Tool box top chest what do you put inside?

[Mrgreen617]

I am curious what guys use the very top section of these big tool boxes for. I’ll need to shut the lid from time to time as it’s in front of a window. May even keep it shut often. Just curious what tools or what items you all keep inside. My drills won’t stand up and that would be what I would likely try to have there. But since it won’t shut I was curious what else I could use it for. Thanks in advance. Photos welcome.

 

[DAustin]

I am curious what guys use the very top section of these big tool boxes for. I’ll need to **** the lid from time to time as it’s in front of a window. May even keep it shut often. Just curious what tools or what items you all keep inside. My drills won’t stand up and that would be what I would likely try to have there. But since it won’t shut I was curious what else I could use it for. Thanks in advance. Photos welcome.

You may want to put up curtains up before you "**** the lid" next time.

 

[Mrgreen617]

Guess auto correct got me. I assume I spell shut with an I more than with a u lmao

 

[Mrgreen617]

You may want to put up curtains up before you "**** the lid" next time.

Guess auto correct got me. I assume I spell shut with an I more than with a u lmao

 

[CS454]

Sockets

 

[GrayFlattop]

Impact sockets and cordless impact wrenches.

 

[Rusted Nut]

I keep all my bottles/cans of spray lube, Loctite, chargers, scanners, gloves, etc…

 

[dscheidt]

Junk.

my bigger box has no front lip on the top, which makes it actually usable for storage. It's about 58" off the ground, so you can see into it (and ~8" deep) I have a battery charger for my cordless tools (which I never use, because I have two where the tools are stored, on a different wall), a couple of magnetic lights (usually plugged in to charge), couple pairs of safety googles, a box of gloves, some other random things, and junk that collects there.
my other box is an older sears 26", with a 3 drawer intermediate section. The top cover is closer to being a flat, so the top is about 65" off the ground, and there's two inches or so below the lip. It's really full of junk. I do have about 20 spring clamps clipped to the top piece, which I never close on either one, they're in my basement, but beyond that, I have no idea what's up there. It does have a removable tool tray, which I used to use to carry tools to where I was working, but I haven't done that in ages.

 

[CGarage]

Buy some curtains and secure the entrance door with a good quality deadbolt.

Make sure the curtains are opaque so that the box is out of sight.

The locks on every tool box are easy to bypass. Keeping the lid shut will not deter theft.

Opaque curtains will help.

 

[sparky 1971]

Two cordless impacts, two cordless ratchets, 36" 3/4" drive ratchet, 40" 3/4" drive breaker bar, 30" & 24" 1/2" drive breaker bar, 26" 1/2" drive flex head ratchet, 24" 1/2" drive fixed ratchet.

 

[m6z]

Torque wrench, extra long ratchet, breaker bars, lights, chargers. Stuff like that.

 

[FJ 432]

****.

 

[Nutria]

Oddball stuff, lots of things on the longer side that I don't use every day. Height gauge, various extractor sets, stethoscope, serpentine belt tool, antifreeze tester, mechanical pickups, timing light, etc.

I used to leave the top open, but now I keep it closed due to all of the **** that gets in there.

 

[bcradio]

Nothing... I keep mine empty and use it to put parts on as I am working on a project

 

[Danny]

That area is a landing zone for stuff that doesn’t fit in the drawers or is on its way to being put back. I’m actually in the middle of cleaning up and arranging this wall of the shop so the boxes on the right are a little more cluttered than usual.

Got to go through them every couple years and maybe find that file you thought you loaned out. This is about as clean as mine get.

 

[merkyworks]

No matter how many times I reorganize the top. Inevitably it always become a catch all of tools, gloves, rags, tape, zip ties and packaging of some type.

 

[BTL-A4]

I've put all my measuring and marking tools in the top of mine:


I don't think I've EVER closed the lid. There has to be a better design. I think I'd rather just have a tray up there; I space with a short height wall all around and no lid (like the one shown, but no lid). The newer ones have more height, but they assume you'll put rechargeable tools there since that's where the USB and electrical outlets are, but I want the flexibility of deciding what goes where.

