What's Inside A Professional Homeowner's Toolbox 

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I finally have a "big boy" shop at 43 yrs old. I've worked out of garden sheds, basements, wood sheds, dirt floor cellars and single bay garages and now have a 24'x50' shop with a separate office. Wow! What a difference in my life. Every man should have a space to do what needs doing.

"I was wrong about that." This world would be such a better place if everyone was willing to keep an open mind about things. Life is a process and those who are unwilling to rethink things and make appropriate changes diminish their potential to improve their lives and the world around them.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Snap-on toolbox was actually bought brand new retail. Good for you Cody, you are worth it:)

Thanks Cody. I'm in the last stages of completing my workshop/garage and living quarters. I'll be so happy to be able to organize everything and be able to enjoy it. I appreciate your videos on setting up a shop and various ways to do so. Extremely helpful to those of us in need of advice.

i still like to look at the fading of the old shop setup on the wood walls. we all grow and learn and change as time moves along and i am right there with you having your own space and to be able to change it around as you get more comfortable makes the world of a difference.

I’m with you Cody, I was always big on having tools out on French cleats, in the open. I’ve grown too, now toolboxes work better for me for ease of keeping clean. I mainly do woodworking and the dust was unreal after a few projects. Now I can just close everything up and blow them down!

I have the same box and when i first purchased it I thought the organizer draw was going to be a waste of space but later on learned how handy it actually is to keep nuts and bolts, rivets, fittings electrical connectors and other miscellaneous things i would use everyday and having them conveniently organized saved time from walking across the shop to grab them from the wall bins.

Something I have discovered that I can no longer live without is a desktop magnifying glass with a built in lamp. As my vision diminishes with age, I find myself struggling to get just the right angle and lighting and distance to focus well. I have a huge magnifying lens on a huge swinging arm with a nice lamp and I love that ugly thing. It is as handy as anything I have bought in years. Invaluable for detailed work, makes tough jobs much easier when you can actually SEE what you are working with. Cheers!

I like what you said about being the economic engine, an engine has to have caretakers to service, look after, and make sure it’s running properly in order for it to be of service and your family does a great job of that. I’ve been a subscriber for years and have watched since you started clearing the first property and I really think a lot of you Cody, I’ve been an appliance service tech for 28 years and you have been a big inspiration in the way I work and carry myself on the job and at home. Thank you and I hope god continues to look over you and your family.

Was a production welder for 10+ years and learned a lot about how to setup a workspace. Always had ten or so of my most used tools within arms rear, but everything else was in tool boxes so it wasn't in your way. Those ten tools rotated occasionally depending on what we were doing too. A fixed mindset on how to setup a shop is the only thing that doesn't work well.

As an Urban Wrangler, I have fewer tools, but divide them into application specific tool bags - Electrical, Plumbing, Auto Repair and Wood Repair. Saves a ton of time locating stuff I need for any job.

Put a 48 inch long power strip set back a couple of inches from the front under the workbench. You can see and access it easily. And, no cords across the working surface.

I enjoy your videos and enjoy your ability to come around to changing your mind when you see a better way. Keep up shop organizing and the outdoor stuff. Those are my favorites. God Bless you and yours.

Love the blacksmith content! Great explanation and very interesting info on the Maker's mark.

What if you put some sort of pegboard on the wall, offset by about an inch, so you could run cords behind it? And you'd have a pegboard too.

You and Adam Savage have inspired me to organize and improve my workspace in my garage, and encouraged my tinkering and making. It's good that you both (and my dad and father-in-law) don't agree on everything tool/shop/car related, it forces me to think and come to my own conclusions that best suite me and my wife. And thank you for mentioning Ernst Manufacturing; I've been in dire need of tool organizers, and the USA made aspect is a nice bonus!

You could mount the power strip on the bottom of the work surface, recessed in a little so when you plug something in it's not sticking out. Then you also wouldn't have to reach all the way to the wall.

