Storage

[Eugene]

Blow them up life size and then always lay the tool back on top of the picture :) Decide on a storage system you like. I bought and gave away a lot of different storage boxes/bins/toolboxes until I decided on a system that worked well for me. You have to find a system that works well with how you work, if you have to put forth too much effort to put tools away then eventually you will stop putting them away. I was faced with a garage with a pile in the center and sat back and wrote down a list of goals I had, i.e. how I liked to work, what kinds of things I like to work on, how I would like to see things done and stores, etc.

[BUB 209]

I keep a lot of miscellaneous hand tools in four freezer bins on a shelf out in the shop. The problem is, when something is needed, rummaging through them is an ordeal. I'm thinking of dumping out the contents of each bin onto a 4X8 layout table, arranging each item so it can clearly be seen, and taking a digital photo of the spread. Then I'll print out the pictures at 8.5 X 11, bind them together, and keep the pictures in the shop. That way I'll only have to rummage through one box instead of 4! Am I an idiot?

[J T]

Tue, Nov 16, 2004, 11:22pm (EST+5) [e-mail] (BUB=A0209) asks: Am I an idiot?

Of course you are, otherwise you wouldn't have asked.

Pretty neat idea, really.

JOAT Any plan is bad which is incapable of modification.

- Publilius Syrus

[J T]

Tue, Nov 16, 2004, 11:22pm (EST+5) [e-mail] (BUB=A0209) says: I keep a lot of miscellaneous hand tools

Now, I'll add my other thought.

But, whenever you add, or subtract, a tool in any one box, to do it right, you'll have to lay out the tools, and take a new picture. Hehehe

Simple solution tho. No more tools. LOL

Still a pretty neat idea.

JOAT Any plan is bad which is incapable of modification.

- Publilius Syrus

[TWS]

The only thing idiotic is asking this crew if you're an idiot. Cute idea - I'm not disciplined enough to use it tho...

TWS

[Swingman]

Being accused of being anal myself, I'd tape them (pictures) to the box instead (where it can be seen from a shelf). But then again, this is way too damn anal, even for me.

[firstjois]

He could alphabetize them - just label the boxes A-G, H-M, N-T, U-Z!

Josie

[Bob]

The only thing I would ask is why do you need pictures? Don't you know what you've got? A verbal description should be sufficient and is easier to maintain. I've used a filing system for years, in which I put a number on the box, folder or whatever filing medium I am using. I set up a numbered table of contents in the computer and type the contents in by the numbers. So box #8 may have a list that says "duplex receptacles, wire nuts, light switches". With this system you can add box after box and just give them a new number. I make the table of contents with extra blank lines, so I can just write in new items on the fly. Periodically, I update the list from my handwritten copy and reprint it.

bob

[Dave Mundt]

Whatever works for you is the right way to do it. Just make sure that the tools go back in the right box! One of the organizational things that I have seen folks do (folks that are FAR more organized than I am) is to sort out tools to "similar" functions and put all them into one storage box. Say... all the chisels and planes in one box, all hammers in another, etc. Depending on the catagories chosen, it can help narrow the search quickly, especially if you label the ends of the boxes with a short, descriptive phrase. Now...it might be worth considering changing your storage method too. If the tools really ARE too random to be catagorized by useage, perhaps a multi-drawer cabinet would be a great project to work on. A couple or three cabinets with a number of 2" deep drawers would cut down on the rummaging quite a bit. A few years ago I built a couple of these to fill the open space in the base cabinet for my lathe. There are...hum...5 drawers in each one, and, when I am disciplined enough to put the tools back where they belong they make it REALLY easy to find stuff quickly. I even dedicated one drawer to the small sanding disks (Quik-loc) and put an "eggcrate" set of dividers into it. That is probable the most organized drawer of the bunch. Regards Dave Mundt

[Bill Wallace]

Categories man.

Cutting tools, measuring tools, wrenches, etc.

[Lawrence Wasserman]

No, you just have too much time on your hands.

[rcook5]

Because it's faster and easier to take a picture than to type out a list? YMMV, of course.

--RC

I've used a filing system for years, in which I put a number on

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

[rcook5]

Get a package of rolls of electricians tape in different colors. Color code the bins and the tools. I've got some stuff I color-coded this way nearly 30 years ago and the tape is still in good shape.

That works, but there are a couple of problems. The first problem is the time it takes to classify everything. The second is that not everything classifies neatly. (Say woodworking chisels and carving tools and what do you do with the ones you use for both kinds of projects?) The third is that you don't use just one type of tool on a project and you end up having to drag out several bins to get what you need..

--RC

Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?

[BUB 209]

Categorize this:

rip fence for wetsaw.

marking tool for making 45 degree cuts on plastic radiused corner bead.

handles from a 15 year old router

propane torch nozzle

2 flashlights of the type they give you when you buy a cordless drill

roll of caution tape

roofer's hammer

plastic ladle used when straining paint

etcetcetc

Seriously, would you throw any of these things away if you were a jack of all trades contractor?

[BUB 209]

On the contrary, I think of the time I've lost rummaging through the four bins, not to mention money spent buying duplicates because I didn't want to take the time. I found three chalk lines in there! I could put the pics in plastic and attach them to the steel shelving with a beaded chain, like a spark plug chart at Pep Boys, that would be cool, huh?