I tried asking a couple of the guys I work with if I could kinda get sorting ideas and they wouldn’t give me the time of day. Told me to “go ask my daddy”…who’s passed away. Thanks for taking the time to add in some tips, they’re much appreciated!!
Oh man, I'm sorry you had that experience. I worked in a motorcycle shop for a bit. The guys were pretty gruff, but they'd help me out when I needed. Makes for an efficient shop when everyones on, at least semi-friendly terms with each other. This is a great method but more so, brwaking the idea down into "storage" vs "organisation" and seeing how a drawer can have both is perfect. I never thought about it in those terms.
I've had the chance to use this table a couple of times now. It's fun to whip out in front of people:) I can see what people are talking about when they say the legs are delicate, but they're design to support a "mostly" vertical load, not be torqued from the side or pushed back into place. If you just let the table open or close on it's own and don't force anything, it works great ru-vid.comUgkxyFZUPFEey-PuqsPMxqaykBhgA1LWxFHh Once it's set up, it's pretty solid. My only gripe would probably be related to the clamps provided. They're not the highest quality. They do the job, so no big deal, but they could be better. All in all, pretty cool gadget.
That's how my dad had his box set up since I was a kid. I've tried over organizing and just throwing everything in pile in my toolbox. Now that he's disabled and 76 years old I'm doing his repairs now and I find myself going to his toolbox just cause of that layout he has.
This was the best video I've seen to date about toolbox organization. You make an excellent point about the current foam craze. Just bought my first rolling toolbox for my home workspace, and I need this kind of no-nonsense, practical information. Thank you!
I’m thankful I found your page. It was perfectly explained to a new man like myself. I really like the beginning when you said how you look up to your Workshop. I’m grateful for your inspired words and video.
Good combination between “storage” and accessibility! Prior to having my huge toolbox, I used 2 boxes - one for metric which get used most times and the other is for SAE
Thanks for a tour of your tools boxes and for a very good discussion on the pros and cons of the different ways of organising tools. Much food for thought.
Thanks for checking out my channel. I love the box, and it is good to look at it from time to time to see if you can improve it. I have a few changes in mind. Stay tuned. R.J.
Well done! New sub here. I used to work in the aircraft modification business and we had to have 100% accountability for tools so we had felt cutouts for each tool and a ID in the missing holes so at the end of the shift we knew who had taken the tool. The idea was we never wanted to leave a tool on an aircraft where it could damage things. I like the idea of a tool in every spot, but agree with you on the balance of things. Thanks for giving me some ideas on organizing my shop in my retired years. Have a great summer.
A very good approach. i have a ton of tools, for different trades. The stuff I use constantly is up front and organized. The stuff not used often, is in the back. Thank you.
Great ideas here for organizing tools. Also, I applaud you for stressing that there are many ways to organizing tools and we should explore the possibilities until we come to one that we agree with. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been searching “how to organize tool chest” videos and this is one of the best ive seen. Of course everyones most used tools are different but this gave me some a good ways to structure my tool chest. Thanks for sharing!
I had the similar craftsman boxes. I ended up buying a matching set. So two 24 drawer boxes. 48 drawers , however at least 7 drawers were empty and others weren't being used efficiently. I did separate my metric and sae wrenches into two drawers. I had a lot of redundant tools. So, I got the brainwave to downsize and become more efficient. Doing more with less. I sold my two 24 drawer set ups and a 60x31 steel work bench. I bought a husky 72x24 15 drawer roller box. Not exactly the drawer set up that I wanted, but it's what I could find locally. I went through all my tools edited out all the doubles, triples, quadruples. I sold off some other tools. Now, I'm going to make it all fit in the new box. I'm adding the stand up socket trays. I have the old bar type. A pain to find what you need. Anyway, you gave me some great ideas for sorting things out in a more efficient manner. Thanks.
Huge thanks mate. I'm not a tradesman but inherited a lot of tools. I been trying to organise the garage & this has been a great help. Thanks for letting me peek into your workshed! This will help me group things together. Big thanks from Melbourne.
Glad I could help. I never have mine completely organized. Since I made this video I have changed two complete drawers. Someday it will be perfect. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your ideas. As you said a particular job will dictate the tools you''ll use but it's nice to see how someone else organizes theirs and the reasons behind it. Good tips.
Thanks for checking it out. I have spent allot of time working with the box this summer, and hopefully soon I will be organizing some more of the drawers soon.
I feel real late to this party but I just finished watching this video. I understand the aircraft mechanics accountability, but otherwise if you detailed space for each tool you would likely have two of the harbor freight boxes full of tools, and have yet another for the misc stuff you have in the craftsman box. As a former business owner in a metal fab industry, I like things organized. I had my tool room, and entire shop including my tool chest organized to where you could nearly find anything blindfolded. Now my office, well that was another story. After I had to close my shop I went into a depressive state in which I still used my tools a lot, but organization was terrible and I lived out of multiple toolboxes of which never seemed to have what I was needing at the time. I have finally got to point I am tired of things being this way and I am organizing again. Thank you for your enlightenment
Great video. This has been my life's goal this year to get better organized with my tool boxes. I bought some cheap multi size interlocking toolbox organizer trays and it has helped me tremendously.