 

[Al Borland]

I think that's where all my 10mm and 1/2" sockets go to party.

 

[LWB]

Impacts go up top with an M12

 

[gfd_703]

I keep my pipe wrenches, pipe threading set, pipe cutters, and everything else in plumbing tools up there. Don't want to use valuable drawer space for these little used items but Rigid aluminum pipe wrenches and Rigid dies and cutters are worth storing correctly.

 

[Tynee]

my primary box is only 41" wide by 18 deep, and is double bay, so my top storage is used for pry bars, breaker bars, measuring tools, straight edges, etc that are too long for any of the other drawers, plus all my safety gear.

 

[Fly YX]

I have a bunch of junk

 

[toolenthusiast]

• Opened bottles of every brake lubricant and anti-squeal paste known to man
• Spray cans of battery terminal cleaner and protectant
• My 1st mechanic license
• A big thread checker tool like they have at the hardware store
• 1 torque wrench that’s too long to fit anywhere else
• A (very tasteful) sticker depicting Supergirl licking a banana
• The weird tiny mini fridge that my wife got me several Christmases ago
• Every common USB charging cable from USB-C all the way back to the Motorola Razr trapezoidal doohickeys
• A few nuts and bolts that I swept up that seem vaguely familiar so I’d better not throw them out just yet or I’ll need them next week, ya know?
• Front brake pads for the car I sold last year
• An old school “dumb” battery charger
• 2 bottles of emergency eye rinse
• A coaster
• A paint mixing cup
• An old toothbrush

My sons will have to argue over how they split the inheritance

 

[humber2]

The top is best left open to use as a landing stage for whatever.

I load the top heavily with sockets and drive tools. This improves stability of the stack.

Next drawers down are lightly loaded, screwdrivers, pliers.

At the base are heavily loaded drawers again to improve stability. eg 3/4 drive socket sets.



I don’t have an earthquake restraint fitted, nor do I want to be underneath a roller that tips because too many heavy drawers are open together.

YMMV

 

[Sneezer]

Junk. Both of mine are landing pads for odds and ends, various chemicals and stuff I don't feel like dealing with right then.

 

[Sumboodie]

Couple old soup cans with markers, pencils, etc. Blox of gloves, ear gargles, ear hole pluggers, lock tite, antiseize, pipe dope, etc

 

[Mrgreen617]

I've put all my measuring and marking tools in the top of mine:


I don't think I've EVER closed the lid. There has to be a better design. I think I'd rather just have a tray up there; I space with a short height wall all around and no lid (like the one shown, but no lid). The newer ones have more height, but they assume you'll put rechargeable tools there since that's where the USB and electrical outlets are, but I want the flexibility of deciding what goes where.

On my other box I have never closed the lid. The new box has the newer style top but my screw ins I cant close it with them standing up. Just looking for ideas

 

[Mrgreen617]

I am curious what guys use the very top section of these big tool boxes for. I’ll need to shut the lid from time to time as it’s in front of a window. May even keep it shut often. Just curious what tools or what items you all keep inside. My drills won’t stand up and that would be what I would likely try to have there. But since it won’t shut I was curious what else I could use it for. Thanks in advance. Photos welcome.

My other box had all my larger battery tools like nailers and jig saw ect…

 

[VolvoRyan]

I keep all the commonly used sockets, long extensions, breaker bars, longer handled ratchets, small flashlights, some markers and commonly used odds and ends.

The locks on every tool box are easy to bypass. Keeping the lid shut will not deter theft.

The old saying is that locks keep honest people out. No locks on the tool storage at work (anatomy labs), and all the tools are gone. Not stolen, just innocently borrowed. If one in ten people forgets to return something, after a few years, it's all gone.

For me, locking my own tool boxes is part of my clean up ritual. Make sure all of the tools made it to their homes, and then lock up. When it's locked, I know I've made my pass of accounting for the tools. Kinda weird: I'm uncharacteristically disciplined with my shop tools.

-Ryan