Make Your Own Custom Tool Box Foam Inserts for $3 

richard jacobs , glad the video was helpful for you!

@Jack Smith, thanks for the tip.

You could also put the trace side down…

@R. Wolf, you're welcome. One tip since making the video is to use a hot knife instead of an exacto knife. It speeds up the cutting process by 10x.

That's what I did!! Idk why he didn't do that or atleast mention it

How do you mean that?

Not all tool boxes come with OEM liners

is this a joke

@@SquidsCareTooyou can buy thin foam drawer liner inserts at harbor fright and use those for the top sheet. Another pro tip or two: - use 3M 77 spray bomb adhesive to adhere the layers together; no way I’d ever use all that time for hot glue - as far as time… wow! I wouldn’t be able to get through all that fussy cutting for two reasons: my time is two valuable; and it looks cool but I pack way more tools in a drawer that size otherwise I’d have to buy three more 56” top and bottom boxes. Wrenches for example: I have SK, Craftsman , Cougar Pro, and Pittsburgh standard SAE combo wrenches, straight and reversing ratcheting combo wrenches, and long combo wrenches, plus duplicates. They wouldn’t all fit in that drawer size but they do fit in a 38”x20” drawer on racks. If flat like that I’d run out of space fast. - third and final here is spray-glue the oem liners (only boxes not worth buying don’t have these pads in my observations) into the drawer bottoms, and use wrench racks ($10 at harbor fright) to hold wrenches, and the upright labeled trays (again $10 or $15?) for sockets. Neat, clean, and very efficient use of the space. That way a very well loaded 56” us general top and bottom will hold every mechanics tool needed to rebuild a V8, restore an old muscle car, disassemble and reassemble a Jeep YJ, or open an auto service shop. Power tools and supplies like grinders, wiring, spare small parts all go in the 13-drawer 60”x26” mechanic’s box I built from scratch that has a vise on its workbench top. That’s a lot of storage in 26” deep by 120” and too much fancy foam tool holders would cut that to 25% of the tools I have in there now. Cool project and looks very nice but I couldn’t deal with that much sprawl of my tools.

Mykel Hall, it works really well for me and many like it, but there are definitely as many haters too. It’s really just a preference.

Could also flip your mats upside down and flip the wrench backwards so when you flip it back over the lines are on the bottom now and the tool is the way you want it.

I used a foam floor pad from the dollar store, has a diamond plate pattern on it and looks cool

​@@Galgamoth Very nice tip. I was looking for the foam kit for my Milwaukee packouts, and they are ridiculously expensive. You save me bunch. Thanks

Same - I didn't know toolbox shadowing was a thing until I joined.

@@KicknAsphlt ahhhh, tool control, gotta love it. ATAF LMAO

@AGNB Motorsports, it takes a long time to make, but it's a great investments into your tool collection and being able to easily find tools when you need them. Also, its great because when the job is done and you put your tools away, you can quickly see if you missed any because there is an open gap in the foam. Is it the nicest looking way to do it...not really, but for a fully custom setup, I don't know a better way. You can buy one's that are ready to be cut but they're not EXACTLY the size of your drawer AND they are super expensive. Best of luck with your tool organization.

@SARSteam Railways, It definitely works. Many times I thought I had all the tools put away to look in my toolbox and see one missing and realize it's hiding under something in the garage.

@Scottie Manners, those will work too if you have some laying around. I ended up labeling mine with a label maker too.

@Bond Street, good tip!

@Ryan Lemmons, wow that’s a great tip. I had never heard that before. At a minimum, if I can’t find that number on the tape, I can use another tape and just measure the first tapes length to get it. Best tip I’ve heard in 2020!

@Frank Kirschner, invest in a hot knife. I have one now and it sped up the cutting process considerably.

You have to do both sides with that, so it would be in the relief cut areas.

Contact adhesive is a good idea but I would try it on a bit of foam before spraying the whole thing to make sure it doesn’t melt the foam material.

I wouldn’t do contact adhesive myself. The 3M 77 sticks very well doing ceilings with light carpeting, but the contact adhesive doesn’t last as well.

@ApprenticeGM, thanks for the tips. Since making the video, some people commented that using a hot knife is easier and I would agree. I've purchased a hot knife and it works 10x faster than the blade I was using.

@Dugmore Business Services, you're welcome! Hopefully it was helpful for you.

@Ray Rivera, you're welcome. Some tips to make the process easier...1. instead of an exacto knife use a hot knife. It's 10 times faster. 2. Check out the comments as other people had some adhesive suggestions that might be easier to work with than hot glue. I've had mine now for over a year in a hot Florida garage and have had zero issues and love my inserts!

Chris Atkinson, I've been really pleased with mine. I live in Florida and my garage gets super hot, and the glue has held up well. It makes finding tools so much easier.

Gary Stilson, thanks!

Charles Laffey , thanks for the suggestions. All good points!

DIY Jeff no problem that's what all this is for learn and experiment still looks 10x better than my tool chest at the moment lol

Hmm...nice observation. Obviously, I should have reversed the direction of the wrenches and used the marker on the back (down side) of the foam so when I turned it over there would be no lines showing. Thanks for the comment.

The killer was a nut

Marcqus G, definitely use a hot knife. After making the video I switched to using a hot knife and it sped up the process 10x.

outdoorzone, the one caution I would give you is to make sure you have a bit of foam between each tool, if not, when you go to cut it, it will be difficult for the foam to keep it's shape and not rip if it's too thin. You could do some tests to see how close you can get the tools to each other.

@Shane Kasper, thanks for the kind review.

Danymite hazard, your welcome. Glad you found it useful. Since making the video, I found that using a hot knife speeds up the process considerably if you take on the challenge yourself.

