Storing Nuts and Bolts ?

[hbud]

Just an old electrical cabinet repainted with small lista boxes in it. Sorry for the cell phone pic.

 

[BigSteve63]

I have Open wall Hanging Bins as well as Closed Plano Trays, that I store over my Desk like this...

KCarGuy - Looking at doing the very same thing; do you have any measurements for the spacing, etc. Did you use 1/2" for the shelves?

 

[KCarGuy]

I can double check on the measurements.
But, Yes. I used 1/2" on the shelves and 3/4" for the sides.
I think I only left 1/4" extra space on the sides and less than that for the height of each Tray.
It has been in my Garage for a few years, all loaded up with No sagging...so I would stick with the 1/2" shelves.

 

[bullfrog123]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

Has anyone used one of these from Northern Tools before?
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200405913_200405913

Been thinking about this one but the weak looking frame makes me a little nervous.

I have 2 of those and been in use for 4 yrs now. No problems with the thin frames. I did screw them to the wall for extra security against tipping over. Overall I don't think you can beat the price and the ability to take the bins to your project makes them nice. I'll get a pic if anyone wants.

 

[jbs]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

I have 2 of those and been in use for 4 yrs now. No problems with the thin frames. I did screw them to the wall for extra security against tipping over. Overall I don't think you can beat the price and the ability to take the bins to your project makes them nice. I'll get a pic if anyone wants.

I also looked at that one. I think it would be sturdy enough. I have used other shelves of that type. However, I ended up going with this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O4A42K/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Overall size is a bit smaller and the bins and a bit bigger than I prefer (but actually quite well-sized with the dividers). But at just over half the cost and being able to roll it around, I am very happy with it. Will probably add another in the future.

 

[Zick]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

I have 2 of those and been in use for 4 yrs now. No problems with the thin frames. I did screw them to the wall for extra security against tipping over. Overall I don't think you can beat the price and the ability to take the bins to your project makes them nice. I'll get a pic if anyone wants.

Thanks for the info Bull!
I'd like to see a picture if you have time.

Thanks

 

[rburke65]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

I have 2 of those and been in use for 4 yrs now. No problems with the thin frames. I did screw them to the wall for extra security against tipping over. Overall I don't think you can beat the price and the ability to take the bins to your project makes them nice. I'll get a pic if anyone wants.

I have one similar to this from a garage sale. I added shelves and rather than screwing them to the side angles, I welded them. What an unbelievable difference! There is NO play in any of the joints.

 

[bullfrog123]

Here ya go. One rack is SAE and the other is Metric and odds and end screws, lags, hose clamps, etc etc.... as you can see the bins are pretty loaded up with stuff and the shelves are still holding up well.

 

[Zick]

Thanks for the pictures, that looks really good.

You sure yours is the same as this one?
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200405913_200405913

Yours doesn't look like the shelves are adjustable. The one on NT site, you can see the side frames have a lot of holes for adjustability which also makes for a weaker frame.

Wonder if they changed styles?

 

[39 chevy]

I use baby food jars, (all sizes) I run a 2x4 6ft long approx, mount it then I install the lids with one screw underneath then I twist my jar on to it and works fine, cheap too. No more baby jars now though, just aspirin, blood pressur etc!!!

 

[Wanna Ride]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

I also looked at that one. I think it would be sturdy enough. I have used other shelves of that type. However, I ended up going with this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O4A42K/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Overall size is a bit smaller and the bins and a bit bigger than I prefer (but actually quite well-sized with the dividers). But at just over half the cost and being able to roll it around, I am very happy with it. Will probably add another in the future.

Those look similar to the ones at Sams, for about a c-note.

 

[dankicksass]

(I need to read this thread later.)

 

[Jeff]

 

[twangnut]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

I too have a couple of old card files. I love these cabinets. All the hardware in one place, easy to access

View media item 5189
View media item 5188

Ok Mr. Breeze, dumb question time: How do you cut the cartons off so straight. I never can cut them that straight?

 

[Call me the Breeze]

They're really not that straight HAHAHAHA
I just use a utility knife

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Although I did see someone one here put a fence up on his bandsaw and cut them.

 

[PCO6]

That might have been me. I cut used clear juice bottles with my table saw. I set the fence at 4.5" and the blade at about 1/8". I zipped them through quickly to keep the "plastic melt" to a minimum and it worked well.

 

[JOHNMAN]

I have Open wall Hanging Bins as well as Closed Plano Trays, that I store over my Desk like this...

Quote:
Originally Posted by KCarGuy View Post
I have Open wall Hanging Bins as well as Closed Plano Trays, that I store over my Desk like this...
KCarGuy - Looking at doing the very same thing; do you have any measurements for the spacing, etc. Did you use 1/2" for the shelves?

