Toolbox Organizers

[Tonytoro416 1,195]

Did something different with my wrench drawer. See how it goes. Like to see what you guys have come up with over the years 

[Ed Kennell 42,442]

Here's mine.     

 

Edited April 30 by Ed Kennell

[Tonytoro416 1,195]

Mine was close but it finally pissed me off for the last time lol 

[adsm08 3,444]

I'm still working on my wrenches. The drawer is too shallow for a proper rack, but the wrenches are too light and move around when I close the drawer.

 

Here is my socket drawer:

https://imgur.com/a/IIFme9m

 

Those rails are nice, about $40 a piece on Amazon.

 

Been using these for my pliers. It needs a deepish drawer, but it took my plier set from taking up 3/4 of a 6 ft drawer to an 8-inch row. No priced too bad for being Snappy either.

 

https://shop.snapon.com/product/Pliers-Organizers/10"-Pliers-Organizer-(Black)/KAPL10

[rjg854 12,332]

1 hour ago, Ed Kennell said:

Here's mine.     

 

Gotta love the bucket 

[ineedanother 1,679]

I don't get to OCD about it but I'm organized because few things irritate me more than not being able to find something, especially when I'm in a rush or getting tired  I do like my Klein t-wrenches and having some of my Dewalt tools and batteries readily accessible. Combination wrenches are just grouped by size range. No revelations or unique strategies that I can offer for any takeaways...

 

[ebinmaine 73,480]

Because of the way my mind works I'm 

REEEEAALLLYY. BAAAAD....

about "outta sight, outta mind"

 

So I do have a tool box for lots of things. And...  I use a LOT of wall organizing. 

I like pegboard. OK I'm obsessed with pegboard. 

Here's the new workshop space. 

4 full pieces. 

 

 

I also have 2 1/2 in the main barn area with at least 1 1/2 more to install.  

 

Inside the drawers I have inexpensive clip-on socket holders. 

Also use a plier rack but those are all headed to the wall sometime.  

 

 

 

[Horsin'round 274]

 

Inside the yellow tape! Way to 5s!!!

 

[Mickwhitt 5,168]

Snap on used to do spanner racks like those for tool box drawers. Had some in mine when I was a fitter. 

I hang my combi spanners on hooks, allen keys in blocks, pliers and drivers in drawers. 

I have used the foam inserts in my milwaukee tool boxes but they do waste a lot of space. 

 

[pfrederi 18,784]

For commonly used tools I like my peg board right over my work bench.  At the end of the day I can spot missing items faster.  i have not made the paper cutouts like we used in the army.

 

 

 

[adsm08 3,444]

20 hours ago, ineedanother said:

 

I keep my Dewalt's in the power drawer, except the 1/2 inch. It goes in the socket drawer because it doesn't fit anywhere else.

 

But I guess gluing them to the cabinet is good too.

 

 

In all seriousness, are those charging banks the batteries are in? I need to find one because I have recently gone from 2 batteries to 5, but I can't stomach Dewalt's price for the OE one.

[HyperPete 881]

I tried (toolbox widget?) organizers.  Nice concept, but they move when you open & close the drawers.  I actually prefer my 40-year-old generic wrench racks. They're plastic, and they tape to the bottom of the drawer. No magnets, no moving around.

Sorry, too lazy to get up and take photos!

[ineedanother 1,679]

11 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

are those charging banks the batteries are in? 

Just holders. Lots of them in the jungle. https://www.amazon.com/GIPFTYAG-Battery-Holder-Dewalt-Mounts/dp/B0CW2K7BQ4/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=2B28GRDAVIKJ3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tgj8dUcK11uouX44voyVXoXKh5ur5TYNoTo9NCftLjJXPx_-Af5ByYb672AKCTe6qZf1PZ-LFVEI3S514gV2jjkueqbGTkmzJmTTN3StlArQwmf9Fjm8mpRoitjNS0_JnN-nIAgVK7skHIn-GQrNRgwUQ13hIyxO4DX5SGmAdtERy2dnWpw5cjVIP2TdYwKLFTfnewFbcuv-O_vFgrG30lF4Pnk2tlkciP0AV6VBfCGGeGsoHttno8xIezQ2ZNpuXRXK7zaXmvF6Uwe-3J3AyqbNIpwzuii1AmC4Z_fSmvk.m299lulrlZr5Y-3zuZGpEeJ6m7HcfveRHix9MIVfqww&dib_tag=se&keywords=dewalt+battery+holder+wall+mount&qid=1746057514&sprefix=dewalt+battery+holder%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

 

Here is a link for tool holders and battery holders. I have to maximize the little space I have so this was a no-brainer for me. https://www.amazon.com/SKCMOX-Holders-Battery-holders-battery/dp/B09XVLJXYY/ref=pd_sim_hxwPM1_sspa_dk_detail_d_sccl_1_2/136-2126895-4371520?pd_rd_w=pTCDq&content-id=amzn1.sym.3a852a98-d65f-4301-9bd0-9b589b14d1ef&pf_rd_p=3a852a98-d65f-4301-9bd0-9b589b14d1ef&pf_rd_r=0H5SV42T1P4FPMRQH2A8&pd_rd_wg=gQ5KD&pd_rd_r=ac1751d5-38aa-4b64-98c6-fdd748cbdb22&pd_rd_i=B09XVLJXYY&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM=

[squonk 44,042]

My Wenches. Some of these I bought 50 years ago.