@58Kym, great idea. The sky's the limit on what combinations of foam you could use.

Daniel Beavers, I no longer use music in my videos. I agree, after listening to it after I posted it, I could have used something else.

@Steve James, thanks! I did find the process is even faster with a hot knife instead of a blade.

Andy Worku , you’re welcome. Just s heads up if you try to make your own, since making the video, others have commented that using a hot knife would be easier than an exacto knife. I plan on trying that if I ever buy one.

I think 99.9% of all of us have tool sorting wishes.

@M S, great tip, but don't use too much since gorilla glue expands and will leave lumps in your foam.

Tim Sherlock, you're welcome. Glad you found it useful. One tip is if you use a hot knife instead of a blade, the cutting process is 10 times quicker.

Mike Squires , thanks for the suggestion. In colder climates that might work. I live in Florida where my garage can get pretty hot and over time, my experience is the spray glue will release over time when exposed to high temps. The melting point of hot glue is a higher temp. Not saying it can’t work. If you do try spray glue, I’d suggest using 3m. Cheap stuff won’t cut it long term.

@@DIYJeff I live in Tucson, AZ and it gets HOT, HOT, HOT! here!!! I've found that using the spray adhesive designed for headliners works really well in the high temperatures. I'm definitely going to try this for my tools at my shop. I have my own computer business and accessing and returning tools quickly is very important to efficiency and making more money in the finite time we have available in a day! Thanks for this. And, ignore the negative nancys commenting. No matter what you do, someone thinks they can do better, but they usually have never uploaded any wonderful videos of their own! :) Oh, and one thing I've always wondered is why someone would come up with a term for OCD and not have the letters be alphabetical!!!

@@DIYJeff this must be the stupidest answer a ever have seen. The melting point is higher🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Michael Linner, thanks for the tips!

Ken U, thank you!

@Steven Smith, you're welcome. One tip I would give you is to invest into a "hot knife" for cutting the foam instead of an exacto knife. It speeds up the process 10 fold.

@Anthony Mancini, invest in a hot knife....I got one after making the video and it sped up the cutting process 3 fold.

danr97123 , thanks for the comment. Not sure what you mean by advertise?

its not easy but, maybe DIY forums on this subject? i linked one of your videos from my channel too.

mowburnt man wow great idea. Thank you so much

I have a bunch of those HF pads from an old project that didn’t pan out. Now I know what to do with them!

@Kevin Vezina, thank you.

SAWBLADE PROJECTS, thanks for subscribing!

@Dcbichos, de nada

Tylor Frazier, I have a friend who uses wrench racks and he also has a lot of tools so I get it. I happen to have a lot of space in my garage and 4 large tool boxes so I have plenty of room to space things out. The plus side is (not just wrenches) I can easily and quickly find any tool in a matter of seconds without having to dig through a toolbox. And, the tool is always in the exact same location, just like using a wrench rack. The pads though provide that same organization for ALL my hand tools, but you're right, it does take up more space.

Oh please, those Harbor Freight wrench racks are incredibly cheap nasty plastic. The important thing is to have your tools organized, so you can immediately find your tool and also immediately spot if one is missing. Tool manufacturers always provide lifetime warranties on their tools, because they know a tool will be lost long before it will break. Take a look at Sonic Tools foam system (sonictoolsusa.com/shop/sonic-foam-system/) as an example of the right way to store tools. They only do this because a large percentage of their market is aviation mechanics, who can't afford to forget a tool inside a plane (as it could potentially take down the plane, while flying).

Norman Klein depends on which wrench rack you choose bud... they sell a metal one that is nice and one that is a big one that holds Allen keys, 2 seats of stubbys and 2 sets of full size wrench’s. I’m a professional mechanic and I have a few harbor frieght organization things in my box including that big wrench rack

@Fernanda Fernandex, you're welcome.

@@DIYJeff thank you!

Ad McPrice, thanks for sharing your experience. The great thing about DIY is that there are multiple ways to achieve your desired result.

Sherryann, the concept works in many applications. As long as you have trays in your box to provide a hard surface it should work.

@Dan G, thanks for the tip!

@Jan Binnendijk, thanks for the tips.

Joe Soliz, thanks for the tip. I think the difference would be with the Harbor Freight foam rolls is they would be more expensive. Part of the video was to show that a custom tray insert could be made for $3. But, your suggestion could work as well. Thanks for sharing.

@@DIYJeff Idk looks a little flimsy to me. I don't see that holding up to well to constant use. How did these things hold up for you so far?

@Snake Plissken, sorry, I'm scrolling through old comments and just saw your question. I apologize for not responding sooner. I live in Florida where my garage gets to 110 degrees easily and I've had no problems. The inserts still work like the day I made them.

Thanks for the positive comment.

@Do Alex, thanks!

@George Ryan, very true. Power tools would need a much thicker foam to keep them from moving when you open and close the drawer.

@G. Fortin, after making the video, I used a hot knife when making additional inserts and it speeds up the process considerably.

@notta3d, that’s a great question to ask yourself. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

That's where you make multi layer cutouts that lift out. Plus it's more about how you create the shapes, if you have a whole set of the same thing then you could definitely just cut out a big rectangle section for the set rather than each item. That's exactly the balance I'm trying to figure out with mine today. What needs full on cut out per item organization and what can just go into a tray

Ann, Blachly, I've found that using a hot knife is a much quicker way of cutting the foam.

@@DIYJeff Thank you for that tip. I have some pillows I want to make from memory foam mattress toppers that we don't use anymore. I'll get a hot knife as I've never had any luck cutting it with scissors or rotary blades either....so have avoided this project for some time.