At 12:10 PM 12/28/99 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Lee Daniels wrote:
>>
>> MY QUESTION: How does one go about organizing your tools? Suggestions for
>> what best goes in the shallow drawers vs. the deeper ones? How do I keep
>> that very top compartment (with the lid) from becoming a junk collection?!?
>> Should I sort them by field, i.e. metal working, woodworking, electrical
>> tools?
As someone pointed out this is almost a religious thing. I can't believe
that you are just getting your 1st real tool box. But I guess I'm assuming
that your not a teenager and more my age - 50 ish. I must admitt that about
4 years ago, I did get a new tool box - it is a 14 drawer box. No roll around
base. In addition to that, I have 2 free standing ex-kitchen cabinets,
an old Craftsman 2 drawer, a Stack-on 3 drawer, a cheap roll around base
with 2 drawers and a large open area on the bottom, another Craftsman box,
that has the lift out top section, then the large area in the bottom, and
another small tool box.
In the main 14 drawer box, I have only mechanics tools as someone pointed
out. The top section will always collect junk even though you try not
to. I keep ALL my sockets in the top area. I have a 1/2" drive SAE impact
set, a 1/2" drive metric impact set, a Craftsman 1/2" drive SAE and Metric
set, a 3/8" drive SAE and Metric set, a 1/4" drive SAE set, and several
assorted large sockets. All this is in the top section.
Now to the drawers - again someone hit the nail on the nose - don't crame
stuff in the drawers. If you have to, you need more tool boxes. The 14
drawer box has 2 rows of 3 thin - 1" deep drawers across the top, 3 rows of
wide (2 drawers wide) 1" deep drawers, one 2" or so deep drawer on the
bottom, and then the remaining drawers are the same width on the right side
of the box.
I tend to group my tools by some catagory:
1. Wrenches - box, combo, and open end - All my wrenches are localized into
one area of the tool box. I have several good - Craftsman SAE wrench sets
- they are in one of the top thin drawers, I have several sets of cheaper
SAE wrenches, which are in the drawer directly below the good wrenches. I
don't have quite as many metric wrenches, so both the good and cheap sets
are all lumped together in the top drawer, to the right of the SAEs.
2. Measuring tools - this is in the smaller middle drawer under the metric
wrenches. In this drawer I have my micrometer, T square, 6' & 25' tape
measure, quite guage bolt and nut guage, etc.
3. The 1st wide drawer hold all the attachments for my socket sets: the
ratchets, extensions, breaker bars, universals, and a small metal box
that contains most of my Whitworth sockets.
4. The next wide drawer down hold Sharp things: Chisels, siccors, razor
blades,
als, putty knifes, cleaning knifes, dikes, etc.
5. Screw drivers - all screwdriver are in the 3rd wide drawer. The flat
blades are on the left side with the blades towards the center of the
drawer, the phillips on the right with their point towards the center.
6. The bottom wide drawer is slightly deeper and gets all the things that
don't fit in the other drawers, like the very long screwdriver, 100' tape
measure, stephoscope (sp), large wrenches, and the clamps for my Black
& decker workmate.
The other smaller drawers on the right side contain:
7. top drawer - has all my adjustable crescent wrenches, pliers, needle nose
pliers, and channel locks.
8. 2nd drawer down has all my allen wrenchs and sets
9. 3rd drawer down has vise grips - all type and sizes.
10. 4th drawer down has battery tools, spreaders, small puller, brake
adjuster,
inspection mirror, and contour guage.
11. 5th drawer has hand impact wrench, stud finder, etc.
12. catch all drawer.
This large tool box is sitting on a wooden kitchen cabinet. I keep all my
air tools, on the shelves in this cabinet.
To the right of the large tool box is a metal kitchen cabinet that hold
(bolted to the top) my bench grinder and small drill press stand for an
electric drill. In this cabinet I keep my electric drills, and saws, etc.
In my 2 drawer tool box - is mostly non mechanic type tools:
1. the top has all kinds of misc stuff like tubing bender, chalk, chalk line,
screen tools.
2. 1st drawer has plumbing tools - spud wrench, tubing cutter, etc.
3. 2nd drawer has stilson wrenches and files.
Under the 2 drawer box is a 3 drawer stack on box.
1. the top shelf keeps my taps and dies
2. is tire stuff
3. is tubes of stuff like gasket material, permatex etc.
These 2 boxes sit on my cheap roll around bottom section which has 2 drawers.
1. In the top drawer are my "sensitive tools". I have my timing light, a
unisyn, a multimeter, dwell tach, etc.
2. 2nd drawer is another catch all drawer - I have wire, wire wheels for the
grinder, spare parts for my sand blasters etc.
I have all my pullers in the old deep tool box, and my body tools - hammers
and dollies in another small box.
There is no real right or wrong way. Depending on what tools you have, and
how your shop is layed out. My tool boxes are scattered all around my
garage. So have fun, and see what works for you, your tools, and how you
work in your garage.
John
>I only keep mechanical tools in my tool chest. I keep the plumbing tools
>in a portable tool box, the electrical tools in another, and so forth so
>I can take them all where they are needed (never in the shop, of
>course).
>
>I have ignition and other small tools in the smaller drawers at the top,
>then hex keys, screwdrivers, then pliers, then box & open end wrenches,
>then drives & sockets, then larger wrenches, then hammers, then pullers,
>and so on. There is no correct way to do it - whatever works for you is
>the best way. I have only rare needs for metric tools, so I keep the
>metric sockets, wrenches, hex keys, etc. in the top section, along with
>all the other stuff that never seems to find a home - tape measure,
>pencil & pad, . I have no ability to stay organized, but I am sure that
>everybody else's shop is a model of strict organization. (I have at
>least 5 workbenches, but I don't have a clean working surface ready
>right now; I would have to clean one off to use it!) Big things like
>valve spring compressors, come-alongs, crow bars, etc. hang on the wall.
>
>I did get some magnetic labels that I stuck on the drawers so I would
>know what is in each drawer - that helps a lot, especially in the
>beginning. I suppose a label maker would do as well, and the labels
>would stay in place better.
>>
>I keep my micrometers and other precision tools in a separate Kennedy
>machinist's tool box - it is too easy to knock them out of alignment
>with careless handling.
>>
>> thanks - Lee
>>
>>
>
>------------
>Mike Sloane
>Allamuchy NJ
>(msloane@att.net)
><http://home.att.net/~msloane> or
><http://www.geocities.com/mikesloane/>
>
>"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in the political
> process is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
>- Plato (427?-347? B.C.)
>
>
John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V (B1109)
71 Saab Sonett III (71500840) 75 Bricklin SV1 (0887) 77 Spitfire
Morgan: www.team.net/www/morgan
Bricklin: www.bricklin.org
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