Thanks I appreciate your video. I am 74 and never had a tool cabinet. Most of the time it in old dresser cabinets or buckets or sitting on a shelf. I have moved and my shop stuff is in boxes in the garage. So my daughter is after me to clean it up. I tell her when she went through house boxes she put it in the house. When I go through shop boxes were do I put it? I have bad enough time with work bench (i like woodworking/woodturning), drill press, bandsaw and compressor much less hand tools and DYI tools. Tool cabinet seems like a place to put all this stuff. so instead of dumping into the drawer of a cabinet you gave me some ideas on how to to lay stuff out. The next catch 22 task is making room for a rolling tool chest. I now understand the saying "which came first the chicken or the egg" or in my case how to put away tools to make room for a tool cabinet that you need to put tools in ha ha.
Great video. Obviously it’s a matter of preference, but sometimes U even need what some would consider obvious ideas, but when u are overwhelmed with an entire shop cleanup, or reorganization, videos like this are awesome. I found myself shaking my head in agreement, then laughing at myself thinking “duh, why didn’t I think of this?” Lol thanks again!!!
Really appreciate this video. I'm about to purchase a similar chest and have been thinking about layout. Good points on what things deserve to be highly organized vs. things you rarely use, like crow's feet and torque wrenches...
My dad owns a company and he mainly hauls gravel and rents out dozers but we have our fair share of tools in the shop for when something breaks and my dads workers are absolute pigs and just leave stuff laying around everywhere and I wanna gather up all the stuff and put it away properly. Thank you for the advice
Great video. A well organised tool box is more important than people think. If I go somewhere to have work done and I see a disorganised shop with tools all over the place then I will go somewhere else. This place is probably going to charge me around $100/hour and I am not going to pay that much money for them to look for their tools. When I was an employer the maths was simple. If you have 10 staff and each one wastes 6 minutes a day looking for a tool that is not where it is supposed to be then that costs me at least $100 per day ($500 per week) in lost profit. It may not make you a better tradesman but it will give your customers better value for money.
I've just started out. The amount of times I go from the car back to the garage every time I need something! Then at my tool box everything is everywhere and I'm looking around for a 13mm socket, the one I find doesn't fit the 3/8 ratchet then I'm looking for 1/4 and a new extender!! Totally disorganised. This video has helped me straighten out my tool chest. Thanks man 👍
Great video, can never have enough storage. I just can't keep screw drivers in a drawer, need to have them on a wall for easy access and easy identification. Thanks for sharing.
I get that. In some ways I want to have a tool board, but right now with my shop I am working in too many locations not to have all of my tools mobile. Once I get a more permanent workbench set up I may put some items hanging at it. Thanks for watching.
I was planning to organize my tools loooong time ago, but have never gotten to it, simply because I just don't know where/how to start... Watching your video gives me great motivation. Now I know where to start.... Thank you so much for the idea.
Excellent video Great presentation An organized box is necessary. The pretty boy toolbox organization is nice when you're showing off. Being in the trade so long, I would run out of garage space to organize the tools that percisly. Retirement has been a curse. I want everything to be neat, but I don't need all the extra tools. Thanks again
Great video.....I've bought a new 46" stack and had an idea or 2, and have been building up some drawer organizers, but too busy to do it.. This helps.... thanks!
i desperately need some of those socket organizers, thats the biggest problem i have right now is just a drawer full of loose sockets, i spend more time searching than i do fixing. great video, cant wait to start putting things in order...then the next hurdle is organizing the garage...that might take a miracle or two
good job, nice organization for your needs. I'mma aviation mechanic so I am one of those that has my box shadowed for every tool. Its more of a safety thing than an OCD thing. I can pull every drawer at the end of my day and survey in a moment if there's something missing, or left in a compartment or on someone else's box. I'm not as particular with my home tool boxes though pretty close. Thanks for the videos!
Thanks for the comments. I am so pleased that I don't have to work in a large shop any longer. If something is missing it is just me being a dope. I hope to get some more of the drawers in better shape soon.
Absolutely correct. Lol what's the joke, albeit true, about the flight line being stopped because someone can't find a wrench , socket , scraper....Yes everything shadowed. Though I will never pay Snap-on to do that laser cutting.
Yes, I used to work in the aircraft modification business and we too had to have 100% accountability for tools. So each tool had its own cutout in the foam and if you picked out a tool, your ID would be in its place. At the end of the shift all those tools had to be brought back.
