Storage

Not sure it really qualifies for this category. But with my tool chests (C raftsman!!!!!!!), the skinny drawers are much better for keeping my tools o r stuff organized and findable than the deeper drawers. In the deep drawer s everything gets piled on top of each other and its hard to get anything o ut once you find it. Skinny drawers keep everything visible and not on top of anything else.

(Craftsman!!!!!!!), the skinny drawers are much better for keeping my tools or stuff organized and findable than the deeper drawers. In the deep draw ers everything gets piled on top of each other and its hard to get anything out once you find it. Skinny drawers keep everything visible and not on t op of anything else.

So when buying tool chests, look for chests with lots of skinny drawers and not a few deep drawers.

If SWMBO happens to buy individual cups of Jello, fruit or pudding, don't let her toss or recycle the translucent cup when empty. Rinse them out and stack them (they nest wonderfully) in a cabinet in the shop.

Tearing something down and need a place to park the screws, nuts, washers, etc.? They are ideal.

Touching up some paint or finish? Yep, use them and toss them.

Just very handy for about anything you can think of. Combine them with the el cheapo paint brushes from Harbor Freight and do away with cleanup time.

Right on with the Zip-Lock bags. I also keep boxes of the various sizes handy in the shop. Keep all the parts handy for a job so you're not digging through a tool box/bag and, when you're done with the job, you can empty them out into wherever you normally store them.

I keep a couple of the Rubbermaid storage tubs (with the press on lids) in the garage. One holds plumbing bits and pieces, the other electrical connectors, boxes, outlets, switches. etc.

Skinny drawers for most things. Need something a little deeper for pipe wrenches and faucet wrenches.

Even deeper drawers might be good for battery operated tools, spare batteries and chargersw - not a lot to get hidden.

" Only in Canada you say .. "

milk bags - yup ... milk - in bags !

Not really for shop use - although they are heavier than most zip-lock baggies < ~ like freezer zip lock > We re-use these - with a twist-tie - to put-up a lot of freezer foods. Great for that long cheese slab in the fridge. For the paintbrush - between coats. Plastic peanut butter / mayo tubs - semi clear seem to hold-up better than clear - long-term in cold temps. Use them for temporary parts storage ; craft parts ; painting ; you-name-it ... they're free .. For a larger clear-ish plastic container - mixed nuts from Costco ; birdseed ; Re-use 'em and blue-box 'em .. We've just recently had wax-cartons < milk, ice cream, etc > excluded from our re-cycling stream .. heads-up landfill ! John T.

I can't believe I forgot this one: When you disassemble something, put the screw right back in the hole it came from. Now you know which screw came out of which hole, which is great for those engineers who use different size screws despite the small size being more than small enough.

Puckdropper

See-through is key.

I recently bought a 25-pack of 4 oz specimen containers.

I sorted my mixed batches of spare nuts, bolts, washers, etc. into them. I store them up-side down on an eye-level shelf. A quick scan of the see-through containers and I can quickly find the hardware I need.

I have a wire shelving unit outside the shop. I use a few of these for larger odds and ends and parts:

In the garage I sized some of the shelves to fit these plastic crates:

The lower shelves (and floor) fit 18 gallon totes (not see-through)

Shelving system:

I'm also a fan of zip lock bags for both short and long term storage.

Student Housing storage:

A few years ago I built a knock-down full size bed for my daughter to take back to college. She wanted it to fit in her car and be high enough to fit the 18 gallon totes underneath so she could have more storage than your average student.

Add 2 pieces of 1/2" MDF and it's sweet dreams:

Order a lot of spices from Penzey's, have a few bottles of both glass and plastic.

The deep drawers are for the stuff that doesn't fit in the skinny drawers.

I don't have spare nuts, bolts, washers, etc. I have sorted inventory. I told my sister I may have $600 worth of hardware, but I have $1000 worth of inventory because it's sorted and labeled.

I've been avoiding large plastic drawers, knowing that they tend to sag quite easily. How have those held up?

Puckdropper

The shallow drawers on mine are fine for 3/8" socket sets but my half inch stuff is always getting jammed up. My problem is I have too many tools for my 26 inch box and cabinet. I used to have 2 "saddle" boxes on the sides - just doors to hang stuff in - but they don't work where I have it now. The main chest has 3 full width drawers about 3 inches deep, and 6 shallow drawers each 1/3 the width of the box and 1 to 1

Do you have a container labeled "semantics"? ;-)

There's no need to label these containers cuz it's easier to just look than to read.

Those aren't exactly what I have. I broke a couple of these down into sets of 2 drawers. For things like my "inventory" of electrical parts (receptacles, switches, etc.), plumbing supplies and the like, they are more than sturdy enough.