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who hangs spanners?

dr_clyde

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Jan 7, 2009
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Location
Holland, MI
Tools go in drawers and cabinets. Keeps the dust and atomized coolant oils off them. You can lock them up. Keep wandering, prying eyes off. Machines can get dedicated tool sets unique to each machine.

I only have 4 walls, almost all of it is occupied by racking, machinery or doors. Wall space is far too valuable to be taken up by single deep pegboard or what have you. Toolboxes and Vidmar cabinets are a FAR more efficient and dense use of space.

I’ve always thought wall hung tools looked amateurish and unorganized too. Something you always saw over grandpa’s workbench or on a makeshift farm workshop instead of a professional shop. Not the look I want in my workspace.

I only have my cordless stuff on a pegboard because the pegboard came with the shop and I have not bothered to put the shelves I would actually like on the wall. It looks horrible. Even harder to use than dedicated and purpose built shelves or cabinets.
 
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Wiz02

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Jul 13, 2007
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Southeastern PA
"Real" tools are stored in Toolboxes and cabinets - pegboard and hooks are for "yard" tools, brooms and mops.
 

GaryM909

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Apr 11, 2016
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1,525
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I keep two sets of sae wrenches and one small set of metric wrenches hanging on those old kitchen utensil hangers. There is also a few screwdrivers, hammers and a hacksaw. Beside the bench I have a cabinet with a six drawer beach tool box in it. Knives, files, screwdrivers, plyers, vice grips, and a bunch of tools for everyday fixing stuff. I keep it out with easy access especially for my wife and kids (when they were still home) to use.
 

nbpt100

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Oct 19, 2016
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2,301
Location
Massachusetts
Snap on sells what some call shadow boards that have the outline of the tool on a metal plate to be hung on the wall. The shadow or outline allows you to see approximately what goes on that peg or clamp. They have them at the trade school I took automotive at.

Lots of factories use this concept. It is taught with Lean manufacturing training and 5S training.

The benefits are numerous, but one approach does not solve all issues.

Here are some examples with this company who seems to have a lot of products along this line.

 

Mgdoug3

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Mar 2, 2018
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1,391
Location
KY
I hang all my box end wrenches on my work bench. They're in order and I can quickly grab the wrench I need and can also quickly tell if I forgot to pick up a wrench. Another benefit it that it keeps my other tool boxes more organized. I could buy wrench organizers but then I would need another toolbox and something else taking up space.
 

Al Borland

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Jan 20, 2016
Messages
1,598
HD sells Husky wrench organizers for $20, but the problem is they come with wrenches:)
Those Husky wrenches are actually pretty tough. Use them at work (cheap and easy to get).
Frequently and sucessfully used as slug wrenches or worse.
 

carmantl

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Dec 19, 2015
Messages
237
Those husky wrenches held up all right in Project Farm's testing, not a match for Snap-on but bang for bucks all right.
 

rick carpenter

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Jan 20, 2011
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Location
Huntsville, East Texas
LOL. i grabed a few screws and ran them in in seconds to see if i wanted them hung or not, i did nearly get the level out but meh. the odd screw is thats just what i grabbed after as its longer and i had a few odd ball sizes under 10mm
I like that oddball screw. It's saying, "Like, don't mess with me, man! I can do whatever I want. I don't have to follow your bourgeois convention and stay in [scowling hideously] a line. I am a PUNK ROCK SCREW, dammit!"

I have my necessary Toyota and Nissan metric sizes in my cart, and I hang up the rest of my metrics and SAEs.
 

fishwatcher

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Jan 26, 2023
Messages
751
I have a very modest collection of tools, esp compared to most everybody in GJ. I’ve had a cheap 90-ish piece tool set (SAE and metric) in a green blown plastic case for years. It has an assortment of allen wrenches, socket wrenches, combos, sockets, pliers, a screw driver with bits.. etc.

I finally acquired a decent number of quality bike tools in recent years to start organizing them on a peg board.

At a bike shop close out, I got a set of various vintage USA Craftsman metric combo wrenches from 8mm to 19mm. Useful.. but it’s not like I was ever short a metric sized wrench from my cheap tool box. Of course.. now I “needed” an SAE set of Craftsman too! GJ steered me toward a Blackhawk by Proto set I found for $20 and “completed” for another $20-ish.

Wouldn’t you know it.. during my search for missing sizes.. I found SAE and metric ignition wrenches. Now those are hung on the board with book rings (the kind that split in the middle.. like in a binder).

