Swivel socket organizer

[dclassical]

I saw a few threads about socket organizer and I have a mix of Hansen (for my metric sockets), HF (for my much less used SAE) and some rails for Hex, Torx, ...

I have had 1/2" impact swivel sockets for a while now and have not found a good way (to me) for storing them. For reference they are SK34351 (10mm to 19mm - a great set).

I tried leaving them in the plastic box they came in, I also put them on a HF tray I was not using but of course the spacing does not work. Rails are all too shorts (at least the ones I have).

How do you store them?

PS: My Gearwrench chrome 3/8" swivels came on a rail, but they do not have the "bulk" of the 1/2" SK.

 

[purplezr2]

I currently leave all my swivels on rails. I plan to make mechanic time saver style holders at some point for them.

 

[bcradio]

I use rails and they work beautifully... even on my deep swivel impacts.

 

[Tucker99]

I put a piece of 1/2" plywood in my socket drawer and put the drawer liner on top of that. I screw my socket rails to the plywood. The HF rails only have 3-holes for screws, I add 2-more for 5-total. Holds the weight of my impact sockets fine.

 

[ibedayank]

i would not think twice about drilling holes in the bottom of drawers on a import box to rivet in socket rails

 

[dclassical]

So are you using multiple rails to store 10 sockets or where did you find a rail long enough? Maybe I only have ultra short ones lol, I need to take a better look.

 

[martin666]

Use just about everything, Ernst socket boss, rails, Mechanic time savers, original trays, metal tray. Personally prefer the Mechanics Time Saver

 

[Tucker99]

I'm not drilling holes in the bottom of my drawers. I cut a piece of 1/2" plywood the exact size of the drawer and it just sits there. The weight of all the tools keeps it in place. You loose 1/2" of drawer height doing this but I thought it was a fair trade off. I have a roll cart and everything stays in it's place while in transit.
The HF rails are about 14" long and they nest so you can have a continuous length of socket rail the entire width of your drawer. What's nice about the HF rails is the 1/2" and 3/8" socket clips use the same rail so I have a little of everything on the same rails. I've found the Hansen organizers use a lot of space. Yea, the metal rail and clip systems doesn't have those cool size tags but I think you can get a lot more sockets in the same space using the metal rails.

 

[LXCam]

Ernst here

 

[G-Ram]

For my swivel sockets, I use the metal clip-style rails and riveted them to a piece of flat stock so they stand up in the drawer.

 

[454ragtop]

Made my own, block of wood and a forstner bit.

 

[crewchief888]

Use just about everything, Ernst socket boss, rails, Mechanic time savers, original trays, metal tray. Personally prefer the Mechanics Time Saver

original metal trays, metal rails, or MTS holders for me.

 

[dclassical]

Thank you for all the feedback... I have found some "long" (to me) rails that I will try. All I had were some that were maybe 12" long, so that was never going to work. And now all I can find are the long ones I did not see before.

I like the idea of "flat" rails that I will screw to a piece of plywood, for stability when taken out of the cart/toolbox.

 

[stage20]

for the price, the craftsman rails are really nice to pick up when they are on sale. the metal ones that is. you can take off the rubber handle and add more clips they store a good bit.

the plastic hf ones arent bad, but i have found that the balls get rusty quick and either stick in (makes all the sockets fall off) or they stick out, making it near impossible to get sockets off

 

[stage20]

whats a mechanics time saver?

 

[LB-1911]

whats a mechanics time saver?

Mechanic's Time Savers, Inc. is the leading manufacturer in magnetic tool control systems, components and accessories in the USA. All products are user friendly and ergonomically designed for mechanics by mechanics. Mechanic's Time Savers, Inc. products feature a non-transferable magnetic base which will not magnetize tools or damage on-board computers and other electronic circuitry.



http://www.mechanicstimesavers.com/

 

[KnurledNut]

Made my own, block of wood and a forstner bit.

That looks really nice.
What paint did you use?

 

[454ragtop]

That looks really nice.
What paint did you use?

Cheap Magic brand spray paint.

 

[Mastermind]

I have the same 1/2 swivels. The case is huge. Metal rail needed to be attached to something.
I ended up with a couple of this style magnetic "rails" off a clearance rack a few years ago. Saw them recently at ollies outlet store. They fit perfect and don't fall over.

 

[stage20]

I have the same 1/2 swivels. The case is huge. Metal rail needed to be attached to something.
I ended up with a couple of this style magnetic "rails" off a clearance rack a few years ago. Saw them recently at ollies outlet store. They fit perfect and don't fall over.

I would be interested in some of those if I knew what to look for

 

[Xxslyer1]

I have the same 1/2 swivels. The case is huge. Metal rail needed to be attached to something.
I ended up with a couple of this style magnetic "rails" off a clearance rack a few years ago. Saw them recently at ollies outlet store. They fit perfect and don't fall over.

Exactly what I use, the pegs can also be swapped for 1/2, 3/8, or 1/4" sockets.

 

[Mastermind]

I would be interested in some of those if I knew what to look for

They are called mag-clip. The pegs can be changed for different drive sizes. The spacing i find wasteful for anything smaller than 1/2". I got them for a buck or two years ago. They appear pricey on Amazon. I would look elsewhere.