I'm a carpenter/cabinetmaker and keep all my mechanics tools in boxes to keep them from getting covered with sawdust. I just bought a 200pcs husky mechanics set in metal box. All the tools inside come organized in flimsy plastic trays but it works well. Some hand tools just go in drawers of other tool boxes. Power tools go on metal shelving. Also hang a lot of hand tools on large board on wall-it's really easy to reorganize the wall tools by just moving screws around to hang stuff.
I do have some large shelving for larger power tools etc. I mostly work with metal, but I am with you on everything needs to be in a box or covered. There is nothing worse than having stuff covered in grit. Thanks for watching.
Ive been looking for ideas to better organise my box and something just dawned on me. All the videos about this are from Americans (or perhaps Canadians). It took me ages to realise why but now its so obvious. You guys have to buy twice or three times as many tools as the rest of the world as you have to have various imperial units. It must suck for my mechanic/engineering colleges across the ocean. Still enjoyed the video, interesting to see a 'good enough is enough' approach
Cool video. Maybe for the files, place them on their sides, using a sort of comb(s) setup. I like your rationale in keeping the most accessed tools most organized. Don't even get me started on silly foam inserts.
Great video, I would also consider sharp tools that can cut you being mixed in, i.e. picks with the screwdrivers. Sometimes when we are in a rush we just grab in without looking and it's an easy way to get a nasty cut.
It's always interesting to see how other people organise their tools! It looks like you have a similar approach to me - sockets in strict order (I use the metal rails and clips), ratchets and extensions in a pile. My pliers drawer is a mess too, they are all different shapes and sizes. But if someone came up with a flexible, generic, non-brand specific way to organise screwdrivers in tool chest drawers, they would make a fortune! I'm always having one rolling over the back of the drawer, or riding up and stopping the drawer from opening.
I work on heavy duty diesel equipment and yes my box it organized since that box makes me my bread and butter. Yet at home my box is a similar set up as yours i don’t use them often.
I discovered a great product for organizing drawers. It's a layered foam made by a company called Fastcap. Trace the tool on the foam, cut along the trace line, then pull the foam out. Tool fits perfectly and its fully customizable. The foam is called Kaisen foam.
Wow, first video on "tool organization home mechanic" The first box layout is exactly what i need in to manage whats strung about right now, my idea was mounting a back on a lighter box, or cart. Hang wrenches and screw drivers, but so clean all closed and locked up... Hummm... ?
Back in the 70s, my dad was a mechanic at a dealership in Chicago, he said his bottom drawer was a pee drawer, it was the only rusted drawer, and mounted on his side box was a 2 gallon bucket he took a dump in,he said the men's room there was worse than a truck stop in Alabama
I totaly agree with this video. Besides its costly to buy all that extra tool box space to organize everything perfectly. I cant understand those that buy a snap-on tool storage for $30.000 ++, sure theyr eyecandy but your jusst as effective with a setup like this guy has. Personally I value my sockets organized and that I have a place i can lock down my most valuable tools.
When you have enough tools to fill a big snappy box and you only get room for one box, you'll understand. I can fit all this stuff and more in my snappy bottom box. They also hold up much better than these boxes when you're in and out of them 8+ hours a day, every day.
I started with just a craftsman box w a smaller one on top. Then someone at work said he'd sell me his snapon box (9 drawers I believe) for 200 . I bought it before he could change his mind. Anyways, to make a long story longer, there were a few drawers which had issues with the sliders and the lock itself. The local snapon guy fixed all of that for nothing. I work on airplanes so it's important to know you've got all your tools back, so the first 4 drawers down are extremely organized, but less so beyond that so I tend to keep a post it note of what goes out: sockets tend to be craftsman which I typically grind down a bit. Ratchets are snapon, mac and s&k. My quarter inch drive ratchets (7) I keep in a small box with a note on masking tape that reminds me there are 7. My other box I still keep at work has zip ties and whatever. This is already too long a post, so cheers. Bill
Thanks for posting Bill. Sorry I have been out of town for a few weeks. Sounds like you have a good setup. And I am very lucky that I am the only one working in my shop, so if any of my stuff is missing, it is somewhere in my shop and I just need to clean. Hopefully soon I will get around to organizing a few more drawers.
Good thoughts about the70%. An idea I used for the pliers.... buy a wire dish drainer rack. Cut the middle out of it. Perfect for slotting in the pliers.
Sal, checkout my video on my plier storage rack. I spent hours doing essentially what you did, but I got to build something myself. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Love this!I just bought my husband the same size tool box(craftsman) . I love the hand&socket organizers, first time seeing these. Can you tell me where I can find them? Looks like you get a lot more room with the sockets standing up👍Tfs Never mind I found them online at Home Depot..😊
You should really use Kaizen foam for the screw drivers and some of those other doors where things are slinging around. Also keeps you from leaving something behind (under a hood).
That is one place that I would use the Kaizen foam, but I am not happy with the size of the drawer that they are in. One of these days I will find a happy spot for them and get them organized. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching. R.J.