Now that is what I eventually want to do with my PLANO bins. Right now, I have them in file cabinets which is less than desirable.

 

[mikegt4]

Here is the bolt bin that I made at work. About 10 years ago we combined several buildings into one new building which resulted in several different types of fastener collections. Some were just boxes of bolts stuffed in each persons tool box, others were Vidmar cabinets stocked by bolt salesmen (more on that later). I combined everthing into several Vidmars and over the course of a few years refined the system to what works best for our needs. The biggest problem is people who don't know (or care to know) about the different types of bolts and threads. I got some bolt sizing templates like those at Home Depot but I would still find bolts stuck in the wrong template (metric vs. standard or fine vs. coarse) on occasion. Usually people would bring a bolt or nut similar to what they want to the bin and start going through the drawers trying to match it. They always throw the bolts back in any spot or even a different drawer. After stocking these bins for several years I can usually identify a bolt's size and thread from several feet away which has become handy at times. We also have a lot of hydraulic fittings with an array of thread sizes and types.

To label the drawers I developed an Excel spreadsheet with a font size and spacing that allowed me to print out nice labels for about 6 drawers at a time. I also used colored paper to group similar drawers together so that people could quickly get to the general area that they are looking for. When bolt salesmen are given free reign to stock the bins you end up with every odd fastner that you can think of, we have lots of 7/16" and 9/16" bolts. Fortunetly those are common sizes for old tractors so those drawers have green labels to signify the "agriculture dept." and the stainless bolts are in the blue "marine" drawers for those needing bolts for their boat.

Unfortunetly when we got a new boss ("bottom line" MBA type) he decided that managing the bins ourselves was not "value added" and he brought the bolt salesman back so now the drawers are not straightened up any longer and are starting to get unorganized.

 

[tinbender 66]

I posted these in another thread but I've fixed them up a little since then.

This one is about 6' tall and has 100 drawers. I got it at a garage sale for $20.It was pretty ugly so I stripped it and painted it, put some handles on the doors. The doors open and then slide back into the cabinet.

These two smaller ones I got after my Dad passed away. Stripped and painted them to match.

 

[lilredex]

Re: Storeing Nuts and Bolts ?

Ok Mr. Breeze, dumb question time: How do you cut the cartons off so straight. I never can cut them that straight?

Just use snips, start higher on the side and cut down around to the length you need............perfect edge every time.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Chloe Taylor]

Ok So I am doing a shop rebuild and want to come up with a good solution to store my nuts and bolts.

It needs to be organised well, have easy access and look neat and tidy when done.

So any pics / ideas ?

Well according to me, the best way to store nuts and blots is by keeping them of same shape and size with in boxes and arranging them with in shealves of cupboards.....

 

[KCarGuy]

I have had all the Metal organizers for years, but they were just stacked up on a work bench.
I found the Metal Cabinets with the drawer slides at a Flee Market over the summer for $20.
I just built a wooden cabinet that will be mounted on the wall.
I think that I will add a set of doors to the front and I am all set.
These Organizers are Great...slide out...removable and closed!

 

[porcupine73]

I went with a bunch of inexpensive plastic bins from Harbor freight, then mounted them between the studs in the uninsulated/unfinished garage. It has been working out alright and doesn't really take up any space, except wall space. I don't have a huge selection of fasteners, but also have my various brass and black pipe fittings in there, hose barbs, stuff like that.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have had all the Metal organizers for years, but they were just stacked up on a work bench.
I found the Metal Cabinets with the drawer slides at a Flee Market over the summer for $20.
I just built a wooden cabinet that will be mounted on the wall.
I think that I will add a set of doors to the front and I am all set.
These Organizers are Great...slide out...removable and closed!

20 bucks for all them or for the top and bottom section?

 

[KCarGuy]

A Guy was selling the Top and Bottom Cabinets...no Organizers...just the cabinets with the slides for $20 a piece.
I talked him down to $20 for both.
Great Buy!
The Organizers are from different Companies...I got those for free from a Friend who bought a ton of them from a company going out of Business.
So, I have $20 invested in the whole setup so far.
Just need 1 more Organizer!

 

[sberry]

I have 3 or 4 but here is the main for nuts/bolts

 

[mondols1]

this is as little of subject but i only have nuts and bolts left over from various projects. whats a good place where i can purchase a starter set of a good mix of nuts and bolts.

 

[Lippyp]

I've bought two of these old metal shelves to use in my new garage , they have 30 steel drawers in the middle of each set of shelves but I may combine the drawers onto one set of shelves as they just pull out and its a matter of setting the shelves to the right spacing. They take internal dividers too so I need to get some sheet metal and get a load cropped out by someone with a big shear. I also have a set of those plastic bins with louvre panels to mount them on the wall that may take bigger stuff, for screws and nails I use those plastic divider cases as I can them move them to where I may be working around the house. I also have a number of the small plastic drawer cabinets that will be shifted now to holding stuff like electrical connectors etc. Can't you guess I will shortly have a new garage!

