a time or taking the whole wrench rack out and using it on the tool cart close to what I'm working on. Having just rearranged my whole work area after installing the lift, I'm trying to get where most of my wrenching happens in one specific area which might mean less of taking whole sets of tools away from the box at a time.

I like your thoughts on generic type tools hanging on the pegboard, adjustable wrenches, pipe wrenches, maybe hammers, pry bars and such. I also like the idea of duplicates of the same size of wrench hanging on one peg. I mean who doesn't have and use regularly two or three box end 1\2"-9\16s" or 9\16s"-5\8s" at a time?

I've just got too many wrenches in my wrench drawer now. Maybe if I take some of that other generic stuff out of the box, I can free up a second wrench drawer, maybe one for SAE and one for Metric.

For my sockets, I've got one drawer with 1\2" drive and larger ratchets and socket rails (plus torque wrenches and specialty socket sets) and and one drawer for 1\4" and 3\8s" ratchets and socket rails. Both are about their limits though, any more added and I'll start running into room issues there as well.

 

[AZAV8]

I used to keep my wrenches on the pegboard. Now they reside in the toolbox drawer. I've reserved the pegboard for those oddball, oversized items that don't fit in the toolbox drawers easily. Things like extension cords, long levels, long rulers, hand saws, coping saws, hammers, etc. Body work hammers and dollies reside in the tool box. The long clamps on the pegboard. The smaller ones in the tool box. Power tools are in the big tool box drawers. Files and edged tools are in the toolbox. Sockets and those related items are in the top of the toolbox under the lid. The sockets are sorted by drive size on Sears socket storage rails. Those things with the spring clips that go in the square drive hole. That way I just grab the drive size and ratchet and take it to the work place. I have them all together and they don't roll away.
Phil

 

[Scout Driver]

A set of combination wrenches and a small set of frequently used screwdrivers are nice to have on pegboard where they can be quickly grabbed for a quick task. If your tool cabinet is relatively close to your work area, I wouldn't hang up anymore tools than I mentioned above.

Scott

 

[SpeedCoach]

I've been doing the board to box shuffle since i put up some pegboard this past summer. Like AZAV8, I quickly made it home for some oddball-sized items like hand saws, and some frequently grabbed items like hammers (which I never liked storing in a box anyway).

I've recently added one of those screwdriver wracks to my pegboard as I've found myself walking over to a different bench (with drawers) to grab one often. I kept my duplicate screwdrivers in the one drawer, however, so i never have a screw driver far from reach now.

 

[Jack Olsen]

For me, the pegboard is for stuff I need for quick/small jobs; the tool cabinets are for tools used on bigger projects. There are all kinds of exceptions, of course. But wrenches are in the tool box while crescent wrenches, vise grips and a dogbone (yes, I said that) go on the pegboard. Screwdrivers (at least four or five of them) should go on pegboard. But special sizes would go in the box. Scissors, snips, hammers and pliers go on the board.

If I find myself using something frequently, I'll try to find a place for it on the pegboard.

 

[Mario]

For me, the pegboard is for stuff I need for quick/small jobs; the tool cabinets are for tools used on bigger projects.

Interesting!

I'm in the process of installing pegboard and I like this idea.

 

[crewchief888]

i keep mechanics type tools in tool boxes.

one small pegboard in the garage, mounted on the back of a POS workedbench with duct tape, ect tape ect. hanging on it. welding clamps are clamped to a piece of angle iron between 2 studs.
i have pegboard in my basement reloading/hobby room. keep saws, and some tools that dont fit into a drawer in the main workbench.

i dont care for pegbaord at all

 

[jcabbbang]

My frequently used tools are on aluminum pegboard above my workbench. My other tools stay in a couple of tool boxes. I really like the pegboard and the aluminum stuff is really sharp, I will likely add some more. I run a couple of dehumidifiers in my shop to prevent rust. A friend of mine uses the magnetic strips in his shop, in lieu of peg board, and really likes them the best. I have added some to a work bench I built, but not used them extensively let in my shop but have considered it. Chris

 

[TN_GARAGE]

One other consideration...if the pegboard is put on the wall above my workbench, is it going to be hard to reach what I want hanging on the board? I've got a pretty decent sized bench. Maybe I should choose another wall with nothing in front of it to hang my pegboard???

How deep is your bench?

Maybe a simple wall cabinet with the doors made of pegboard would be the way to go (would give you a couple more storage shelves in addition to the pegs)

 

[Ben Iv]

On mine I have all my hammers crescent wrenches an wrenches hacksaw drill and charger tin snips my t handle nut drivers a few screwdrivers and misic things. just stuff that takes up too much space in my box.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

for me i have found pegboard to be a huge hassle in my experience i usually would up leaving the DAMNED tool i needed on the pegboard when i needed it around the house.

i feel a well organized box is better every time easier to trasnport to ajob and easier to find your stuff when there

 

[mrholeshot]

I keep stuff on my Pegboard that I use at my vice and a few thing that I work at the bench. While I have wrenches at my pegboard they don't get used much. My main tools that get used at my work bench is a few screwdrivers, 1/4 drive set, hammer, channellocks and 8 inch adjustable. I think a better idea is a small toolbox by the workbench.

 

[hifi_hokie]

I'm putting combo wrenches that get used often on the pegboard, building an organizer out of Unistrut to have screwdrivers easily available on the bench...lesser-used wrenches go in the toolbox. All sockets/ratchets go in the box.

 

[LSVLance]

Well, I messed around a little bit this morning with what I had on hand and freed up a little bit of real estate in the box drawers...

I can reach everything up there easily and I think I'm going to like those items not only being handy, but the extra space left over in the drawers making things in there easy to find and get to as well.


Here is a wider shot of my work area.

If I end up liking it, I'll go ahead and hang some pegboard and get some good hangers and make it more permanent like.

 

[Danglerb]

Nice thing about pegboard is that its easy to change your mind and move stuff around, or put up different things. I am thinking I will put up the peg board with just a few things, then let my natural pattern of use fill it out.

 

[hifi_hokie]

Nice thing about pegboard is that its easy to change your mind and move stuff around, or put up different things. I am thinking I will put up the peg board with just a few things, then let my natural pattern of use fill it out.

That's what I did...helps with my indecisiveness

 

[Rickster55]

I'm not a pegboard kinda guy. Prefer everything put away put of sight.

 

[A29]

Got a little bit of stuff on pegboard but mostly in the toolbox. However I've been known to hang em on the garage floor.

 

[lbgradwell]

(I see you inherited a couple of stubby Fuller Robertsons from your grandfather...)

 

[Smoke-on420]

I prefer to keep my tools on the wall.

Its easier to see them.

 

[.:COLEE:.]

i just organized my wall.

ive got the screw drivers up there i dont have room for em along with big tools saws hammers and the like.

 

[LSVLance]

(I see you inherited a couple of stubby Fuller Robertsons from your grandfather...)

LOL... How in the hell can you tell that from those crummy photos...

It's funny, this place has done weird things to me. I've had those wrenches for over 15 years now, and I've never really paid much attention to them other than that they've been in box with the rest of my wrenches and if I needed one that size, I used it.

Today, I was checking them out to see what kind they were...

Next chance I get, I'll take some better pictures of some of the old wrenches and tools I got from him and post them up.

 

[lbgradwell]

LOL... How in the hell can you tell that from those crummy photos...

What you need to know is that every second or third household in Canada had some of those back in the 1970s & 1980s. I mean that quite literally.