Always enjoy the content! Personally I'm a guy on a budget so my stuff isn't as nice as some of yours BUT I usually find some tip or trick from your videos that help me to make do with what I have . Always some useful information in there somewhere and I appreciate it

I am glad you share my hate for Blow molded cases. They are useless and take up so much space. I have trashed all mine, I bought packout, ernst socket rails, toolgrid. Not only can I store way more in my toolchest I am better organized and have faster access to my tools.

Nice to see you coming around to tool boxes I knew it would help specially for a guy with so many tools it’s nice to have over 100 tools in 1 nice secure location

Tool boxes are just like your tools. Quality and organization makes the experience better. I have a large quantity of cheap tools. But the organization makes the experience enjoyable. Thank you for the video.

Great color choice. I have a snap on box that my dad bought used in the 90s. I have no idea how old it is but everything still works. Its probably from the 80s. Only one section is on roller bearings (i think that was just normal back then) but it is the heaviest with all my sledge hammers. slides like it is on ice. what i am trying to say is you didn't waste a penny.

You might want to double up on those sliders with that heavy drill in that drawer. Your snap-on guy should give them to you.

So many golden nuggets in here thanks for sharing. Very interesting I have a similar tool box set up organization, and also have "junk" drawers 😆. Totally support having a space for your self and your partner 👍 wisdom right there.

Would be nice to have a trap door at the back of the bench to access the cords in a canal/cable management trench. Cords under but access from above.

I have a piece of plywood with clipped corners and 4 drywall screws that are cut off and hang down to keep it center that sits on top of my trashcan. It makes a great portable workbench for chainsaws string trimmers and other small projects. Can easily move to wherever you are working and doesn't take up any more space in your shop. Plus the garbage is under, just lift the lid and throw your trash out.

Toolboxes are perfect storage solution for garage or small workshop. Nice video, thanks for sharing!

The dewalt heat gun works great and cordless! I use it for Thawing pipes in tight areas

A robust drafting chair would be great for that bench. I actually use an old sturdy drafting setup as my work bench free from work and fits my needs perfectly

Man that’s a beautiful box. I just built a AR in the same color and I love the color so much

Do you still have your metal bench that served as your main toolbox at the last shop? Also, I totally agree, I used to be all pegboards and now I am entirely in three toolboxes. I used the socket drawer in one of my toolboxes to put all the power tools in as it is at the best height in the toolbox and I tend to use them the most. I still have a small pegboard which I keep ONE set of pliers, screwdrivers, hammer, mallet and ppe which I found my self needing most frequently. All my additional duplicates of those tools I keep in drawers and I have found that system to work best for me.

I used to be big on peg board tool storage. But like many, I went over to tool boxes to try and keep dust, dirt and debris from collecting on tools.

It does a man wonders to go through and update and rearrange things. Reminds you of all the stuff you have so you can take things off the wish list.

The tool layout makes a difference. I have spent many of my slow days at work as an automotive tech just cutting and folding boxes into what I needed to organize what’s in my tool cart and in my tool chests.

Are you planning on having the locker paint to match? That would look sharp!

Thanks for making this video. Interesting thoughts. Are you planning to do a toolbox tour on the black roll cart? I know you did one during a livestream. I was watching it afterwards, had to go do something else for a while and when I came back the video was gone.

I love bespoke post iv had them almost 2 years now and loved every box I got. Thank you bespoke for the sponsorship. Cody what’s your favorite box? The edc items and knives are my go to.

God bless you Cody as always just great content you produce I learned so much from watching your channel and it’s OK to change your mind on stuff

Order the Milwaukee M18 Heatgun and the M12 soldering iron. They are the perfect pair. Sometimes the m12 soldering iron is a little underpowered for thick gauge wires but it works so well and no gas and heats up very quickly.