 

[Al Bundy]

Sorry if this pulls the thread a bit OT, but why is it that Lista, Vidmar etc. cabinets cost so much money? I'm sure they're real nice and all, but $1500 to store nuts and bolts? Really?

Even the used ones on Feebay are half of the list price. They aren't Snap On tool chests. And I admit I'm only ranting because I'd like to have one, but there's no way I'm going to spend that kind of money.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Kcarguy, nice! I have a few of those metal organizers as well.
I've got plano boxes in multiple places, cabinets with drawers, the works.
I will have to snap some pics.

 

[atch]

i have a 10 drawer card file like breeze's & several others here. and like someone else said above i used a bandsaw to cut 1/2 gallon milk jugs down to the correct height. they fit perfectly 3 wide and 6 (i believe) front to back.

it's been around 20 years since i cut and installed the plastic jugs. they are still in the same shape as the day i put them in there.

in the top drawer i used 1 gallon jugs and they fit 2 wide by 4 deep. useful for longer items.

in one drawer i have sheet metal dividers that make 3 pockets wide by the full depth. again, useful for waaaay longer items.

 

[RonRock]

Sorry if this pulls the thread a bit OT, but why is it that Lista, Vidmar etc. cabinets cost so much money? I'm sure they're real nice and all, but $1500 to store nuts and bolts? Really?

Even the used ones on Feebay are half of the list price. They aren't Snap On tool chests. And I admit I'm only ranting because I'd like to have one, but there's no way I'm going to spend that kind of money.

I'm with you on this. I'd love to have some, but until I run across some for cheap I can dream of them. Don't tell my wife I'm dreaming of bolt and part storage.

I sold my Snap On chest and roll cab when I quit wrenching as a job. My Craftsman set works just fine at home.

 

[abstamaria]

In my very first “workshop” in my mother’s house in the late 1960s, I used Gerber baby food jars to sort and store my small fastener assortment. There were no babies in the house then, so I had to buy the bottles from a junk dealer who sold such things.

I then had a Triumph TR4 and had to deal only with inch-size nuts and bolts, which I think are properly called “Unified,” but which I call “English.” Sorting my fasteners this weekend, I found one remaining Gerber bottle, still with its Dymo label and some bolts. Those bolts must have been in there some 40 years!

Andy

 

[abstamaria]

Tackle Box

When I moved to my own garage in the late 1970s, where I began to restore a Lotus Elan, I had to abandon the Gerber-bottle system, which depended on shelves that were available to me in my mother’s garage. Instead, I used a plastic fishing tackle box, bought from one of the places in Manila where one could buy U.S. goods, usually from the PX of the two U.S. bases here then. “PX,” I learned later, stood for “postal exchange” and referred to the commissary, the retail store that sold goods to military personnel. Imported items were hard to find then.

I still have that plastic box, still with some fasteners in it. It also still has the Dymo label (“FASTENERS”) I affixed over 30 years ago.

 

[abstamaria]

Proper Drawers

Nowadays, life isn’t so simple. I have to deal with metric and Whitworth fasteners in addition. I keep English bolts and screws (such a large, bewildering assortment in fine and coarse thread), as well as rivets and specialized fasteners such as riv-nuts, in an old tool cabinet. The balance I keep in small drawers with compartments that I bought a long time ago from Griots.

The arrangement is not ideal, because the fasteners are not together in a single cabinet, but the Griots drawers and tool (now fastener-storage) cabinet are right next to each other, so so far the system has worked.

I am envious of some of the storage solutions posted here and may copy one some day.

Andy

 

[jeffmoss26]

I like those kind of drawers the best. I've got 2 of the individual metal drawers, and several of the plastic version.

 

[Markgyver]

I have been using these bin organizers from Home Depot for my nails, another for screws, I also have one with all my plumbing parts and another with electrical. They are great to take to your work/project area.

 

[DZL JIM]

Sorry if this pulls the thread a bit OT, but why is it that Lista, Vidmar etc. cabinets cost so much money? I'm sure they're real nice and all, but $1500 to store nuts and bolts? Really?

Even the used ones on Feebay are half of the list price. They aren't Snap On tool chests. And I admit I'm only ranting because I'd like to have one, but there's no way I'm going to spend that kind of money.

They are high quality, meant to store hundreds of pounds of stuff in each drawer and open and close many, many times a day for life.
If you've ever seen one in use, it's pretty easy to understand their cost.

 

[sams]

there has been a few threads on this already:

39 tubs with 24 compartments = 936. However as shown above I do remove some dividers for longer fasteners.

Total cost of tubs is $195!!