 

Cresents, box and some crows feet

 

 

Std. Spanners

 

 

Metric

 

 

Some long ratcheting,  flare nut and some custom bent cheapies to work on Trane AHU's

 

[rjg854 12,332]

I have things somewhat organized 

 

[Retired Wrencher 5,944]

On 4/29/2025 at 8:52 PM, Ed Kennell said:

Here's mine.     

 

Well said Ed.

 

[Retired Wrencher 5,944]

I have 14 to 15 tool bodies I pick at the shows on the cheap in the garage. I have been collecting tool for 50 years or better. So I make it to have general tools in certain  boxes and they all roll. I paid $15 for an Husky and it had-many Craftsman tools in side very useable.  I would say a good buy. Enjoy your weekend.

[Retired Wrencher 5,944]

On 4/30/2025 at 4:43 AM, ebinmaine said:

Because of the way my mind works I'm 

REEEEAALLLYY. BAAAAD....

about "outta sight, outta mind"

 

So I do have a tool box for lots of things. And...  I use a LOT of wall organizing. 

I like pegboard. OK I'm obsessed with pegboard. 

Here's the new workshop space. 

4 full pieces. 

 

 

I also have 2 1/2 in the main barn area with at least 1 1/2 more to install.  

 

Inside the drawers I have inexpensive clip-on socket holders. 

Also use a plier rack but those are all headed to the wall sometime.  

 

 

 

Nice job Eric. Glad the home stead is shaping up.

[Retired Wrencher 5,944]

Just wanna add a little something, Eric. Don’t be like Gary who has 15 toolboxes in his the garage. Yes, I counted them all. I guess I’d do it this way because we park our cars in the garage so I have to spread everything out to fit. It’s OK. It keeps my mind fit by saying OK where did I put that tool?

[ebinmaine 73,480]

5 minutes ago, Retired Wrencher said:

Just wanna add a little something, Eric. Don’t be like Gary who has 15 toolboxes in his the garage. Yes, I counted them all. I guess I’d do it this way because we park our cars in the garage so I have to spread everything out to fit. It’s OK. It keeps my mind fit by saying OK where did I put that tool?

 

I definitely have a few tool boxes...

 

The pegboard is a necessity for me.  

 

 

 

[Retired Wrencher 5,944]

There’s nothing wrong with peg boards. At least you can see what you’re looking for. I on the other hand have pictures postcards, and lots of memories on the walls of the garage so pegboards won’t work. Enjoy your day, bud.  

Edited September 5 by Retired Wrencher

[JPWH 6,463]

I have tool boxes, drawer cabinets, wall cabinets, shelves and pegboard for storing tools. I started with a tool box and an assortment of wooden cabinets. Over the years I have slowly replaced all the wooden cabinets with metal storage except one. I'm still looking for that replacement.

 I am in the process of reorganizing and found a hole shooter, hole hog, and a jigsaw I thought I had given to my son. (when I can't find something I think I gave it to James). My drawers are not as organized as some of yours. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 5 by JPWH

[ebinmaine 73,480]

34 minutes ago, Retired Wrencher said:

. I on the other hand have pictures postcards, and lots of memories on the walls of the garage 

 

Here too but higher up. 

The barn interior has walls over 12 feet high. Plenty of room. 

The new workshop space has 8' on one side and about 11' 6" on the tall side. 

There will be a 39 foot shelf on the short wall for "stuff". The top couple feet of the tall wall (above pegboard) will be for hanging things as display only. 

[8ntruck 7,982]

This is sort of on topic, but wanders a bit off topic.

 

Tool  box organization is a constant chore with the high school robotics team I mentor.  For most of the team's existence, they were doing good to keep the tool boxes organized by tool type - that matched the label on the tool box drawer.

 

Three years ago, one of the student's senior project was to design and build a set of tool boxes that can also be used to carry everything we need to have in our pit at a meet.  They came out well.  Many other teams expressed "pit envy" upon seeing our pit set up.

 

Initially, the tool organization issue remained.  Last year, we were using some 1/2" thick black foam in the bumpers for the robot.  Somebody got the idea to put the laser to work making inserts for the tool drawers with tool shaped cut outs.  They worked for the 2025 season, we'll see how it goes for the 2026 seadon.

 

Here is where I wander off subject.

 

Six or eight years ago, our pit assignment at the world championship meet happened to be 5 or 6 pits away from a team that had won several world championships.  In fact they had made it to the final world championship playoff round that year, but they lost.  I spent a little time watching how they operated their pit, what their robots prep was like - stuff like that.

 

At one point one of the kids on that team put a wrench away.  I asked that student to please open the wrench drawer again.  It was a mess, just a pile of wrenches.  He gave me a questioning look.  I replied with a thank you, then explained how he had just given me hope for  my team, as our wrench drawer looks the same as his 'world class' operation's wrench drawer.  I further explained that he had just shown me that the 'world class' team was just another group of high school students.

 

I've told this story to the students I've mentored many times since.  Might have done some good, as our team won the world championship in 2024 - against that same team who has won multiple world championships.  The current team realizes that they could win another world championship with hard work, a good robot, and a little luck.

 

Edited 14 hours ago by 8ntruck