Racking toolboxes

[Theo]

My high-grade tool storage solution, being the cartons from Lidl's finest nuts, has met its end. So I'm in the market for a replacement series of toolboxes.

The Lidl cardboard gives me an idea for the sort of toolbox I'd like. I'm thinking of the kind of parts bins that live on wall racking:

but stackable, with a lid and a top handle. So they can live on the wall most of the time, but I can carry them around and stack them in the car if they need to travel. The parts bin front means it's easy to access the tools without removing the box from the wall (a wall bracket wouldn't strictly be necessary; resting on shelves would suffice), but they would be easily picked up and moved around where needed. It would be nice if the lids would fold up, but OK if a detachable part.

This is halfway there:

but too large, no handle and look a bit flimsy.

Anyone seen anything like this available anywhere? I'm not really sure how to search for it.

I suppose I could put regular plastic toolboxes in drawers, but the nice thing about racking or shelving is that the space is clear if the boxes aren't there, whereas the drawers would still take up space even if empty, and drawers need extra depth to pull them out.

Suggestions welcome...

Thanks Theo

[newshound]

I believe in boxes. I generally keep tools that don't have their own blow-moulded boxes in things like this

(this is a relatively expensive example, the general search term is flight case, Maplin used to do good ones at half the price in periodic offers).

These have a similar footprint to these

so they can be stored in the same way. In my case, typically on their long edge underneath a metal workbench. Toolboxes are marked with permanent marker or fabric paint markers to make it easy to find them.

Other collections of nuts, screws, bolts, etc. live in plastic toolboxes like these.

These are very robust and stack well (and have a similar footprint to the "metal briefcase" type flight case).

I keep other stuff in smaller plastic cases with either fixed or adjustable dividers, if Lidl have an offer I might buy three at a time, to make stacking easier. I find it is important to mark them clearly on two edges, these are best stacked "flat".

I have never got on well with the wall racking parts bins, although that is partly related to the odd shape and build of my workshop. For something like a garage with a bench along a wall, they work OK there.

[Theo]

I found there's some interesting items available in the retail logistics side of things - the kind of plastic trays and crates that supermarkets use. This is almost right:

but I'd prefer if it opened on the short side to save shelf space (many hand tools are long and thin), and there's carry handles but no lid.

Some of the folding crates are nice, but they tend to only fold a side down when empty, which would mean having to lift all the tools before converting from shelving to portable mode. And some of the consumer ones have a solid rim that would get in the way of taking things out of the side.

Still pondering...

Theo

[Andy Burns]

Years ago we did some work for Ricoh, and each time they sent us some prototype hardware, it was in a crate that looked like it'd been plucked off a production line somewhere, very sturdy, dunno if they have a generic name, these look similar

[Alan J. Wylie]

That's almost exactly what I bought for my shed storage, except I went for 27 litre, rather than 65. They aren't particularly cheap (£9.23 each, though they were only £7.50 back in May), but I'm very happy with them.

No lid, no handle, but open on the short side.

A photo in my shed:

51cm Industrial Plastic Euro Storage Container, 27 litre open: External size: 505mm (long) x 295mm (wide) x 230mm (tall). Internal Size: 470mm (long) x 265mm (wide) x 220mm (tall).

[newshound]

Good for big stuff, I agree. I have stuff like that on shelving, often in old washing up bowls or "ordinary" storage boxes.

The other advantage of my approach is that if I need to do a job somewhere else I can grab (for example) the box with cordless drills, the SDS drill box, the box of drills (augers, masonry, flat drills etc), the rawlplugs box, the coach bolt box, and the ordinary screws box.

[Theo]

Those are quite nice - reminds me we used to have such a wall of boxes at work. They got thrown out - if only forward planning... (the other downside is wanting to remove a crate from the stack)

Thought I'd give some of these a go - if they don't work out I can always use them for something else:

It seems the maker, Polymer Logistics, makes the crates for Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's - there's a continuous cycle of crates going from farm to warehouse to store and back round again. Cheesy but interesting video: Theo