Adam savage may have said that about tool box's, but he didn't figure on the OCD professional homeowner (like me) liking everything kinda hidden away, so it all looks clean and tidy and when you start a new project, it's like starting fresh.

Cody, I have the Porter-Cable heat gun, and it is fantastic. Best one I have used.

Looking forward to this set up. I believe of all your set ups this is the most applicable to me!

I’ve got a power strip on the bottom side of my workbench on two brackets, works great right next to my hand so I can turn off the tool when chabging a router bit ect. In Australia we have switches on out PowerPoints I realise you guys don’t

I'm with you on those molded plastic tool cases, hate those things, I always throw those things out as soon as I open them and take the tool out. If I need to take tools to a job I wrap them in a blanket.

I actually love plastic cases. Helps organize my shop for speciality tools.

Cody you probably covered this already but does your shop have two twenty amp 120 v circuits and one 60 amp 240 v circuit?

Really nice. Will be wonderful to use.

Love the color on that Snap-On box! Great set up and I really enjoy your channel. God bless!

Love your channel brother. We need more men like you. Exactly how I want to raise my boys here in NJ.

Always made my own toolboxes and benches custom to my tool needs

Cody I realized the exact same thing about those blow molded cases when we cleaned out the garage

Nice setup, Cody. Lithium batteries dislike hot and cold environments so I setup my charging stations inside. Not as convenient but my batteries last forever.

That turned out very nice. Maybe a couple of rubber or silicone matts would help with the small parts?

As a professional mechanic but also a hands on homeowner seeing a snap on toolbox loaded this way to as confusing and yet it also makes sense

Thank you… I really needed to hear that first bit.

I personally feel that many people misunderstood what Adam Savage meant when he said "drawers are where tools go to die." I feel he wasn't saying you shouldn't have tool boxes, but instead saying that your most used tools should easily accessible and viewable if possible. He has tons of tool boxes around his shop. His Tool Tower is the same principle as a mechanic's service cart, but just customized for a movie prop maker. It should hold the tools that you use multiple times a day to about once a week or so, to help you increase your workflow. You really don't need your chain breaker out and accessible. You don't need your reaction rod out and accessible. You just need to know where they're at for the times when you need them.

Finally, someone has said it about blow moulded cases 😂 I have hated them since the first one I got

Dewalt 20volt heat gun is great!

Are you planning on working on the to of your tool chest? I would consider putting some sheet metal on top to protect it, which could then be sacrificial.

What brand roller stool is that you are using?

Loved it.

My dad bought a brand new Makita impact and accidentally left it on an empty job for a few minutes and when he came back to the job site it was gone. You're right you don't want to leave your batteries out in the open.

I love cabinet doors and drawers… they help keep sawdust off my stuff

love it

Adam Savage sets up his workshop for a particular way of working that induces creativeness in his mind. As a maker he needs to see the tools in order for his brain to process the possibilities of what he could do with the piece that he’s working on. As professional homeowners, we tend to be more task oriented. The tool facilitates a known solution and is not part of the solution thought generating process. Different processes for different tasks.

Milwaukee has a beautiful M12 soldering iron!!

Curiosity Q: I watched you **extend** the power cord that would feed the 'power drawer' in the SnapOn box in an earlier video, then **facepalmed** when I saw that you drilled the hole **5 feet** from the outlet you're most likely gonna use to plug into!! Why?!? You might as well have left it original length, and then swung a power strip over to it!! Now you'll have 5 feet of ugly black cord crossing that beautiful beadboarding under your bench, and it'll **always** pull my eyes to it! "PLAN your WORK, then WORK your PLAN... If you FAIL to PLAN, you PLAN to FAIL"... L.T. Dunlap (1910-1987) -- Blessed Be, & Peace! 🙏☮

On the other hand, some blow mould cases are conformed so tightly, you never get the cord back in properly

Life is change! Thanks for sharing!

Awesome video Cody

The ONLY carrying cases that I like... are.. you guessed it. The Milwaukee organizational/carrying cases. They're really, really nice, sturdy, compact, stackable and NO bloat/wasted space.