All of these sets (plus a few extras) are now hung proudly (or amateurishly) on my peg board. The cheap green case is still nearby.. but none of those tools are hung up. IMG_6713.jpeg
 
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u2slow

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Nov 20, 2011
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3,586
Location
BC
Got my wrenches hung up. Its been half a year.... I like it a lot better than in drawers.
 

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nbpt100

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Oct 19, 2016
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Massachusetts
I do a little bit of everytyhing. I have some stuff hanging on the wall. The tools I use the most in the garage are on the wall. It is most efficient for me. Plus I can always glance over and make sure I put everything away. I also have wrenches on holders in drawer. This way I can grab the entire set and carry it in the field or in the drive way. One size does not fit all. I like the pics people have posted. When i get my garage organized better I will post some pics.
 
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jonesg

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Mar 15, 2010
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northern Maine/
given how many spanners i now have of the same size i decided it would be a free , neat and quick way to have excess spanners in a place i can get to them if i ever need more than 1 of the same size. i had that many spare 10mms i had to use 2 hangers for them! kept all my better brands in my box along with ratchet spanners and ring spanners. as im not a mechanic by trade, spending money on a bigger box to house excess spanner silly for my needs, who else hangs them up?

its a pointless thread really but im bored

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all my hand tools are hung on a pegboard, i don't even own a toolbox.
 

Walkers

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May 17, 2021
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Cave Creek Az
I thought the thread title said Spammers. I thought this was going to be a thread I could really get in to!
 

AEAdam

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May 27, 2023
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SE PA
I like the old school non-fussy look of a wall rack. But the engineer in me says wall racks are for bench work, not work on a vehicle. For vehicle work, the objectively best approach is a tool box of some sort as close to the job as possible. As in, not along the adjacent wall but 6” from the vehicle and oriented to reduce twisting.

I’ve never told anyone this, but it’s probably worth mentioning. My big top drawer only has 1/4” and 3/8” that I access while standing, when working on an engine or interior. Suspension and brake tools are in my bottom drawers that I can reach from a brake creeper or regular creeper. I suspect this is the design intention behind the hazet assistent. It’s designed for mechanics working on rear engine cars without racks/lifts.

Try to get your tools absolutely as close to your task as possible. For vehicle work, wall racks are the wrong spot.
 

nadogail

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Jan 23, 2009
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31,946
Location
Coronado, CA
Wall hung wrenches, or Spanners, are fine for bench work or working on stationary machines at a fixed location. For mobile work I prefer my tools in a Roll Around tool box.
 

WAID

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Nov 28, 2013
Messages
120
Location
Longview, WA
Mine are in a drawer either on their sides to save space for the big ones or in rolls that I can grab and carry out to what I am working on. I'm not a fan of hand tools hung up and have otger priorities for my precious wall space.
 

geoffro5

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Jun 5, 2012
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61
Location
Canberra Australia
A few photos of my tool box. I find hanging spanners and screwdrivers handy.
 

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magnusk750

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Nov 6, 2010
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Estonia
All my most in use tools hang on a metal peg board for easy access. The odd ones, the sets of thread die,s micrometer, etc are in drawers.
 

Boilerhouse

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Mar 20, 2012
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1,320
Location
Muskoka
I have a lot of tools hanging on the walls and I find it looks cluttered and unsightly. I plan to build some cabinets with several shallow, full extension drawers and get stuff off the walls and out of sight. The one exception though will be the wrenches, which will stay right where they are, on the wall, just above the work bench. Double sets of imperial and metric, 1/4 in to 1 1/4 and 6mm to 30mm. They get used more than most other tools and just like the idea of having them where I can see them and quickly get them.
 

jives

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Jan 4, 2013
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2,805
Location
Central NY
I built a rolling tool board out of an old A-V cart. Hung the wrenches along with many other tools, and it was convenient. But it was not a good place for sockets. I did not like having wrenches and sockets in different places, so I moved the wrenches to a tool box with the sockets, ratchets, adjustable and specialty wrenches.
 

Jazz1

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Jan 3, 2016
Messages
4,184
Location
Thunder Bay On.
My only wrenches hanging are my 3 Crescent wrenches on one hook.
I didn't plan for wall space to hang tools although I like the idea of hanging all the tools and drawing outline around each so you know exactly right now what tool is missing.
 

F-22

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Jan 23, 2022
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1,830
I find wrenches hanging on the wall way more practical. Depends on what kind of a garage you have. Mine is not large and I don't really have space to roll around carts anyway. Sorted by size on the wall, I find it by far the fastest way to pick a wrench up. In a drawer, they seem to take a lot of drawer space...
 
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