I solved the junk-drawer problem by making a socket board from some .050"
aluminum sheet, cut to fit the top center section and turned up on the ends to
form handles. I took a bunch of socket rails, cut off the handles and
pop-riveted them to the aluminum sheet. So the whole top center section holds
almost every socket I own on one portable board. In the section in front of
that are the torque wrenches, breaker bar and speeder handles.
This is a 12-drawer chest, so below that there are three rows of three drawers
each, with three full-width drawers below that. The first row of three small
drawers has 1/4', 3/8" and 1/2" ratchet wrenches, extensions and nut drivers.
The second row of three has flat-blade screwdrivers on the left, Phillips
screwdrivers on the right, and box knives, scribes, magnetic pickups,
inspection mirrors and small flashlights in the center. Below that are taps and
dies, brake line wrenches and flaring tool, and small hammers. The first
full-width drawer is all pliers, visegrips, Channelocks and crescent wrenches
(all the "grippers"). The second full-width drawer is engine rebuild tools like
bore brushes, ring expanders/compressors, valve spring compressors, clay,
engine prelube, etc. The bottom drawer is measuring tools - micrometers,
calipers, thread gauges, dial indicators and bases.
In the base cabinet is where I keep all the open-end and box-end wrenches,
tuneup equipment, etc. I could have put the wrenches in the top chest, but it's
too damn heavy to carry anyway, and the base cabinet drawers are slightly
larger.
But that socket board has been the best thing I've done for tool organization.
Someone wants me to come help work on their car? No problem - grab the socket
board and a few wrenches and I'm ready. Makes it easy to tell if I've misplaced
a socket, too.
If I can't be good, I can at least be organized! ;-)
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?
--
Gordon Glasgow
http://www.gordon-glasgow.org
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