Cody, per your request for a heat gun. I have a TITAN heat gun (same brand as paint sprayers) I’ve used it everyday at work and has never failed me. You can adjust the temp in increments of 20° up to 1200° and can speed as well. It has a basic screen display that will tell you the temperature as well as can level!

I hate how you organized the box, but like all things, it’s a process, so I remain hopeful that you’ll make some changes going forward

I wish my toolbox looked that organized

Wow. That Hori Hori is nice.

I was checking out the current snap-on catalog and noticed they make chisels.. might be worthy of a review

The cases that Most Milwaukee stuff comes in really are better. Good latches and they seem to try and make them as small as possible. Not for the tool you use all day every day but for a router or sawzall they really are decent

It doesn't mean you shouldn't include your family in the process. Getting your partner onboard with your loves / passions and how that can evidence itself in your shop, office, garage etc.

one of the pleasures of life, working and tinkering"...beautifully said cody, thanks as always!

nice

@wranglerstar you should test out the Milwaukee cordless heat gun. Let us know how it works. I believe they have it in m12 or m18

Hey Cody I put my outlet strip on the edge of the table and found it works well

For power, look up "24-Outlet Vertical Power Strip, 120V, 15A, 5-15P" Tripplite PN: PS7224 . Its a six foot long, 24 outlet power strip. Run one of these on the wall, about a foot above the work surface and all your outlet issues are solved! The only thing that would make it better is if it allowed for alternating circuits, so you had TWO 20-amp circuits feeding it, allowing for a better distribution of power.. I also love the parts organizer drawer, but I really do not like keeping consumables in the TOOL box.. I feel those need their own organizer like the packout organizers. That way you can have a stack of packouts, one for electrical, machine screws, wood screws, nuts, bolts, etc.. Also, something extremely imporant for me, task lighting.. I like to have a dedicated, extra bright light over my work area. There is nothing worse than dealing with shadows when working at the bench. I do wonder... I think Im about due for a bigger tool chest like that.. Im starting to spill over the one I have.

For a split second, I thought that was your pepperoni drawer 9:40

The key to tool boxes working well is to do what my uncle Fred taught me, He would say...... "No job is done until the tools are put away." Have a Jesus filled day everyone Greg in Michigan

We have a dewalt 18v heat gun that is great. Might be worth a try to replace the corded one?

Speaking of outlets, I am sure they make a powered top for that box also

Link to box?

We would love to see more firearm content!!!

When you have time... Can I suggest Building a magdrill stand possibly out of a repurposed drill press. Its on my TODO list.

You should do a profile of the life of a professional hometead baby girl.

Who makes the security lockers? I am looking for something like to store all my blow molded specialty tools!

Hi Cody, I agree that you have to be willing to change up how you do things in your shop, I use to do a lot of metal work and mechanical work and was a toolbox guy, I have since evolved to woodworking and with a new type of work I’ve had to adapt to a new style of tool storage. I’ve gone the opposite direction and have built custom tool holders for all of my tools and they are all on display. I can see what I have and just looking at them sometimes inspires new ideas. So I think it depends on the type of work you are doing. When you setup the last shop you were into wood working, now you don’t do much of that, you are into electrical, mechanical type of projects. Stay fluid is what makes you a good craftsman.

I always tell people a detached garage is the way to go. That way you're out of the house and away from everything

I guess I missed it so my apologies but wow that tool chest is great - is it Snap on or someone else? Thanks Cody. Awesome vids man.

@6:10 You´re so speaking from my mind. I would be so glad with metal cases.

I like that drawer with the dividers for sure

put a flat 3/8ths Steel on top of metal tool storage box, then you can really bang on it with no damage.

Be careful with the USB C plugs, some of the USB C chargers that come with their own blocks like the Nintendo Switch will break if you just use a random USB C outlet